Overland Power (3 Viewers)

[TeCKis300]

"Part of the challenge with additional loads is that it all starts adding up fast as it's rarely just the additional battery bank charging that we're talking about. "

Tell me about it LOL!
I just added a Starlink antenna. What's another 60W...

Must resist another doodad! But you're so right that having solid data could make for less time fumbling to get information and decisions when off-grid. Experienced that first hand in Death Valley two weeks ago and practically no cellular coverage. A buddy quickly turned on his Starlink, and we were off to the races once armed with key information.

 

[Boston Mangler]

Must resist another doodad!

BAN!!

 

[TeCKis300]

BAN!!

Get that Mr. Heater yet?

https://www.amazon.com/Original-540-Degree-Radiant-Propane-Heater/dp/B01BE8FVUK

 

[FrazzledHunter]

Must resist another doodad! But you're so right that having solid data could make for less time fumbling to get information and decisions when off-grid. Experienced that first hand in Death Valley two weeks ago and practically no cellular coverage. A buddy quickly turned on his Starlink, and we were off to the races once armed with key information.

Now now...there are no "bad" gadgets only "better" gadgets.

With gadgets, especially when one has a skeptical spousal unit, it always helps to justify it's acquisition by referencing a safety concern.

Seriously, Starlink started with us with concern over issues, a few of which are:

• We have consecutive campsite reservations lined up. We could lose a 10 day reservation if we're delayed a day and can't get in touch with NPS.
• We are going to be camping in dispersed areas for the first time and wanted to be able to be reachable for the reasons you mentioned and to deal with those pesky emails that have "pay now" buttons. We do have a Garmin inreach 66i but that is for a SOS needing rescue.
• Payment of June's estimated income taxes from our bank account. Payment can be scheduled and funds transferred in advance I suppose but we'll worry about it a lot less if we can see it happen.
• Weather emergencies. This is supposedly partially covered by the Garmin but we've never seen it actually work or be activated.

We did this to ourselves by automating everything and relying on notifications. All in an attemp to make life easier and less stressful. The same was once said of the telephone.

 

[FrazzledHunter]

Get that Mr. Heater yet?

https://www.amazon.com/Original-540-Degree-Radiant-Propane-Heater/dp/B01BE8FVUK

We have a Mr Heater Portable buddy we used for tenting. Not sure we need it now that we have the trailer.

Portable Buddy® Heater - https://www.mrheater.com/portable-buddy-heater.html

 

[Boston Mangler]

Get that Mr. Heater yet?

Someone may or may not have bought several of them via the convenience of my passenger seat on the drive home this weekend

#doodadaddict

 

[Boston Mangler]

With gadgets, especially when one has a skeptical spousal unit, it always helps to justify its acquisition by referencing a safety concern.

This is the way

 

[TeCKis300]

We have a Mr Heater Portable buddy we used for tenting. Not sure we need it now that we have the trailer.

Portable Buddy® Heater - https://www.mrheater.com/portable-buddy-heater.html

Yup, those are great for tent camping.

I use the 540 propane heater is a stand-in for open wood campfires, as CA is fire prone and has lots of wood fire restrictions and burn bans. It's also far far better in creating usable warmth and heat when it's cold and/or windy, with its radiant infrared heat output. In contrast to flame based heaters that look pretty but doesn't generate much usable heat and can't handle wind.

Look at it as a much more effective Howl R4 heater, but at a fraction the cost.

 

[FrazzledHunter]

Yup, those are great for tent camping.

I use the 540 propane heater is a stand-in for open wood campfires, as CA is fire prone and has lots of wood fire restrictions and burn bans. It's also far far better in creating usable warmth and heat when it's cold and/or windy, with its radiant infrared heat output. In contrast to flame based heaters that look pretty but doesn't generate much usable heat and can't handle wind.

Look at it as a much more effective Howl R4 heater, but at a fraction the cost.

Another incoming gadget. Dang. Need the safety angle though...
If one of us is holding a knife in cold weather, the heater will prevent shivering making it less likely to drop the knife or to get cut.

 

[bloc]

The REI anniversary sale finally convinced me to jump on an Ecoflow Delta 3 Plus. My "overland" interior storage/sleeping setup was developed enough that finding room for the thing was going to be very difficult, but then the Iceco VL35 pro S had a different footprint than the Pelican cooler I had been using for a decade, so things are going to get shuffled around anyway.

My use for it will be really basic.. without solar, power that fridge mostly at cooler SWCO mountain temps, plus help with faster charging of LiPo batteries for FPV things in the mountains. The dual 140W USB-C outlets will be nice for the latter, though I'm looking into a 12/24 setup to charge the EcoFlow and expedite charging the larger LiPos I use on these trips. I don't know what the actual voltage of the LiFePo cells in the Ecoflow are, but a direct DC output of up to 30V would sure make charging those convenient/efficient.

I have a LiIon pack over 200Wh, but the current delivery limitations of that one mean I don't use it much. Far more frequent are my 100 and ~70Wh LiPos.. using them 3-4 times per day depending on where I'm flying. Those have me a bit nervous about keeping the EcoFlow charged.. I was leaning 12/24 Victron but now that I think through the demands of these batteries I'm wondering if fishing the giant plugs of the Alternator charger into the cabin and finding room for the unit itself wouldn't be a lot smarter...

@kcjaz did it seem like the larger connectors could be depinned to make fishing things through easier?

 

[kcjaz]

@kcjaz did it seem like the larger connectors could be depinned to make fishing things through easier?

The end that that connects to the starter battery doesn’t have that giant plugs.

Depinning the proprietary plugs doesn’t seem possible to me as there is no way to open them. I think you’d just have to cut them off and then splice the wires back together or use a terminal block or something.

I’m liking my set up, but the wiring of the charger needs some improvement. The big ass proprietary plugs I dislike.

I also wish my delta two had more direct DC outputs. I just added an ExoFlow 500 wh River 2. I want daisy chain it to the Delta via DC but I can’t because I need the DC out for my fridge. I can’t daisy chain it with that AC plug though.

 

[bloc]

The end that that connects to the starter battery doesn’t have that giant plugs.
View attachment 3919146
Depinning the proprietary plugs doesn’t seem possible to me as there is no way to open them. I think you’d just have to cut them off and then splice the wires back together or use a terminal block or something.

I’m liking my set up, but the wiring of the charger needs some improvement. The big ass proprietary plugs I dislike.

I also wish my delta two had more direct DC outputs. I just added an ExoFlow 500 wh River 2. I want daisy chain it to the Delta via DC but I can’t because I need the DC out for my fridge. I can’t daisy chain it with that AC plug though.

Ah.. then I’ll probably find a Victron 12/24 setup that works for me, and figure out how to run my LiPo charger off the 24v as well.

And yes, more direct DC out would be really nice.

 

[bloc]

I saw and advertisement that Ecoflow now has a 500w version of the alternator charger. Don't know if it's smaller, but it's a little cheaper. So maybe a better option for most people who are just now looking.

I decided to look into this a little, between the cost of the Victron units that don't over or undershoot the Delta 3's DC in capacity, and packaging/airflow in my case.. I don't and won't have the drawer system so many people use to mount their electronics.. so it'll need to go under a seat or somewhere else out of the way.

Turns out it's the same dimensions as the 800w unit, so no advantage there. Comes with XT60 cable vs the XT150 of the 800w.. that could be a plus or minus depending on the person's packaging situation. And for now at least, it's actually more expensive than the deals available on the 800w units on ebay. I'm seeing those new down to $315 shipped, but EF is out of stock on 500W's, so (for now) amazon is the only source at about $390.

Since I'll need this in a couple weeks I'm leaning toward the 800W unit and just reducing its output in the app to mitigate strain on the alternator.

 

[lx200inAR]

I decided to look into this a little, between the cost of the Victron units that don't over or undershoot the Delta 3's DC in capacity, and packaging/airflow in my case.. I don't and won't have the drawer system so many people use to mount their electronics.. so it'll need to go under a seat or somewhere else out of the way.

Turns out it's the same dimensions as the 800w unit, so no advantage there. Comes with XT60 cable vs the XT150 of the 800w.. that could be a plus or minus depending on the person's packaging situation. And for now at least, it's actually more expensive than the deals available on the 800w units on ebay. I'm seeing those new down to $315 shipped, but EF is out of stock on 500W's, so (for now) amazon is the only source at about $390.

Since I'll need this in a couple weeks I'm leaning toward the 800W unit and just reducing its output in the app to mitigate strain on the alternator.

Yeah,seems like the biggest win here is the XT60 connectors. And i 2nd the 500w being a better fit for the stock charging system.