power conversion

bigdan · 12-02-2003, 03:14 PM

Hi there

my main concern to start with is should I run on 12v dc or convert everything to 110v ac...any ideas?

since ive run true the net so many issues reign on this ...

like is it worth buying a converter,charger or just a converter 12v=110v .and charge the batteries with a regular battery charger or the engine alternator ...pros & cons ?

in my trailer i have both ... wall outlets are 110v but the ligts are all 12v ( not too bright) i use a 110=12v dc converter only since im connected to normal hydro all the time (trailer is fixed)

thanks guys

lapeer20m · 12-04-2003, 03:53 PM

I have both in my bus...12volt and 120 volt. The standard interior lights of the bus i replaced with much brighter single filiment auto style bulbs. The type that are used for backup lights in most automobiles. They're much much brighter than the stock bulbs. Most of the time i leave those off, and utilize my 120 volt rope lighting. I have blue rope lighting the entire length of the bus on both sides of the interior. I run all the 120 volts stuff, including the furnace, frige, tv, vcr, laptop, ect off of my inverter. the inverter is connected to a set of two golf cart batteries, with the option to run the inverter using the starting batteries. Inverters are cheap. If you're impatient, go to wal-mart.. 775 watts for about 80 dollars. do a search on the web for the LULU corp if you want the least expensive inverters i've found. 2000watt inverter for 200 bucks delivered to your door. I keep a spare inverter, i've found that they tend to fail. Water being spilled on an inverter is quite exciting, started a small fire on the bus, i'll tell that story another day. If all else fails, I also have a generator, but this is the least attractive option for electricity.

For charging, i purchased a ship and shore deep cycle battery charger for about 50 bucks. Proper charging is extremely important to the life of yoru deep cycles batteries.

The alternator on the bus is really really big! It can keep up with quite a load being drawn from even a large inverter while driving, or parked with the engine running at a fast idle.

If you're looking for cheap, you can get away with using only the starting battery connected to an inverter while you work at purchasing some deep cycles. NEVER let the battery get drained beyond the point of being able to start the bus. Besides inconvienent, it's extremely harmful to the batteries. I utilized this method for a couple of months, and had great results. The starting battery in my bus is HUGE. But i took heed to others warnings, and purchased the separate "house" batteries when i could afford them.

bigdan · 12-08-2003, 12:31 PM

what is bothering me is should I run two separate sysytems or just one and have a safety system that prevents short circuits ...

...any device that does the spilt?

Steve · 12-08-2003, 12:57 PM

Quote:

what is bothering me is should I run two separate sysytems or just one and have a safety system that prevents short circuits ...

...any device that does the spilt?

Yes! That device is called a tranfer switch. I have an inverter/charger/tranfer switch all in one unit in my bus. The minute you plug into shore power it switches from inverter to power to the shore power and starts charging the batteries automatically.

Since you already have an inverter you can buy just a seperate tranfer switch. You could even get one that would automatically switch in power from a generator also if you have one.

bigdan · 12-08-2003, 01:03 PM

thanks steve,

but I dint bought nothing yet !

looking around for what I need ....on the forum... I d like to do it the good way the first time !...

seems like the inverter-charger is better then inverter with separate charger ,,,but quite more expensive ... better I guess this way for non trouble ...

EldoMike · 12-08-2003, 04:07 PM

Steve,

Are you saying that the UPS will handle charging your battery bank? How many UPS' are you using....great idea btw...

EldoMike

lapeer20m · 12-17-2003, 03:10 PM

For power generation using the internal combustion engine, this is by far my favorite source. The Honda EU 2000. It's an extremely quiet unit, making about as much noise as normal human conversation. That's not all, it's light, less than 50 pounds, and extraordinarily efficient. It will run for 15 hours on a gallon of fuel with an output of 500 watts. or 4 hours at it's rated load of 2000 watts. New, this generator/inverter is about one thousand bucks. I don't have one yet, but within a year, i will.

http://www.hondapowerequipment.com/eu2000.htm

Steve · 12-17-2003, 03:59 PM

I've seen people using these at the race track and they ARE QUIET. It makes me mad I hadn't seen them before I bought my generator.

EldoMike · 12-17-2003, 04:19 PM

I'm very interested in the UPS solution to the inverter problem, please make sure you give us good details....

That Honda generator is a must buy for sure!

EldoMike

talk2cfs · 04-30-2008, 09:21 PM

I have a 3000w/6000w inverter and am ready to put my system together, but could use some help. I'm adding another large bus battery just for the inverter and would like to use a breaker box, shore cable in addition to a charger to keep that battery charged while running. Does anyone have a simple diagram of how I should hook this all up and in what order? Thinking I might need a switch to go from shore to camp mode. Thanks

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