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Rick, is the purpose of the 2nd battery to be able to power the accessories while the van is turned off? I am curious how long you expect to be able to watch a dvd on the battery. Would you use the amp with the van off too?
If the van is off, it switches to the 2nd battery. Does that system have a cut off so it doesn't drain the 2nd batt?
...is the purpose of the 2nd battery to be able to power the accessories while the van is turned off?
The purpose of the 2nd battery is to exclusively power the A/V system and newly added USB/12V ports when the van is not running. With the engine off the second battery powers nothing else. When the van is running (key in the run position, but not acc position) the two batteries are tied together by the underhood battery isolator.
Originally Posted by johnt365
I am curious how long you expect to be able to watch a dvd on the battery.
That's a good question and I don't truly know the answer. It will depend on several variables. The battery is a 100Ah lead-acid battery, so at 50% discharge max, I have ~50Ah of usable battery power. So I could theoretically run a 10A load for 5 hours, or a 5 amp load for 10 hours, etc.
Originally Posted by johnt365
Would you use the amp with the van off too?
Yes, the dashboard receiver is what provides the audio even for the TV, so anytime the dash receiver is powered up all components are set up to come on too. I wired it this way, but I suppose a switch could be installed on the amp turn on lead to enable manual shut off of the sub (like some sort of energy-saving mode).
Originally Posted by johnt365
If the van is off, it switches to the 2nd battery. Does that system have a cut off so it doesn't drain the 2nd batt?
I do not have a low voltage cutoff for the second battery, however, the dash receiver and the USB/12V plugs I installed all have voltage displays. I told my son that anytime battery voltage drops to 12.1V he needs to start the van up and run it for a bit to charge the battery.
How did you guys run the cable from the primary battery? Curious if you ran it inside or outside and how/where you went through the floor or firewall.
What size cable did you use to connect the two batteries? Looks like 2/0
How does that Stinger isolator work? If your primary battery was discharged or weak, could you switch to the "house" battery so they are both available to the starter?
Right now i only want to run a dvd player, monitor and some computer speakers. Its all on a 325w inverter so one batter should be good for awhile.
How did you guys run the cable from the primary battery? Curious if you ran it inside or outside and how/where you went through the floor or firewall.
What size cable did you use to connect the two batteries? Looks like 2/0
How does that Stinger isolator work? If your primary battery was discharged or weak, could you switch to the "house" battery so they are both available to the starter?
Right now i only want to run a dvd player, monitor and some computer speakers. Its all on a 325w inverter so one batter should be good for awhile
ps i'll go grab a beer.
As shown below, I ran the cable for the second battery through an existing grommet in the firewall on the passenger side.
These existing wire organizers (at the bottom of this pic) got the cable behind the front seats. When I ran this cable, I was in the process of replacing the carpet so it was a lot easier than working the cable through the existing carpet, but it's still not mission impossible.
The isolator is just a glorified high current relay. Stinger instructions below:
Another thread with some info on wiring the isolator is here. In this thread, I reference and link a "smart isolator" that is an alternative. The smart isolator is switched electronically vice mechanically.
When the Stinger isolator (or any mechanical isolator) is activated using a "true ignition" wire, both batteries are available during starting.
Originally Posted by mountainmanjoe
I would advise against running those things using your starting battery if you don't want to keep replacing it.
I agree with Joe.
However, to me, running a TV, DVD player, and computer speakers from a small inverter is like playing a car stereo while tailgating or detailing it. Would it be better to run that stuff off a second deep cycle battery; yes. Will running that stuff off your starting battery reduce that battery's life cycle; yes.
IMO, the real question is what is the trade-off? Your starting battery may need to be replaced more often, but setting up a second battery is not free.
For me, right now all my 12v power outlets are only on when the van is on. I just want to keep the dvd playing on the 17 lcd monitor while we stop for gas etc.
I have one of these battery guards. I should test it to see if it still works while in the drive way before taking it on a trip.
...I just want to keep the dvd playing on the 17 lcd monitor while we stop for gas etc.
IMO, a second battery would be overkill for your needs... However, if you wanted to add a 12V fridge/cooler. Or maybe you want a bigger inverter to run a few more 120V items...
Originally Posted by johnt365
...I have one of these battery guards. I should test it to see if it still works while in the drive way before taking it on a trip.
Curious about the battery guard. Is it the full setup like this pic, and did you install it?
On the Corona Van's first real drive since registering it this week, my son was sitting in the very back seat and suddenly he says to me "dad, there is smoke back here..." I suspected the (brand new) inverter was failing, so I told him to switch the inverter off and turn off the circuit breaker providing power to the unit. He did these things and also grabbed the fire extinguisher from the back and had it at the ready.
Thankfully the fire extinguisher wasn't needed. Shutting the inverter down and removing power from it was sufficient to end the emergency. Upon returning to the house, we removed the inverter which smelled a tad burnt. We removed the cover and sure enough, a capacitor had failed; the top had blown off and it was leaking. The funny thing is that the inverter wasn't even powering anything when it failed. It was on, but idle...
I would leave the lowes stuff alone. Drop by your nearest loves travel center and look inside the glass case for inverters truckers use . They usually have a sale on
On the Corona Van's first real drive since registering it this week, my son was sitting in the very back seat and suddenly he says to me "dad, there is smoke back here..." I suspected the (brand new) inverter was failing, so I told him to switch the inverter off and turn off the circuit breaker providing power to the unit. He did these things and also grabbed the fire extinguisher from the back and had it at the ready.
Thankfully the fire extinguisher wasn't needed. Shutting the inverter down and removing power from it was sufficient to end the emergency. Upon returning to the house, we removed the inverter which smelled a tad burnt. We removed the cover and sure enough, a capacitor had failed; the top had blown off and it was leaking. The funny thing is that the inverter wasn't even powering anything when it failed. It was on, but idle... I have ordered a 1000w Renogy Inverter; we'll see if we have better luck with it...
Originally Posted by ray caldwell
.I would leave the lowes stuff alone. Drop by your nearest loves travel center and look inside the glass case for inverters truckers use . They usually have a sale on https://www.loves.com/en/store-promo...ower-inverters
So... the new inverter show up this past week. This morning we did a preliminary install to test it out. For what it's worth and at risk of "waking the beast", although I bought the new inverter from Lowes, it is not a "Lowes brand" piece of gear (not sure that would be such a bad thing?). Anyway, I think the new inverter should work out well. I like the remote on/off switch and there is no induced noise/hum into the audio system.
Not sure what are going to do in terms of mounting this remote...
And of course more Govt Mule on BlueRay to test out the system...
May 31st, 2020, 9:39 AM
