64 replies to this topic

[Stiller320]

This looks like the system I have been leaning toward. Very similar to a system on Explorist.life accept their system uses a 2000VA (expensive) inverter charger. Is your IOTA charger an Inverter/Charger or a Converter/Charger? I was thinking of using a Converter/Charger from Progressive Dynamics but Nick at explorist.life said he almost never recommends a Converter/Charger over an Inverter/Charger due the extra wiring required. I don't really understand what the extra wiring requirement  would be. I have a 2019 Hawk shell that I am upgrading with Solar/Lithium. Any advice anyone could give me would be greatly appreciated. Our max daily amp hour usage is around 50.

[CarlG]

This looks like the system I have been leaning toward. Very similar to a system on Explorist.life accept their system uses a 2000VA (expensive) inverter charger. Is your IOTA charger an Inverter/Charger or a Converter/Charger? I was thinking of using a Converter/Charger from Progressive Dynamics but Nick at explorist.life said he almost never recommends a Converter/Charger over an Inverter/Charger due the extra wiring required. I don't really understand what the extra wiring requirement  would be. I have a 2019 Hawk shell that I am upgrading with Solar/Lithium. Any advice anyone could give me would be greatly appreciated. Our max daily amp hour usage is around 50.

 

The IOTA is a converter/charger. Our AC outlets only work when plugged into shore power. This doesn't really bother us, as we don't use any AC appliances while camping anyhow.

 

I'm afraid I don't know what extra wiring Nick was referring to. I didn't have to alter any of the AC side wiring for this conversion.

[Stiller320]

I see your charger/controller runs through your B2B charger. Does the B2B then control charging from the alternator and also from your charger/converter when plugged into shore power? When charging from shore power, can you use your 12V systems in the camper or do you have to wait until batteries are charged? How is everything working for you? I'm close to pulling the trigger on about the exact same system. 

[CarlG]

I see your charger/controller runs through your B2B charger. Does the B2B then control charging from the alternator and also from your charger/converter when plugged into shore power? When charging from shore power, can you use your 12V systems in the camper or do you have to wait until batteries are charged? How is everything working for you? I'm close to pulling the trigger on about the exact same system. 

 

Yes, the B2B controls charging from both the alternator and the shore power. The idea here (as I understand it) is that if you plug an "unlimited" source of ~13.5V (charging voltage) into the lithium batteries, they will pull in too much amperage too quickly, damaging themselves. The B2B is basically just a 12V to 12V charge controller that controls the max amperage as well as altering the voltage to be appropriate for the various charging phases (bulk, float, etc).

 

When charging from shore power, you can use the 12V system at the same time. When charging, the batteries basically just become a load, and all the other loads (lights, fridge) are connected to the same 12V bus, so the rest of the 12V system doesn't really care whether it's the batteries or the B2B supplying the voltage.

 

So far everything is working fantastically well, but I haven't really stressed the system. I have a number of week long and longer trips coming up this summer - I'll post back in the fall with my thoughts as to how the system performs under more difficult conditions.

[Stiller320]

Happy travels! Thanks for answering my questions.

Stan