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Software developer looking to work in the sticks

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  • #16
    You gotta car, then you have absoluteely no need for solar and is a waste of money, Get you an auxilary battery and a electronic battery isolator to charge the battery from your alternator and call it done. Your alternator can generate more energy in 15 minutes than a panel can generate in a week. Works faster, better and cheaper with nothing to carry around.
    MSEE, PE

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    • #17
      Originally posted by Sunking View Post
      You gotta car, then you have absoluteely no need for solar and is a waste of money, Get you an auxilary battery and a electronic battery isolator to charge the battery from your alternator and call it done. Your alternator can generate more energy in 15 minutes than a panel can generate in a week. Works faster, better and cheaper with nothing to carry around.
      Agreed on the solar aspect. I was just looking at a Honda generator, but that is a bit over budget. They want $900.

      I do have a car and it doesn't have a normal alternator. Its a Chevy Volt and its device that charges the starter battery (12v) from the traction battery is some type of reducer thing. Its been problematic when running my laptop or PC (4-5 amps @120v). It will start smoking if I run the laptop too long off of it. While camping and letting the laptop run at 100% overnight, the reducer thing started smoking and the starter battery was too hot to touch.

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      • #18
        Originally posted by 505HPC6Z06 View Post
        I do have a car and it doesn't have a normal alternator. Its a Chevy Volt and its device that charges the starter battery (12v) from the traction battery is some type of reducer thing. Its been problematic when running my laptop or PC (4-5 amps @120v). It will start smoking if I run the laptop too long off of it.
        The DC-DC converter in a hybrid will handle 70 to 100 amps. You won't overload it. You might overload the cigarette lighter socket, however; they are not made for long term high power draws. Adding an Anderson connector and a 30 amp fuse would solve that problem.
        While camping and letting the laptop run at 100% overnight, the reducer thing started smoking and the starter battery was too hot to touch.
        That's not due simply to drawing 100 watts (12 volts at 8 amps) from the 12 volt system. If it did, the first time you used the rear window defroster, or the headlights, you'd have a fire.

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        • #19
          Originally posted by jflorey2 View Post
          The DC-DC converter in a hybrid will handle 70 to 100 amps. You won't overload it. You might overload the cigarette lighter socket, however; they are not made for long term high power draws. Adding an Anderson connector and a 30 amp fuse would solve that problem.

          That's not due simply to drawing 100 watts (12 volts at 8 amps) from the 12 volt system. If it did, the first time you used the rear window defroster, or the headlights, you'd have a fire.
          That makes sense. Its not an overload problem because when I had the load applied, it was fine. Its just not fine after a given duration of time. An electrician thought my smoking/smell problem was burning insulation.

          Adding an Anderson connector and 30 amp fuse would solve what problem? The long term power draw? The smoking/heat issue pulling juice long term is what I want to address, ideally. But I think I need a service manual to learn about the DC-DC converter. what exactly is getting hot, why and what may fix it.

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          • #20
            Originally posted by 505HPC6Z06 View Post
            That makes sense. Its not an overload problem because when I had the load applied, it was fine. Its just not fine after a given duration of time. An electrician thought my smoking/smell problem was burning insulation.
            Probably on the wire carrying power from the nearest fuse block to the cigarette lighter.
            Adding an Anderson connector and 30 amp fuse would solve what problem?
            The insulation burning due to too high a current. You have no problem with your car's DC/DC converter, just the wiring carrying power from it to your cigarette lighter. They are rated for 10 amps (usually) but will get very hot if used continuously at that current level.

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            • #21
              Originally posted by jflorey2 View Post
              Probably on the wire carrying power from the nearest fuse block to the cigarette lighter.

              The insulation burning due to too high a current. You have no problem with your car's DC/DC converter, just the wiring carrying power from it to your cigarette lighter. They are rated for 10 amps (usually) but will get very hot if used continuously at that current level.
              The inverter is connected direct to the starter battery, not the cigarette lighter. With that said and applying the logic I hear you saying, it sounds like the wire going from the DC/DC converter to the battery was burning. Which would make sense because the starter battery (pos terminal) was too hot to touch. The battery itself was too hot to touch and hold.

              The electrician guy thought adding an identical second battery would address the problem. But I don't get why that would fix the problem.. Any ideas?

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              • #22
                Originally posted by 505HPC6Z06 View Post
                The inverter is connected direct to the starter battery, not the cigarette lighter.
                Yikes. You need a fuse right at the battery - if not a fuse then at least a fusible link to blow before the battery explodes (or the wire catches on fire.) Batteries will deliver a LOT of current into a short. I'd recommend either connecting on the load side of the fusible link, using an unused position in the fuse block, or choosing something on a 20 or 30 amp circuit, adding a new fuse to the line and connecting there.

                The electrician guy thought adding an identical second battery would address the problem.
                Won't do anything. Power is power; a second battery won't create more power.

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                • #23
                  Originally posted by jflorey2 View Post
                  Yikes. You need a fuse right at the battery - if not a fuse then at least a fusible link to blow before the battery explodes (or the wire catches on fire.) Batteries will deliver a LOT of current into a short. I'd recommend either connecting on the load side of the fusible link, using an unused position in the fuse block, or choosing something on a 20 or 30 amp circuit, adding a new fuse to the line and connecting there.


                  Won't do anything. Power is power; a second battery won't create more power.
                  To fix the issue, I would need to replace the lead from the DC/DC converter to the starter battery with a thicker gauge? The converter is about 2' away from the battery and it looks like there is ~4 gauge wire installed.

                  I was also thinking to connect a new lead from the converter to a separate battery with a fuse. Then again, replacing the burnt wire and leaving the car alone would probably prolong its reliability I hate getting stuck in the boonies!

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