Hank the Tanks Dodgy battery and solar system

merl said:
I owned a Linn Sondek for a few years Trev. It's biggest drawback was the way the sound was ruined by the lid. It sounded slightly better when played with the lid up but taking the lid off really made it sing but it was a faff.
The Michell I replaced it with doesn't suffer with the same gripe and the tone isn't quite as bass heavy as the Linn either.
Linns are still in high demand, fetch good money and hold their value really well.
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Good to know as i got mine years back for £300 from a chap who had bought it for his wife who died a short time later. i have looked after it like a baby.
 
trevskoda said:
Good to know as i got mine years back for £300 from a chap who had bought it for his wife who died a short time later. i have looked after it like a baby.
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Depends a lot on which arm and cartridge you have.. Linn also made a lot of aftermarket upgrades like the Valhalla, Trampolinn and Nirvana spring and power supply 'tweaks', they are desirable too on a used unit. Having the original box matters too. I'd guess 1K-3K depending.
 
merl said:
Depends a lot on which arm and cartridge you have.. Linn also made a lot of aftermarket upgrades like the Valhalla, Trampolinn and Nirvana spring and power supply 'tweaks', they are desirable too on a used unit. Having the original box matters too. I'd guess 1K-3K depending.
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I upgraded the arm to what was classed as middle of the road a few years back, cartrage also, good way to unload ones pocket big time. 😨
 
Back on topic. Kev and I have been getting very anal in a discussion about controller overheads and battery drain over winter. (Well it would be rude not to keep the thread going). :D

Kevs issue was the angle the van is parked at home where it doesnt get much solar and mine is that its on a drive which is sheltered by buildings. That said last winter the old controller managed to keep everything charged but I googled the overheads on the old controller and the new one and the old one is just 6ma and the new Victron one a massive 25ma! :D Well I say massive. Its still insignificant when you consider there are 1000 milliamps in 1 amp. I do remember though on the old van having to take the fuse out between the old solar controller and the battery as the solar low voltage alarm went off over winter and the battery was down below 11v. No issues at all last year on the drive with the new van and my old set up though.

I have two panels now anyway so not envisaging any issues. :D Just thought it might be of interest.

Victron controller overheads.jpg

old controller overheads.jpg

Hank drive new.jpg
 
Why not get a quote for a EHU socket on the house? Then you can plug it in and charge it, That is essentially what the GizMott is for on mine as the controller just couldn't give what the VB needed, I'm hoping just doubling the solar on mine may do the job, if not I plug it in and hopingly forget it.
 
Pudsey Bear said:
Why not get a quote for a EHU socket on the house? Then you can plug it in and charge it, That is essentially what the GizMott is for on mine as the controller just couldn't give what the VB needed, I'm hoping just doubling the solar on mine may do the job, if not I plug it in and hopingly forget it.
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I don't think ill need to Kev. Its not that simple anyway as you cant plug the EHU cable in as its half way down the side of the van. Look at the picture of the van. What you could do is plug it in when you are about to drive in with the other end down the drive but I dont fancy that.

Just to be doubly anal I researched the overheads on the old controller that I did have issues with on the old van over winter and its overhead is 1-2 watts which is quite a lot I think. Mine was the PCM 2012 so I am guessing from the specs below it drew 1w in standby which if my calculations are correct is about 83ma (can someone concur?)

So it drew a fair bit more than the new Victron and it only had one 100w panel. I now have I think 220-240w

old pcm 2012 overheads.png
 
So checked the app in the van just now and all good in the back. I then stuck my plug in voltage tester in the cig lighter socket in the cab. Unfortunately you have to turn the ignition on to get a reading and I was a bit alarmed at first as it read 12.0v. After a few seconds it went to 12.4 and then 12.5. I assume there was a load when you turned on the ignition (despite not starting the van). Maybe a fuel pump or something. I had expected to see at least 12.7v. Ill try it again in a few days. As long as it stays the same Im sure its fine.
 
barryd said:
So checked the app in the van just now and all good in the back. I then stuck my plug in voltage tester in the cig lighter socket in the cab. Unfortunately you have to turn the ignition on to get a reading and I was a bit alarmed at first as it read 12.0v. After a few seconds it went to 12.4 and then 12.5. I assume there was a load when you turned on the ignition (despite not starting the van). Maybe a fuel pump or something. I had expected to see at least 12.7v. Ill try it again in a few days. As long as it stays the same Im sure its fine.
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Silly Custard, Glow plugs etc come on, interior light.

What you need is a BM6 mate :D :D
 
colinm said:
Can't your control panel display the VB 'good enough' to check if all's working well enough?
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If you mean the Swift control panel above the door I didnt check that as it just shows single increments like 12v, 13v etc or inbetween. I thought this would be more accurate but now you mention it I maybe should have as there would be no load so I would maybe expect it to show 13v. Ill check it tomorrow.
 
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