Finished Lithium installation by Road Pro

.....very amusing you two above !! Who were the Krankies....some sort of "sweaty" phenomenon ?? :cool1:
 
.....very amusing you two above !! Who were the Krankies....some sort of "sweaty" phenomenon ?? :cool1:

Scotland's answer to The Clitheroe Kid.


[video=youtube;dmxHpNn5gXI]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmxHpNn5gXI[/video]
 
...clitheroe ?? ...eee by eck !! ....how'd u know we from lankie lol !! :D Maja
 
It will be interesing to see how long it lasts. They are supposed to last a long time, but I've heard tales of premature failure. What matters most is keeping the battery temperature down.
It looks like a fairly neat installation, apart from those shanky inline fuses.

It ought to be done with a proper fuse block. After all, they start at less than a fiver (https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/6-Way-Ci...Standard-Fuse-Box-Block-Holder-UK/22274802742 for example) or a tenner with LEDs (10Way Fuse Box Block Holder Car Boat Automotive Auto Blade ATC ATO WARNING LIGHT | eBay for example)

Yup, that area of the installation does make it look a little amateurish.
 
more info

Many forums discuss the pro cons of such a expensive power supply and I fall in to the try it and see bracket as we are now full time and having invested a lot in to our (new to us) Hymer Starline I want bells and whistles.

The cons say stick with conventional batteries as the technology will get cheaper as time goes and the pro say its the best thing they have had fitted to their vans.

We had Road Pro install the inverter some months back to allow use of 240v items such as kettle,hotplate,microwave,etc but soon learned that our expectations were high.The batteries ( 3x100 amp gel -usable 150 amp ) soon flattened and we found more experienced motorhomers only used their invertors sparingly.

The problem is that the batteries are not designed to supply large lumps of power but a smaller steady 12v supply.Along with that they take quite a while to charge again despite having 3x100 amp solar roof panels and a 180 amp “smart” alternator.

My research brings us to the LiFe04 technology and a better understanding of what is going on in the power supply presently on the van.


1 The expensive single NDS 150 amp LiFe04 battery can discharge down to 10% and the standard batteries down to 50% .The NDS weighs 21 kg and the three older ones weigh 60kg + .

The NDS can charge much quicker so replacing 30 % lost power even when just tick over on the engine for half hour,the old would require more to achieve that.

It works better with a inverter than standard due to its ability to give larger output without any detrimental harm to the cells ,unlike standard.

“IF” it works as promised it will have a long life 12 to 20 years and pay itself back by avoiding campsite electric charges typically £3.00 per day and can be transferred to any new van we may purchase in the future.


2 I now understand that the regulator for my solar panels could provide more power to the battery if it was a MPPT type .This boosts the input when needed for a quicker charge .


3 I now understand that a battery to battery charger will also provide a much quicker charge from the engine and that the standard item probably does not allow for the fact that this vans Euro 6 engine has a “smart” alternator.This has regenarative braking and provides peaks and troughs that can damage batteries.

The Sterling Power video on B to B for smart inverters would be interesting to any Euro 6 owners.Perhaps all new vans should have a similar device fitted as standard for battery protection.


So there we have it ,best part of three grand with fitting to get the best 12v power supply presently available .All change in a few years time maybe but then you can constantly put off buying the newest tech . Road Pro installed
 
Well done for letting us know what you’ve done. I’ve recently went down a similar expensive rout to sort power issues although I have a large van I have no room for solar panels so I’ve invested in a efoy 140 fuel cell that I’m still to fit expensive but think it will suit my needs. If it weren’t for people trying new technology then don’t think anybody would have solar panels now as when they first were fitted to mhs they were expensive and had loads of doubters but look now everybody has them so keep us informed how you’re system performs. I’ll try and do somthing similar when I’ve installed mine cheers Wully.
 
control panel

engine idle shows 54 amp charge rate Control Panel.jpg
 
I applaud anyone trying new ventures in technology. Having found our 'keeper' van we have had a 3/4g router and roof mounted antenna hard wired in specifically for watching and streaming TV rather than having a dish. I believe telecoms and data is the broadcasting future and costs will come down while satellite reception abroad is increasingly difficult to get. Had breakfast yesterday here in Spain listening to our local radio when at home and can watch or stream UK TV, iPlayer and Amazon prime etc almost anywhere I can get a phone signal.
Well done to you pioneers.
 
4G

Hi Bigus, we in Spain too...what data sim are you using to stream with ? Cheers Maja
 
Hi. We're at Bonterra Park over the festive season then we'll meander south before returning home for March.
 

Users who viewed this discussion (Total:0)

Back
Top