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  1. LivinDaDream

    DC/DC charger + Solar musings

    You'll have to check your manual, but solar charge controllers require a minimum voltage above their charging voltage to be able to operate and provide the required charging voltage to the battery...typically 15V or more, if my memory serves me correctly. You're unlikely to see that high of a...
  2. LivinDaDream

    Lance 815 Refrigerator upgrade...

    I'm probably a bad judge of the unit being a problem for a light sleeper...I spent many years traveling 60-80 days a year and hotel air conditioners with their cycling on and off, rattles, etc., never really bothered me. That said, I'd judge my particular unit to be pretty quiet and I don't...
  3. LivinDaDream

    Lance 815 Refrigerator upgrade...

    Sorry for the tardy reply, haven't dropped in here in a while and for some reason I didn't get a notification, either. Yes, that's the model I have.
  4. LivinDaDream

    camper resting on tailgate down.... ok or not ok???

    Most any camper I've seen that has the built-in or add-on rear wings has running, brake and backup lights in the wings and they operate as they would on a trailer via the camper umbilical connection to your vehicle. My Lance has a tag mounting bracket and light, as well, but I never relocate my...
  5. LivinDaDream

    Portable Solar panels- DIY vs Solar Suitcase

    I don't own any of the Victron units, but I've looked at them and they all have user adjustable settings in addition to the presets for your AGM batteries. The Victron AGM preset should be fine. Shouldn't cause any issues with your PWM trailer system as long as it's also set for AGM batteries.
  6. LivinDaDream

    Portable Solar panels- DIY vs Solar Suitcase

    Whether or not you can rely on your controllers to prevent overcharging will depend on how your controllers are set up and how sophisticated they are. I'd dig into the manuals and learn exactly how each works. From what you describe it seems like you are transitioning to float mode, but...
  7. LivinDaDream

    Portable Solar panels- DIY vs Solar Suitcase

    No problem at all, I do it fairly frequently with two MPPT controllers in the same way you're planning. Just be sure that you have both set for similar charging parameters. The only PWM controller I've ever used only allowed you to set a PV cutoff voltage when charging and I typically had it...
  8. LivinDaDream

    JBD SMART BMS Upgrade for my DIY 105AH Lifepo4 pack.

    Really clean, first class build!
  9. LivinDaDream

    DIY 280Ah LiFePO upgrade for my Lance 815...

    That's true, at least for practical purposes and the amount of extra energy you put in a LiFePO4 3.2V nominal cell in a 4S pack is only about 1% when you charge above about 13.6V to 14.6V vmax (3.65V/cell). So not worth the time and effort to get there. I do see a lot of comments from those...
  10. LivinDaDream

    DIY 280Ah LiFePO upgrade for my Lance 815...

    Diplo and Rando, Great points and very much in line with my own thinking/experience. In plotting out the knees in the charge-discharge curves for the DIY set I built, I've setup my BMS to operate between those two points. Actually, I've worked out settings for two different modes. In most...
  11. LivinDaDream

    2021 F350 with Dual Batteries, battery monitor?

    I have factory dual batteries in my 2500HD Silverado and they're tied together full-time. The ECM manages the charging profile and generator output based on number of variables in play when the vehicle is in operation, depending on system load and voltage, temperature, etc. I would do a search...
  12. LivinDaDream

    DIY 280Ah LiFePO upgrade for my Lance 815...

    Rando, I was way ahead of you on this, though I didn't mention it in my post. I had some .8mm hard, but bendable plastic material (might be HDPE, no way of knowing) that had been part of an older photo backpack to stiffen the sides of the bag. I inserted strips of this material between the...
  13. LivinDaDream

    Cooling for Lithium battery and chargers in tongue box?

    Another thought on your problem...if you're not going to be traveling with the inverter running, only when stopped, just open the box. I wouldn't worry about the BMS if you're charging from solar while driving...as long as the box isn't black. Lithium batteries should be kept in the very low...
  14. LivinDaDream

    Cooling for Lithium battery and chargers in tongue box?

    I'd be more concerned about the inverter than the battery and BMS...neither should generate all that much heat...the inverter when under load, that's another matter entirely. Let me guess the tongue box is black...not good...paint it white or put some sort of sunshade over it to keep the sun...
  15. LivinDaDream

    DIY 280Ah LiFePO upgrade for my Lance 815...

    Not much worse than going back and having to clean up someone else's mess...I feel your pain. If I ever get around to moving to a bigger rig, whether a camper or an RV and I have the space, I'll definitely go 24V or even 48V for solar and inverter/charger. A converter to get whatever voltage...
  16. LivinDaDream

    Help needed-Atwood jack covers

    By the way, Attwood must have cheaped out on the later models...mine are 2008 and it sits in the sun most of the time...they seem fine.
  17. LivinDaDream

    Help needed-Atwood jack covers

    I have the same jacks on my Lance and need to have a look at them. 3D printing is certainly an option and you wouldn't really need to scan one, just create a new object in a 3D modeling program from basic dimensions. No reason they have to have as complicated a shape as the originals. One...
  18. LivinDaDream

    DIY 280Ah LiFePO upgrade for my Lance 815...

    Thanks, I'm more thankful for not having to wait several months for the parts to ship by slow boat from China, but a good deal was icing on the cake. I wish I had a space like that to put two or three packs like you did, I'd consider changing my system over to 24V and putting in a big enough...
  19. LivinDaDream

    DIY 280Ah LiFePO upgrade for my Lance 815...

    This will be a bit long, but perhaps helpful to someone considering the same sort of battery build. I've had a Battleborn 100AH battery in my camper for about 3.5 years and couldn't be happier with it...it just works. My power needs are modest...compressor based fridge being the biggest draw...
  20. LivinDaDream

    Will any of the Garmins have better GPS than phone?

    I think the way you worded your question may have thrown most of the responders off. Most phones nowadays have a pretty decent GPS receiver in them and can receive enough GPS sats to give you a location just about anywhere a standalone GPS device might work. That said, most of the navigation...
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