24 VDC to 12 VDC & 24 VDC to 110 AC converters/inverters Question

[oddshot]

Anybody got experience with the various 24 VDC to 12 VDC & 24 VDC to 110 AC converters/inverters that are on the market?

Are there better/worse ones to buy out there?


My summer session has classes that I can only attend at a campus that is 1 1/2 hour one way from my home ... and since the college I attend squashed the summer quarter from 13 weeks to 5 weeks ... I will be in classes from O800 to 2000, four days a week.

Commuting is NOT an option ... so I will be camping out in the back of the Mother Duck.

I simply do NOT have the money for a motel.

Having 12 VDC for a radio ... or 110 VAC for an alarm clock ... or a coffeee maker would be pretty good.

Alternate ideas FOR POWER would be welcome.

oddshot

 

[JasonS]

I was advisor for a senior design class which used : Power Bright - 24 Volt Modified Sine Wave Power Inverters
which are modified sine wave. The issue is that these are modified sine wave and aren't very clean. Not sure how well it would work for your application but they are cheap.

 

[armytruck63]

Modified sine wave will probably work fine for the coffee maker (especially older ones). Not sure about the alarm clock though. Why don't you buy an el-cheapo battery powered digital alarm clock.

Keep us up to date on your College Safari!

 

[Bad_Carp]

Sadly, power isn't cheap.

I use the Vanner battery Equalizer to go from the 24V of the truck to a seperate 12V battery bank (4 deep cycle batteries).

I also have 2 solar panels charging the batteries as well (so you don't have to have the truck running).

Then any converter/inverter should do based on your power needs. If you just want to run a radio, coffe maker and the lights, I would think a cheap Cobra 400W unit would do (not sure on the power consumption of a coffee maker)

 

[deuceaid]

Are there any camp grounds around that you might go to,,, ones with RV hook-ups,,,,,they generally dont cost as much as motels,,then You could have shore power to hook up to------maybe get some extra batteries and charge them up when Your on shore power, and maybe go for a few days on batteries,,, then go back to campground and charge up again,,,, then you could go with small cheapy inverter....

I have even heard some Wal marts have offered power to people in there parking lots ( but that was in the midwest , the manager even came out to check if they needed anything THAT WOULD NEVER HAPPEN in kalifornia) Good Luck

 

[3dAngus]

You would have to get a "monthly rate" at a campground that takes in locals, but at a college town, it might still be very high priced.

Some of those high powered inverters look pretty awsome and I am still investigating, but I would use seperate batteries for them. I would not tap into one active 12 vdc battery out of a 24vdc system for an inverter or they won't charge back up properly. Sorry I couldn't be more help Ted, ....yet...

 

[oddshot]

Commuting is NOT an option ... so I will be camping out in the back of the Mother Duck.

oddshot

BTW ... this sort of this is EXACTLY what I built the Duck for. I just did a weekend of debauchery at a "biker" weekend in North Carolina ...

... and, in the future, I'm hoping to visit the Air Force Museum in Dayton, Ohio and the D Day Museum in New Orleans using my Bobbed Deuce as a base camp.

A cloth house and WMO powered transportation.

What more could anybody ask?

oddshot

 

[wikallen]

I was advisor for a senior design class which used : Power Bright - 24 Volt Modified Sine Wave Power Inverters
which are modified sine wave. The issue is that these are modified sine wave and aren't very clean. Not sure how well it would work for your application but they are cheap.

I have the 900watt version in my m109 right now. Been using it for about a year. It runs a small fridge, the lights, laptop, stereo. Pretty much everything I need it to, but my A/C. The fridge can run on it all night without killing the main batteries, but I would not do this on a regular basis without some separate house batteries.

For 12 volts, I have been using the cheap 20amp (so they say) Chinese (disposable) ones that can be had for about 10 bucks. I use them to charge phones, and even run a 400watt inverter. I have them in the cab and in the back.

 

[oddshot]

You would have to get a "monthly rate" at a campground that takes in locals, but at a college town, it might still be very high priced.

FWIW ... overnights at RV campgrounds in the area I'm staying (Marietta) range from $18 to $30 PER NIGHT!

A truck stop is FAR cheaper ... all I need is a place to sleep, a place to pee if/when I wake up at night (I'm over 60), and a cup of coffee in the AM.

A radio, a fan and a light is about all I really need.

oddshot

 

[tennmogger]

For the 24 to 12 converter, IMHO, if you are going to use it a lot, get a good one. Here are a couple of USA made converters: Newmar, and Wilmore. Both of these are used heavily in construction equipment, fire vehicles, airport equipment, trains, and telephone equipment (yeah they even have a 48v model). Look up their websites for choices. Some will float charge an extra 12 v battery, too.

For 115 vac from 24v, I'd suggest searching second hand stores, junk yards, surplus stores, etc, for defunct UPS boxes (uninterruptable power supplies) that ran on 24v (typically two 12v gellcells in series). Often these get set aside when the batteries are dead. Just wire the thing into your 24 v truck for a 'battery' but don't plug it in to 115ac. It'll think the 'power is out' and generate the 115vac output you want. You might even try letting the UPS float charge your truck batteries when you have shore power available to plug it in. I have been doing that in a 1965 404 Unimog radio truck for 10 years but I had to add a little series resistance in series with the trickle charger to keep the UPS from trying too hard to charge up bigger batteries too fast.

[edit: check out http://www.steelsoldiers.com/vbclassified.php?do=ad&id=5117 in the classifieds. That's a really good deal! ]

Bob

 

[deuceaid]

A radio, a fan and a light is about all I really need.

oddshot

What size fan? cause if thats all you really need then I would get a couple extra bateries and a disconnect switch and a good ( ie one that can handle power--amps) relay---or even just a good switch,,

,,,it is easier to find 12vdc stuff,,,, and if you run around town- or idle for awhile then you could charge the batts in series the flip the switch and pull loads off of the batts in parallel.

 

[cbvet]

I have an AIMS 24 vdc to 120 vac inverter in my Deuce "camper". I run a small microwave, fans, & lights. I really like it.
I've seen them go from $90 to $450. I kept watching ebay until I won one for $90.
Ebay MAY be your friend.

 

[Flyingvan911]

I got my Vanner 24 to 12 converter off ebay. 30 amps of 24 volt to 60 amps of 12 volt. I think I paid 200 bucks. It's in great shape.

 

[gimpyrobb]

How long would you need the 24-110 inverter? I have one you might be able to borrow.

 

[usmctopgun]

The one mentioned in the classifieds here is super nice, I bought one, thing is designed for marine conditions. I think its 35amp, so it'll run everything you mentioned and more.

 

[cranetruck]

Couple of points, if the house batteries will run down, make sure they are "deep cycle", regular starting batteries will not recover after a few deep cycle run-downs and find a "pure sine wave" inverter if you plan on using electronics (in particular, a radio..lots of hum from modified sine wave inverters).
Some inverters can't handle "surge" loads, so read the spec.
Installed on your vehicle, you may want to consider the MX7777 unit for 24VDC input protection...

Image shows "Powersine" inverter on MT1029 radio mount.

 

[swbradley1]

You could get the el cheapo solar kit from Harbor Freight and charge a couple of deep cycle marine batteries.

PM sent about camping.

 

[Kohburn]

that's an impressive setup - when you buy those batteries do they come stored dry? I'd like to stock up on some dry batteries so they won't go bad waiting to be used.

 

[mikew]

There's good information here and some of the setups people are running are fantastic (like islandguydon)!

But if you whole goal is to not spend money on a hotel...

You could pay for a lot on hotel nights with what a proper inverter/battery/charging system will cost (don't forget, how will you recharge the battery and how long will it take).

If this is something you will use for other purposes than your classes it might be a good investment, but if it's a one-time deal there might be better ways.

Good old fashioned Coleman stove for coffee and breakfast.
Battery operated alarm clock.
12v fan connected to a "spare" battery and charged off the trucks alternator or shore power.
Battery operated or 12v car stereo for tunes and news. Do they make 12v TV's that pickup digital TV broadcasts, I bet they do.

Maybe you can do what you asked about for real cheap.

 

[cranetruck]

So Don, what is the capacity of your generator?
How much of the total Ah capacity has been used up when the voltage has dropped to 46.5?