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Overlanding battery

remlemasi

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Been awhile! I'm usually on the Gladiator forum and don't get all the notifications here.

System was running great until the end of my Moab trip. Did 100 miles over 3 nights on the White Rim Road. Absolutely amazing.

The Renogy stopped charging the house battery about halfway through the trip so had to plug in to the starter battery once it drained too far (deep cycle marine AGM, so it will be OK).

Came back home and plugged in some solar panels and no go. Ignit/Alt sense signal was coming through just fine. Opened up a ticket with Renogy for warranty support and will let you all know how it goes. The REDARC would be a near drop-in replacement if I decide to move away from the Renogy. We'll see.

This is pretty amazing and hats off to you for putting this together. Seems most understand what your doing with me being the exception.

Most of it makes sense, but what is the Alt/Ignit fuse 50? 75A fuse? Where is the small ESS battery in this or was it removed?
@Overland_Texas explained it perfectly ;)

DC/DC chargers use a sense wire to know when the engine is off or on. This is needed due to smart alternators on most modern vehicles. The wire is tapped into the ignition fuse in the engine compartment. I used space F52 with a 20amp fuse on my system. This allows the dc/dc charger to maintain a constant charge while the smart alternator fluctuates high and low while driving.

The 75A fuse protects the battery, wire, and device from surges. They are installed as close the the battery terminal as possible. The charger he chose is rated for 50amp so the next fuse up is usually 75A.

The starter battery and smaller aux battery are still in place as his system is an auxiliary set up in the back of his vehicle. The smaller aux battery is only in play with the 3.6 as the 2.0 Turbo motors do not have an aux battery underneath. I believe he has a Gladiator in which case it will be the 3.6 with ESS and aux battery underneath.
Sounds like you did something very similar. Did you go with REDARC or Renogy or something else?

I also used the smallest fuse I could find (5A) as the sense wire I'm using is very thin.

Which house battery setup are you going to install? What will you run with the 1500w inverter? How will you isolate the 12 circ fuse block when using the inverter?
I ended up getting a DieHard Advanced Gold AGM Marine Deep Cycle Group 31 battery (https://www.sears.com/diehard-marine-rv-battery-group-size-ep-31-price/p-02850033000P)

It's a rebranded battery by Deka/East Penn (https://www.eastpennmanufacturing.com/wp-content/uploads/Intimidator-Marine-Flyer-1741.pdf)

You can get the same exact battery with a Duracell label at Sam's Club (https://www.samsclub.com/p/duracell...nd-rv-battery-group-size-31dtmagm/prod3590232)

I went with Sears/DieHard as I had some coupons.

I installed it in a trolling battery enclosure from amazon (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001PTHKMG/)

It has integrated resettable circuit breakers and 12-volt accessory outlets.

Regarding the inverter and fuse block, I haven't integrated them into my setup yet. I figured 1500W just so I can run whatever I want to. Maybe a hairdryer or an electric kettle or a microwave? LOL

And regarding isolating the inverter from the fuse block, why would I need to do that? Is there something I'm missing here? Is it simply due to the fuse/wire rating and capacity?

I'll figure out phase 2 of the project at some point in the near future. Probably when I add some LED strip lights and USB outlets to my truck bed topper and rooftop tent. It will probably follow closely to my initial schematic.

I also wired the battery directly to the DC-DC converter as installing the Anderson plugs that go to the alternator/starter battery was such a pain I didn't want to do it again!

I'll post up some photos of my setup later today or sometime this week.
 

MILT

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Tagged, awesome info in this thread
 

ClusterHead

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I hope someone can help me answer some questions in regards to adding an additional battery for my overland build.

I just finished a 2 week trial trip with most of my gear and with my 75l dometic fridge set on medium, I was going through the battery in around 15 hours which was fine as I was moving every day.

I would like to extend this time to 24 if not 48 hours so I wonder if I could add a second battery in the back, add an isolator up front and run wires to that second battery for charging.

I'm looking at a 200ah agm or lithium battery. Would that work? I have only rudimentary knowledge of car electric systems so I'm afraid I might forget something or do something wrong.

Thanx.

I found a good site that sells the inverters, deep cycle batteries, solar controllers; in pre-wired packages. This might helpful to anyone that is building an overlanding rig or trailer.

https://cuttingedgepower.com/products/2000w-msg
 

Overland Productions

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I found a good site that sells the inverters, deep cycle batteries, solar controllers; in pre-wired packages. This might helpful to anyone that is building an overlanding rig or trailer.

https://cuttingedgepower.com/products/2000w-msg
It doesnt come with a battery. There's a lot of fancy stuff being touted here and it concerns me just a little bit. American made with MPPT controller, 2000 watt inverter (albeit non-pure sine wave), wiring, box, etc. all for under 420 bucks?

@TennesseePA You're well versed in the cost of these components, assembly labor, product liability, distribution, etc. Jump in here and give us an opinion on this product please?
 

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TennesseePA

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My preliminary look would suggest that it is a practical product that will get the job done but not what I would think most of us here would need.

First off it is not a weatherproof design so it will have to stay inside and protected from the elements. Then it does not come with a 12V charging system the literature on the web page says that it is extra and it is undersized at 90w to fully charge a depleted battery in a reasonable amount of time. It does have the MPPT solar charge controller on it but for not much more money that unit could be replaced like something that Redarc and Renogy offer that will allow up to 40 amp charging from the alternator, control unregulated solar charging and perform as a dual battery isolator.

That, of course, is just one man's opinion but I feel strongly enough about it that I am investing a whole lot of time and money into a system that I think will fit most people's needs, be they for the outdoor lifestyle we like or just as a home backup power source.
 

TennesseePA

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TennesseePA

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This is what I did on my own to test my concept before I started working with an OEM manufacturer to help me assemble a modular package for market.

I have two of my 100ah LiFePO4 that I import and sell, a Redarc BCDC1240, a Bestec 100W pure sine wave inverter and an amazon fuse distribution block. I ran 6AWG wire through a 60 amp fuse to the bed terminated with an anderson plug. The input to my box has an anderson plug so all I have to do is unplug the unit and remove it from the truck for normal use.

I got a small chest type toolbox from amazon and cut three holes in it and installed louvered vents and two three inch waterproof fans in the bottom to force air in to keep the internals cool. I also had a Renogy battery status monitor that failed within hours of me leaving the house so I have purchased but not yet installed a Victron.

The DCDC/mppt charger is the only way to go for this type of setup. They work as a solar controller, correct your alternator output as stated above, they have a smart charge algorithm for your battery chemistry and the work as a dual battery isolator. And since I didn't want a small wire running to an ignition source I wired in a small rocker switch so that I can send 12V current to the ignition circuit whenever I want to charge the batteries. I also have a rocker switch to turn the fans on and off.

I run all of this through a marine grade outlet plate that I installed on the toolbox. At the moment I only have one AC outlet with a weather tight plug mounted on the box and plugged into the inverter.

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Overland Productions

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This is what I did on my own to test my concept before I started working with an OEM manufacturer to help me assemble a modular package for market.

I have two of my 100ah LiFePO4 that I import and sell, a Redarc BCDC1240, a Bestec 100W pure sine wave inverter and an amazon fuse distribution block. I ran 6AWG wire through a 60 amp fuse to the bed terminated with an anderson plug. The input to my box has an anderson plug so all I have to do is unplug the unit and remove it from the truck for normal use.

I got a small chest type toolbox from amazon and cut three holes in it and installed louvered vents and two three inch waterproof fans in the bottom to force air in to keep the internals cool. I also had a Renogy battery status monitor that failed within hours of me leaving the house so I have purchased but not yet installed a Victron.

The DCDC/mppt charger is the only way to go for this type of setup. They work as a solar controller, correct your alternator output as stated above, they have a smart charge algorithm for your battery chemistry and the work as a dual battery isolator. And since I didn't want a small wire running to an ignition source I wired in a small rocker switch so that I can send 12V current to the ignition circuit whenever I want to charge the batteries. I also have a rocker switch to turn the fans on and off.

I run all of this through a marine grade outlet plate that I installed on the toolbox. At the moment I only have one AC outlet with a weather tight plug mounted on the box and plugged into the inverter.
Thats a great setup! Perfect for any overlander who wants to stay off grid for more than 1 night at a time. Do you sell the batteries online? If so, what's the website?
 

TennesseePA

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Thats a great setup! Perfect for any overlander who wants to stay off grid for more than 1 night at a time. Do you sell the batteries online? If so, what's the website?
I do not have a website I just sell a few at a time. So I don’t hi jack the thread send me a PM and I’ll tell you about my batteries if you’re interested.
 

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Overland Productions

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I do not have a website I just sell a few at a time. So I don’t hi jack the thread send me a PM and I’ll tell you about my batteries if you’re interested.
This thread is all about the technical data. Links for purchase are even better. I'd love to know the dimensions and pricing right now. I wanted to put two of those in parallel when building my auxiliary system for my Jeep but ended up going with non-lithium compatible dc/dc charge with Ctek. They since released their Lithium friendly managers. Have you seen the LifePo4 batteries come down in price this last year? I'm not quite ready to tap into my 48v e-torque battery on the Jeep.
 

TennesseePA

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The big name brands are still very expensive. That is what led me to start looking for options. One thing that I don’t like about the new Renogy batteries is that are not designed to be run in series so you are stuck with 12V. The ones that I have are LiFePO4 and can be used in series up to 48V. Most that I sell are to people to put in golf carts and hard core fishermen to power their trolling motors from daylight till dark.
 

TennesseePA

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What I learned is that space is a premium and I had to decide what to take and what to leave in the garage, and I have a Gladiator! I don't know how in the world my Wrangler brethren fit everything needed into their rigs. Even though as a toolbox it is very small as a power system box it is overly huge, but like I said it was more of a proof of concept than anything else. That is why I am looking into different battery packaging so that they do not occupy as much floor space and can be used as true outdoor power supply. I am also planning other innovations that nothing else I have been able to find in the US offer.
 

Overland Productions

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What I learned is that space is a premium and I had to decide what to take and what to leave in the garage, and I have a Gladiator! I don't know how in the world my Wrangler brethren fit everything needed into their rigs. Even though as a toolbox it is very small as a power system box it is overly huge, but like I said it was more of a proof of concept than anything else. That is why I am looking into different battery packaging so that they do not occupy as much floor space and can be used as true outdoor power supply. I am also planning other innovations that nothing else I have been able to find in the US offer.
have you considered making it fit into the cargo tray in the back?
 

TennesseePA

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No I haven’t. The problem we face is that for any given capacity we have to have a certain number of cells. And as I am typing I am thinking that the only available cells are round. Round cells no not package very efficiently so we have a lot of air space. My wife is going to kill me but I think I just stumbled into another project.
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