Dual Battery / Solar - Feedback or Input needed...

[Backcountry ADV]

Added battery monitoring so I would know charge status and that panel was workin

Scott, nice set up. IS the voltage gauge from your power management or a separate gauge?

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[Backcountry ADV]

To answer this question directly: that plug/switch goes through the electronics system, similar to the aux switches. In fact, it has to be enabled via something like Tazer. Other than an OEM outlet/panel, there's no benefit to tapping into that wiring for this use-case.

Thx buddy. I was under the assumption that's how it's wired. I have a Tazer and also spoke to the dealership about programming so not concerned there. I was thinking it would be a clean set up and we could likely tap into the harness to modify as needed.

 

[Backcountry ADV]

@AllMoparParts.com sells the kit for $300 that will add the factory 120v outlet to the bed. For this kit to work, you need to have the factory inverter and console outlet already installed. The factory inverter is only 400 watts total, shared between the two outlets. It only works with the engine running.

You can buy the factory outlet for the bed, and the wire harness that connects to it, and then wire that to a separate inverter running off the accessory (third) battery that you install.

Due to the efficiency losses from converting between 12v DC and 120v AC, it is best to get devices that run from the 12v provided by the battery system.

exactly what I was after. Thanks!

 

[Backcountry ADV]

I have a fully built out rig and here’s what I did.

Im using the Redarc BCDC 1240 system powering a 100AH BattleBorn battery with a switch system very similar to what you posted above. When I was wiring up my system I had a few questions as I’m certainly not an electrician and Ryan with Redarc was very helpful in answering my questions. Highly recommend them. One of the advantages of the Redarc system is that when you shut off the trucks engine you automatically isolate the trucks engine from the secondary system and when you’r driving you are charging the secondary battery. Easy peasy! I’ve also wired for a 100AH portable solar blanket to use when we are stationary for multiple days (which is rare for us). We’ve taken the rig on month long trips in 90+ degree daytime temps and it never skipped a beat powering our fridge and charging various devices and lights.

We do not have an inverter and that was a conscious decision to keep everything 12 volt to minimize loss due to voltage drop. In reading the other comments above I would strongly suggest you reconsider if you need an inverter As there is an approximate 10-15% loss of efficiency each way since your fridge is also 12 volt…something to consider.

We are leaving on our longest trip with this truck next week for a 6 week trip through Southern Utah, Nevada, New Mexico and Tejas!

Here’s a picture of the rig loaded and if you want specific pictures of the components now is the time to ask as I just loaded everything up yesterday!

That's awesome and glad you're putting her to use! I'm cool with the loss in conversion as I believe I'm overbuilding the system to start with for what I need.

If you get near El Paso, Let me know. Would be cool to connect. Secondly, let me know if you need some input for NM if you're around Ruidoso NM or Cloudcroft NM areas. The second section of the NMBDR runs through there and has some amazing trails, camp spots and more! Plus there's a couple BBQ places that absolutely rock. Cheers and safe travels.

 

[Backcountry ADV]

Ok before you go too far and buy a bunch of things, sit down with paper and a pen and write out what you actually want to have for your setup. I say this on every thread I see - do an energy audit. This is so important to better understand what kind of power capabilities you actually need. Nothing is worse than being grossly over or under built.

Ok, that out of the way, I second what smlobx said here


Assuming you want to have the battery mounted in the bed, I would just run 4 ga cable to the bed like what I did - both positive and negative. This way, you have modular ability to utilize a redarc or similar dc/dc charger to power and charge you lithium battery, but you also have up to 100a available via the 4 ga cable to power other things. So here's what you can do. From that cable, tie it into a bus bar mounted in the bed somewhere on your molle panels. That buss bar can be the central 'power' hub for attaching things like your dc/dc charger which then charges the battery, or you can tie a compressor into that power hub (strongly advisable to run the compressor off of the main vehicle power system and only when the vehicle is on, the draw too much power to run off of a lithium battery and risks damage).



What is your reasoning for wanting to do this?? If you need/want an inverter, you can do much better than MOPAR, it is a very low wattage inverter. That being said if you want 1000w+ your looking at really wanting to have a 200a battery system.




Nothing wrong with this at all, it is very common and the best method to use. I would go so far as to say SOP is for all non vehicle running things to be ran off of a house battery that is separate from the main vehicle battery. The S2's have a pretty low power draw but you need to make sure you have enough capacity for what you want. With the things you have listed, 100ah should be enough for probably 24 hours of no engine running




You need a DC/DC charger, not an isolator. Lithium batteries cannot be tied directly into the rest of the vehicle charging system. Lithium batteries need a DC/DC charger as they have different charge profiles. Basically a DC/DC charger completely separates the lithium battery from the rest of the vehicle. It is simply a way to take power from your main vehicle battery, when the engine is running, and charge your lithium battery. Then the lithium battery powers all of your 'house' items - fridge, lights, etc....



A 100w panel can output a maximum of 5 amps - in optimum sun conditions. Depending on manufacturer you can get highly variable results here. Lots of people run bluetti, renogy, redarc, victron, etc.. Stick with a 'name' brand. I have been running Zamp solar - which is heavy in the RV market, and have had stellar results. If the only thing you are powering is a fridge and some lights, you could probably be fine with a 100w panel. But it doesn't hurt to have two of those, inevitably you will end up wanting to add more power drawing items over time.

Chad, thanks for the input and specifics. This answers a lot of questions! I'm planning to run 200w or more of panels so not concerned with the recharging as much as how to get sufficient power management for the fridge and lights. I'm going to have plenty of redundancy built in as well. I'll have a couple IceCo 250wh/hr Power Banks to run the fridge in case I'm under canopy, inclement weather, etc for extended periods. Additionally I have a Goal Zero Yeti block and a few portable power banks for devices.

You're right in the power consumption list as well as you stack pretty quick with phones, iPad, Computers (editing, emails, etc), fridge, lights, drones and batteries! It's all part of the "Adult Lego's" these Jeeps have become though! I love the planning and next chapter in the build series mentality!

 

[Backcountry ADV]

My latest power build is my third. My Gladiator/Alucab build has an Ecoflow Powerhub, 4Kwh of batteries and 400w solar plus alternator charging. All of this is a simple plug and play with the Powerhub which is essentially designed for an RV or tiny house. My advice would be to power up as much as you are able. I started with 1000w inverter 100ah battery and quickly ran out of grunt. I’m now powering lights, fridge, cooking using induction hobs x 2 and charging drone, iPads, phones and camera gear with no worries at all. Having great sustainable power brings a huge degree of freedom. I ignored the power source in the bed. Like you I didn’t want to threaten the cranking battery. Also having done 2 DYI builds - which seemed to always need fixing- I’m loving the reliability of a plug and play system that is all perfectly balanced and properly fused between its various pieces. Just my experience for what it’s worth.

You're absolutely right with a "turn key" style project. I reached out the Battle Born and RedArc directly for a comprehensive build spec they recommend with all items required. Now I just need to make sure it does everything I need and then spend some $$$ to make it all happen.

 

[Atticus]

Scott, nice set up. IS the voltage gauge from your power management or a separate gauge?

Separate gauge, charge controller is inside box with batteries

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