Topic: generators

[deadheaded]

yes there is slight battery drain,  but nothing that you will make you have  to start your car for like an inverter would.
you could charge your batteries for a weekend festival without any significant drain on the car battery.  also can charge while driving from one show to another.

[Scuba Jeremy]

Yep, the DC inverter is a wonderful thing indeed! It will be coming with me to Bonnaroo this year to help run the fan in my tent as well as charge the batteries for my gear. I'll be bringing a 12V battery from WalMart like I did for other camping activities last year. A little cheaper than a car battery, and they take trade ins, so you just bring the battery back when you're done and you get a little bit back for returning it.

[recordista]

If you're schlepping a battery around, you definitely want a true deep-cycle (not the so-called marine deep-cycles which are sorta halfway between an SLI battery and a deep-cycle.)  Think Trojan T-105s or similar if you have the space & weight capacity.

I use 400 AH of Dynasty AGMs and a 170W solar panel on the roof of the camper.  Also have a 12V 140A generator I built with a truck alternator in case I need to run the DC microwave (75A when running!)

[AT853rxwh]

If you're schlepping a battery around, you definitely want a true deep-cycle (not the so-called marine deep-cycles which are sorta halfway between an SLI battery and a deep-cycle.)  Think Trojan T-105s or similar if you have the space & weight capacity.

I use 400 AH of Dynasty AGMs and a 170W solar panel on the roof of the camper.  Also have a 12V 140A generator I built with a truck alternator in case I need to run the DC microwave (75A when running!)

+T!  i am running 100ah of Golf Cart Batts into a 2.5kw inverter in our motorhome, and I have 5 panels making about 20a of charge.    The 4kw genset doesn't hurt either!  

[fozzy]

hey mikesus you gonna be atg bonnaroo, give me a patch (electircal patch that is)

[AT853rxwh]

Might have a extension cord long enough, to make it from VA...

No, won't be there...

[fozzy]

damn oh well.  

I will be running the car in the morning for an hour to charge my RC batts.  one hr charge for 12.8Ah ain't that bad.

[AT853rxwh]

All depends on the charge rate.  If you can push it to 4a charge, then yeah, an hour is good, as you will get a third of your power back (give or take)  But if you are pushing an amp or so or less, it prolly isn't worth it...

[Divided]

Has anyone ever heard of just using large solar panels? not gigantic but big enough?

of course.. probably just cheaper to buy a 12v batt.

any suggestions for charging my 12v's?

[BCostigan]

Just thought I'd mention something about generators.

At work we frequently have to use a generator to power tools while working on a house being built.  With *some* generators we've had problems if the device being plugged in is....aa......smarter? than other devices.  Battery chargers, for example, often don't work right (for whatever reason).  My boss has a big badass Bosch hammerdrill....that often doesn't work either due to some kinda voltage sensing electronics.


If ya use a genarator at a festi to charge your batteries I'd do my best to be sure that they are in fact charging...more often than not my cordless tool batteries wind up not getting charged when I think they are.