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06-29-2019, 11:31 PM
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#21
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Senior Member
Name: Kelly
Trailer: Trails West
Oregon
Posts: 3,047
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Heads up alert, things are going to change very quickly in this next one to three years for how devices are going to be powered. We are entering the era of the PD USB. PD stands for power drive, it has a different shaped port and you will be freed from those big old AC power brick devices that require an inverter to run them. You can run high quality HDMI video through them as well as projectors, power lots of small devices too. Plus you can charge your laptop using a cord from a 12v power source with the right fittings. Even televisions will be changing over to this system.
The laptop I got in 2018 has this type of power. But it is not yet typically found on lower cost computers. It will be making it a lot easier in the future to charge our devices while on the road, setting us free from those old style wall wart power bricks.
https://www.computerworld.com/articl...its-great.html
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06-30-2019, 05:58 AM
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#22
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Member
Name: Christian
Trailer: Scamp 13'
Arizona
Posts: 69
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Quote:
Originally Posted by k corbin
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You're right on the money on this. I have two Xiaomi 60 watt USB 3.1 hubs to power my Chromebook, phone, tablet and 2 beautifully designed, programmable desk lamps that charge via USB. Outputs are 1 USB-C, 1 USB-3 QC 3 and 4 USB-3 ports. It is AC powered (100-240v).
I also just assembled 2 8s 18650 Li-ion power banks with USB-C input that can run or charge any of the above.
I imagine that the only heavy use for my Scamp power system will be the 12 volt refrigerator and, occasionally, the heater blower.
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06-30-2019, 06:34 AM
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#23
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Senior Member
Name: Ray
Trailer: scamp
Indiana
Posts: 823
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Quote:
Originally Posted by chrisblessing
You're right on the money on this. I have two Xiaomi 60 watt USB 3.1 hubs to power my Chromebook, phone, tablet and 2 beautifully designed, programmable desk lamps that charge via USB. Outputs are 1 USB-C, 1 USB-3 QC 3 and 4 USB-3 ports. It is AC powered (100-240v).
I also just assembled 2 8s 18650 Li-ion power banks with USB-C input that can run or charge any of the above.
I imagine that the only heavy use for my Scamp power system will be the 12 volt refrigerator and, occasionally, the heater blower.
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Don't forget the spark igniter on the furnance
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06-30-2019, 06:44 PM
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#24
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Member
Name: Christian
Trailer: Scamp 13'
Arizona
Posts: 69
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Quote:
Originally Posted by computerspook
Don't forget the spark igniter on the furnance
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Understood - both the fan and the ignitor rely on an adequately charged battery. Thanks.
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06-30-2019, 08:12 PM
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#25
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Senior Member
Name: Ray
Trailer: scamp
Indiana
Posts: 823
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Quote:
Originally Posted by chrisblessing
Understood - both the fan and the ignitor rely on an adequately charged battery. Thanks.
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My experience is that the igniter is more dependent on voltage than the fan.
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06-30-2019, 09:16 PM
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#26
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Senior Member
Name: John
Trailer: 1979 Boler 1700
Michigan
Posts: 2,048
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ZachO
I'm not sure exactly what path is being used for the "charge" wire, but there's no thick gauge wire running from the alternator to the 7-pin. I think it just takes whatever power is flowing through the brake/blinker wires and charges with that.
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Zach, no it doesn't take whatever power is flowing through the brake/blinker wires and charge with that... Doesn't work that way. You need to have a heavy gauge wire, e.g., 10 gauge wire, running from the tow vehicle battery back to the 7 pin connector (to pin #4). Then from there back to the camper battery. Also include include a battery isolator (or other measure) in the tow vehicle to prevent the tow vehicle battery from being discharged when the engine is off.
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06-30-2019, 10:10 PM
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#27
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Senior Member
Name: Ray
Trailer: scamp
Indiana
Posts: 823
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Quote:
Originally Posted by John in Michigan
Zach, no it doesn't take whatever power is flowing through the brake/blinker wires and charge with that... Doesn't work that way. You need to have a heavy gauge wire, e.g., 10 gauge wire, running from the tow vehicle battery back to the 7 pin connector (to pin #4). Then from there back to the camper battery. Also include include a battery isolator (or other measure) in the tow vehicle to prevent the tow vehicle battery from being discharged when the engine is off.
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Well kind of. Frankly mine is direct on the battery circuit. Never have come close to having a problem. Now even if I stay connected for actual camping off the battery I pull the 7 pin. I actually can keep the TV charged up if I am using generator or shore power. And some of the places I camp I have reason to leave my parking lights on all the time. Not at a campground but at sites where vehicles don't expect me to be parked there. Mostly on incident sites.
I also have a cool box I built. It plugs on my 7 pin and takes the power for the converter on the battery line and feeds it to the lights and at the same time as a light on the front of it. Again when I am parked where I want to be more visible at night.
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07-01-2019, 08:48 AM
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#28
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Senior Member
Name: Z
Trailer: Sasquatch
Montana
Posts: 2,556
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I'll go back and look at the kit I bought and the installation instructions. I don't remember running any heavy gauge wire, and I definitely didn't run a separate wire from the battery. I'm sure that's how you get things to work well, but that's not how mine was installed based on the kit I bought. So I was just kind of thinking out loud on how mine is "charging".
The monitor that I bought is definitely helping. Even when my trailer display says my battery is "fair" (as opposed to "good" or "charge"), the monitor shows 12.7V, which is supposedly full charge. It also shows 13.6V when I'm connected through the 7-pin, so maybe it is working alright.
So probably I shouldn't have made so many assumptions based on my camper display.
Connected to vehicle
Display when unhooked
Monitor when unhooked
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07-01-2019, 12:24 PM
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#29
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Senior Member
Name: Jon
Trailer: Escape 21C
New York
Posts: 2,387
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ZachO
I'll go back and look at the kit I bought and the installation instructions. I don't remember running any heavy gauge wire, and I definitely didn't run a separate wire from the battery. I'm sure that's how you get things to work well, but that's not how mine was installed based on the kit I bought. So I was just kind of thinking out loud on how mine is "charging".
The monitor that I bought is definitely helping. Even when my trailer display says my battery is "fair" (as opposed to "good" or "charge"), the monitor shows 12.7V, which is supposedly full charge. It also shows 13.6V when I'm connected through the 7-pin, so maybe it is working alright.
So probably I shouldn't have made so many assumptions based on my camper display.
Connected to vehicle
Attachment 130085
Display when unhooked
Attachment 130086
Monitor when unhooked
Attachment 130087
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The voltage to pin 4 is coming from somewhere, and I doubt it is from the running lights. Easy to check - just shut them off while hooked up & check the voltage. Some vehicles have a auxiliary power outlet near the rear; maybe you tapped into that?
While the 13.6V while connected is OK, the wire size also determines the amount of current that reaches the battery. Too small, and it will take a long time to bring the battery to a full charge.
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07-01-2019, 01:16 PM
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#30
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Senior Member
Name: Z
Trailer: Sasquatch
Montana
Posts: 2,556
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Thanks. Now that I know the trailer display is basically worthless, I’ll pay more attention with the monitor. I’m going to guess the wire is small and limiting the charge too much. But we’ll see.
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07-02-2019, 08:25 AM
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#31
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Senior Member
Name: Z
Trailer: Sasquatch
Montana
Posts: 2,556
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I know people have told me the camper battery display is not accurate...but I always assumed it gave me ballpark figures. Whenever I saw it dip down to “fair”, I thought it was time to make sure I got good sun on the panel. Could also be that my new battery reads differently than the old one.
Anyway I’ve been parked in one spot now for two full days, with the fridge fan running all afternoon, running a small air purifier maybe an hour each day, one shower, cell phone charging and ceiling fan running about an hour. For me, during the summer, this is typical use. Camper display has read “fair” the whole time.
Haven’t set out the panels. Battery is still basically full. Assuming this monitor is fairly accurate, I’ve been way more worried about my battery than I needed to be all this time. Will be interesting to see what happens when I start using the furnace.
Attachment 130096
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