Author Topic: Truck DC system  (Read 10498 times)

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Offline oztules

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Re: Truck DC system
« Reply #15 on: October 04, 2014, 05:38:03 pm »
Series or parallel. makes no difference, except you need to solve for voltage in the parallel equations, and current for the series equations to get the uf..... I'm guessing you have about 200va to get rid off.... using current at 1.25a and voltage of 115v. or around 144watts active, and 230 watts apparent for .6pf

or....  VARS= sqrt ( apparent power sqrd- active power sqrd ) or sqrt ( 230^2 - 144^2) = sqrt(53084-20736) or 180 VARS... close I guess

Parallel you solve via voltage. and series you solve via current. Two different values for the same job. Some applications favor the parallel, and some the series solution.

My seat of the pants guess is you  maybe even have already solved it with 120uf in series with the primary.

............oztules
Flinders Island...... Australia

Offline MadScientist267

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Re: Truck DC system
« Reply #16 on: October 07, 2014, 10:07:19 am »
Oz - strangely enough, it has approximately the same PF regardless of the configuration the caps are in (mode)... High is currently 120uF, low is 13.3uF... I'll get the other values here soon and post, maybe some sense can be made of it :o

In the update department, there's been some progress... with the charger in place and operational, I wanted a protection mechanism just in case a contact sticks or something in the mode relay...

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It's a simple zener based analog OV protect scheme with a lockout relay and [muted] piezo alarm that is set to trip at ~15.3V. It disconnects power to the charger, flashes the red LED above the red switch (next to the GFI), along with annoying the crap out of anyone nearby. It must be manually reset if triggered. Equalization in the classic is set at 15.1, so it theoretically should never go off, but is there just in case.

Then there's the volt meter... I like an at-a-glance from anywhere in the room indicator of basic vitals... I omitted the ammeter since the classic can display almost anything I need to know and like the van, eventually I'll "just know" what things are using.

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The front set of lights have been "installed" (they'll have to come down temporarily when the foam goes up). I did this now because I couldn't deal with trying to aim and use the single 10W spot anymore for working at night. The shadows made things impossible at best, and this is definitely much better. The rear set won't go up until the door has been reworked, same with the fan. Slated for today are doing the runs tho so that the wiring is ready.

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The cherry on top for this post is the 26" TV my parents gave to me from the den in the house. It's a little hungry on power and puts a nice ding in the juice budget, but makes a very nice addition for those times when the power is there and a small screen just won't do. It's mounted on a full axis swing arm, and next step is to work out the restraint system. Bungee is looking appetizing if I can figure out a simple way to equalize stress on it. That's still a little up in the air but I've got a solid idea I want to at least try.

3337-3

And what better than a Pink Floyd concert to demo it for the camera ;D

Until next time...

Steve
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Offline MadScientist267

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Re: Truck DC system
« Reply #17 on: May 20, 2015, 04:50:03 pm »
Been a while...

Got a couple of pics to throw out here... Things on and around the power board had progressed to this...

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Total chaos... and it was getting to the point that paranoia may not have been paranoia any longer. With all of the basic concepts worked out to control things with the Raspberry Pi, it was time to clean it all up and make it permanent...

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I'm not nearly as nervous about a few things anymore :)

Till next time...

Steve
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Offline DaveW

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Re: Truck DC system
« Reply #18 on: May 20, 2015, 04:57:51 pm »
     Progress!  I like progress.

Offline MadScientist267

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Re: Truck DC system
« Reply #19 on: May 20, 2015, 05:37:53 pm »
Me too Dave, me too. I'm not out of the woods yet, but at least the trees aren't so scary looking anymore  :o

Steve
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Offline bj

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Re: Truck DC system
« Reply #20 on: May 21, 2015, 06:30:44 am »
   Steve---when you clean up, you don't fool around.  Looks
good.
"Even a blind squirrel will find an acorn once in a while"
bj

Offline MadScientist267

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Re: Truck DC system
« Reply #21 on: May 22, 2015, 01:09:00 pm »
Hehe Thanks... I am bound and determined to have this come out looking a bit better than the van did... which, let's face it, isn't hard to do LOL It's mostly a problem of motivation at times  ::)

Steve
Wanted: Schrödinger's cat, dead and alive.

Offline MadScientist267

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Re: Truck DC system
« Reply #22 on: November 20, 2017, 11:22:19 pm »
Little update... it's been like this for a while, but came up in IRC and I realized it's pretty far out of date... So here's a (rather messy but current) new pic. (Click for higher res)

7309-0
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Offline bj

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Re: Truck DC system
« Reply #23 on: November 21, 2017, 07:59:27 am »
  Wiring is all tied down, (good practice in a vehicle).  I am actually a bit jealous.
  Maybe I should post a shop pic so you can see how much worse can it can be. :)
  Or, maybe I shouldn't. ::)
 
"Even a blind squirrel will find an acorn once in a while"
bj

Offline Pete

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Re: Truck DC system
« Reply #24 on: November 21, 2017, 08:42:14 pm »
Hi Steve from the reading on your voltmeter it appears that you are using 12 volt batteries. I am wondering why you are then using an inverter to run the lights?
I used to use downlights until I came across strip LED's. They are so much better in my view.
I run, 12 volt DC for lights in my house, have done now for over 30 years. The LED's have been a wonderful boon, in light output plus reduced power consumption.
Your board definitely does look like something a mad scientist would cook up. I have also used the flattened pipe busbar technique. Works great as battery jumpers when paralleling banks.
Do you plan on travelling around the country in that truck powering small towns during blackouts or are you just living up to your moniker.
Cheerio
Good to see what you are up to
Pete

Offline MadScientist267

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Re: Truck DC system
« Reply #25 on: December 02, 2017, 03:54:35 am »
Hehe Thanks BJ

Pete - There's actually 3 lighting systems in here, but none of them run off the main inverter. The "AC" lighting system is the closest, but runs on a dedicated 100W MSW that has near nil idle current, and is on 24/7. The lights are controlled via the raspberry pi and a radio scheme that operates small relays to turn them on and off.

The MSW scheme was used so that I could use both off the shelf LED lights, as well as run much thinner wire up and around to tie them in.

The other 2 systems are driven more directly by 12V, and the bench set is manual control only as a just-in-case.

As for driving around the country, well, that was the original plan, but it didn't play out that way, so I shuffle slightly up and down the VA coast more or less, in the general tidewater area.
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Offline Wolvenar

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Re: Truck DC system
« Reply #26 on: December 27, 2017, 10:43:45 pm »
To chicken to give that rig a real test up here in Mn aka frozen hell?



No seriously, it would be an interesting test of that heating system.. Or might have some means of giving it an umm.. boost..
Click image to see larger.
NOTE: These temps are in Fahrenheit

Trying to make power from alternative energy any which way I can.
Just to abuse what I make. (and run this site)