|
Post by kris on Apr 27, 2021 15:20:32 GMT
Twat.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Apr 27, 2021 15:21:20 GMT
Got the song in my head now...
|
|
|
Post by Telemachus on Apr 27, 2021 15:59:52 GMT
The other thing that is working well is the alternator float mode, currently set to 13.3v. We have the 2kw tumble drier on. I have the Combi set to “power support” mode with a “generator fuse” limit of 4A (around 1kw at mains voltage) so roughly 1kw is coming from the travelpower, 1 kw from the inverter. And since the battery voltage has been pulled down to 13.3v, about 60A is being supplied by the alternator and just 12A is coming from the batteries. Of course if the SoC falls much below the target value (80% in this instance) it will put the alternator voltage back to “charge” mode and fully supply the current.
And the advantage of all that is that it can all happily be supplied at idle when passing moored boats, without straining belts etc.
|
|
|
Post by thebfg on Apr 28, 2021 1:00:04 GMT
Yes I’m trying to think up new ways to use power. At home we have a halogen oven, really handy bit of kit. You can cook anything in it and even turns into an air frier. If only I could master the timings and temps as it cooks food so much faster.
|
|
|
Post by Telemachus on Apr 28, 2021 8:13:56 GMT
Oh dear it’s getting worse, we only managed to use 18% of capacity since stopping yesterday, despite toaster on 2 x for bacon and egg breakfast. Electric blanket on number one, tying up later and no sat box are to blame I think.
|
|
|
Post by duncan on Apr 28, 2021 8:22:04 GMT
Oh dear it’s getting worse, we only managed to use 18% of capacity since stopping yesterday, despite toaster on 2 x for bacon and egg breakfast. Electric blanket on number one, tying up later and no sat box are to blame I think. You will be able to start selling power to the boats moored next door.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Apr 28, 2021 8:22:52 GMT
You should sell your power to boats around you..
|
|
|
Post by peterboat on Apr 28, 2021 12:06:24 GMT
Will take you a while to get your money back then... um I think you are missing the point, but never mind. Kris I use a free solar like you will, you will get maybe 7/8 months of the year cooking for free like myself, a bottle of gas is over 30 squids so in my case I would have recovered the cost of the hob in those first 8 months, after that you are home free and making money safely. Also no hassle searching for gas when you run out transport back and forth and the speed and induction hob works at is fantastic, one of my best purchases so far
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Apr 28, 2021 12:27:45 GMT
I think you are missing the point, but never mind. Kris I use a free solar like you will, you will get maybe 7/8 months of the year cooking for free like myself, a bottle of gas is over 30 squids so in my case I would have recovered the cost of the hob in those first 8 months, after that you are home free and making money safely. Also no hassle searching for gas when you run out transport back and forth and the speed and induction hob works at is fantastic, one of my best purchases so far Yes but you need to recover the costs of fancy batteries and solar array also... I don't dispute the use of such things, and admire Kris for his green credentials, but when i lived aboard i could go six months on a bottle of gas for £30, to replace all cooking gear, batteries and add more solar would have taken a hell of a long time to recoup.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on May 7, 2021 10:44:51 GMT
Oh dear it’s getting worse, we only managed to use 18% of capacity since stopping yesterday, despite toaster on 2 x for bacon and egg breakfast. Electric blanket on number one, tying up later and no sat box are to blame I think. Nick, I do apologise for pestering you again in this thread, but I wonder if I might pick your brains for some advice on inverter remote connectors? I've just bought a new one, called a Giandel PS-2000 KAR, and the remote connector that plugs into the inverter is the type called RJ10, with 4 mini cables in it. The existing cable used by my current inverter is the RJ11 type, with 6 wires. This is what they look like: imgur.com/a/ZQOXXtY I'm assuming that at the moment, my remote cable control (it leads off into the engine bay, so I'm not sure where it gets its control signals from) puts the inverter it into sleep mode when its not in use. I'm assuming this is the case because there does not seem to be any 'residual' current being used by the inverter after I turn all 240v items off. Obviously I want this same mode to be happening with the new inverter as well. It has a no-load curent draw of 2 amps, so I dont want to leave it on all night every night , if I can avoid it. The new inverter comes with a small manual on/off switch that connects to the inverter via the RJ10 connector I mentioned. So the critical question is this- can I use my existing control cable with the new inverter, by chopping off the RJ11 connector from the end of it, and attaching the RJ10 connector that fits the socket on the inverter? Since the new connector does include an on/off function, I'm hoping a simple swap of the connectors will allow my new inverter to be controlled by the existing RJ11 cable. If not, I've dropped a massive clanger, because a manual on/off switch is just no use- I need it kick in automatically, e.g. overnight if the fridge kicks into life, the inverter would need to switch on and give it some power, right? Sorry for the lengthy explanation, but I wanted to make sure I described the various components clearly so you know exactly what I'm dealing with. ETA: I found this sterling model and the chat advisor said the remote was RJ 6P6C like the one on my current inverter, so it looks like this will do what I need. Think I might send the 2000watt model back to Amazon and get this one... What a minefield... www.cybermarket.co.uk/shop/power-supplies/inverters/modified-pure-sine-wave-inverters/sterling-power-low-cost-pure-1079550.html?pid=1079550&gclid=Cj0KCQjwytOEBhD5ARIsANnRjVhTf-Ea8McgNgqPy7Iwev9kk5eC7jHHKttDn1jhYTU1FBSbeZpHPlIaAokmEALw_wcB
|
|
|
Post by Telemachus on May 7, 2021 16:19:50 GMT
Oh dear it’s getting worse, we only managed to use 18% of capacity since stopping yesterday, despite toaster on 2 x for bacon and egg breakfast. Electric blanket on number one, tying up later and no sat box are to blame I think. Nick, I do apologise for pestering you again in this thread, but I wonder if I might pick your brains for some advice on inverter remote connectors? I've just bought a new one, called a Giandel PS-2000 KAR, and the remote connector that plugs into the inverter is the type called RJ10, with 4 mini cables in it. The existing cable used by my current inverter is the RJ11 type, with 6 wires. This is what they look like: imgur.com/a/ZQOXXtY I'm assuming that at the moment, my remote cable control (it leads off into the engine bay, so I'm not sure where it gets its control signals from) puts the inverter it into sleep mode when its not in use. I'm assuming this is the case because there does not seem to be any 'residual' current being used by the inverter after I turn all 240v items off. Obviously I want this same mode to be happening with the new inverter as well. It has a no-load curent draw of 2 amps, so I dont want to leave it on all night every night , if I can avoid it. The new inverter comes with a small manual on/off switch that connects to the inverter via the RJ10 connector I mentioned. So the critical question is this- can I use my existing control cable with the new inverter, by chopping off the RJ11 connector from the end of it, and attaching the RJ10 connector that fits the socket on the inverter? Since the new connector does include an on/off function, I'm hoping a simple swap of the connectors will allow my new inverter to be controlled by the existing RJ11 cable. If not, I've dropped a massive clanger, because a manual on/off switch is just no use- I need it kick in automatically, e.g. overnight if the fridge kicks into life, the inverter would need to switch on and give it some power, right? Sorry for the lengthy explanation, but I wanted to make sure I described the various components clearly so you know exactly what I'm dealing with. ETA: I found this sterling model and the chat advisor said the remote was RJ 6P6C like the one on my current inverter, so it looks like this will do what I need. Think I might send the 2000watt model back to Amazon and get this one... What a minefield... www.cybermarket.co.uk/shop/power-supplies/inverters/modified-pure-sine-wave-inverters/sterling-power-low-cost-pure-1079550.html?pid=1079550&gclid=Cj0KCQjwytOEBhD5ARIsANnRjVhTf-Ea8McgNgqPy7Iwev9kk5eC7jHHKttDn1jhYTU1FBSbeZpHPlIaAokmEALw_wcB I think it’s highly unlikely that the old remote would be compatible with a different manufacturer’s inverter, even putting the different plugs aside. And even if both are 6P6C there is no guarantee that they are wired in the same way or electronically compatible just because they have the same connector. But I think you misunderstand how it all works! I don’t think it is the remote that is putting the inverter “to sleep” with no load, it will be something built into the inverter. So you need an inverter with a power saving mode. As far as I can tell, neither of the inverters you’ve mentioned have such a mode. Although the Sterling one only uses 0.9A at idle, which isn’t too bad.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on May 7, 2021 17:47:36 GMT
I think it’s highly unlikely that the old remote would be compatible with a different manufacturer’s inverter, even putting the different plugs aside. And even if both are 6P6C there is no guarantee that they are wired in the same way or electronically compatible just because they have the same connector. But I think you misunderstand how it all works! I don’t think it is the remote that is putting the inverter “to sleep” with no load, it will be something built into the inverter. So you need an inverter with a power saving mode. As far as I can tell, neither of the inverters you’ve mentioned have such a mode. Although the Sterling one only uses 0.9A at idle, which isn’t too bad. Thanks a lot Nick, that explains a few things. I just assumed that since someone thought it worth putting a remote control cable into my inverter, the remote cable must be doing something vaguely automated- and I assumed that job was to switch off the inverter when there was no demand for power. I did some current measurements a couple of months ago with the inverter on and off, and that seemed to bear out my theory, but I was clearly doing something wrong. I tried just now, switching the inverter between remote control and ON modes, and exactly as you say, it made almost no difference. It drew about 1.05 amps either way, with no 240v stuff on. Besides once again sadly demonstrating my electrical ignorance, this at least makes life easier. These remotes are all just manual ON/OFF switches that you can mount in a handy place. The new inverter I got is 2000 watts continuous (which gives more future options to use machinery)- but it has a 2 amps no-load draw, which doesnt sound much but its 48Ah over a 24 hours period, which might be about the same as what the fridge takes in a day. But I guess the higher the power rating, the higher the no-load current they use? The Sterling is only rated at 1600watts so it might reduce future scope to plug in some higher-power tools or machinery, but it only uses 24Ah over a full day. I'm starting to think again about a 12v fridge when this one finally dies. That way I only need to have the inverter on for say 8 hours during the day, and it then only uses 16Ah over the day. When I was considering the power usage of my 240v fridge vs a 12v model, I stupidly didnt take into account that I should add on the power use of the inverter. None of this electrical parsimony matters very much during the summer, of course, with decent solar panels, but come winter, the demands of the inverter alone could mean an hours engine running each day, if its left on 24/7. Plenty to think about....
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on May 7, 2021 18:19:26 GMT
One of the troubles with cheaper inverters is that the standby current is huge. My Victron is 2-3watts in search mode or 0.25A if you prefer Or just switched on 8-10w, less than 1amp I leave mine in search mode and 6Ah over 24hrs is not worth bothering about.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on May 7, 2021 19:19:52 GMT
One of the troubles with cheaper inverters is that the standby current is huge. My Victron is 2-3watts in search mode or 0.25A if you prefer Or just switched on 8-10w, less than 1amp I leave mine in search mode and 6Ah over 24hrs is not worth bothering about. Yes, I've now started to notice this feature, but fingers crossed I've found one that is both cheap and has a very low no-load current use. According to the specs this uses less than 0.6 amps when 'resting': www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07DHKDTKB/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1I've found that specs on ebay are definitely not to be believed, and specs on amazon are to be seriously questioned. But that said, amazon have a very easy returns process, so I'll test it when I get it, and if it doesnt draw less than 0.6 amps I'll send it back. I'm not under any illusions with these- they are not nearly as well-designed and constructed as Victron items, and they use lower quality components too. But the cheapest Victron 2000 watt inverter that I found is around £750. I dont really have the budget to justify buying the top quality parts and components in all areas of the boat- some compromises have to be made in some areas, and I'm going to try a compromise on the inverter. There is every possibility it'll backfire and end up failing, but its worth a try at £200. But yes, if this thing fails then its time to go victron or maybe sunshine solar....
|
|
|
Post by Telemachus on May 7, 2021 20:15:33 GMT
One of the troubles with cheaper inverters is that the standby current is huge. My Victron is 2-3watts in search mode or 0.25A if you prefer Or just switched on 8-10w, less than 1amp I leave mine in search mode and 6Ah over 24hrs is not worth bothering about. Yes, I've now started to notice this feature, but fingers crossed I've found one that is both cheap and has a very low no-load current use. According to the specs this uses less than 0.6 amps when 'resting': www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07DHKDTKB/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1I've found that specs on ebay are definitely not to be believed, and specs on amazon are to be seriously questioned. But that said, amazon have a very easy returns process, so I'll test it when I get it, and if it doesnt draw less than 0.6 amps I'll send it back. I'm not under any illusions with these- they are not nearly as well-designed and constructed as Victron items, and they use lower quality components too. But the cheapest Victron 2000 watt inverter that I found is around £750. I dont really have the budget to justify buying the top quality parts and components in all areas of the boat- some compromises have to be made in some areas, and I'm going to try a compromise on the inverter. There is every possibility it'll backfire and end up failing, but its worth a try at £200. But yes, if this thing fails then its time to go victron or maybe sunshine solar.... Yes it does look quite good and very good for the money. But the proof of the pudding ... ... is in whether it goes on fire or not!
|
|