New Telescope Remote Power System

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Do Lithium (LiFePo4) battery deliver on the manufacturer’s claims. We’ll explore my 30 month experience, which didn’t live up to expectations. But there are some factors that need to be investigated as part of my conclusion. Then I’ll share me new LiFePo4 battery system for my remote telescope kit.

A couple years ago I shared my remote kit  set-up for astrophotography. It included a Lithium (LiFePo4) battery bank consisting of three 16AH lithium batteries wired in parallel. I built this in April of 2021 and was my first experience with LiFePo4 batteries.

Continue reading New Telescope Remote Power System →

Sizing An RV Solar System: Part 1

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Planning a Simple Small Solar System

This post will detail how to calculate a small solar system including how to determine what battery and solar panels will be optimum.

I am following up on the two previous solar system posts:

  1. 20 Year Review of the TriMetric Battery  Monitor
  2. Solar Charge Controllers: PWM vs MPPT

It isn’t a theoretical exercise, but looks all the steps I followed for my small remote power system for my telescope rigs.

This system is smaller than what most people might want for a camper. Although it could work for a van setup. The methodology is important and is applicable for any RV Solar System planning.

Continue reading Sizing An RV Solar System: Part 1 →

Solar Charge Controllers — PWM vs. MPPT

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Fifteen Morningstar TriStar MPPT solar charge controllers hooked up in a parallel off-grid charging system

I can’t count the number of times on the internet (especially forums) I have seen the comment that a MPPT solar controller is far superior to a PWM controller. Often times, if someone is seeking advice about their first RV solar system, someone will pop up and state they need MPPT without having any information about the other components that will be part of the system.

The bottom line is that MPPT is not superior to PWM solar charger. For specific systems one type can be better than the other. 

Let’s find out more about the MPPT vs PWM debate. If you are thinking about installing a RV solar system or expanding your current system which solar controller you choose is very, very important. Continue reading Solar Charge Controllers — PWM vs. MPPT →

TriMetric Battery Monitor — 20 Year Review

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TriMetric 2020 Battery Monitor

If you have a RV solar system get this if you don’t have a shunt-based battery monitor.

If you are planning on installing a solar system on your RV, buy this first. It can be used to determine your energy needs before buying solar panels. I will be publishing a guide on how to size a solar system in a few days.

This post will explain what a battery monitor is and how to install and set up a TriMetric Battery Monitor.

Continue reading TriMetric Battery Monitor — 20 Year Review →