| Author | Message | ||
| Sean Mormelo (Sventvkg)
Rating: N/A |
I'm getting ready ( as soon as my bus in fixed)to head from Alaska to the Lower 48 and Need to hook up an inverter to the bus 24volt system so we can use the laptop and a few other electrical devices along the road. My question is how do I connect the unit and what kind of unit do I need? My bus is basically a shell at this point. Thanks! | ||
| Brian (Bigbusguy)
Rating: N/A |
You need to start looking for a 24 volt inverter soon they are not easy to buy at walmart as a 12 volt ones. If its just somthing to get you by for now any 600 to 1000 W one should work for a tv a few lights and lap top .And buy the one you will use when your converson is done in the lower 48 where the prices I would think would be better. Id just hook it to the batts and not use it to much with the motor off. It will get you by till you get moved. Brian 4905 Klamath Falls Oregon | ||
| Sean Mormelo (Sventvkg)
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is there a way to hook a regular 12 volt inverter..Maybe split into the 24 volt system somehow?? | ||
| Brian Brown (Fishbowlbrian)
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Sean, you'll have to read up on equalizers and what they do. It's not good to tap only one of your batts @ 12v and pull high load items off of it. Everything on a 24v system is more co$tly than a 12v bus. High current has its price. Good luck, BB | ||
| Pete/RTS Daytona (Pete_rtsdaytona)
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Sean If you buy 2 small cheap 12 vot inverters - hook the first inverter's 12 volt input (negative to ground - positive to the positive terminal of the lower 12 volt battery - hook the next inverter (negative input to the negative side of the upper 12 volt battery and the positive inverter input to the upper battery positive. Then try to either alternate or put equal loads on each inverter This should get you back to the lower 48 Pete RTs/Daytona | ||
| FAST FRED Rating: N/A |
This procedure will let all the captive smoke in the invereters out! FAST FRED | ||
| Richard Bowyer (Drivingmisslazy)
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As an alternative, and if you have a genset, I would suggest you just run the genny on the way down. That is what it is designed to do. You may need it anyhow for heat. I have run mine for weeks at a time. Richard | ||
| R.C.Bishop
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FF.....YOU are amazing....beats the Oscars.... Thanx.....  RCB | ||
| Stan Rating: N/A |
Fast Fred: Why does hooking two inverters with separate loads hurt the inverters? | ||
| CoryDaneRTS Rating: N/A |
Hooking the 12v inverters one on each 12v battery can work without releasing the captive smoke and steam, but you may have to isolate the inverters. The negative of the high battery has potential of 12v already. Lack of isolation could send 24v through the inverter, which would release the captive smoke. The AC side should already be isolated but do not mix the ac sides with each other. They are not built to "synchronize" together and would cause a problem. (some of the more expensive inverters have sync circuits but you find these at WallMart.) Keep the circuits apart and the ac lines apart and you should get home. cd | ||
| Stephen Fessenden (Sffess)
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If you only need a small inverter, you might want to spend your money on an equalizer and economize on the inverter for now. A 60 amp Vanner equalizer is a good size. Then you can safely use any cheap 12 volt inverter and you will have long term portection for your batteries. There is a 5000 watt 24volt to 120volt inverter on ebay. When looking for 24 volt inveters I use: inverter 24 for the search. | ||
| James Maxwell (Jmaxwell)
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CD: "They are not built to "sychronize" together and would cause a problem". That's an understatement; it will literally fry them. I've opened up several of these fully electronic marvels, tons of blade fuses in them, but nothing on the outputs. All of the fuses appear to be between conversion stages and limited to the input side. | ||
| CoryDaneRTS Rating: N/A |
The cheaper versions do something interesting if you overload them. They will blow the power transistors. Then its time to replace the transisitors. What fun cd | ||
| Sean Mormelo (Sventvkg)
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Well there must be a way to wire 12 volt in because there has to be a way to wire a stereo system up in the front, right? My stereo guy says he will borrow what he needs and knows exactly how to wire up a regular car stereo system which i'm getting installed as soon as the bus is out of the shop, as I need it for my drive to the lower 48. | ||
| Brian (Bigbusguy)
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Sean, You can get 12 volts if the bus has a equalizer . If you stereo guy just pulls 12 volt of 1/2 of the batt you will end up frying the batterys or the stereo when it sees 16 or more volts . With my equalizer off my batts showed 28Volts motor running. but one batt was 11.9 the other was 16.1 so what battery would he hook up to?? I have the battery mfg come out a test the batts they check out as good as both was less the 3 months old. The equlizer was defective and warranty repaced it. Brian 4905 Klamath Falls Oregon | ||
| Sean Mormelo (Sventvkg)
Rating: N/A |
Brain, I have never heard of an Equalizer of the type you are refering to. Could you point me in a direction to check it one out? | ||
| James Maxwell (Jmaxwell)
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Sean, the major manufacturer of battery equalizers is Vanner,;they make a 60 amp and 100 amp output. They are not cheap on the retail mkt. They occassionaly show up on the e place at a little over 100 bucks or so. If u already have something up front that is using 12v, then u may have a battery equalizer on board. It is a box about 10x14x2 thick, 3 post terminals on the front, 1 for 24v, 1 for 12v out, and 1 for ground, black or grey unless someone has painted it. Some newer transit came with small units on them. Most newer intercity models have them, and 24v buses w/DDEC engines have them for the engine. |