Date:         Wed, 1 Nov 2000 11:58:23 -0700
Reply-To:     Larry Hamm <ldhamm@XMISSION.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Larry Hamm <ldhamm@XMISSION.COM>
Subject:      Re: Re; Solar power your VW
Comments: To: PSavage <psavage@SABER.NET>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

PSavage wrote:

> Hi Larry,
> For me, at least, while traveling/camping all winter,
> sometimes in remote areas for days on end without
> motive to run the engine, I use my little Solarex photvoltaic
> panel (11" x 18" x 1/8" thick) to top off both my starting
> battery & my aux battery.  It is also useful, when van is
> parked for days under shade trees, to set up the panel in
> full sun & plug in the little charger that does my small batteries
> used for powering book lites, flashlites, etc.
> I used this system last winter for 6 months traveling Mexico,
> & was never without all the "power" I needed for anything.
> This year, I've added a small inverter that will accept a proprietary
> Canon charger for my digican &--best of all--my electric coffee grinder!

Phaedra,
Thanks for the info on how you use solar. At least, you're saving fuel which
might be hard to come by in remote areas.
I would suggest trying to find a cigarette-lighter type charger for the
Canon, though. A lot of energy is wasted in converting the DC to AC
(inverter), then converting the AC back to DC (charger). I think I saw a
12V. coffee grinder at the RV store the other day. It was next to the 12V
hair dryer my wife was eyeing.
Larry