Date:         Mon, 10 Mar 2003 23:32:04 -0500
Reply-To:     David Beierl <dbeierl@ATTGLOBAL.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         David Beierl <dbeierl@ATTGLOBAL.NET>
Subject:      Re: Power plans and questions
Comments: To: Mark Belanger <belanger@FLUID.COM>
In-Reply-To:  <3E6D497E.3080209@fluid.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed

At 09:27 PM 3/10/2003, Mark Belanger wrote:
>Actually, the power supply is rated for 150W, but I doubt it uses much
>more than 100W.

That's output, right?  So if it's delivering the full 150 watts you're
going to be consuming more than that -- that's why they have fans in
them...figure another 15% or so if you can't get specs.


>No inverter.  It's a DC-DC supply.  I didn't understand why I'd take DC,
>covert it to AC then covert it back to DC with all the requisite heat
>generation that comes along with it.

The answer's not always cut-and-dried...in this case I suspect that DC-DC
(which no doubt turns it into AC or at least a pulse train inside)
performed in one box is likely more efficient than if it were in two
boxes.  But maybe not by much, depends on their priorities to some extent.

>Unfortunately, I don't get to use my Westy to do a lot of camping.
>Unfortunately, I DO have to make regular trips down highway 5, the most
>god forsaken stretch of road in the United State of California and
>having an internet-enabled computer will entertain the fiancee(and me
>when I'm not driving).

Ah so -- you won't be using it much at rest then?  In that case I take back
most of what I said privately about batteries and charging systems -- not
that you wouldn't be better off, but you can probably get by tolerably with
the stock setup -- more comfortably with a somewhat larger alternator, or a
hot-rated one of the same size you already have.

david


--
David Beierl - Providence RI USA -- http://pws.prserv.net/synergy/Vanagon/
'84 Westy "Dutiful Passage"
'85 GL "Poor Relation"