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Date:         Sun, 28 Aug 2005 21:08:49 -0500
Reply-To:     Stan Wilder <wilden1-1@SBCGLOBAL.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Stan Wilder <wilden1-1@SBCGLOBAL.NET>
Subject:      Re: Yee haw, got my solar setup installed
Comments: To: Michael Elliott <j.michael.elliott@GMAIL.COM>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

I paid $80.00 for a Bentley manual for my 83 Westy. I paid $18.00 for the Hayes manual for my 83 Westy. I paid $28.00 for a Bosch Injection for my 83 Westy. How the heck will any future owner ever decipher your modifications?. I had a simple short in the fuel relay on my 911 Porsche. I inquired of the Porsche 911 list and the best advise I had from the Porsche list folks was to remove the aftermarket alarm system, remove the ghetto blaster amplifier system, remove the FM booster. Once I got all the twisted, taped up, over stretched and undocumented wires and devices removed I found the fuel delivery (fuel relay) electrical problem within 10 minutes using the known wiring of the vehicle in the Bentley manual. Michael, You're in my prayers. I hope you never have an electrical fire.

Stan Wilder Engine Ceramics 214-352-4931 www.engineceramics.com

----- Original Message ----- From: "Michael Elliott" <j.michael.elliott@GMAIL.COM> To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM> Sent: Sunday, August 28, 2005 8:47 PM Subject: Yee haw, got my solar setup installed

> Under the driver's seat: one (1) Optima deep cycle battery with > requisite wiring and relay to permit charging while driving, but no > discharging of engine battery while camping. Entire cabin re-wired to > run off cabin battery, including a couple more Thinlite fluorescent > light fixtures for general lighting, and a couple of nice little halogen > reading lights over the bed. DC outlets in the cabin, a nice 1kW > inverter to run the morning coffee bean grinder. > > With a little lighting at night, a little running of the sound system > during the day (softly, softly), the watching of a DVD movie on the > laptop (draws nearly 4A from its DC-DC converter) in the evenings . . . > after a couple or three days, the cabin battery starts getting soft. > Careful conservation of power allows usage of up to four nights with > these loads, but I depend on an oil lantern for constant lighting, and > have to be quite frugal about running the laptop. > > So . . . need some way to stuff power back into that battery. Driving > around just to charge the battery is not acceptable: I came to came > goshdarnit, not drive. A little generator would do the job, but they are > the Antichrist: noisy. I can hear the reefer fan outside the Westy where > I camp. Even the quietest Honda generator would be a total nuisance. > > So I just finished up installing my solar setup. > > Two BP350U 50-watt solar panels. $290 each + shipping from Colorado > Solar http://www.cosolar.com/catalog/cat_panels_bp.htm . Small enough to > stash up above where the upper bunk mattress used to live. Mrs Squirrel > and I sleep below. > > One Blue Sky Energy 2000E MPPT charge controller from Arizona Wind and > Sun, $208 http://store.solar-electric.com/sb2000.html . An MPPT > controller will let me get the most amps out of these relatively small > panels. > > Some big honking 6 gauge wire (reduce ohmic losses) to build solar panel > "extension cords" so I can plunk the panels out where the sun is (I > prefer to park in the shade), and "Powerpole" connectors to plug them in > with. > http://www.powerwerx.com/category.asp?CtgID=1001 - I used the 75A size > so they could handle the 6-gauge wire. > > No, it's not a mighty system. No, I won't be able to run a 500 watt > stereo all day, nor power a microwave oven. We will still need to be > conscious of every amp we consume (a 3-1/2'' analog ammeter mounted at > the rear of the driver' seat base gives us a visual indication of how > much current we are pulling at all times) . . . but now we have a chance > to stuff a charge back into the battery every day after an evening of > all-out fluorescent lamp and DVD-watching madness! > > And the best part? Mrs Squirrel is paying for all these bits and pieces > for my birthday present! > > We're going camping up at Table Mountain campground, near Wrightwood CA, > this coming Labor Day weekend, for four nights. This will give me a > chance to test this setup a bit. I will report back. > > -- > Hoping the spirit of John Wallace is with you, I remain > > Mike "Rocket J Squirrel" Elliott > 71 Type 2: the Wonderbus > 84 Westfalia: Mellow Yellow ("The Electrical Banana") > KG6RCR


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