Born Free Leap'n Lions RV Club Info & Discussion Forum

I'm passing on what has proven, to me at least, to be a good idea for minimizing the clutter from all the chargers for digital electronics in our BF. We boondock extensively, and the counter by the TV with the DC inverter was getting very crowded with all the specialized chargers. We were forgetting to plug things in and then finding ourselves with dead phones, computers etc.

We have a '99 BF with a 140 watt solar panel mounted on the luggage rack on the roof. Running through a solar controller, it charges the two Trojan T-105 batteries well. The coach has plenty of 120V a/c outlets, which we rarely use since we boondock. I disconnected the a/c line (both white and black) from the ground fault GFI circuit breaker in the control panel and fed it with the output of a 400 watt inverter, located under the power panel and wired through a fuse to the DC supply.

Now ALL of our ac outlets are functional 24/7 for any digital devices that need charging, and we simply leave many of them plugged in until we use them. The only drawback of this system so far is that there's no high-capacity outlet for my wife's hair dryer.

Hope this helps someone, and if you see any negative aspects of this approach, please comment.

Sounds like a good approach.

If you shut off the inverter and hook to shore power or use the generator can you use the ac outlets as usual?

No; the way it's set up I can't get full power on shore power. I could put in a relay etc., but for now I'm keeping it simple.

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sw23185 wrote:This is a very inefficient way to go from a power loss perspective. You are stepping 12VDC up to 120VAC and then turning around and stepping it back down to low voltage DC in your chargers (with losses as part of both conversions).

Far better to use one or more dual USB charger outlets like this (https://www.bluesea.com/products/1016/D ... ger_Socket) connected to your 12V so that you can charge your portable electronic devices directly (at least those with modular USB chargers). The bonus is that your AC outlets will still work as intended ...

This would be fine for devices that can run and charge via USB but some devices such notebooks, cordless drills, and other battery chargers need 120 VAC.

One thing to note is that the device pictured above only has a total output of 2.1 amps. Most tablets and smartphones need about 2 amps so you could not charge two devices at once. There are better options such as this one: https://www.bluesea.com/products/1045/D ... cket_Mount

tomzleapin wrote:This would be fine for devices that can run and charge via USB but some devices such notebooks, cordless drills, and other battery chargers need 120 VAC.

Right. You may note that I said "so that you can charge your portable electronic devices directly (at least those with modular USB chargers)" - devices that require 120VAC aren't going to have modular USB chargers and would require a different solution.

If an inverter is used as the power source for those devices that do require 120VAC then hopefully it's wired such that doesn't defeat the ability to readily use shore power or the generator. One simple temporary solution that I've seen is to put a 30A-15A adapter on the shore power cord and then plug that into the inverter (just like you would plug into a portable generator). You then manage the loads with (and are protected by) the usual breaker panel in the coach. You just need to make sure that the water heater, A/C, and any other unwanted loads that would exceed inverter capacity are turned off. When you're done with the inverter you just unplug and you're back to the normal power configuration.

tomzleapin wrote:One thing to note is that the device pictured above only has a total output of 2.1 amps. Most tablets and smartphones need about 2 amps so you could not charge two devices at once.

Right. You may note that I said "like this". The purpose of my example was simply to make people aware that they have a direct-from-DC alternative that doesn't involve conversion losses. Sizing would, as with any electrical circuit, be based on actual requirements.

Being rather low tech, I am only charging phone, iPad, laptop. A friend has installed a basic solar system that supports my small residential refrigerator (and what a gift that was! ). Part of that solar system has some plug ins, including a 12v socket. I plug into this a $10. device I bought that was sold to plug into vehicle cigarette lighter. It has another 12v socket, and a USB slot. Voila. While stopped or driving on a sunny day, I can plug in phone and iPad for recharge. The laptop has to wait for shore power.
You notice how whenever a new device comes on the market, there are aftermarket toys available about a week later? How do they do that?

Here is a 4.8A USB charger from Blue Sea Systems: https://www.bluesea.com/products/1045/D ... cket_Mount supposed to be on the market in January 2016.

Steve

I installed two of these, one in the bedroom and one above the cab. They're pretty convenient, really easy to install, and just use the 12v wiring.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/12V-Dual-USB- ... W/29029303

Roger H wrote:I installed two of these, one in the bedroom and one above the cab. They're pretty convenient, really easy to install, and just use the 12v wiring.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/12V-Dual-USB- ... W/29029303

I wonder what the charging amp rating is for each usb port? Some devices require 2+ amps.

Bill

Anybody have any idea how to charge my MacBook Air via 12 volt?
The AC adapter supplies 14.8 volts/ 3 amps.
Plus it has a fancy "magnetic plug" into the side of the laptop.

bcope01 wrote:

Roger H wrote:I installed two of these, one in the bedroom and one above the cab. They're pretty convenient, really easy to install, and just use the 12v wiring.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/12V-Dual-USB- ... W/29029303

I wonder what the charging amp rating is for each usb port? Some devices require 2+ amps.

Bill

I'm not sure, Bill, but it charges an iPhone or iPad and a Plantronics headset or Jam Classic bluetooth speaker at the same time just fine.

stevek wrote:Anybody have any idea how to charge my MacBook Air via 12 volt?
The AC adapter supplies 14.8 volts/ 3 amps.
Plus it has a fancy "magnetic plug" into the side of the laptop.

http://www.amazon.com/GPK-Car-Charger-A ... B0056PXJ8O

Thanks Roger.

Bill