[QUOTE=theres one thing i've been thinking about :
you run the gen to 120 volts 20 amps or so , then lower it to 12 volts 90 amps to charge the batteries then raise it to 120volts 15 amps or so again to run the the aircon
i've been looking intoo this but havent found a lot sofar : a 12 volt 120 amp intelligend generator ( one that adjust the rpm to load)
having a 12/24 volt generator would do away with the charger to keep the batteries topped up (being a 120 amps prolly does it faster too) unless youre running shorepower the gen prolly be more efficient too
why you dont try to get a 12 volt to 9 (?) volt adapter for youre laptop
wouldn;t it be more efficient to have the generator run on propane gas[/QUOTE]
Sorry to not answer sooner. My truck has been done for years now and I don't get back to this forum too often.
I hear you really like propane... I believe the Honda Eu2000i has a propane conversion option, or you can even buy it with multi-fuel capability. I hear that generaters run longer and cleaner on propane as well. I also hear that they better tolerate sitting and not running for long periods of time, unlike gasoline that can turn to gelly and clog things up, or at the very least be hard to start if the genny hasn't been run for a while.
I suppose the biggest reason I run the genny on gas and not propane is simply the wide availability of gas. Propane is harder to find, though not hard in an absolute sense. I designed the truck to live in full time, on the road, while traveling, or at least moving around a little bit to keep from annoying anyone in particular. Convenience for getting fuel is a worthy issue. As it turns out the truck gets used rarely and more like a conventional RV so I suppose propane might have been a better choice in some ways, but at this point it works, and I am not interested in fixing it.
As for all the efficiency losses of going from 120V to 12V and back to 120V, that is certainly true, but it turns out to work great anyway. I can driveway camp on just a 15A outlet even in the 110 degree Texas heat and still have everything I need including the comfort of air conditioning. I can do the same on my generator, though I have never done it for an extended period of time.
As for getting a 12V adapter for my laptop, I believe they are available. At the moment the truck sits in the driveway hooked to 110V AC so the laptop is on charge and has been for years. For this sort of extended driveway parking, which is essentially storage since I am not living in the truck, I bypass the inverter and run the AC straight into the truck. The battery charger is still floating the battery but is usually pumping out just a couple of amps.
Years later, all systems are still working perfectly, so I have no incentive to fix anything. The truck does get out for weekend trips, usually not even overnight, but it is still really nice to have all the amenities even for a day at the beach.
|