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GlueGuy View Drop Down
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Posts: 2654 		Direct Link To This Post Topic: Better converter?
    Posted: 10 Nov 2020 at 10:32am
Originally posted by geewizard

I forgot the only way one gets AC in the RPod is from shore power.  I think I got confused because my truck camper is set up with a Xantrex PROsine 1800W inverter for AC needs.  And it has worked quite well for my needs since about 2008 or so.  I've never used the full capacity of that inverter and it is probably overkill but the price was right when I bought it.
That is one bodacious inverter. If you were to try and deliver 1800 watts, it would be in the neighborhood of 150 amps. That would require thumb-thick wires on the 12 VDC side.
bp
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Posts: 5290 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 09 Nov 2020 at 4:58pm
Ok, so you have significantly more usable capacity in the bike battery than you do in the rpod battery. Add to that the efficiency losses in the inverter and the bike battery charger and you would need well over 200 amp hours to recharge it. Even if you have dual golf cart batteries your usable amp hours are only around 100, or no more than half what the bike would need, and that would leave you nothing for your other rpod requirements. 

If it were me and I was boon docking I would just fire up the Honda genny for a few hours to recharge the bike. Just sayin'....
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geewizard View Drop Down
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Posts: 347 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 09 Nov 2020 at 4:35pm
The battery is reported to be 50.4 VDC, 1875WH. 
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Posts: 5290 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 09 Nov 2020 at 1:25pm
Do they spec the amp hours or watt hours of the bike battery? 
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Posts: 347 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 09 Nov 2020 at 1:10pm
I have a Honda EU2000i I can take along in case the inverter/solar/battery system won't work.

The bike battery charger draws 6A max at 120VAC.  The 48VDC bike battery is supposed to last 3.5 hours of continuous use and take the same time to charge up.  I'll be interested in seeing if all that's true.
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Posts: 5290 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 09 Nov 2020 at 12:35pm
OK, makes sense now. So yeah you would need a 1kw or so inverter to charge that bike. 

But before you do that, I'd suggest running an energy budget to be sure you have an adequate source for the energy required to run the inverter to charge the battery in the bike. You might have to add a lot more solar to have enough energy that way. Because of the losses going from the solar array to the rpod battery to the inverter and then to the bike battery charger (overall probably you're going to lose roughly 40 percent) it might be better to just get a little 1kw generator and recharge the bike directly. 

How many amphours is the 48V Li battery in the bike and how often do you think you'll need to recharge it?
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Posts: 347 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 09 Nov 2020 at 7:52am
Ah, a moment of brainfart, sorry about that.

I forgot the only way one gets AC in the RPod is from shore power.  I think I got confused because my truck camper is set up with a Xantrex PROsine 1800W inverter for AC needs.  And it has worked quite well for my needs since about 2008 or so.  I've never used the full capacity of that inverter and it is probably overkill but the price was right when I bought it.

With regard to the RPod, the WFCO works well for charging, no problem there.  I actually don't use it very much since we rarely use shore power.  I have solar panels and a Morningstar MPPT charge controller for battery charging.

I don't have an air-conditioner nor a microwave or TV.

In my post, I was asking for recommendations for a DC-AC inverter from those who use them. 

The reason for my question is that I will soon have an electric "dirt bike" that needs charging when I am out camping.  The charger draws 6A at 120VAC when charging the 48VDC LiFePO4 battery with its BMS system. 

Again, sorry for the confusion.
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Posts: 5290 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 08 Nov 2020 at 12:32pm
+1 

Even the tow vehicle alternator connection won't do it on a continuous basis, that is only 30A max, so around 360 watts or so. And the converter is rated at 55 amps max, so that is only about 650 watts. If you are only running the 1kw inverter for a few minutes then maybe its fine, but if you really have a long duration load at 1kw then you need to plan on running a generator. 

What do you want to run in an rPod that uses 1000 watts? The microwave is going to need at least 1500 watts. Forget the a/c. 
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Tars Tarkas View Drop Down
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Posts: 1447 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 08 Nov 2020 at 11:41am
Well, I don't mean to pour on, but a 1000w inverter (DC to AC) is huge for anything without an ongoing source of DC power, like a truck engine spinning an alternator, or a generator (through your converter).  Many, if not most 120v AC appliances are available in 12v DC models, which might be an alternative.  Those too will suck the juice out of a battery, but they are commonly for intermittent, short term use.

If you really are talking about a 1000w converter, you probably need to be looking at major changes to your battery array, at least, and probably a lot of solar panels.

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Colt View Drop Down
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Posts: 383 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 08 Nov 2020 at 11:14am
Yeah, few (none?) R-Pods come with an inverter. You'll have to add one. I have bought from these folks and have been well satisfied.

https://invertersrus.com/product-category/power-inverters/pure-sine-wave/

I think you should reconsider the size of your inverter. 1000 watts will pull down the OEM battery in about 30 minutes. And 1000+ watts of solar panels will be big and expensive. Any 120V power source will power your stuff directly AND charge the battery. I only run a 300 watt inverter on my toy solar system at home with a 150 A-Hr battery bank and 240 watts of panel.
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