Battery power in 313

[Martin Duffy]

Ok I'm about to do an installation of an AGM battery system in my Sprinter.

Reasons are I am a video producer and need power on the run to either run a laptop and 27" LCD computer monitor plus audio gear and a few other bits and pieces. I will be doing video editing and filming from the top of the van. I'm basically setting up a mini OB van with a table and the monitor will be permanently mounted to the right hand side wall.

Any advise welcome as I'm a bit of a dummy with the electrical side of things. Here are my specs so far.

1. Thinking of a big AGM via this mob. The price seems pretty good
http://aussiebatteriessolar.com.au/b...e-agm-battery/

2. Jaycar 380W sinewave invertor 12V>240.

3. "Projector Procharge" charger - hope it will charge the big AGM cost $125

4. Battery Isolator - II got this on the recommendation of a guy who has put a similar system into his van. Hope I'm on the right path here. I gues it will mean I can charge my AGM via the van as it drives pending it works with the sprinter OK????

5. 6 plug power board

6. Power inlet like you see on the side of caravans so that I can plug into mains

OK my video equipment adds up to around 220 watts so that's why I thought a 380W invertor was a safe bet.

Questions are:


1. Based on the 273ah battery how much continual power can I expect to get if all devices that add up to 220 Watts were going at the one time?

2. Am I better off getting 2 smaller AGM's and running them in series?

3. Whats the verdict on running the battery Isolator with the sprinter van?

4. From empty how long will it take to charge the 273ah AGM via the charger listed above?

The above system would not be in operation every day. For long editing sessions I can see myself plugging into mains power but there will be times where I could need upwards of 6 hours power so to be safe I should perhaps be thinking of a system that gives me well in excess of that.

So i guess thats the question will the 273ah battery be sufficient?

Get those calculators out boys.

Thanks

Martin

[owner]

Thats a huge battery, I'd be looking at 2x half the size. If one craps out or gets damaged etc. you still have a good second one. And you won't need a forklift to move it about lol. In fact at that capacity I'd probably get 3x 100Ah ones.

From what I've been reading you should derate them to 50%, or is it 70%? for maximum battery life. That means you should only draw about 100-150Ah from that battery, if you want it to last.

Also your inverter will probably consume around 50W internally when converting DC->AC at that load, if its anything like mine.

[PeterInSa]

Am not an expert, you need to investigate further, but my comments are...at 220 watts is around 20 amps/hr which is a lot of current drain. Would look at 3 or 4 x 120watt sola panels and a 30 watt controller or bring a 20i Honda generator with you. Have 2 x 120 amp/hr deep cycle batteries, may get by with these other power sources.

You must also have a low voltage cut out to save your batteries. These units cut off the load when the battery voltage falls below 11.5 volts. If you have the sola setup have a 30amp controller and put your load thru the controller, these controllers should have the low voltage cutout as part of the unit.

No low voltage cutout, as a friend of mine found out..... if deep cycle batteries remain under 11.5 volts for sometime, you either shorten their life or throw them out... he was up for 2 new batteries.

The Hondas are reasonably quiet, but can be annoying and definitely annoy others around you. but can be great for running most a/c's in hot weather. Check B4 buying as you may need a 2.4Kw model etc

In closing you can only use batteries from fully charged say at 13.9v down to 11.5v, thats why in my mind you need so other power source if you are going to edit/videos etc for some hours with your power usage.

Peter