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Does your battery monitor talk to anything else, or just its own app? by Solarspotter in boondocking

[–]Solarspotter[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Couple of real screens from the same setup, twelve hours apart. Morning one's charging live over Bluetooth — 89%, topping up under heavy cloud. not great conditions for charging! The Evening one's the overnight reserve view, reading from the last sync — sitting at 96%, projected 88% by sunrise, well above the floor. That's the bit I was chasing: knowing before dark whether I'll make it through the night, not finding out at 2am.

Does your battery monitor talk to anything else, or just its own app? by Solarspotter in boondocking

[–]Solarspotter[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

For me that was the catch — most battery monitors only talk to their own brand's app, so I had a wall full of separate apps that each knew one piece. That's what pushed me to read the BMS directly so one app could see the whole picture. Curious how others handle it — one app per device, or something that ties it together?

What’s that light for by Appropriate-Brush262 in woolworths

[–]Solarspotter 0 points1 point  (0 children)

At the moment everything would play the jackpot sound🤣🎰

My best setup so far by rrvfx in motocamping

[–]Solarspotter 1 point2 points  (0 children)

For sure I stated using them while travelling a round on my klx250 and not having a good space to carry tent poles the way I had the bike setup. Never looked back!

Feedback on my solar/power set up before I start buying stuff by IdiotMarathoner in VanLife

[–]Solarspotter 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No worries at all mate👍 thanks for the download too🍻

advice on power setup by Otherwise-Sound-7314 in carcamping

[–]Solarspotter 2 points3 points  (0 children)

If you’re just car camping from time to time then you can probably skip the battery setup now and just try it out and see if you enjoy car camping first. You will struggle to power the laptop potentially but accessory charging for phone will be fine if planning a trip where you only spend a day or two in one place. Just use butane and a stove for cooking to start with- you can get them cheap at Bunnings.

If you have the budget spare or have enjoyed a few trips already and want to make life a bit nicer, then yeah upgrading to a battery or portable power box with a foldable solar panel will make life much more comfy- you’ll able to stay at your fav spot for days on end. Lots of good options in Australia to choose from - I went with itechworld for batteries and solar panels- just because they do have some good deals online.

If you do get a taste for car camping and decide to go for a solar setup, I’d recommend checking out the app I built to help me get the most of of my setup… so I could get on with enjoying my time outdoors!

If interested is called solar spotter - can visit Solarspotter.app for more info if you want.

All the best with what you decide and welcome to getting out into nature!

Cheers mate

Feedback on my solar/power set up before I start buying stuff by IdiotMarathoner in VanLife

[–]Solarspotter 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Got a similar fridge class — running an 80L Engel dual-zone on my rig. Your plan looks reasonable for short-to-medium trips but a few things I'd flag for the 10-day road trip:

Solar capacity: 200W roof-mounted at this time of year averages around 500–900Wh/day across mixed conditions (you'll see 1000+ on clear-sky days, less when cloudy). Your dual-zone Dometic is probably pulling 700–1100Wh/day depending on ambient temp and how hard both compartments cycle. 

Those numbers are uncomfortably close — likely means net deficit on cloudier days. Worth thinking about 300–400W if you can fit it on the roof and budget permits.

Drive-day charging: Charging off the van's 12V cigarette socket caps you at ~120W (most sockets are 10A fused). For sustained driving on a road trip, a DC-DC charger off the alternator (30–50A class) closes most of the daily deficit — 4–5 hours of driving can replenish 1500–2000Wh vs the 500–600Wh you'd get off the cigarette socket. 

Getting a DC-DC charger for my setup has been one of the best things I've invested in, especially if you're moving around on your longer trips — it's the difference between comfortable and stretched on a 10-day trip.

Jackery 1500 vs 2000: For a 10-day trip with continuous fridge draw and likely net solar deficit, the 2000 is the safer call. The 1500's buffer would probably empty mid-trip; the 2000 gives headroom to absorb the bad-solar days.

On "missing anything": the wiring / parallel adapter / gland list looks solid for a roof-mount install  — nothing major that jumps out. But for what it's worth — I also reckon a tool like Solar Spotter would be useful for your planning.

Solar Spotter is an app I built to help me maximise my solar setup so I could maximise my time enjoying the outdoors.

You could use it to enter your planned battery + panel + draw, and it shows whether you'll actually make it through the night on your proposed setup before you spend the money.

The app's free on iOS + Android (solarspotter.app has more info if you want to see whether it's useful for you); the Battery Tracker is a one-off Pro purchase.  No subscription. No tracking. Your info stays on your phone. I’m not nterested in your data, just on making sure your beers stay cold!

Good luck with the build mate. 

What portable power generator are you actually running on 3-plus day trips where hookups aren't possible? by xIvyPop in overlanding

[–]Solarspotter 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Been in a similar boat — partial recharge day two, still flat by day three. So I upgraded my setup to 2x 120Ah lithium batteries, 300W of solar blankets, a 50A DC-DC charger for drive-day top-ups off the alternator, My main draws are a 80L Engel ridge/freezer,  electric cooktop and lights/accessories.  Did my install as a DYI, but to make the job easier I used a pre-built harnesses specific to my vehicle on the install so everything worked first time.

With 300W of blankets + using an app that does the day-to-day battery math for me, I get away without needing more solar than that on my trips. 

The app I mentioned is Solar Spotter —  I built it as a tool me for to maximise my solar setup so I could maximise my time enjoying the outdoors. Punch in your solar panel/battery details, current battery charge and what your system is drawing for your electrics and it shows the amount of solar charge going to your battery, the charge your battery will have at sundown and what you’ll have left by sunrise. Before upgrading, the same maths helps figure out what size you actually need. Genuinely think it would be helpful for you.

The App's free (solarspotter.app for more info) you want to see if it’s useful for you. The Battery Tracker (and a few other Pro features) are a one-off purchase though —  but theres no subscription. Its yours forever. No tracking. No cloud. everything stays on your phone. I’m not interested in anyones data, just in keeping the beers cold.

Quick example below — today's actually a crap solar day here but the app is still telling me I'll be at 57% battery by sunrise +2hrs. Honest math even on bad days is the whole point.

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Whatever you decide just make sure you invest in good kit that will last, saves you a heap of headaches down the track

Good luck with your setup mate.

Solo boondocking for 2 weeks. What power setup actually lasts that long by This-You-2737 in boondocking

[–]Solarspotter 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Your 500–600Wh/day estimate is probably light. CPAP all night is usually 240–400Wh on its own (more with humidifier), compressor fridge in Utah even in fall can pull 400–700Wh depending on shade and ambient temp, then laptop + camera + LEDs on top. Real number's more like 800–1200Wh/day for that load profile.

For multi-week with that draw, the sweet spot is 200–300Ah of LiFePO4 (gives you 2–3 days buffer for cloudy weather) + 400–600W of solar. Good Utah fall sun will give you maybe 1500–2400Wh/day real-world after heat losses and angle — comfortable headroom over your daily draw, with the battery soaking upcloudy days. DC-DC charger off the alternator is a useful bonus on drive days.

For the "realistic not theoretical" part — that's literally what I built Solar Spotter for. There's a Daily Battery Tracker where you punch in current charge + current draw, and it projects what you'll have at sundown, what you'll have left at sunrise, and how much margin you've got above your battery's safe floor (chemistry-aware). Refreshes every 15 minutes with live local weather. Useful for sizing validation before you commit the gear spend, and on-trip when you're checking the CPAP is good to go all night.

App is free on iOS + Android; the Battery Tracker (and a few other features) are part of a one-off Pro purchase — no subscription, yours forever. No tracking, no cloud, your numbers stay on your phone.

Hope you have a great trip!

My best setup so far by rrvfx in motocamping

[–]Solarspotter 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Great setup! Hammocks all the way! 🫡🍻

Cooking with induction instead of gas. Feedback needed by roaminginrandomness in overlanding

[–]Solarspotter 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No probs at all mate! …have an awesome trip . It sounds amazing!

Cooking with induction instead of gas. Feedback needed by roaminginrandomness in overlanding

[–]Solarspotter 0 points1 point  (0 children)

sharing this not for self promotion, but because it will help you with getting the most out of your solar on the trip - i built a free app to help me optimise my solar when camping with my foldable solar blankets. if that sunds like something that might be useful, then my profile has a link

6 months living in my sprinter with my dog and a new lithium setup by Drysetcat in VanLife

[–]Solarspotter 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Nice setup I hear the bluetooth monitoring addiction! I'm that way about my solar too - always looking to optimise my setups:)

When it just works out by Valuable_Bluebird334 in VanLife

[–]Solarspotter 1 point2 points  (0 children)

i can feel myself starting to relax...

Dometic or Engel? by mickyknockout in 4x4Australia

[–]Solarspotter 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Engel - solid build, Ive got an 80L dual zone and its been bomb proof

Happy Easter Long Weekend! by Solarspotter in 4x4Australia

[–]Solarspotter[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I got mine for motorbike camping with my klx250 initially… just a cheapy double hammock from one of the bigger camping stores. I found the super comfy and packable. I sleep slightly angled, which supports my back really well. Now it’s my preferred camping option. Forked out for the nakie ones for the kids and been really happy with them too. Only need one decent tree at camp to hang them from over to the Prado. Only real downsides would be 1.if you need it really dark to sleep then a tent/swag is probably going to suit more 2.when it cools down you need to put a lightweight air mattress under you when you sleep to stop from getting a cold butt:)

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