The first three posts were extracted from the Tapping 12V from the truck to charge Battle Borns thread. Joe's (and Neil's inputs) were moved here so any further discussion on this upgrade can be done without taking the other thread OT. -Howard (Moderator)
Wow - what a great thread . Just read through all 12 pages and love the evolution. (Joe is referencing the Tapping thread linked above.)
I am currently down following shoulder surgery surgery and have been doing a lot of planning, reading and shopping. I have already acquired the following:
Renogy 3k inverter
Renogy 60 amp Dc to Dc charger
200 ah LiFePo4 battery
4awg welding cable (50 feet of red and 50 feet of black)
(2) battery disconnect switches (one for battery and one for solar)
(2) 300 amp bus bars
100 amp fuse (truck battery to Dc charger)
80 amp fuse (Dc charger to bus bar)
60 amp Progressive Dynamics Charge Controller (lithium compatible)
175 amp Anderson connectors
Still need:
Shunt/battery monitor
4/0 cable (bus bars to inverter)
300 amp fuse (battery to bus bar)
Automatic transfer switch
After reading all of this thread and a couple of others, I think I have changed my mind on a couple of things. First, I was going to use one of the auxiliary switches in the truck to trigger the D+ line on the Dc to Dc charger. Now, I think I will use the auxiliary switch to activate a solenoid that supplies the 12v supply via the 4awg cable. I will then tie the D+ line to the 12v supply line on the charger - when the auxiliary switch is on, 12v will be supplied to the charger input and to the D+ line simultaneously.
The second change to my plan is to disconnect the 12v auxiliary charge wire from the 7 pin connector on the trailer side and tie it to the running lights. This will ensure that the trailer running lights are on at all times when the truck is running. The new Rams have a problem with the Furrion backup camera because the lights operate off a PWM circuit that does not supply enough power to the camera. Since I will no longer need the 12v to charge the battery, I think this will solve the problem. I would then tie the running light circuit (trailer side) to the LC circuit on the Dc to Dc charger. My thinking is, allow the charger to operate at the full 60 amps when running during the day. At night, the charger will drop down to 30 amps there by minimizing the load on the alternators. Just not sure if the running light circuit will work because of the PWM issue.
I am considering using 2 sets of Anderson connectors (one on the truck and one on the trailer). I know this will increase the overall resistance, but will allow me to secure the cable when not in use. I had the 7 pin connector cut off my previous 5th wheel and don’t want to risk losing the 4awg cable to thieves.
Thanks again to everyone who has offered input - there are some great minds out there. I still have another 6 weeks before I can use my arm (of course it was my right side) so I will have to continue to dream about this project for a while.
Joe
Wow - what a great thread . Just read through all 12 pages and love the evolution. (Joe is referencing the Tapping thread linked above.)
I am currently down following shoulder surgery surgery and have been doing a lot of planning, reading and shopping. I have already acquired the following:
Renogy 3k inverter
Renogy 60 amp Dc to Dc charger
200 ah LiFePo4 battery
4awg welding cable (50 feet of red and 50 feet of black)
(2) battery disconnect switches (one for battery and one for solar)
(2) 300 amp bus bars
100 amp fuse (truck battery to Dc charger)
80 amp fuse (Dc charger to bus bar)
60 amp Progressive Dynamics Charge Controller (lithium compatible)
175 amp Anderson connectors
Still need:
Shunt/battery monitor
4/0 cable (bus bars to inverter)
300 amp fuse (battery to bus bar)
Automatic transfer switch
After reading all of this thread and a couple of others, I think I have changed my mind on a couple of things. First, I was going to use one of the auxiliary switches in the truck to trigger the D+ line on the Dc to Dc charger. Now, I think I will use the auxiliary switch to activate a solenoid that supplies the 12v supply via the 4awg cable. I will then tie the D+ line to the 12v supply line on the charger - when the auxiliary switch is on, 12v will be supplied to the charger input and to the D+ line simultaneously.
The second change to my plan is to disconnect the 12v auxiliary charge wire from the 7 pin connector on the trailer side and tie it to the running lights. This will ensure that the trailer running lights are on at all times when the truck is running. The new Rams have a problem with the Furrion backup camera because the lights operate off a PWM circuit that does not supply enough power to the camera. Since I will no longer need the 12v to charge the battery, I think this will solve the problem. I would then tie the running light circuit (trailer side) to the LC circuit on the Dc to Dc charger. My thinking is, allow the charger to operate at the full 60 amps when running during the day. At night, the charger will drop down to 30 amps there by minimizing the load on the alternators. Just not sure if the running light circuit will work because of the PWM issue.
I am considering using 2 sets of Anderson connectors (one on the truck and one on the trailer). I know this will increase the overall resistance, but will allow me to secure the cable when not in use. I had the 7 pin connector cut off my previous 5th wheel and don’t want to risk losing the 4awg cable to thieves.
Thanks again to everyone who has offered input - there are some great minds out there. I still have another 6 weeks before I can use my arm (of course it was my right side) so I will have to continue to dream about this project for a while.
Joe
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