I am in the process of getting my Frootloop (76 Kombi) set up for travelling and was wondering what was the best type of deep cycle to get??? Any help would be appreciated in any aspect of setting up. Cheers Jools
Expensive, but have a look at LiFePO4 technology. Very safe, almost flat discharge curve and can be cycled thousands of time. Translates to: you get a physically smaller battery which can also be used for starting, will last much longer if treated correctly, and you get more "bang for your buck" because of the flat curve. Ie, a 12v LifePO4 will provide @13.2v until it's dead, and then will be cut off by the BMS. A Lead acid will gradually decrease gradually, so once the charge is below a usable limit, it's no good. So a 90Ah LiFePO4 is much higher usable capacity than 90Ah lead acid deep cycle. I use this outfit at work for a different project using these cells, and can highly recommend their service. You'd get a battery with battery management built in (BMS). http://www.a123rc.com/ I've only been getting 6.6v 4.6Ah packs, but they are custom made, and on my doorstep in a fortnight. If you email and outline what you're after, they're good at getting back with a quote, and custom manufacture. Probably not much change out of $600 though... This is the tech which runs electric cars these days.
Hi Jools, can you supply a few more details, like are you planning to do a fair bit of free camping, how long do you want to go between recharges ( drives ), what are you planning to run from the auxiliary battery and so on?
Hi I would like to do as much free camping as i can, but realistically probably about 50/50 but i'd like to be able to have enough power for a couple of days. I would mainly run fridge, radio, laptop occasionally and small Tv occasionally.
Here is a better explanation. Armin is the Australian distributor. http://caravanersforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=56&t=27720 Have a look at the charge time etc.
Sorry Jools, I forgot to ask the most important question. How often do you drive your Kombi? Is it everyday, once a week or just every so often. This may seem a strange question but it is the deciding factor for which battery will best suit your specific needs.
Then you can fit any type of deep cycle battery as it will always be kept charged. Now you will need an isolator and while any isolator will work, BUT if you use one of my isolators you will have at least 50% more power to use while camped, meaning you can stop longer before you need to drive to recharge your batteries. There are other benefits but for what you are planning, this would be a major benefit to you.
Hi Drivesafe .. what type are your isolators?? I was also thinking of incorporating solar, not sure as all this is new to me!! Jools
