Battery bank for recreation

waynehead · Post by **waynehead** » Mon Apr 12, 2010 10:01 pm

Hey, I dont know much about batteries but i am thinking of putting a battery bank in my van for the weekend camping trips. I have read alittle bu tI would like some input from yall that might know. Im not planning on using these all the time and what I am thinking is i might hook it up to my charging system with a circuit breaker so i could maybe get alittle charge if i HAD to. Im planning on buying a nice charger for mantinence and just charging the bank after every use. Im asumming i would be better off with an rv deep cycle battery but I dont know what kind I should look at. Also would i be better buying a few decent batteries or spending the whole budget on a single or two better batteries. I also assume they all need to be the same. Any info always awesome from you guys.

oldskoolmseriesfan · Post by **oldskoolmseriesfan** » Mon Apr 12, 2010 10:05 pm

build a bank of 10000 aaa's in parallel

all goofin aside im duh duh duhm when it comes to batts

waynehead · Post by **waynehead** » Mon Apr 12, 2010 10:27 pm

me too

Thats why im asking the peanut gallery.

oldskoolmseriesfan · Post by **oldskoolmseriesfan** » Mon Apr 12, 2010 10:28 pm

CALLING TTOCS

wash with gasoline · Post by **wash with gasoline** » Tue Apr 13, 2010 12:18 am

Depends on what you plan on running with them, and for how long...

If you plan on doing anything intense id recomend a bank of golf cart batterys

If its just lights and a small radio situation you would probly be fine with a couple wallmart deep cycles

The better the battery the better the metal plates inside will be, and the more abuse it will take with a smile

Dont forget if you get wet batterys to have it seperated from you and well vented

gel batterys tend not to like getting drained dead, and if charged to quick the gel boils and gets bubbles in it witch is bad

depending on how often you plan on using them, batterys have a definate shelf life as well. The good companys usually graph it out on there site somewhere

...Id try an say more, but im burned out its bedtime for bonzo

Im sure someone else will chime in long before im awake again

bretti_kivi · Post by **bretti_kivi** » Tue Apr 13, 2010 2:38 am

split charge circuit should do you good.

Bret

Post by **ttocs** » Tue Apr 13, 2010 5:51 am

rather then hook it up to the stock charging system I would try to find a way to build the charger into the bank. What are you wanting to run and for how long?

Post by **stipud** » Tue Apr 13, 2010 6:45 am

Don't people normally go camping to get away from electronics?

waynehead · Post by **waynehead** » Tue Apr 13, 2010 7:41 am

I knew that was coming lol. I have a serious problem, if I dont have music I start to turn into the Loch Ness Monster, and though my guitar and djembe can sometimes fill the need, sometimes i still need my stereo. Usually when i go camping it is for a few days, and their are alot more than camping going on. So with my current battery I can listen to my xenon x200.4 for about 2 hours before my van wont start. We are talking very low levels. I dont really care to play it any louder just longer. Like i plan on measuring and getting an average of my amp hour use but i havent yet. Ive got two 8 ohms floorstanding speakers and my idmax bridged on the back. My main concern is the Idmax, it does plenty with the power to sound really good. I meen it barely has to do anything just from inaudible to 45hz, but it is wired at 2 ohm right now. I am thinking of swapping it with a boston g3 or drum roll please.......... a sapphire 12

so I could run a 4 ohm load. ive also considered running the Max at 8 ohms

i chose to use the florrstanding speakers because they are really efficient. I gotta tell you when people hear the stereo at a decent volume they are like

On pg power they really sound fucking phenomenal. Thanks everyone for the input, except for you Stipud, You always bust my balls for camping in the 21st century

waynehead · Post by **waynehead** » Tue Apr 13, 2010 7:54 am

O and I forgot to ask, how would one wire up two golf cart batteries, they are 6 volt right, so do they need wired in a series.

Post by **stipud** » Tue Apr 13, 2010 8:48 am

waynehead wrote:O and I forgot to ask, how would one wire up two golf cart batteries, they are 6 volt right, so do they need wired in a series.

Yes.

And why not just take the sub out when you're camping? Do you really need sub-bass in your campground? It's certainly not anywhere near as loud when played out into free air, rather than inside of the car.

Personally I think you need to buy a small battery powered GHETTO BLASTER or something similar. Your fellow campers will thank you.

Post by **ttocs** » Tue Apr 13, 2010 9:12 am

I am the same way, I like to have some background music when I am not enjoying the silence which is why we always bring a radio/boombox.

waynehead · Post by **waynehead** » Tue Apr 13, 2010 9:59 am

no i dont need sub bass, honestlyt is on so low people ask me if it is even hooked up. Like i said those towers are very efficient and the sub is gain matched with them, so it really doesnt do much at all. it is close to nothing, I just use it because i like to hear that very low bass range even if it is near inaudible, it just makes it that more real to me. and I have used boomboxes before and they just dont cut it. There is just something about listening to music on a good stereo out in the woods. Insert favorite psychedelic into face and enjoy. Its the way the soundstage comes alive in mid air. its religious to me. i know there is more to camping than this and i enjoy all that sutff too, but when the moon comes out, i let my hair down.

Edit: to reinterate, saturday night i was camping with some friends and drinking alittle. Had the entire campsite to the three of us becasue of the "cold" Anyway i put in an umphrey's mcgee concert i burned from flac. it is a matrix recording using both soundboard and audience mics. Very good recording, dynamic as fuck, beautiful. My friend, who was sober, was amazed that it wasnt some kind of HD new technology. Granted, not many people around here spend big money and a stereo, even in their house, but i have to admit it sounds pretty damn good.

bretti_kivi · Post by **bretti_kivi** » Tue Apr 13, 2010 10:18 am

I think you need something like this:

http://www.lautsprecherbau.de/user/HP18 ... use26.html
http://www.lautsprecherbau.de/user/HP18 ... ung25.html
http://www.lautsprecherbau.de/user/HP18 ... ang25.html

Yes, it's German, but it's also dirt cheap and apparently extremely effective.

Bret

Post by **stipud** » Tue Apr 13, 2010 10:21 am

Hmm.. how about finding a way to reduce your power consumption, rather than increasing the power reserve? Maybe some efficient lower wattage class-D full range amps?

Do you have to turn your car on to get the amp to turn on, or can you just turn it to accessory? Is anything else besides your stereo turned on? If so, a separate accessory switch for your stereo system only may be a good idea.

If you're married to the X200.4 and a sub, switching to 4 ohms will help, but not by much... maybe only a few extra minutes of play time. In that case a battery bank is pretty much your only option. A row of deep cycles with an isolator to charge off your alternator, but keep them separate from the system otherwise, would probably do the trick.

Or just idle your car from time to time...

waynehead · Post by **waynehead** » Tue Apr 13, 2010 10:42 am

Im not honestly crazy about full range class d amps but i will look into one. Im sure dont need the xenon and the sub for that matter. do you think I would get a pretty good change from maybe just using my xs2300 on the towers fullrange, i already have the stereo capable of playing with the key off. Reason being that i would somtimes hook my laptop directly to the amp, which doesnt sound as bad as I thought it would. You guys got me brainstorming now.

bretti_kivi · Post by **bretti_kivi** » Tue Apr 13, 2010 10:43 am

Solar panels?

twisted · Post by **twisted** » Tue Apr 13, 2010 3:32 pm

get you some eon batteries for semi's they are dry cell batteries.
also very expensive too. we use them on reefers at work and they last forever!!!!