Intro
As seen in my motorhome page, I want to make my own motorhome.
The main aspects are described in the previous page: bedding, toilet, cooking.
The idea is to have several devices, because if one fails, the rest still works.
Light is taken care of by several battery-powered LED or solar garden lights, music comes from a battery-powered radio/mp3 player.
Movie watching is done on an tablet; PC is a laptop, with the battery charging while driving via a car inverter.
Phone and tablet are charged during the day via a small solar panel.
Internet comes from the phone transformed into a wifi access point.
However, in case those were not powered enough during the day, or some recharge is needed, it would be nice to have some kind of backup system.
Enters my
portable charging system.
What is needed:
| What | img | price in 2020 |
|---|---|---|
| 12V car battery (20Ah) |  | 45€ |
| 12V car battery (100Ah) |  | 125€ |
| battery charger |  | 18€ |
| USB/Lighter socket |  | 18€ |
| case |  | 20€ |
| charge controller |  | (13€) |
| solar panel |  | 0€ |
| Total | 101€ (/181€) | |
The idea is to do something like this:
.In a box I put a 12V battery linked to two sockets and a switch. The sockets allow for 2 USB devices to charge at the same time, the lighter socket is for future extension. The idea is to have a system that is independent of the car - something I might also use on the boat for example. And 12V devices are aplenty:
However, the problem is that this battery will discharge with use, and this is where the battery charger comes in. It is housed in the box, only the plug and cord are outside. As the box has a handle, I can take it with me and plug it in somewhere discreetely to recharge the battery :-)
I also have a solar panel that happens to be 13V, so that can be used to recharge the battery as well. Ideally I would need a charge controller, but with 13V I can do without.
Notes
- I know the box is an ammunition box, but in this case size matters and it fits exactly the battery and the charger
- A cooler is good enough for me, with some ice packs and intermittent switching. (A zeer pot wouldn't work inside.)
- If you need more sockets...
- Also because with a 20Ah battery, the 40W fridge would live for 6h at best.
- Products are given as an example, not as an endorsement.