Fitted/ improved a portable battery pack🔋🔋🔋

[Caroline12]

I want to have a battery power pack for camping and overlanding. 
I wanted the ability to charge my phones, personal and work, use my electric coolbox, LED light strip, LED flood light, ARB portable compressor and anything else that uses 5V USB or 12V cigarette lighter fitting. 
 

I brought a AGM (Advanced Glass Matt) leisure battery with heavy duty cycle use, it should last me about 10-14 days camping. That is about as long as I need.

 

I found a suitable battery box which my battery would fit inside, with an on/off switch, battery power indicator and 12v supply and positive/negative posts for crocodile clips or cable connections.

However with modern day devices and everything being USB charging, I needed some fitted USB charging. I brought 2 x (2 x 2.4Amp USB) chargers with blue light to indicate power is on.  
 

This means I can charge 3 phones and use my LED Front Runner light strip all at the same time, while chilling my cider or beer in my electric cooler, on a camp site

 

now I am ready for Speedfest with @spookie the aardvark @MGomes and others, drinking beer and cider in the evening on the camp site, chilling

 

[Maverick23]

That truly looks like a work of art (or engineering ) … excellent

[Caroline12]

27 minutes ago, Maverick23 said:

That truly looks like a work of art (or engineering ) … excellent

Thank you  

[Raakhee]

8 hours ago, Caroline12 said:

I want to have a battery power pack for camping and overlanding. 
I wanted the ability to charge my phones, personal and work, use my electric coolbox, LED light strip, LED flood light, ARB portable compressor and anything else that uses 5V USB or 12V cigarette lighter fitting. 
 

I brought a AGM (Advanced Glass Matt) leisure battery with heavy duty cycle use, it should last me about 10-14 days camping. That is about as long as I need.

 

I found a suitable battery box which my battery would fit inside, with an on/off switch, battery power indicator and 12v supply and positive/negative posts for crocodile clips or cable connections.

However with modern day devices and everything being USB charging, I needed some fitted USB charging. I brought 2 x (2 x 2.4Amp USB) chargers with blue light to indicate power is on.  
 

This means I can charge 3 phones and use my LED Front Runner light strip all at the same time, while chilling my cider or beer in my electric cooler, on a camp site

 

now I am ready for Speedfest with @spookie the aardvark @MGomes and others, drinking beer and cider in the evening on the camp site, chilling

 

Great. So I don't need to bring Duckie to chill the beers

[Caroline12]

1 hour ago, Raakhee said:

Great. So I don't need to bring Duckie to chill the beers

No, Duckie doesn’t have to chill beers, but I would still like to meet Duckie at Speedfest

[TimC]

That is an awesome looking piece of kit, I reckon you should go into production, I'd have one for sure! 

Edited May 3, 2022 by TimC

[Caroline12]

1 hour ago, TimC said:

That is an awesome looking piece of kit, I reckon you should go into production, I'd have one for sure! 

I could make one up for you ? I can do the box and cables USB connections etc. I would have to check the prices, but you buy the battery, I’ll tell you which one to buy for this box, my battery from Halfords £155 I think, RRP £343, I can’t post the battery

if interested, let me know and contact details

[TimC]

1 hour ago, Caroline12 said:

I could make one up for you ? I can do the box and cables USB connections etc. I would have to check the prices, but you buy the battery, I’ll tell you which one to buy for this box, my battery from Halfords £155 I think, RRP £343, I can’t post the battery

if interested, let me know and contact details

 

If you're serious y'know I might just take you up on that! Could you PM me the cost?

[Caroline12]

19 minutes ago, TimC said:

 

If you're serious y'know I might just take you up on that! Could you PM me the cost?

Ok, no probs. I’ll get back to you with a price without battery and no delivery cost. 
It will be over £100. 

[MGomes]

8 hours ago, Raakhee said:

Great. So I don't need to bring Duckie to chill the beers

Duckie has to come - I have a fridge as well - but duckie will do it so much better!

[spookie the aardvark]

11 hours ago, Raakhee said:

Great. So I don't need to bring Duckie to chill the beers

Nope Duckie is the fastest duck round Brands Hatch, he has to return this year to defend his title

[Caroline12]

I have just modified the battery pack, I brought a Halfords 20W maintenance solar charger. It will allow extended use while camping, solar charge my battery during the day perfect  

I also fitted my Yuasa (Ctek) battery charger to battery as well. Do both 230V and solar charger go through a small cable gland, then connected together on a Wago, with a 4mm cable to the positive and separate cable to the negative. This means you can charge either without opening the box and without turning the battery box to on. 
my thought was “yup, I’ve connected my solar or 230v chargers, now charging all day”, but forget to turn the switch to on and it won’t charge it. That would or could be a problem. So the chargers have direct charging to the battery terminals. 

I’m using the original charging cables for each 230V or solar, fitted 6mm eyelets to terminals

[Overlander21]

This is absolutely genius @Caroline12  
 

What a fantastic project, this would be ideal for general all round camping.

[Caroline12]

6 minutes ago, Overlander21 said:

This is absolutely genius @Caroline12  
 

What a fantastic project, this would be ideal for general all round camping.

Thank you, I wanted something portable, the renegade is too small for a fixed battery double charging system in my opinion. Plus I can leave it with my tent all day charging. Plus if anything happened to the vehicle, you’ve lost it and vehicle systems are very expensive. This will last for years in any vehicle anywhere general camping power unit

 

photos are camping in the Lake District, using a small car battery, that died after 4 days. Using 12v electric coolbox and 5V Front runner LED light strip, charging mobile etc. The lack of power brought on the idea for improvement with a small leisure battery and functionality of use for 5V and 12V power

[Mike WK2]

Once I’m mobile again from my buster knee, I am planning a twist on your idea for a trailer I’m building. 
 

Would be great to know how you feel the solar charger side of things is working once you get the chance to try it out. 

[Caroline12]

Just now, Mike WK2 said:

Once I’m mobile again from my buster knee, I am planning a twist on your idea for a trailer I’m building. 
 

Would be great to know how you feel the solar charger side of things is working once you get the chance to try it out. 

I’ll be using the battery pack and solar charger at Speedfest 4 days camping for 4/5 persons, fridge, elec cool box, phones, lights etc. I’ll give at update after. 

yesterday in dull conditions in my flat, behind glass at 6pm I was getting 19.1V and 0.14A charging. Conditions were not ideal.