Omega Owners Forum
Chat Area => General Car Chat => Topic started by: Gaffers on 19 January 2016, 17:12:46
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This is a project for the miggy but it would probably apply to any vehicle you would wish to do this for, hence putting it in GCC.
I am looking at converting the miggy for weekend trips to the coast for spearfishing trips, the idea being that it will carry all my gear including the deflated RIB on the wat there and back and double up as a sleeping platform overnight. One of the requirements is for power. I intend on having a leisure battery (becasue I already have a few) permanently installed in the back, vented to the outside of course, which will allow me to power a mains converter, charge phones/tablets and some basic lighting.
Obviously keeping the battery charged is a key concern and I doubt it is as simple as just piggy backing the alternator output. So will I need to upgrade the alternator or install any specific ciruitry to make this happen? Could I also install a solar panel input through a regulator for while the car is stationary as well as the alternator input?
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A caravan split charge relay would handle charging the battery, I imagine.. but some backup for when you're stationary might help - solar, wind turbine? Fart powered, of course..
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Your towbar wiring has the relay and loom for what you require ;)
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Your towbar wiring has the relay and loom for what you require ;)
It just has a supply when you fit the fuse up front (no idea now the number) but you fit your own relay ..... GM didn't fit one ;)
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Your towbar wiring has the relay and loom for what you require ;)
It just has a supply when you fit the fuse up front (no idea now the number) but you fit your own relay ..... GM didn't fit one ;)
For clarity, MG has a tow bar in his possession complete with genuine looms ;)
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....
For clarity, MG has a tow bar in his possession complete with genuine looms ;)
:-[ :-[ :-[
I shall stand facing the corner having been considered told ....... ::)
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So I can wire the leisure battery straight on to the pos/neg on the towbar outlet?
What about the solar panel? Put both feeds through a dual regulator?
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This is a project for the miggy but it would probably apply to any vehicle you would wish to do this for, hence putting it in GCC.
I am looking at converting the miggy for weekend trips to the coast for spearfishing trips, the idea being that it will carry all my gear including the deflated RIB on the wat there and back and double up as a sleeping platform overnight. One of the requirements is for power. I intend on having a leisure battery (becasue I already have a few) permanently installed in the back, vented to the outside of course, which will allow me to power a mains converter, charge phones/tablets and some basic lighting.
Obviously keeping the battery charged is a key concern and I doubt it is as simple as just piggy backing the alternator output. So will I need to upgrade the alternator or install any specific ciruitry to make this happen? Could I also install a solar panel input through a regulator for while the car is stationary as well as the alternator input?
I have exactly this in boot of the 2 estates - VSR using the tow bar wiring, connects and charges the extra battery when underway and disconnects when voltage of main battery starts to fall once engine off. This setup works for me as if I am likely to need to battery in the boot I am normally away and so lots of engine run time to charge. It won't charge very quickly as there is voltage drop to the boot and no 'smart' charge controller.
Works well though and allows portable fridge, charging phones, lights etc. Make sure you size the battery to cope with your intended use and recharge intervals.
Steve
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So I can wire the leisure battery straight on to the pos/neg on the towbar outlet?
What about the solar panel? Put both feeds through a dual regulator?
Yup but be sure to use the positive feed from the relay rather than the internal one on the other loom :y
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So I can wire the leisure battery straight on to the pos/neg on the towbar outlet?
What about the solar panel? Put both feeds through a dual regulator?
Yup but be sure to use the positive feed from the relay rather than the internal one on the other loom :y
ok i will check the docs you sent me :y
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So I can wire the leisure battery straight on to the pos/neg on the towbar outlet?
What about the solar panel? Put both feeds through a dual regulator?
Yup but be sure to use the positive feed from the relay rather than the internal one on the other loom :y
ok i will check the docs you sent me :y
If you get stuck, I can photocopy the instructions that came with my Gm loom ;)
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I would probably run a feed from the battery or alternator directly, as the pre-wired towbar feed might well have enough voltage drop already that the battery will never reach a state of full charge, especially as the feed to the fuse box will be shared with other loads.
Instead of a caravan charge relay you could just run a conventional relay from the fuel pump feed, oil pressure switch or alternator warning light feed. Any of these go active with the engine running.
Solar panel can just feed the leisure battery directly. If the panel is big enough it might need a shunt regulator to avoid overcharging.
I reckon the standard alternator will be fine. You'll have longish runs to/from the coast to keep the battery topped up.
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I don't mean towbar wiring via the boot socket, but the relay feed direct from the battery, switched by an RPM signal iirc :y
(http://i1277.photobucket.com/albums/y486/05omegav6/Omega%20Tow%20Bar%20Connections/DSC_0302_zpsxn76lhg5.jpg)
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I don't mean towbar wiring via the boot socket, but the relay feed direct from the battery, switched by an RPM signal iirc :y
Is that part of the GM towing loom? Not seen one of them before, but looks like it'd do the job. :y
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Initial inspection of the wire guage suggests so Kevin. But I wonder how much it would handle if I was powering a towed caravan (heaven forbid) as well as charging get the leisure battery ::)
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Initial inspection of the wire guage suggests so Kevin. But I wonder how much it would handle if I was powering a towed caravan (heaven forbid) as well as charging get the leisure battery ::)
Pikey!
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The thing is, as soon as the wire starts to get heavily loaded, the voltage at the "boot" end will drop, so any charge being absorbed by the leisure battery will drop off quickly. It might end up being self-regulating, although the run of cable needs to be appropriately fused, of course, so that would ultimately stop it ending too badly.
I ran a 40A rated thinwall cable into the boot for my amplifier. It now also runs a ham radio rig. It was easy enough to route the cable, so you might as well go that route, IMHO. The thicker the cable, the less voltage drop and the more effectively the leisure battery will charge.
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That relay is fused :y
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Initial inspection of the wire guage suggests so Kevin. But I wonder how much it would handle if I was powering a towed caravan (heaven forbid) as well as charging get the leisure battery ::)
Pikey!
Thats scared you didn't it?! :D
I wouldn't be converting the rear space of the miggy if I was going to get a Pikey van. I don't want a tent because I am normally too tired after a fishing session to do much else. It's amazing how much a zen sport like this takes its physical toll.
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I don't want a tent because I am normally too tired after a fishing session to do much else. It's amazing how much a zen sport like this takes its physical toll.
Excuses, excuses.. You'll be taking a dump in your wardrobe before you know what's happened. ;)
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Is there anything to say that a second, identical charging relay and loom couldn't be fitted, thereby retaining the tow bar supply and the boot supply :-\
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Is there anything to say that a second, identical charging relay and loom couldn't be fitted, thereby retaining the tow bar supply and the boot supply :-\
No.
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Is there anything to say that a second, identical charging relay and loom couldn't be fitted, thereby retaining the tow bar supply and the boot supply :-\
No.
There's your solution then Matt :y
I think I have another loom buried in the garage...
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I don't want a tent because I am normally too tired after a fishing session to do much else. It's amazing how much a zen sport like this takes its physical toll.
Excuses, excuses.. You'll be taking a dump in your wardrobe before you know what's happened. ;)
I actually have a portapotty for that ;D
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Is there anything to say that a second, identical charging relay and loom couldn't be fitted, thereby retaining the tow bar supply and the boot supply :-\
No.
There's your solution then Matt :y
I think I have another loom buried in the garage...
:y
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While I don't disagree that the thicker the cable the better in principle, the GM installed feed does would and is adequate in my experience.
As its so quick you may like to connect it up and measure the voltage drop before you go to all the hassle of running another cable.
Steve
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The thing is, as soon as the wire starts to get heavily loaded, the voltage at the "boot" end will drop, so any charge being absorbed by the leisure battery will drop off quickly. It might end up being self-regulating, although the run of cable needs to be appropriately fused, of course, so that would ultimately stop it ending too badly.
I ran a 40A rated thinwall cable into the boot for my amplifier. It now also runs a ham radio rig. It was easy enough to route the cable, so you might as well go that route, IMHO. The thicker the cable, the less voltage drop and the more effectively the leisure battery will charge.
I was always under the impression, the more strands of copper wire in the cable, the more efficient it became.
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I was always under the impression, the more strands of copper wire in the cable, the more efficient it became.
It's the total cross sectional area of copper that's important (for DC, at least). Making that area up out of multiple strands instead of one solid strand (as is used in house wiring, for example) just makes the wire more flexible.
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you could always upgrade the main battery to a diesel spec 85a/h so that's near 30% more than the standard 66a/h assuming you are not diesel already. they just about fit in. then if you also carry one of the new generation small lithium jump starters in the boot you needn't worry about not being able to start in the morning.
not as good a solution as a separate leisure battery and charging circuit, agreed, but much easier.