Just to give some helpful comments as not many users here by the look of it. It looks like you get a box with a meter, sockets, inverter and provision for fitting your own battery. I guess the choice of battery type and size is yours. In that video he chose a lithium battery. Then he fitted a DC-DC charger and some anderson sockets.
However the important thing is to get a system that actually does YOUR JOB and will last for a reasonable time and fits your budget.
To address the first; "your job" you have to determine what the current draw is for the items you have and how long they will be plugged-in for. This will give a number of AmpHrs in total. Will your battery give that number within its safe working range. EG lithium say 80-90% of its rated AHrs or for an AGM say about 50% of its rated AHrs. You must charge it somehow, the car alternator and/or a solar panel.
To address the second; "lasts a reasonable time" you must restrict the current usage to draw less than the % above or the battery will fail in a short time. Often this is not empahsised and they quote the bare AHrs of the battery. Having a solar panel helps with battery life usually if staying put.
To address the third; "Your budget" you should not just shop only on price. Same as a lot of things. Shopping for that Projector Power-hub Battery box at a common camping store on line comes up with about $1500 with a 120AHr AGM, 25Amp DC-DC charger, portable 120W panel, and a couple of anderson plugs. Hmm seem a lot to me and you have to fit the items and get the connections done for your car. But if you are happy with this after you checked your usage, then OK this might do what you want and is a compact package.
Go to the Solar Power sub forum above and read the threads there for ideas also. There have been some estimates of power draw for your type of use.
Jaahn
-- Edited by Jaahn on Sunday 12th of April 2020 12:44:46 PM
-- Edited by Jaahn on Sunday 12th of April 2020 03:21:59 PM
Thanks Jaahn for the detail. I will check the forum you mentioned. I have an existing 360w inverter and am starting to think I need a little more than 360w but looking at the current draw / battery life I don't want heaps more. Due to the border closing we are camping on our six acre property and are spreading from our caravan into a shipping container, hence the need for more power.
Hoping others might respond with other power-hub like products.
Hard to see why you would need more than 350W to do what you want on your list. Inverters chew up the power and at a rate that drops the battery voltage as it uses it, so the inverter uses more current to compensate. This often leads to it squeeling and tripping out on low voltage. So you do need good battery capacity to run a bigger inverter. Think about that and if the extra 240v power is needed. The cheap inverters can also have a high standby power wastage. So switch them off !
If I was in a container I would just get a couple of AGM batteries, solar panels of equal size and a good regulator with some metering built in. Build a wooden box yourself for the setup, with some vent holes. Then do all your charging of laptops and phones etc while the sun shines. I have all 12V chargers for mine and 12V TV and lights, so 240V not needed for all them. Actually we do not use our small inverter now at all on the road.
Thanks! My inverter 360w was beeping occasionally and the manual only lists overload as the reason for 3 beeps. Yet I was only pulling max 150w (did my research this morning). Thankfully I'm not in a screaming hurry so have time to research and think.
Interesting to see that Projecta box because my Easter project was to build something very similar. I already had the Lithium battery, DC/DC charger, mains battery charger, MPPT solar controller, and solar blanket as I took all these things off my caravan when it was written off by the insurance company. While waiting for the next caravan I decided to put them all together into a tool box which I could throw into the back of the car to power a fridge, lights, charge phones etc. on camping trips. After sourcing all the bits & pieces, cutting holes in the toolbox to mount Anderson plugs, accessory sockets, USBs etc, then wiring it all up, it took me about three days. I like a good electrical DIY project, but if you're not that type then buying something like the Projecta ready made seems like a good idea.
The cheap inverters can also have a high standby power wastage. So switch them off !
I have all 12V chargers for mine and 12V TV and lights, so 240V not needed for all them. Actually we do not use our small inverter now at all on the road.
