Converting "ON-Grid" electronics to "Off-Grid" - DC to DC Conversion
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 8 พ.ค. 2024
- Stay Off-Grid Longer with these Hacks - How I converted our "On-Grid" electric devices to run on DC power and ditch the losses of your inverter. I show how we've converted Laptops, 3D printers, Camera Equipment, Dyson Vaccum, and more, Ditching the Power Brick and Inverter Losses and using more efficient DC-to-DC converters.
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Stuff I've used in this video...
amzn.to/3LpzsVJ 🔗 10 Pack of LM2956 Step Down Converters
amzn.to/3AHjX6n 🔗 5 Volt - 5 Amp Step Down Converter
amzn.to/3oYAEYD 🔗 12 Volt - 12 Amp Regulator Used on our NAS, Monitor and Router
amzn.to/3oZrN91 🔗 19 Volt Regulator for Laptops
amzn.to/44gip0S 🔗 1500-watt Big Boy Boost Converter I use
amzn.to/3AFII34 🔗 100 Watt USB-C Laptop Charger
amzn.to/3AJmAoh 🔗 6 Port QC3.0 96W Fast Car Charger
amzn.to/3Vpfmj4 🔗 Amass XT60 Connectors, Careful for cheap Fakes!!!
amzn.to/3LJPuLq 🔗 MicroStream 250-Lumen EDC Flashlight
amzn.to/3LJLYk4 🔗 TS100 Soldering Iron - On Sale!!!
amzn.to/41Y0WIX 🔗 My DIY Adjustable Power Supply
Chapter Markers:
0:00 Welcome!
0:22 What, Where & Why?
1:40 Our Solar, Batteries & Inverter
2:25 Powering Components from DC Batteries
4:30 Examples of DC to DC Converters
6:20 Running Starlink from DC
6:42 MoFi 5500 LTE Router from DC
7:24 Charging Dyson Vacuum from DC
8:05 Computer Monitor powered from DC
9:23 Charging Laptop from DC with Boost Converter
10:00 How to Convert to DC
14:56 Final testing of the Boost Converter
15:45 Final Installtion
16:15 Charging USB-C Laptop from 12 volts
16:58 Powering our NAS from straight DC
18:36 Converting the 3D Printer to DC Power Supply
20:35 UV Water Sterilizer converted to 12-volt Power
21:45 Dremel Charging from 12-volt
22:29 12-Volt USB Charge Station
24:42 The Keyboard Commandos won't see this...
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I've long said that the modern "obsession with AC", and the big inverters running all of the time is a mistake. AC is useful for transmitting power over long distances, and is not useful where generation is local to the load. Yours was the first video I've seen where someone has also addressed this. My bus conversion will use a nominal 115 volt DC system, which will actually run almost anything either with no modification, or only minor modification.
Inverters shouldn't run all the time, they should have a ups to do that and it runs on grid , without wearing out the mosfets
I've always wanted a 12ac or 24vac coming into the home along with 110/240ac
Using ac for high wattage the rest for lighting, charging phones etc using the dc supply
Way less power loss
The reason we have an AC grid is that only until fairly recently, DC couldn’t be converted to other voltages*. We needed AC power to convert to high voltages for efficient transportation and to convert is back to low voltages to use in our homes. Without high speed high power transitors, this could only be done with bulky transformers.
DC-DC converters still use AC (or at least switched DC) to do the conversion. Because of the high frequencies that they use, these power converters can be both small and efficient.
115 volt DC? How do you find switches fit that and what appliances actually run on that?
@@Deveak Why should it be 115V? For most applications 5V or 12V is enough and some would require 24V or 48V.
@@Conservator. he mentioned his bus running on 115 volt dc, just asking how and why he did it.
Remember, when soldering XT60 or XT30 plugs, plug them into the other half to stop the pins from wandering around with the heat of your soldering iron, and let them cool before pulling apart... (Found this tip out the hard way).
Two tips... The fake XT60s will melt like this, but the *real* Amass connectors are glass fiber reinforced and do not melt. Second, if you dwell on a connection too long with low heat it will creep up the connection and the wire and melt stuff... It's better to have good soldering iron that can pump out the heat and get the localized area hot, soldered and get out... Just like heat affected zones in welding. 👍👍
Snap 😊
@@Everlanders Yes indeed, difficult to find 'original' connectors these days though...
Remember to shut up kid
I have no problems finding them... amzn.to/3BqSKW8 Just make sure it's got the Amass logo embossed in the side, make sure the listing shows that and then if you receive anything else, get a refund.
Remember, our videos don't have advertisements enabled for the first 48 hours, So make sure to have the Notification Bell set to "all" to see our videos without the Ads 👍
Fantastic point about heat.
Joke's on you! I have premium, I don't get ads and you get paid even more than for ad impressions. 😂
Also true...
Now I know what DC to DC converters are good, awesome use of their application!
Lastly, were you able to buy these things off of Amazon away from your home's mailbox?
@@Eduardo_Espinoza This is our home... I carried most of this stuff from Canada, but we can also ship to restaurants or other businesses of friends we make while traveling.
I am really thankful I found your channel. I went to school for electronics and have done a lot of what you have been doing with direct DC and getting rid of wall warts. I have rewired an entire small trailer adding solar and charge controller. However, you have shown me things I did not know existed or even thought about. Again, thanks Jason.
I agree I didn't know anything about any of this and it's great information I hope I can make some of it happened on my own
Most routers take 12VDC as a source to use their own buck regulator for stable power, so anything DC 8-30V is usually good to feed them, you do not really need designed buck/boost regulator to supply 12V/3A stable source. (Just check the internals, you will find the regulator chip, read the specifications and you will know what you can feed into it)
I’ve always been a techie my entire life and wound up with a career in computer science and engineering. Just subscribed and have to say you could definitely be a instructor in the industry. Very nice work.
Thanks very much...
So I wanted to add a few things - the first is that there are some risks with DC-DC step-down converters if they fail. I learned this the hard way when a step-down I was running a laptop from failed and let the (50V) input through to the laptop. I luckily had a spare laptop and the HDD hadn't been damaged so I could recover fairly quickly, but it was still sad. My solution to this is to include a failsafe curcuit after the step-down, just a high-power zener diode (or an equivalent zener-bjt-mosfet combination that can respond quickly enough) and a fuse, to dump voltage above the required output and use the overcurrent to blow the fuse.
Second, is about core loss and the low power efficiency of DC-DC converters compared to Inverters. Inverters and AC PSU's almost exclusively use high frequency transformers for voltage conversion. these have a fixed conversion ratio and are generally run through their entire magnetic range at high frequency constantly while the device is under even light load (some have a shut-down which partially stops the cycling at no-load, but not all) and magnetic cycling of the core of any inductive device consumes power - the main cause of the 40W loss our man mentioned above. DC-DC converters like the one's he mentions above are usually using a storage inductor for voltage conversion. This usage mode only flutters the magnetic flux in the core by 5 to 10% under full load, and much less (
I really appreciate the depth of your comments above, @TreeLibrarian. I don't understand most of them, but definitely appreciate the thought and effort that obviously went into them. As a neophyte, what makes Jason's videos especially compelling is that he takes complex subjects and processes and makes them accessible to a wide audience. He's compelling to watch and an excellent teacher.
And then there's the lovely Kara and Lincoln that are often featured in many of the videos. What's not to like about those two!
thanks, any tips where to start learning all this? Do you recommend learning physics basics or directly arduino projects? What would you do with a water destiller, like the VEVOR 750W 4L? Is there AC better?
@@valentin4711 Arduino projects won't teach you anything of what I described above - they're more about programming and digital control than actual electronics. Study power inductor design, look at the qualities of different core materials for different purposes, understand high-frequency transformer design (there's a seminal white-paper by a texas instruments enginer from the '80's that's just known as slup125.pdf - google it - that gets into the real physics of high-frequency transformer and circuit-board design for power circuitry, and basically everything uses it's principles to this day). Read component specification sheets, and try to work out what every value and graph in it actually means. Study MOSFETS and mosfet driver ICs, audio frequency analog design and BJT's, get familiar with the basic DC-DC and AC-DC topologies (buck, boost, forward converter). Basic electrical and wiring safety is useful as well. The infodump above was the result of >30 years of self-study and making things that blew up over and over until they stopped blowing up, and >15 years of off-grid experience as well.
As far as the distiller is concerned, we have something like that which we use for coloidal silver production (which requires distilled water). We just run it from the inverter since the heater requires 220V and the fan is a 220V AC motor too. We just only run it when the sun is shining, and use the Big (5000W) inverter like we do for the bread machine so our Small(1000W) inverter doesn't get overloaded when the fridge tries to start (fridge start takes ~700W for ~5s). If I were to think about electrical consumption reduction for that device, though, I'd probably look for a way to boil from an alternative energy source (solar concentrator? wood-stove?) and blow air with a 12V fan attached to the top, but honestly that all seems like too much work and inconvenience to be worthwhile for something we use 3h/month.
Excellent video! Hands-on experience is always the best. Most devices these days run on 5V, 12V (most common), or 19V (most laptops). And it looks like you have some 24VDC devices too. However, most of the DC-DC converters in your video have limited safeties and severe hazards are associated with them. I'll throw out some tidbits:
* The fully potted DC-DC converters are pretty much universally NOT current-limited, even when they say they are. So for example, a 12-24V 3A DC-DC converter won't limit itself to 3A and can burn-up with larger loads, as well as burn up the thinner power wires commonly used to connect them up. These nearly all advertise safeties but what they are really doing is relying on the built-in safeties of the regulator chip (which is supposed to be a last-resort, not a first line of defense)... not a good thing.
So I recommend putting an inline auto-fuse on the input or the output (I prefer the input, as close to the battery as possible) with an appropriate amperage rating for the wiring and the device. For example, I have some DC fans driven by a 24-to-12 potted converter connected from the battery, and I put a 2A auto-fuse inline with the power going into that as a safety.
* I strongly recommend AGAINST using the larger un-potted, unenclosed, potentiometer-controlled buck and boost modules. These modules do have a fuse (that is usually too big), but the wattage ratings advertised are straight-out lies. You definitely need to de-rate as you did, probably by a lot more than 50%. The other problem is that the potentiometers are not temperature compensated, so the output voltage tends to drift over time, and the current limiting function tends to destabilize the output voltage rather than simply allow it to drop.
* Just about all unpotted regulators are very easy to destroy, and to destroy the equipment they are connected to, if you touch the circuit board while they are operating. The reason is that there are high-valued feedback resistors used to sense the current and voltage and the designers were too-cheap to add in a fail-safe zener/resistor to the board. If you touch the wrong part of the circuit board (usually on the back, but in the front too), it completely messes up the current and/or voltage sensing and can cause the power supply to go nuts.
* The digitally-controlled regulators and power supplies are significantly better, as long as they are in an enclosure. With the provisio that they still need to be in an enclosure and protected from fingers and you still have to de-rate the capabilities. The digital controls won't drift.
Be sure to put an auto-fuse inline with all power supplies as close to the battery as possible. Do not rely on the low-voltage drop-out or current limit.
* USB-C PD ports are awesome. They can generally do 5V, 12V, and 19V with simple (non-converter) adapter cables. USB-C actually negotiates the voltage directly so the adapter cables simply have a chip that negotiates the desired voltage and current limit and the PD port does the rest. They are definitely decent and they are all current-limited because the controller chip in the PD port is current-limited so the product designers can't screw it up. And also quite efficient (though the advertising still lies about the efficiency). Strongly recommended.
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That's it. Beware of the unpotted power supplies, and don't trust any current specifications or current limiting functions... use in-line auto-fuses to protect wiring and devices from combustion. I assume you have a fuse-block in your DC distribution box near the battery, yes? Shorts on too-thin wires that are improperly fused and connected directly to batteries are the #1 fire hazard for RVs and campers. It doesn't take much to turn a long wire into a line of fire.
-Matt
He has covered his power distribution in other videos and yes all their circuits are fused.
I'm curious what your take is on feeding DC directly to existing power bricks in lieu of AC? If they are SMPS type, shouldn't they "just work"? The very first thing these PSUs do is rectify to DC... it seems DC should just pass straight through a typical bridge rectifier. If given sufficient supply voltage, should work, no?
@@equid0x Generally speaking, you don't want to do this because the power brick is designed for 120-240VAC. The peak voltage for 120VAC is 170V and the peak voltage for 240VAC is 380V.
So even in cases where you can feed DC into an AC rectifier, you need to feed a very high voltage for the rectifier to operate properly. If you feed too-low a voltage into it, it will either refuse to operate or it will over-current the input-stage to the regulator.
There are some power supplies that can take either an AC or a DC input precisely for this reason, and are specified to do so. But nearly all (99.99%) of power bricks don't, and you shouldn't feed them DC.
This means the correct solution is to bypass the power brick entirely and get the proper DC-to-DC converter to supply the proper output DC voltage to the device.
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Also, not AC inverters are inefficient under load. In mid-sized systems where the AC inverter is always in use and under load, adding additional incremental loads won't actually be all that inefficient. The main time you want to use a DC solution is in situations where doing so allows you to turn the AC inverter off entirely.
@@equid0x if they have any kind of transformer or series caps in them it'll block the DC voltage so they don't work
Great to see you all again
A man after my own heart. I don't have an inverter in my van because I convert everything to run on 12v. The stumbling block at the moment is my nespresso coffee machine which has to stay at home. Small price to pay for being off grid with peace of mind! Love the video and thanks for sharing ! Ringo
I'm amazed at how much gadgets and stuff you have stacked into the Everlander. Happy that I've found your page.
Another wonderful DIY video. I appreciate your specific language and showing brands. As I research my build that will happen in a couple of years you´re my go to guru.
You've really opened my eyes on how one can bypass the inverter usage but still live in the modern world instead of like a luddite, on the road!
Great video. Your electronics chops are pretty impressive. Very interesting.
Always great content. You've given me more ideas than I'll have the time to execute!
Very well thought out mods.
Love seeing people think outside the box and help others 👍
I just wanted to say that I've been watching your videos for a long time now. You're one of my favorite channels, I can't believe I found one that combines two of my fav things: electronics and overlanding. Thanks for making these!!
Wow what a video, thanks for keeping this video interesting, iv never seen ur channel before, lots to learn from the video, keep up the good work, stay safe out there
Perfect! Links, explanations, how to, examples and stats. A huge thankyou!!
Thank you for sharing your journey of Greatly improving your DC ecosystem. Another shout-out to the XT30 connectors! I especially thank you for the Public Service Announcement warning on the flyback voltage spikes in automotive environments. I see these in other service industries that deal with backup generators.
If only I had known of such flyback over voltages when I thought to power my Creative Labs computer speakers directly from the cig lighter port in my van since the speakers were 12dc.. They blew out after one power cycle. Turns out my van was outputting 14VDC! I learned to buy DC to DC converters after that even though I thought it very stupid and redundant.. I still do not have a replacement set of those nice loud handy Creative labs speakers today.. So lesson learned!
Awesome content!
@@pianokeyjoe A car battery usually outputs 12V or less. The alternator however will output over 14V to charge the battery.
Nice coverage, you've certainly inspired us to look into things further. So many important details you shared to make it easier, thank you. Wallwarts be gone!
This was one of the best videos I've seen on this topic. Thank you. And you've got a new subscriber.
nice touch with the printer montage! Neat ideas!
It's great to see your channel growing more and more. Between this video and the latest (EcoFlow) video, there are so many more supporters. I hope your channel grows by leaps and bounds. Loving all the content.
Great tie-ins to your other content. This is one hell of a business card. Concise and confident.
Brilliant, Jason. I need to apply this to my own laptop. Loving the new teleprompter setup, too.
Wow! I'm new to RVing and this was a thorough explanation. I just subscribed.
Honestly, one of the best video's on using DC power!! You have a new sub!!!
An awesome video. Thanks so much for putting the effort into sharing your knowledge and experience.
Wow, first time here. You have thought of everything. Super great job on your rig. I would love to see that in real life someday.
Great job on showing how to convert AC to DC devices. I have been thinking about this very same thing. You have figured out the best practice for this and covered almost every possible challenge you might encounter. Well done, you have added a subscriber.
Well done! Absolutely amazing!
I love the Star Ship magnet in the background!
This is amazing. I’ve always wanted to build something like this and go off grid myself, but I don’t have the free time for right now. You have such an impressive setup, I’m jealous!
Dude, this video was amazing. It gave me so many ideas. I’m probably gonna watch it 10 more times just so I can figure out how to use your ideas in my fifth wheel while we are at the desert. We are only there for a maximum of five days sometimes but I am trying to get all of our stuff to run off of battery for a long as I can.
I love this! finally found the video I was looking from a long long time, it makes complete sense to just use DC power for almost everything.
I have to say, I like how you present the information. Because I don't know a lot about electronics. Yet you make it a little easier to understand. And hope your travel are safe.
Your videos and other tubers introduced me to electronics and self made dyi stuff, game changer thx so much! cutting out middle men, manufacturers and tweaking your own things feels so good.
Excellent. Got long-term eyes on an all-DC house setup, and this just chopped a bunch of time off the Learning Curve.
Thanks a ton - glad I came across this channel.
Good no-nonsense channel. Stumbled upon first time. Will keep an eye.
Another great video from the Overlanding Master - Thanks for such great info.
I’m absolutely with you on this subject 👍 I carry a small 300w inverter for odd times of need or emergency use, otherwise it’s dc all the way
That little 1500 watt boost converter is a pretty beefy and very convenient unit.... I use one to charge my lithium diy 72v golf cart battery using an old 36v golf cart charger as a power source.... They work really well and can handle a fair amount of current... I run mine at almost 10 amps at 72v with a 36v supply... Pulls 20 amps on the charger
First time I've seen your channel and it was an immediate subscribe. Great content!
At last....the youtube algorithm gives me an extremely useful channel...Thank you Jason. Liked and Subscribed
A note about laptop power supplies: Some have three wire charging cables. The third wire is the communication to and from the laptop and will not work with just an up converter. Dell laptops are an example of such a power supply connection. You will need to get a car charger for the laptop (I found a third-party charger on Amazon). Need to do a video on this someday.
Good reason not to buy a Dell...
@@Everlanders
It was a company laptop, not mine.
@@largemarge1603
Yes, a typo.
The main reason for the note was that, not all power bricks are simple and dumb.
@@Everlanders hey friend, keyboard commando here - the reason those chargers are 'smart' is so you don't burn out your laptop battery by leaving it plugged in after the battery has been charged. most people just keep their laptop plugged in and don't think about battery maintenance. personally i just pull the battery and run off the plug anyway. just sayin.
That is true, but my issue was that I needed to recharge the laptop between service calls and then at times do paperwork in my mobile office. One time, while doing paperwork the vehicle battery went dead on me. Yeah, I know, that time cost me $70 for a jumper. So, I started playing around with coach batteries. Started out with gel cells and quickly found out that was not the way to go, did not last very long. Ended up with a boot buck converter to charge the LiFeoO4, three USB chargers, a battery charge/discharge monitor [30a] (this one is no longer made), and a car charger for the laptop. At 16ah, this would run my mobile office for the day without running the car. In the end was running the laptop, cell phone (Wi-Fi), I-pad, and a USB charger for the TP-link. So with this, was on a positive power budget.
I too have found the wonders of the xt60 connector... Although I'm debating about switching a lot of stuff to the xt30 since I just like the smaller size. The xt30 seems to get cleaner installation, when doing the XT60s I feel like I have to heat shrink both conductors, often in a couple of sizes, and then heat shrink the whole kit twice, so I get a bit of heat shrink over the top of the connector itself to add and strain relief. Feel like it looks really good too.
Yeah, there smaller, but I like having everything universal... I could make XT60 to XT30 adapters I suppose, but they are still small enough in my book...
@@Everlanders oh yeah, def. you're in too deep !!! haha I feel like a modification to the connector that took smaller guage wire more comfortably It would alleviate all of my issue.
XT30 are sensitive to quality issues. On bad ones the pins will slowly bend inwards, reducing the spring force and causing a bad contact after a while. They can be bent back with a screwdriver, but this is hardly ideal.
XT60 can have those issues as well, but is less widespread in my experience.
In any case, always try to get good quality connectors!
I once ordered a package of Fake/Clones and they are trash, be very careful to get the proper Amass branded ones.
Try the Amass XT60 and Xt30's. They're good quality and include a collar to secure the wire and cover the joints 👍
Outstanding hints and tips presentation. Your humbleness makes me feel proud to be Canadian!
Great video. Had some similar ideas in my plans for my van build but may use these ideas to expand further
Love it! I have spent the Spring upgrading our Solar and converting our Teardrop trailer to DC charging with the USB C 65w outlet and cables to charge our Macbooks Air and Pro and other USB devices. Thanks for the inspiration to keep going!
Which 12 volt - 65 watt USB-C outlets did you use?
Been trying to find a good guide on how to ditch my AC laptop charger, and this was exactly what I needed! thank you! Had you included a 3D printable case for the DC-to-DC converter I would have been blown away
I'd happily design you one, $40...
@@Everlanders Oooh! Check your PP, please!🤩
awsome. very informative. I have long wondered about this. I highly appreciate your examples.
Dude, if I keep watching you, I might one day understand electrical theory!
Great video. I've been converting many smaller "vampire loads" in my "on grid" house to run off DC power over the last years. Last month, I hit close to 20% of my energy consumption via DC power and then a bit over 20% from battery-inverter AC power. Biggest "conversion" I did recently was swapping an old upright AC powered freezer (~2KWH/day) to a 24V-DC powered chest freezer that's more like 0.3KWH/day. That wasn't a conversion per se, instead it was replacing a 30+ year old AC powered unit with a new DC powered unit. Videos on my channel if interested.
Interesting. I recently did a simple mod to my 12v cabin fridge where I installed a small axial fan (~1W) to cool the compressor, with waste flow directed over the condenser surface. I have been logging consumption for a year and so far it's about 15% improvement. Every watt counts.
I am now doing the same mod to my full sized fridge, it's compressor peaks at around 50 degrees C, and getting heat out of the circuit can only help, especially for just one or two watts for the fan cycled with the compressor duty. I also expect it to extend service life.
Cheers.
Yes, Fans on Fridge compressors and condensers are an instant efficiency boost, and most RV's are built with them boxed into a cupboard without adequate ventilation... I've probably installed 6 or 8 fans for people complaining of fridges not getting cold and running constantly...
@@alasdair4161 I was thinking of doing something like that to my old upright freezer, but it was going to be difficult to tap into the AC wiring to power the fan. The new DC freezer came with a fan built in that pulls air in through the condenser and then blows that over the compressor.
There is another great advantage of DC motors. They don´t produce an inrush current as the AC induction motors.
@@ajarivas72 Yes, very true. With my AC freezer, that had a wicked startup surge, well over 1KW. It took some effort to make my 1000W inverter handle that. The new DC chest freezer with the BD35 compressor peaks out just over 100W on startup. The controller ramps the compressor up to speed over a period of time to keep that inrush low.
I've been fitting out a boat, and my plan is to use USB-PD for DC distribution. Pretty much everything I have that runs off a DC wall-wart can run off USB-PD.
There are outlets available that need a 12V input and will output any of 5V, 9V, 15V, or 20V, depending upon the handshake.
And you can easily find USB-PD plugs that contain the necessary handshake circuitry.
That sounds great, can you post a link?
🎶It wasn't me!🎶 😜 Perhaps too many links in one comment... I often discount these cheap products where the photo is actually a 3D render, but if you say you're using them and they're good, I'll try a couple out, maybe even make a video titled Jeff is Great!
@@Everlanders I provided the links as examples of what is available, not as recommendations.
Oh... Are these not the ones you got?
@@Everlanders They are what I got, and they've worked in my tests, but there are others that might work as well or better.
I love you dude! For years I have been posting on videos about how insane it is to go from DC to AC then back to DC
Wow, your system overall is next level!
This is so spot on. I've been pushing the use of DC in houses for years. I use 2 bus systems with one bus of 24 V for the kitchen area for fridges, deep freezers, microwave, kettles etc. You can buy these in 24V. And a 12V bus for all the lighting, wall plugs etc. You can buy tv/monitors which work on 12V. HiFi and alarm clocks which work on 12V. Up converters which input 12V to produce 19.5V for laptops. And also 12 to 5V USB converters are available every where. What most people don't realize is the high losses when converting from low to high voltages and also from high to low is immense compared to the efficiency when the input and output voltages are close to each other. I bought off the shelf a 12V to 5V USB converters which have a standby no load current of 5mA but are able to deliver 4amps at 5V. Interesting true fact here, a standard 24V 3kw inverter has a standby no load current of 2amps. So in one day it uses 24V x 2A x 24hours which equals 1152 watts. That's double what a 24V 150liter top loading fridge uses in a day. Or double what a whole house fitted with led lighting uses in a day. And that is not including the losses in the up and down conversation. DC is the only way to go with such installations but the solar panel shops won't tell you that because now you won't buy so many panels and batteries from them. Now when will the rest of the world realise this?
I am blown away with the engineering knowledge you have.
I also wanna be like you.
Great video, thanks! The simple way you explain the conversion and modification needed to match each device is lacking in many other videos. Keep it up!
Perfect video, this has been the subject I'm recently working on for my motorhome. And thank you for your dishy DC video, I pre-ordered that too! Great vidz
I would love to see how long those drives last in the NAS. Obviously it won't normally be on while driving, but even powered off bouncing around will cause a surprising amount of wear and tear on them.
Our other drives have been fine for 5 years already... I can't imagine that these NAS rated drives would be any worse.
I did this exercise in my office. 24V LFP battery on solar coming in, 2x RD Tech DC/DC converters, one running at 13V for 12V loads and one running at 19.50V for the laptop docking station.
The problem is that when these devices interconnect, in anyway, as they all share DC grounds, which in some cases are "Earth referenced", your DC low side current will take any random path it chooses. Technically it will follow all of them and the current proportional to the parallel resistor network.
What's the problem? Well, the 13.00V PSU says it's putting out 3.5A and the 19.50V PSU says it's putting out 0.0A. The laptop is running and there is 1 Amp of current flowing to it. It's just not coming back on the same cable. The clamp meter around the DC barrel jack connection shows a positive total current of 1 Amp. It should read 0. 1 Amp is going in via the barrel jack, but not coming back out of it. It is finding an alternate route via the HDMI cable to the main office PC and then from the USB hub powered from the 13V PSU to it's ground.
The first issue is that any current limiter (or effects without one) are randomised. If I want to limit the current on that 19.50V PSU, well... even if I set it to 0.01A limit, it's still going to put out 1 Amp of 19.50V because it measures lowside.
The 13.00V PSU is capable of 5 Amps. The 19.50V PSU is cable of 20A! The 13.00V PSU is absolutely NOT capable of sinking 25A.
The other problem is, with that office PC being mains powered and mains earth referenced I can also supply a route for the DC return currents via... wait for it... the office radiator pipe.
I suggest that while you have multiple of these feeding from a single battery you analyse where your currents are actually flowing.
EXACTLY THIS!! I am a huge fan of DC powering things. But you have to be very careful of their current limit implementation. I was going to simply point out that a boost converter can only current limit the voltages ABOVE the input voltage. So if you were to have a short the boost converter will limit the current and no longer boost to 19.5v (provided there are no ground paths via HDMI cables and USB-C hubs throwing off the negative side current shunt). But after the boost converter turns off all you have is a 20A fuse and a diode stopping the full force of the batteries from dumping into your delicate wires and laptop.
Positive current shunts or isolated DC to DC are the only way to go. If those can't be used then you must put an adequate fuse on the positive output.
Thanks for the comment. This is certainly a major oversight. Thankfully nothing bad has happened yet. But it certainly will at some point.
@@SuperBrainAK I rearranged things. I put the DC power into an AC/DC converter. 48V 10A. I ran the same PSUs from it. I ran the AC from an inverter.
DC output current, about 2 Amps.
DC return current about 1.5 Amps.
Where did it go?
It went via HDMI cables, PCs, Monitors and the entire house earth circuit, through the inverter and back to the PSU via it's "Earth to - bond".
RCDs etc will very likely not detect any DC offset current.
The reality is, in 99% of domestic installations of normal stuff it isn't a problem.
When you start "grouping" DC components together and increase the amperage and the voltage drop/resistence ... as you would running multiple DC devices off a single PSU... the current goes up. The potential "stupid current" chances increase.
Those two PSUs have occasionally made "protesting noises" like they are being significantly overloaded. Just for a few minutes, then back to normal.
I fear, that while all the measurements they show and all the measurements I make, they are in fact sourcing or sinking far, far more current than is reported ,measured, intended or even safe.
Could it end up sourcing and sinking "Mains AC fault current" through a DC barrel jack? That could cause a fire.
In the UK, my "Earth" reference is "provided" via the grid.... and any metal ground furniture/plumbing etc.
That "Earth" reference itself if provided from the "neutral" or transformer "common" output, which will will be ground rodded at the xformer.
If there is a grid fault involving that combined neutral and earth all 3 conductors, earth, live and nuetral become 240VRMS floating. The mega watt transformer is more than capable of supplying current though the dozen ohm "physical ground" in the neighbourhood, so power "stays on". Most trips fire, some dont.
If you have a floating, non earth referenced, high voltage device like an electric car and it's charging point... "Death" is a real outcome of touching it during such a grid fault.
So UK regulations on DC storage, DC charging and "off grid" installations is rapidly increasing.
Thank you so much for making this video. That's an impressive pneumatic solar array.
Geez I'll consider myself informed. Lots of very cool things there that I can learn from. Thankyou
The little 3A buck/boost converters have a lot of ripple on the output. Adding extra chunky capacitors on the output helps clean them up a lot. And the same on the input, helps stop noise getting back on to your main supply.
If you're referring to the LM2596, it's not a boost converter... Just to be clear.
@@Everlanders There are also boost converters in a similar board layout. But both the buck and the boost versions do not have clean outputs. The filter capacitors are undersize and really need a bit of extra help.
I've run into problems with this in the past. Really useful little modules though.
@25:11 And the converter chain when using an inverter is much worse than you might think. An inverter goes from 12V dc to 400V dc than to 120V ac, then for example a noteboot powersupply convert to 120 ac to 350V dc and then to 19.5V dc. So, in this (realistic) example you have 4 steps instead of one.
Granted, transformers themselves are very efficient. The worst parts in the inverter are the modulator and the DC-DC converters, and of course the additional AC-DC supplies on the other end.
We count the whole thing as one converter.
No like higher voltage Dc in like 48 or higher but yes I guess it is based on a ac inductive wave and whatever spark gap physics takes place in a magnetron
@@thewhitefalcon8539 who's we?
That's why inverters have so low efficiency like less than 80%
Your knowledge of technology. Never ceases to astound me!
I have been searching for this exact video for a couple of days now because I could not get a straight answer from anyone else about running a laptop on DC. Also you have a pretty cool story. Thanks for sharing.
Just be careful, some laptops communicate with the power supply over the “one wire” protocol and may report a charger error, or not pull full current when charging an operating at the same time
Could this be why my attempt at this had very poor results??? Is there a way I can check thanks.
Is there three wires in your cable?
You are spot on at 19:30, there are at least 2 different "12v" standards, one is automotive 12v which as you said is really anything from the upper single digits to 15 or 16 volts long term and surges/spikes up to 30ish. Another is I.T.E. (information technology equipment) 12v which is 12.0 +/- 5% so 11.4-12.6v
I can't thank you enough for the information you have
Put out .
Extremely helpful!
I believe I will now have 3 inverters as backup.
Thx much
New subscriber here. Thanks for this ( and all your other videos). My wife and I live off grid in Panama so a lot of your content is really useful. We used to live on a boat so aren't exactly newbies to this game but the landscape has changed so much since we left Scotland in '96 its great to have a resource for evaluating new tech and solutions. I'm very impressed with all the "toys" you have and how well you've managed to hide them in your truck. I always hated the clutter of gadgets around our small boat and tried to pack them away too. Shame I didn't find your channel earlier I would have enjoyed inviting you to visit our place before you left for SA. All the best with you adventures.
Beautiful work really well explained. Thank you.
This video earned you another sub. I look forward to checking out your other videos.
Thank you so much. Been waiting for this one for years. I will re-re-re-watch it. I like the effect of the teleprompter on you (you were already first quality but, you know....). I have to say that it makes you speak faster. My french-Canadian brain is running a marathon. Good exercise. Thanks to the three of you.
normally don't subscribe right off the bat, but wow it seems you have a great depth of knowledge and have a well thought and planned build. wish you the best of luck with your travels and looking forward to more of your videos (and catching up on some)
Great. Thanks. Echoes what I've done in my van and will be doing in my boat.
Must find some of those table cable holes.
This is the kind of thing that children should be learning in school throughout their lives. You are brilliant sir.
Keyboard Commando here, I just want to say I've been waiting for this video for some time and it did not disappoint! You were very informative and I learned alot. I'm all about efficiency and already bought a DC12V laptop charger that charges my new laptop via USB C thunderbolt. Top work man, you're a freakin genius.... right I'm off to comment on someone else's video with a strong opinion on a subject I know very little about.
Well played 🏆
absolutely fantastic information, thank you, subbed
What a great idea. Thats this weeks project sorted.
Great video, it was nice just to know about these things. Sometimes I just want to get out and go. You never know and I'm glad this video just popped up. Good luck
This is exactly what I needed, I've subscribed, I'm gonna do this 100% thank you for all this info, it's a lot to take in!
Thanks for the like 😁
One thing I wondered, for a... less electrically inclined person... you mentioned your inverter is 3000w and has a parasitic draw of 40w or so, is that typical for all inverters? Or just because your inverter is a high wattage one? Like, could one get a 300w inverter to run smaller appliances and keep the big boy for the kettle, cooking, and other high wattage stuff and have less parasitic draw?
Also, along that same point, do inverters draw power even when they're switched off? Someone told me this and said if I want it permanently wired in, I should install an isolator switch and switch it off over night? Is off... not off on an inverter?
As usual....amazing video Jason 👍
Brilliant job! Terrific video!
I really love this explanation, I also use those converters to avoid the losses in the inverters
Dude you are awesome! Very informative video for me, I've been wanting to do this for a long time. Thank you so much for the content
Glad it was useful!
I ordered two of the converters using the link you emailed me. They will arrive Sept 21. Thanks a million bro. You are a real blessing.
I've been looking for a way to learn more about this. Thank you for posting it. Count me as a subscriber.
Excellent presentation. Informative and holds my attention so my mind doesn't wander like it did in my last physics class.
Dude...howcome I only find you now? Been looking for 3 years. Thanks for this amazing video!
I am VERY glad I found this video! I am planning to add dedicated DC only circuits in my HOUSE as part of a future off grid back up/setup using Non-USA type outlets for the different DC voltage powered devices I own(6VDC to 19.5VDC and 24VDC). I had to save your video cause I am gonna need it as a guide for the parts to buy. Great video and great advice! Greetings from the USA!
Great stuff! quality and speech was very fluid, not apparent there was a teleprompter at all!
Just discovered your channel in search of 12v accessory wisdom & ideas. Your delivery and that robot(?) arm got me to subscribe. As far as the content, it was like a breath of fresh air getting a real world take on some of these converters Ive been hesitant in buying. Thanks for that. I am not a mobile globetrotter, by trade im an infrastructure engineer but also a car audio guy that prefers to build it over buying it. Thanks!!
The Tv script thing is genius. love your work mate, I will definitely pull some knowledge from this video and use at some stage during my build :D
Lots of awesome solutions!
Great tips and informal video, keep up the good work.
Been searching for a sensible well presented explanation on DC to DC as running inverters seems to use so much to take DC to AC to DC ! Barvo Sir a pleasure to learn from a experienced and knowledgable ' efficient' to above 85%
Amazing Video with detailed explanations !!
Thanks Everlander !! Now I can take my 3D printer with me when I go backpacking across Borneo...