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  1. tpenfield

    Bought my first boat to cut, gut and rebuild from bow to stern, including engine. Killed my back and suffered the wrath of the fiberglass demons

    Looks like good progress . . . this boat is certainly bringing "tinkering' to new level. :LOL:
  2. tpenfield

    something new coming in electric OB

    As far as conversion to electric . . . it is mostly about the storage of the electricity that constrains the practical applications. In a similar situation in the computer industry about 27 years ago, the challenge was all about network bandwidth. I remember attending tech conferences and...
  3. tpenfield

    Mercruiser vs. Volvo parts availability

    You might be able to answer that for some specific Volvo parts and compare to the equivalent parts on an Alpha drive. As an example . . . this hose lists for $190 in V-P, but you can get it for $170 ish. An equivalent Mercruiser may require 2 hoses, but only around $130 total. So, estimating...
  4. tpenfield

    something new coming in electric OB

    It came up on one of my Google searches as well.
  5. tpenfield

    something new coming in electric OB

    I commend the attempts to push the envelope, but . . . it seems that certain things needing a lot of power (boats, airplanes, etc.) just are currently not good candidates for electric power. I would enjoy replacing my 7.5 hp Mercury for the dinghy with an electric version, but not my primary...
  6. tpenfield

    2024 Super Bowl !!

    I got to watch SB 1 on a color TV :LOL:
  7. tpenfield

    LiFePO Batteries ???

    Getting ready to spend some money on this next month and will need some new wiring. The main battery wiring is AWG 2/0 and other wiring looks to be AWG 6. Not sure if I'll need any of the 2/0 since I'll be surplussing some in reducing the number of batteries.
  8. tpenfield

    2024 Super Bowl !!

    I'm good with either team winning, especially the 49ers. :D
  9. tpenfield

    LiFePO Batteries ???

    One area of the design that has me thinking/re-thinking is when the engines are running the voltage on the output side of the FET Isolator will probably be higher than the input side as per the schematic below . . . Approximate voltages shown at the FET Isolator. . . I'm not sure the FET...
  10. tpenfield

    LiFePO Batteries ???

    I have decided to go with the approach of charging the LFP batteries, then let the LFP's the charge the AGM's. Since the LFP's 'rest' at about 0.5-0.8 volt higher than the AGM's, it might be a more effective approach . . . electrons going 'down hill' to my way of thinking. The features of the...
  11. tpenfield

    LiFePO Batteries ???

    @bruceb58 . . . I may wait it out for the Orion XS, as I believe they have solved the heat/cooling problem and have more output control than the Orion Smart series.
  12. tpenfield

    LiFePO Batteries ???

    Thanks for the offer . . . just a reminder, buy/sell dialog should be conducted in PM's rather than the forum. :)
  13. tpenfield

    LiFePO Batteries ???

    Here is my other approach . . . It might be a coin toss. . . I'm not getting any usable advice from the DIY Solar forum, but I think I'm in the ballpark with either of these approaches.
  14. tpenfield

    LiFePO Batteries ???

    Here are my latest design diagram & schematic, including the shore power. I am going to let the ProNautic charge just the AGM's and the Xantrex charge the LiFePO4's, since the Xantrex has an 80 amp charge capacity. . . . I've been back & forth on LiTime and ExpertPower battery brands. Both...
  15. tpenfield

    well....dreaded boat damage victim...need expertise answers

    Perhaps more of a notification than a claim to your insurance company. It would be best to do that knowing the name of the marina's insurance company.
  16. tpenfield

    LiFePO Batteries ???

    The folks over at the DIY Solar forum are arguing among themselves. So, I'll let that go. Meanwhile, I have been contemplating a couple of approaches . . . Charge the AGM's and let the AGM's charge the LFP's Charge the LFP's and let the LFP's charge the AGM's I've been back & forth on this...
  17. tpenfield

    LiFePO Batteries ???

    I believe the Mercathodes are on the engine batteries. The battery switches (4 of them) are in the engine bay and if you shut the house battery off, then you cannot close the engine bay/hatch. So, shutting things off is not very practical (unlike my previous boat). . . . nor would you want to...
  18. tpenfield

    LiFePO Batteries ???

    I like the dual charge controller approach. It seems like product evolution is trying to keep up with various system design challenges. Looks like most 'chargers' have boost capabilities. I'm not liking the Renogy DC-DC charger specs as the spec for idle current is pretty high.
  19. tpenfield

    LiFePO Batteries ???

    OK . . . DC-DC converter steps up the voltage via a "Boost Converter Circuit" not sure about DC 'chargers' vs. 'converters' :unsure:
  20. tpenfield

    LiFePO Batteries ???

    A few things that I need to be mindful of is that the boat uses power when sitting at the mooring (or in the driveway for that matter). All small amounts of power, but they can add up over time. . . Xantrex, Stereo, Mercathodes. I also need to be mindful about the Mercruiser Smartcraft...
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