Introducing the Solar Taco

After many hours of wiring, soldering, and wrenching, my Solar Taco project is nearly complete! My ride is a used 2005 DC I bought last year with the TRD 2x4 Sport package (I think that's the right description - it's NOT 4WD but it has the 4WD lift and suspension and locking rear diff).

Modifications:
1) Stereo upgrade - Reused Kenwood KDC-X890, Image Dynamics XS65 Components in the front, Image Dynamics CTX65 in the back, Taco Tunes 10" sub boxes and amplifier board behind rear seats. Powered by Alpine PDX-4.100/F4 and PDX-1.600/M6 amps.

2) 200-watt solar array mounted on camper shell used for running the stereo during the day and charging my Concorde PVX-1080T accessory battery for ARB fridge/freezer in the back seat and lighting and AC/DC outlets in the camper bed.

3) National Luna Intelligent Solenoid split-charging system for charging both the main (stock location and size) and accessory battery (behind passenger seat) while car is running. It can also be used to start the car and/or charge the main battery in an emergency. If I start the car and run it for 5 mins (when the solenoid engages), the solar array will charge both batteries as long as the sun is out.

4) LED lights and AC/DC outlets, and ventilation fans for camper bed. Still in progress. Lights will include live wire, white LED bar, and LED color strips with a controller (to adjust brightness, color, and patterns). The LED strips are for raves in the camper bed!

Stay tuned for detailed pictures of all the projects!

 

Cool I like the idea of a constant running fridge without the truck running!

 

O.O me gusta

 

sweet got photos???

 

I'm a beekeeper. Right after I posted this, I had to run to catch 2 swarms. I'm back and working on the pics right now.

 

Let me know if you want details on these. I'm working on the short descriptions for the thumbs now . . .

http://www.djthrifty.com/solartaco.html

 

Uh, ya.

 

Beekeeper/ Electrician/ Engineer/ magician. Good job

 

Pic descriptions are up. Enjoy!

 

This is crazy! I've seen it all now

Sorry for asking this but what are you essentially accomplishing by doing all of this?

 

A little background on all of this.

I proceeded with this project after deciding that getting a full-on Sportsmobile/Sprinter setup just wasn't going to happen due to the $$$$ involved in that kind of rig. I had bought the Taco used a year and a half ago for my beekeeping and figured it was all my wife and I needed for our extended camping and hiking expeditions.

It started with a really ghetto charging system which I fried after the wires shorted on the charge controller terminals because I did a crappy job with wire termination and lack of fusing. Luckily the panels were OK, but I went through a $300 solar battery and maybe a $120 charge controller learning the lesson the hard way. The battery went dead after storing it in my garage without charging it for months. Duh.

Thanks for the props so far. Solar Taco ver. 2.0 will be heading out on its 2.5-week maiden voyage to AZ and Death Valley next week!

Thrifty

 

1) I'm a part-time DJ that likes to spin in the middle of nowhere, so this setup will let me use the truck system for this. I really love my music and must have it wherever I go.


2) My wife and I like to go on long, middle-of-nowhere wilderness hikes and to car camp well off the beaten path. This setup lets me keep fresh veggies, fruit, cold beer and guacamole (and cold whatever) as long as I want to while the car is parked. I can also control the lights in the bed of the truck via the Morningstar to turn on and off on a schedule to make someone think it's occupied and therefore less likely to get broken into when I'm not in it.

3) I needed an emergency starting battery. If you've even been out in the boonies and had a main battery die on you, you'll understand this immediately.

4) I "despise" generators with a passion. Solar is in, baby!

In short, it's our "economy" camper Solar Taco.

 

I like it! Definitely unique!

 

This is badass! Now you've got me thinking about doing something similar. I have a rooftop tent that can take a rack on top of it for light loads. A panel up there would be perfect and for the same sorts of usage as you're doing. What did the solar setup (panels, battery, controllers, etc) without counting the fridge/sound sytem set you back? Damnit! Like I needed another thing to think about doing to this rig!

 

too cool!!

 

Awesome & Welcome.

 

subbed for awesomeness!

 

Before I tally, note the word "economy" in quotes in my earlier post!

Let's see:
Panels - $800/panel. These are expensive not so much because they are the most efficient, high wattage panels, but because they are solid and weatherproof and easy to mount together with the included hardware. Trying to mount the panels without these extras would probably involve some significant metal work. I had the panels for about 3 years before I did this project which helped spread the cost out significantly.
Custom rack - $100 - Made entirely with OTS parts, some hacksawing and drilling required.
Yakima rack with extras - $400
Deep Cycle Concorde/SunXtender Battery - $300
Morningstar Charge Controller - $200
National Luna with monitor/controller - $250
Copper and circuit breakers and battery terminals and misc - $300
Labor - "Free" but priceless

So, about $3,150 total. That's about 1050 bags of ice!