AdventureTaco - turbodb's build and adventures

It fits, although I did outsmart myself(like that is difficult...) and had to move the blue(ceramic road and fog light relays, over next to the headlight relays- headlight services harness mod) between the battery and the fender. Too tight/thick of a wire bundle under the bed frame angle iron(a little clearance issue from the rubber mounted clamps and the firewall) I used to mount the relays to the firewall with.
I ran all the wiring a bit long so I would have some slack for future fuse panel location adjustment and if I came up with a more efficient way to wire everything(ver3.1?) also ran all the control wiring to the relays for future use to the switch panels inside as well as dedicated wiring for the replacement of the 2 power points-( of course one turns out to be defective- too loose, it will wait till I get back up to AAL next summer, I have a bunch of them for rewriting my off grid cabin)
and the 2.1A each USB charger in the third one. The Paranoid fab switch plates and marine 12v sockets/USB charger:
Not a complete crap show but getting there. Now to clean out the cab yet again...

 

Infinite Free Power - Adding Solar to the Tacoma

I just got done camping in one spot for three days. Temps were in the high 80's, the ARB 50qt fridge was set to 35ºF, and the 175W inverter was running much of the time charging various electronic devices. The whole time, I didn't start the truck once.

A couple weeks ago, my dual battery system would have been hosed by the end of this trip - probably wouldn't have even lasted the entire time - but when we pulled out of camp this time, the batteries were topped off and had power to spare.

This my friends, is the amazingness of solar. For this style of stationary camping, it's a game changer! Let's back up for a moment to figure out how I got here, and then I'll lay out how I setup my system.

Background - Why Has It Taken Three Years?

There are really two types of vehicle adventuring in my book. One - where the vehicle is driven most of the day, only really stopping at night to camp - allows the alternator to keep the battery(s) charged. The other - where the vehicle is driven to a given location, and then not started for several days while that location is enjoyed - means that some other method must be used to keep batteries charged and electronics running.

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Neither style of camping is "best," but each has their own set of considerations.​

For the last several years - and even today - the first style of adventure is my primary mode of getting out there. I can count on my fingers the number of nights that I've stayed in the same spot more than once, so using the alternator to keep everything going has been great. Sure, at some point I wanted a bit of redundancy and added a secondary battery to my setup to give me peace of mind on hot summer nights - but mostly I did that so that I could be confident about starting the truck in some of the remote locations we visit.

But, for three years now I've been going on at least one or two trips each year where I stay in one spot for an extended time. Usually these are family trips - with @mini and @mrs.turbodb, or with my Dad - where the goal is enjoying each other's company more than it is seeing everything we can. And, as hiking becomes a bigger part of each adventure, even the see everything trips can often mean the Tacoma sits for a day while we explore on foot.

Before the fridge, this wouldn't have been much of an issue. I could still go back to a cooler with ice for these types of adventures. But the fridge is one of the top three game-changing mods from my perspective and makes life so much easier that it was time to find a solution that allowed it to keep doing its job.

Enter: solar.

What I Choose and Why

My requirements when I started were relatively simple, I thought:

1. Have enough power to keep the fridge running at 37ºF during the a 90ºF day (and night).
2. Be able to move the system between the Tacoma and 4Runner, since family-basecamp-style camping happens in both vehicles.

The Panel Itself

Initially, I thought I was going to get a rigid panel that I could mount to the roof of the Tacoma - over the sunroof, which I dislike because the sun shining through all day makes me hot - and solve two issues with one solution. Quick releases would mean that I could move the panel between vehicles, or not bring it at all on trips where I knew I'd be driving all the time.

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Nice conceptually, but not ideal in practice. Form over function, really.​

But, after a bit more research, there were a couple drawbacks that I just couldn't get over: first, rigid panels are relatively heavy at between 20-30lbs. Second, by mounting the panel flat on the roof, I'd be limiting my ability to orient it towards the sun, and I'd require myself to park in the sun rather than leaving the panel in the sun and parking the truck (and fridge) in the shade.

So, I started considering a rigid panel that folded. This wouldn't solve the weight issue, but would allow me to position the solar panels away from the vehicle and orient them toward the sun for maximum power generation. Still, these are big an bulky and I didn't like the idea of having to pack them in the cab.

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Fully functional, but clumsy form in that the panels would be hard to pack around. And still heavy.​

I kept looking, and eventually stumbled upon a few informative online articles and videos that talked about solar blankets. These are less "blankets" and more "small panels hooked together with flexible material." As such, some can fold up into reasonably small packages, and they weigh significantly less than rigid panels since there's no aluminum frame, glass on the panel, backing plate, mounting hardware, etc. The only problem - predictably - is that they can be costly. This Off-Grid-Trek was recently featured on Expedition Portal, but their cheapest 200W blankets cost nearly (cough) $1500; a 112W REDARC offering costs over $1700 at the time of writing and is not even sold in the USA.

But then, with some more research, I stumbled upon a reasonably cheap foldable panel that seemed to tick all my boxes. The TP-solar 100W Foldable Solar Panel Charger Kit.

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• Rated for 100W of power (though no panel ever reaches this rating - 60%-70% is the best you can hope for).
• Folded into 11"x8"x3" (basically the size of a ream of printer paper) for transport.
• Weighed only 5 lbs.
• Could easily be positioned away from the vehicle (with a custom cable).
• Was completely standalone and could move between vehicles.
• Was reasonably inexpensive.

And, it (initially) seemed to tick a few more as well:

• Came with a charge controller that would charge USB devices directly, and 12V car batteries with a supplied adapter.
• Came with a bunch of adapters for various 12-24V devices (laptops, etc.).
• Great reviews from folks who'd purchased it before me!

The Charge Controller

There was however, one drawback to the panel/charge controller kit that I'd found: the charge controller was meh at best, for two reasons:

1. It was a PWM controller. More on this below.
2. When charging the car battery, rather than use the 19V/5A plug on the charge controller, the instructions directed me to use an adapter that stepped up the USB voltage to 13.8V and a maximum of 2A - for a max charge of ~27W, less than 1/3 of what the panel could generate through the 19V/5A port.

The first issue I could live with - after all, what I really cared about was charging, not the technology used for that charge. The second issue though was a showstopper for me; with a 100W panel, I knew I needed to get as much power as I could out of the panel if I hoped to keep the batteries charged and the fridge running on hot days in camp. So I started looking at charge controllers.

Initially, I thought I'd get a REDARC BCDC1225D DC-DC Charger w/Solar. I've heard great things about Redarc, and knew it'd work just fine for my purposes. But, I also knew it was overkill - after all, a big part - the main part really - of the Redarc DC charger is to keep a second battery charged from the alternator, with solar being a secondary consideration. Plus, it cost nearly $400, bleh!

So I started doing more research. I quickly discovered that there are two types of solar controllers that exist today (2020):

1. Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) - in essence a switch that connects a solar array to a battery. The controller sends out a series of short charging pulses to the battery - a very rapid “on-off” switch. Between pulses, the controller constantly checks the state of the battery to determine how fast, and how long the pulses will be. This is a proven technology, but one that requires the panel to be matched to the battery, and does not optimize the current/voltage for the most efficient charging.
2. Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) - more sophisticated than PWM, the controller will run the solar panel at a voltage/current combination that generates the optimal power, and then convert that to the optimal power/current combination to charge a battery. This optimization can result in 10-40% more efficient charging, and also allows the controller to change the power sent to the battery at different times - in essence, allowing for fast charging when necessary before switching to trickle charging once the batteries are near capacity.

Clearly, I wanted an MPPT controller. The Redarc fit that bill nicely, except for the price and so I set out to find other brands. There were of course specialty controllers for "bug out" and "preppers," but these cost even more than the Redarc and were much too large for my taste, so I passed them by. Ultimately, two brands kept popping up - Renogy and Victron. Both seemed to have their followers, but reading between the lines on reviews, it became clear that Renogy was a leader due to (low) cost, and Victron was a leader due to (high) quality. Not only that, but the Victron SmartSolar line allowed for configuration and monitoring of the controller via Bluetooth from a smartphone - a very nice touch. And, since the Victron focused on being a solar controller only, its price was significantly less than the Redarc BCDC1225D.

So, I picked up a Victron SmartSolar MPPT 100/20 Solar Charge Controller w/Bluetooth, which could handle panel configurations of up to 100V @ 20A - significantly more than I'll ever need.

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Setting It All Up Was Easy

Most of my time on this project was spent in the research phase - so here's a quick review of the parts I ended up with. Total cost of these parts was under $400.

• Solar panel - TP-solar 100W Foldable Solar Panel Charger Kit.
• Charge controller - Victron SmartSolar MPPT 100/20 Solar Charge Controller w/Bluetooth
• Supplies to make extension cable to locate panel up to 30' away from vehicle:
  • DC Connector Male/Female 2.1mm 5.5mm (5 pair) - plugs into the 19V/5A plug on the solar panel, for the extension cable to the charge controller.
  • 30A Anderson Powerpole connectors (10 pair) - used to connect the charge controller to the battery, as well as for the extension cable from the panel.
  • 30 feet of 12ga red and black wire
  • 30 feet of 1/2 inch braided wire sleeve
  • some heat shrink tubing in various sizes

With everything in hand, I set about installing the components. This install will be specific to each vehicle, but entails essentially two parts: first, connecting the controller to the battery and second, connecting the solar panel to the controller. The only thing that's important in these connections is that the connection between the controller and battery is made prior to the connection between the controller and solar panel, and that when disconnecting, the opposite order is observed.

In the simplest system, the charge controller could be constantly connected to the battery. This would meet the connection order criteria, but has the drawback that the charge controller draws a bit of power from the battery at all times (to enable Bluetooth, and the internals of the controller). As such, a better solution is to place a quick connect between the controller and battery - either using something like an Anderson Powerpole connector or even a Bussmann 80A Circuit Breaker. The Anderson connectors are both simpler and cheaper, so I opted for this route, making two short lengths of 12ga red/black wire. One end of both these wire sets connected to the controller and battery respectively, and the other end terminated in an Anderson connector - allowing the two components to be quickly dis/connected.

I also mounted the charge controller vertically - as per the installation instructions - in the electronics drawer of my in-cab power distribution station.

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The only other step was to create a 30' long, 12ga red/black cable that would connect the charge controller to the solar panel. I started by measuring out two lengths of red and black cable and fishing them through a similar length of wire loom in order to keep them tidy. A bit of shrink wrap on each end completed the bundle. Then, one end of the cable recieved a Male 2.1x5.5mm connector that would plug into the solar panel, and the other end received a pair of powerpole connector that I could plug into a small 12ga pigtail running out of the controller.

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So, How's It Work?

The short answer is: better than I could have ever imagined. The first few days I used it, I kept mentioning to @mrs.turbodb how magical it all was!

The solar panel can be positioned in the most convenient location - on the roof, windshield, next to the vehicle - wherever the most power is generated.

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And, both the panel and controller seem to work spectacularly. Peak power appears to be on the order of 70W out of the panel - right at the theoretical maximum I'd expect, and the controller does a splendid job of managing that power into the batteries over time.

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A few very interesting things I've noticed over the first week or so of daily use:

• Using this system in conjunction with the Blue Sea ML-ACR works wonderfully. Leaving the ML-ACR in "auto" mode, if the batteries have disconnected for any reason, the solar system first begins charging the house battery - to which it is directly connected - and then after a period of time the ML-ACR links the batteries and the solar system charges both batteries as a bank.
• The Victron SmartSolar controller does a great job of charging AGM batteries. It varies the voltage into the battery based on the current battery voltage, meaning the battery is optimally charged to its full capacity.
• A 100W panel in full sun on a 90ºF day is more than enough to keep both batteries completely charged - even with the fridge running at 37ºF, a laptop charging, and other devices (camera batteries, phones) charging as well.
• The key to solar is that devices such as the fridge and laptop charge over a limited period of time. During this time, battery voltage may drop (a relatively small bit), but as soon as they are done drawing power, the battery is fully replenished (quickly) by the solar system.

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As of now, I couldn't be happier. Adding solar has enabled me to camp-in-place much more confidently than I have in the past. Well, the recent past anyway, with food cooled in the fridge!

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Love it. How hot does that controller get when its charging? Is that box ventilated?

 

I'm putting so little power through the controller (19V @ 5A) compared to what it can handle (100W @ 20A) that it doesn't even really get warmer than the ambient outside temperature.

That box that it's mounted in isn't closed at all - that drawer just pushes into the case and the electronics are open to the cabin air. More photos of that here: Moar Power, Dual Battery Install

 

Ahhh ok. For some reason I was thinking that box was enclosed.

Cool. Looking over the datasheet for the MPPT controller - love it.

 

Awesome!

Solar is something that has started to pique my interest, so your post has been timed perfectly.

 

Great post, Dan!

I’ve been considering doing something like this for a while now and it’s awesome to see it implemented with such great results in a relatively affordable manner.

 

I remember discussing this in camp the other day. Your write up makes the system very understandable.

I am sold on the concept. I do wonder about the long term durability of both components, but I guess there is always going to be that kind of question, regardless of the system.

 

Yeah, I hear you. My guess is the Victron (which is in the Blue Sea quality tier) will last longer than the panel (some cheap import), but the panel will see so little use that it'll last plenty long. Time will tell.

 

I’ve been waiting because the flex panels typically don’t last long. But the newest panels have both output and reliability these days to make them contenders.

 

Is this in the 4Runner?



It looks different from the truck in some of the details.



I suspect these are both from the truck, just the upper one is a later evolution.

When you want to use the solar system with the 4Runner, have you worked out how you will do that without a dual battery setup?

 

This is where I ended up exactly. Well, I haven't been "waiting" so much as I saw all the info online about how the older flex panels would delaminate. But, reviews for the new ones seem pretty good, so I figured it was worth it.

Nah, both the truck - just a later evolution in the top photo as you suspected.

In the 4Runner, I have two ways I could use the system:

• easy but less efficient (I've done this, it works) - The panel comes with it's own controller as I mentioned above, and that controller will charge a battery via the adapters arrayed on the ground in the photo of the panel. Charges the battery at 14.x volts, but only 2A.
• a little harder but more efficient - the controller removes from the truck with 2 screws (you can see these in the photo you linked). I have a set of leads with an Anderson connector coming off the 4Runner battery (just like the Tacoma, and which I use for the battery tender), so I'd just plug the controller into those and then plug the panel into the controller (exactly the same as the truck).

 

Oh hey, time for a 1-year review... working great!

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Something I've always wondered is about the effectiveness of the panels as they get dirty and age. I wouldn't expect much as far as delamination or weak solder joints this early but have you noticed any change in charge rates or output since installing the panels? How much dirt/dust does it take to affect performance?

 

cool set-up/evolution of your battery box build. I've got an old Flexopower (100W) porta panel I can move around, with optimum placement I can get 62 W out of it, while at the same time, my hard mounted cab roof glass (100W) panel makes 42 W. I'm big fan of solar supplemented refrigerated truck camping.

 

Well, you have to remember that I've used it for about 2 weeks, so if it degraded in that time, it'd be a big problem. So far, no degredation. And about 30% of the panel can be in shade and it still generates power, so I suppose it can get quite dirty and still be OK.

 

Those backup lights!

 

Jarbridge to Elko - We Wouldn't Have Made It - NVBDR 1
Introduction

It seems that every year for the last several years, we've run a BDR - a Backcountry Discovery Route - during the summer. This year, as we were in the middle of our adventure, I wondered aloud to @mrs.turbodb - "How'd we get started with these anyway?" A bit of pondering and theorizing and we determined that it was really just dumb luck. Well, not luck so much as misfortune.

See, back in 2017, we'd gone camping with my Dad and Uncle down to the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon. Actually, it was the same trip where we'd picked up the CVT RTT. Anyway, hoping to get a few nights of nice camping in once we parted ways, we'd decided to use the Oregon BDR route from Seneca to Walla Walla as our way home. We failed, miserably, while having a great time; vowing to come back and conquer the trail.

So now, four years later, we're still at it - this time, through Nevada!

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Nevada's BDR is known to be a bit different than some of the others. Most interesting is the temperature differential between the northern and southern ends of the route - even as the north is still covered in snow, temps in the south reach over 100°F. For that reason, a lot of travelers split the trip into two - doing the southern route in winter or early spring and the northern bit come summer.

But not us; we're not that smart. Well no, that's not it exactly - it's just that the time we had to do the trip happened to mean we'd be doing it all in one shot. And we'd be doing it from north-to-south, just because we thought that'd be logistically easier.

At least, that was the plan.

Day 1

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Stage 6 - Jarbridge to Elko​

We'd made a long trek from home to just north of Jarbridge, NV the previous day, and we awoke to clearing skies after a night of rain in the Big Cottonwood Campground - an undeveloped BLM campground that also served as our starting point when we ran the Idaho BDR.

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A quick breakfast of cereal and a towel to dry off the tent, and we were on our way. This section of road - Jarbridge Canyon - from the Idaho-Nevada border to Jarbridge is a great one. Winding alongside the river, interesting rock formations, an arch, and spires rise up along both sides. We were enjoying ourselves already!

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We also made a quick stop along this part of the route at a painting of a Native American Indian in full ceremonial garb that we'd known about from our previous visit - the colors just a little worse for wear from the preceding winter.

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Before long we were on the final approach to Jarbridge - the canyon opening up a bit - to reveal the green grass of spring time on the hillsides. Oh, and some snow!

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Being mid-summer, we noted and dismissed the snow as we pulled into Jarbridge - I mean, surely we were late enough in the season that it wouldn't be an issue!

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It's surprising to me that Jarbridge is as happening as it is, but the Inn/Café, Community Center, and fuel are all still there - keeping this little town humming along.

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With over 700 miles in front of us, we didn't spend long before heading out - up into the Jarbridge mountains, the grade over 20% in some places.

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It was here too that we got our first taste of spring wildflowers! In full swing, the hillsides were covered with a yellow blanket as we made our way up and out of Jarbridge.

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Up and up we climbed. At 7000' things were a bit wet but still normal, but as we passed through 7500', we discovered that even on the last day of June, these parts are still blanketed in the white stuff.

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The snow was a double-edged sword - or perhaps more accurately, a blessing in disguise. The experience up here - with puffy white clouds in the sky, and the bright greens, yellows, and purples of spring pushing up through the snow on the ground, it was a feast for the eyes!

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We crested the ridge at nearly 8500' and made our way slowly back down, the snow melt having turned the roads into a nice goopy muck, with even less traction than the snow itself! Oh, how I hate mud.

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That was the last we'd see of the snow on this trip; an element of the adventure that could have stopped us in our tracks had we run the route a week earlier - and yet, also one that I knew we'd wish was with us as we (hopefully) completed the southern portion of our journey.

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Without the melting of snow, the roads dried out quickly and we made good time on our journey south. As we did, the roads varied from well-groomed to lightly-travelled, the variety adding interest to the day.

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Always nice to hit those roads less-travelled.​

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Spring irises.​

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Out rounding up stock the old fashioned way.​

Through the rolling green hills, we eventually found ourselves on the Wildhorse Mountain alternate - and purportedly more advanced - route, which I can only describe as "fun." While the going was slower, there was nothing difficult here, and the Tacoma enjoyed the little extra flexing that the overgrown-in-spots terrain offered.

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Nearing the end of the alternate, a small, well-maintained cabin presented itself as @mrs.turbodb opened only her second or third gate of the day. Not sure if we should stop given how early we were in our journey, we ultimately decided that we were here, now - and so why wouldn't we?

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Used by ranchers and hunters alike, and in generally good shape!​

This approach - stopping as much as possible and not worrying about "staying on schedule" for the longer journey - is something that I think many folks have a hard time with. I know that I definitely struggled with it on my first several trips to Death Valley, and as I've gotten comfortable with knowing that I might spend an entire trip in one small part of the park, the trips have gotten much more enjoyable!

Looking back, we had no reason to feel rushed - it wasn't even lunch time yet, and we got another few miles in before our stomachs protested in earnest that it was time to stop when the next stare-at-it-while-you-eat view presented itself.

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The East Humboldt Mountains in the distance screamed "get-out-and-eat-here," so we did.​

After a half-hour lunch of tuna sandwiches and potato chips we were back on road. I should note that this was our first time having tuna on a trip and it was delicious and easy given that we'd prepped it before leaving, and so just needed to spread it on bread and add lettuce and pickles. Highly recommended.

On the road, we were now in a bit of a transition zone between green rolling hills and the hotter high desert, meandering creeks making their way through the grazing land. Nothing to complain about from a views perspective, that's for certain!

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Coming out of the mountains, we were starting to see more civilization. Where we’d only seen were roads, cows, and fences for miles, we now found ourselves bumping along next to new-fangled alien-looking high voltage power lines, their single pivot point and large head giving them a bit of an Area 51 appearance.

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New-style towers can be air lifted into place and don't require level ground to deploy.

It was also at about this time that we found ourselves in a sticky situation, literally. As we came over a crest, the road plunged down into a low area that was still marshy from winter run-off. Extra cautious given our previous experience with mud, I got out to investigate with the shovel. The situation wasn't good. Shovel in hand, the entire blade easily plunged down into thick, gooey clay beneath an inch or two of water through which 2-foot tall grass was growing.

I could see where four motorcycles had attempted to cross, two with more success than the others. I tested it on foot, and my shoes would be muddy the remainder of the trip. Still, it was only about twenty feet across, and if we decided to bail on it, the re-route was nearly 40 miles - something we wanted to avoid.

So, I looked at @mrs.turbodb and asked if we were being foolish if we attempted to cross. "Yes," she said.

"I think we can make it with momentum," I replied and told her to hold on. She may have screamed a little bit as we blasted through, mud splashing everywhere but the tall grass acting as a bit of a carpet to keep us from sinking too deeply into the muck.

We made it! (And I have no photos).

Not long after the muck, we ran into a deep ditch where erosion had clearly taken its toll on the road. I knew we weren't turning around, so with a, "We might have to do a little digging," to @mrs.turbodb I nosed down into the ditch. And then up the other side.

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It was a little over 58" to the bottom of the slider.​

As the rear end eased down into the ditch I dragged the bumper, but that's why it's there, and the reasonably good approach and departure angles of tha 1st gen Tacoma made what could have been a shoveling situation, a non-event for the day!

Now, only a few miles from Elko, we looked at each other and smiled - surely the excitement was over, at least for the day.

But no, excitement is never really over on these sorts of adventures and as we rounded the next several bends, an interesting sight presented itself - a strange looking compound in the distance, surrounded by a large fence.

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It reminded us of the compound we'd seen near Wickahoney in Idaho and never identified, and but even as we took a side road to try and get closer, we were stopped by a Private Property sign and locked gate.

In the end though, its front entrance turned out to be immediately off the highway (which we would be taking for a few miles from this point into Elko) and with that, the mystery - of this building - was solved!

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Wieland Flat Compressor Station (or so it wants us to believe! )​

From there, we putzed along the highway - keeping the speeds to 45mph given the fact that we were aired down - until we reached the outskirts of then end of our first stage - Elko, NV.

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The BDR routes are well worth exploring whether by motorcycle or vehicle.

 

We've definitely enjoyed the four we've done. I think that at times the planners could do a little more to get to really nice places (worth seeing) in each state, but at the end of the day, there's so much to do anywhere that you have to make choices. For what they are, they're definitely worth doing... and then you get a good sense of where you want to return for more exploring!