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Intrepid-Dolphin-Travel

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Hello,

I just found and purchased my '84 Dolphin after looking and admiring for a couple years. I am very excited. It is awesome to see an active and supportive community around Toyota RVs. As I begin the long process of refining and restructuring the Dolphin, I have a couple questions that could guide my energy and time in productive ways. Please excuse me if these are dumb or misguided questions:

1. Does the radio in the truck cab run on the engine battery or the deep cycle battery when the ignition is set to accessory? If it runs on the engine battery, has anyone converted this to run on the deep cycle?

2. I have friend of a friend who has a large solar array which was used on another RV for sale. Is there a way to wire the solar battery/converter into the 110 V system to power the interior outlets in the coach (which I traced wire around enough to think they run on the 110 V system only)?

Thanks so much.

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The radio runs on the engine battery and no I have never heard of someone connecting it to the coach battery. Plenty of 12 volt radios out there that you can put in the back. That solar system needs to be connected to the power converter charger system to charge your batteries. Solar systems don't put out 110 power. 12 or 24 at the most. If you need more 110 your going to have to install an inverter 12 to 110 somewhere. Even with solar support running lots of 110 can run down your batteries.

Linda S

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Hello,

I just found and purchased my '84 Dolphin after looking and admiring for a couple years. I am very excited. It is awesome to see an active and supportive community around Toyota RVs. As I begin the long process of refining and restructuring the Dolphin, I have a couple questions that could guide my energy and time in productive ways. Please excuse me if these are dumb or misguided questions:

1. Does the radio in the truck cab run on the engine battery or the deep cycle battery when the ignition is set to accessory? If it runs on the engine battery, has anyone converted this to run on the deep cycle?

2. I have friend of a friend who has a large solar array which was used on another RV for sale. Is there a way to wire the solar battery/converter into the 110 V system to power the interior outlets in the coach (which I traced wire around enough to think they run on the 110 V system only)?

Thanks so much.

On any I've worked on, the in-dash radio was hooked up to the OEM Toyota wiring cranking battery. Very easy to change it and wire into the "house" battery instead if that's your preference.

In regard to the "large" solar array. What are you calling "large." I.e., how many watts? It's not possible to run directly run a standard 15 or 20 amp AC outlet with direct solar power. A 15 amp outlet requires 2000 watts of solar power and an inverter to change the DC into AC. That many solar panels would need around 640 square feet of room. My house and farm runs on solar electric and my solar panels amount to 5400 watts. Had to build a new barn and special roof to hold them.

You can mount whatever amount of solar you want and let it trickle into your house battery. Then hook in a DC to AC inverter to provide AC 120 volt power and the solar helps it work. It does not directly power it.

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The radio runs on the engine battery and no I have never heard of someone connecting it to the coach battery. Plenty of 12 volt radios out there that you can put in the back. That solar system needs to be connected to the power converter charger system to charge your batteries. Solar systems don't put out 110 power. 12 or 24 at the most. If you need more 110 your going to have to install an inverter 12 to 110 somewhere. Even with solar support running lots of 110 can run down your batteries.

Linda S

Modern solar arrays are often hooked up in series-parallel to make up to 600 volts. Not just 12 or 24 anymore. Mine at my house is considered "low voltage" because my solar panels are making 48 volts. Never fit it all on an RV roof though. And that would be 600 volts DC,not AC. An inverter would still be needed to create or mimic the Hertz Cycle. One popular setup is to have 120 volt solar panel hookups. This way the inverter can be very small since no step-up transformer is needed.

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Truck radio runs off truck battery.

I installed a nice AM/FM/DVD player in the coach that runs off coach battery. great for movies or just listening to the radio. DVD player feeds video to a small LCD TV and plays the audio thru the radio speakers.

John Mc

88 Dolphin 4 Auto

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I put a JVC in the MH with a remote the remote stays in the coach and I just control the truck radio with it.

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  • 1 month later...

1.

if you put the red wire from the stereo after the isolator switch it will be powered by the deep cycle. people do this so they can listen to the radio for hours with the keys out of the ignition and not be afraid of not being able to start.

2. no there is no intelligent way to use those 110 volt outlets connected to a solar panel.

what you will need is a power inverter, and it will have its own outlets. those outlets in the coach are essentially for when you are plugged into shore power.

dont undergo the project of connecting them to a power inverter that is one of many bad idea projects just get your solar array , connect it to a solar charger, connect that to deep cycle batterys and then those to a power inverter. plug into that.

if you wanted to make your inverter connect to a wall plate buy a new wall plate and new outlets and connect them to the power inverter.

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what quite a few people dont understand about toyhomes is that up to a certain year they came with designed with no power options other than being plugged in.

it seems counter intuitive to the design hence its why people are carrying 3000 watt generators to run the huge acs and other questionable concepts. from the factory they are largely made to drive somewhere and then plug in.

those interior lights can kill your deep cycle in a few hours theres like 8 of them and they are bright. there is no way to recharge the deep cycle other than the standard truck alternator which isnt going to do it unless you are driving 100 miles a day.

a 200 watt solar array is a great idea. getting a 2nd coach battery and a couple led interior lights are the first few steps in on the road power.

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my own solar system i never finished putting in but i have 200 watt and 2 size 28 deep cycles as a real good ballpark.

I only have 120 watts live right now and what can i say, when its sunny it works great and when its not it doesnt really do a thing.

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Here's a couple of pictures of my '91 Winnebago with 7 - 50 watt panels top side (panels hinged on one side to frame and frame mount hinged on the other so panels can angle up to either side). I don't have pictures of the the entire system yet, these panels are each wired to their own circuit breakers, 15 amp I believe, and the circuit breaker box is just below the panels in the framed mount. Then I've got the (two) negative and positive cables going out the back through the mounting frame into a conduit that parallels the ladder and fits nicely between rear bumper and coach (which one might be able to see in the second picture. The two cables exit the conduit and weave their way up and through (carefully strapped to various parts of frame) to the cargo hold below deck behind the drivers seat. There they come up through the bottom hole (didn't have to drill that one) and into a Solar Boost 50 Charge Controller. From there to 4 Trojan 105's batteries and just enough room for an (ancient, small but reliable) 1300 watt PowerStar Inverter . Then an ac line heads back out from the inverter to just out side the cargo box, underneath side, with a few outlets to plug in extension cords to or, when I want AC power, just pull out my coaches electrical cord and dip down under the coach and plug in. Can run the fridge during the day when it's sunny and switch to propane (fridge) at night. Plenty of power for lights and furnace at night and, nice and quiet for zzzzz. post-6409-0-07692200-1380683651_thumb.jppost-6409-0-58113700-1380684106_thumb.jp

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Nice setup. I have got my power usage down to a point I can go 6 days with out any kind of recharge with two 80 amp batteries.

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1.

if you put the red wire from the stereo after the isolator switch it will be powered by the deep cycle. people do this so they can listen to the radio for hours with the keys out of the ignition and not be afraid of not being able to start.

2. no there is no intelligent way to use those 110 volt outlets connected to a solar panel.

what you will need is a power inverter, and it will have its own outlets. those outlets in the coach are essentially for when you are plugged into shore power.

dont undergo the project of connecting them to a power inverter that is one of many bad idea projects just get your solar array , connect it to a solar charger, connect that to deep cycle batterys and then those to a power inverter. plug into that.

if you wanted to make your inverter connect to a wall plate buy a new wall plate and new outlets and connect them to the power inverter.

The biggest concern with plugging you camper into an inverter is you have to be able to turn the converter off because it will try to charge the battery if some one can figure out how to do this please let me know I try to finance it for you.. Most are wired to the incoming power feed with no way to turn it off. I added a breaker to the converter to turn the converter off then plug the power cord into the inverter and have 120 volt power at the outlets. There is very little I run with 120 volts except for the TV and that's usually just to catch the news and weather or recharge something. Solar panels only produce D/C and their voltage is up and down so using an inverter direct will not work. Unless you have a high line radio and amp a car radio draws very little power and should play for days off the truck battery mine draws 8 watts

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Before buying the Sunrader, we had a small fiberglass trailer. I rigged the shore power to one end of a DPDT (double pole, double throw center off) toggle switch rated and 20 amps and the other end to my inverter. There are 6 terminals on the back, 3 groups of 2, so the switch connects either end to the center terminals. That way, all my plugs were either connected to shore power, off, or connected to my inverter. Seems like the same could be done here. I guess you'd have to wire the shore power 110V to the switch after it comes off the converter.

I didn't need to set the Sunrader up this way, as I kept the systems totally separate and my 100 watt panel has never been too little, running just led lights, stereo, laptop an hour or so a day, charging camera batteries, water pump and very seldom, the heater.

Steve

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in the summer with my 120 watt panel it keeps pace with several hours of computer, cell phone charging and a wifi hotspot.. and led lights. probably keeps pace with anything reasonable like 4 hours of tv on a lcd tv etc.

it doesnt keep pace with running the furnace though. that furnace is the most maddening thing, it uses propane and tons of electricity.... meaning if you are plugged in why use propane?

it half runs the furnace.

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The biggest concern with plugging you camper into an inverter is you have to be able to turn the converter off because it will try to charge the battery if some one can figure out how to do this please let me know I try to finance it for you.. Most are wired to the incoming power feed with no way to turn it off. I added a breaker to the converter to turn the converter off then plug the power cord into the inverter and have 120 volt power at the outlets. There is very little I run with 120 volts except for the TV and that's usually just to catch the news and weather or recharge something. Solar panels only produce D/C and their voltage is up and down so using an inverter direct will not work. Unless you have a high line radio and amp a car radio draws very for little power and should play for days off the truck battery mine draws 8 watts

once you have a solar panel for the most part that parasitic draw of the inverter isnt going to matter enough to make a side project for it. once your toy home goes out of "duty" the battery is going to be fully charged in a day. or three if its cloudy.

the small draw of the inverter could even be good for the battery. I do have a hard switch for one of my inverters though its a battery killer for the stock toyhome, which is as stated intended to be plugged in every day.

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in the summer with my 120 watt panel it keeps pace with several hours of computer, cell phone charging and a wifi hotspot.. and led lights. probably keeps pace with anything reasonable like 4 hours of tv on a lcd tv etc.

it doesnt keep pace with running the furnace though. that furnace is the most maddening thing, it uses propane and tons of electricity.... meaning if you are plugged in why use propane?

it half runs the furnace.

I don't know what everyone has for appliances out there but I did a check with my Trace Meter while "off the grid" and here are some numbers that came up in terms of what my appliances/some lights draw:

Dometic Fridge (2401 model) - 12.5 Amps

Suburban Furnace Fan - 3.5 Amps

Water Pump - 6.5 Amps

Kitchen Fan - 2 Amps

Lights Single/Double - 1.5/3.0 Amps

Porch Light - 2.5 Amps

Converter/battery charger 3 Amps

Bathroom Fan 2.0 Amps

Kitchen Fan Light 1.2 Amp

these numbers are close but sometimes my inverter fan goes on and off with certain appliances which adds to the appliance figure.

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are those for the incandessent bulbs?

i cant even remember what the led versions are but are they 1/10th or so

I really dont want to get involved in any sort of bad electricity math but in theory my solar panel i have is going at 5 amps so when its sunny it may keep pace with the furnace but in reality it doesnt. I had a head to head battery run down experiment.

now it might actually even be 10 amps if you are comparing 12 volt amps to 12 volt amps. in that case the production in the winter is terrible or theres a strange sort of electricity that goes on when youre trying to charge a battery under load.

I think 200 watts could keep pace with the normal toy home usage better from my real life usage.

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there is an inherent loss of power converting it to battery juice. Even if the solar panel could run the furnace in terms of amps it cant keep up with charging the battery and then reconverting that to power to run the furnace.

there is a connection right on my solar charger for a seperate load. If that was wired to the furnace ( the furnace would then be wired directly to the panel and to the battery both) it would be a lot more effecient

juice would run the furnace first and then leftover would charge the battery. I need to get on this project sometime.

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The current draw from your list looks correct. I might say that you can reduce the lighting significantly by converting to LEDs.

Use your frig on propane, its a lot more efficient than elect.

Also, the furnace is very inefficient user of propane. You might consider a ventless heater. Something like a WAVE3 or 6, or a Mr Buddy.

These three items will significantly reduce your electric use.

John Mc

88 Dolphin 4 Auto

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Speaking of a "Wave 6" heater, which I have two, but not in the Toy Home, do you, waiter, or anyone else, have one of these in their rigs and where is it located (mounted on wall or standing on the floor) and how is the hose from coached tank hooked in? separate small tank "inside" the coach, both being able to move around inside? Or is having a portable tank inside too dangerous?

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I added a valve and hose to my Toyhouse. I couldn't find anywhere I felt safe mounting the WAVE 3 heater, so I simply place it on the floor at night, and set it on top of the stove during the day. I tried two heaters, a WAVE 3 and a Mr Buddy. Although I like the WAVE 3 more, it only puts out 3k BTU, and the Mr Buddy can put out 9k BTU, so I use the Mr Buddy.

I Like the WAVE 3 better, its a Catalytic heater and about 90% of its heat is infrared (radiated) Very little heat comes out the top of the unit. The Mr Buddy is a regular combustion ceramic heater, about 1/2 the heat is radiated and the rest comes out the top.

You need to be a lot more aware of whats above the Mr Buddy than the WAVE 3.

Your WAVE 6 is a 6k BTU unit, Its a little bigger than a 3. I think it would do a good job. LIke I say, the reason I like the Mr Buddy is mainly the higher BTU ratings.

My concern is something dropping something on top of the heater i.e. a towel or clothing, Look around and make sure nothing can fall on the heater.

http://toyotamotorhome.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=4328

John Mc

88 Dolphin 4 Auto

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Yah, I seen that and was seriously looking at putting it on the inside of the door that's below the oven. I would need to move the propane lines so the heater would not hit them. Then make a small latch so the door cannot be accidentally closed.

Then I said the heck with it, just make a 8 ft hose and then move it to the floor or on top of the stove.

John Mc

88 Dolphin 4 Auto

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wave 3 is very nice and significantly cheaper than expanding a solar array to generate more electricity.

but the heat rating is like more for a casita sized trailer.

im still getting one.

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once you have a solar panel for the most part that parasitic draw of the inverter isnt going to matter enough to make a side project for it. once your toy home goes out of "duty" the battery is going to be fully charged in a day. or three if its cloudy.

the small draw of the inverter could even be good for the battery. I do have a hard switch for one of my inverters though its a battery killer for the stock toyhome, which is as stated intended to be plugged in every day.

Your are missing the point as soon as it's plugged in to any thing 120 volts the converter/charger will try to charge the battery now in order for this to work via a battery some thing has to be in excess of 100% efficient or in short order you'll end up with a dead battery if there is no way to turn off the charger,there is not such a thing as a free lunch.

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