best car charge solution

A while back someone said he actually keeps a spare car battery and an inverter in the back of his car for charging on the go. I assume he charges that battery backup when he returns home.
This way he's not using the actual battery from his vehicle (risking draining it) and can keep charging while car is off.
Any thoughts on the practicality of this?
And by doing so we can then attach leads to a nice 300w+ inverter for clean constant power?
Also- how many batteries can be charged this way before that spare car battery gets too low to work?
In a typical day of flying if u have 4 batteries I would guess I'd only need to charge 4 more times before getting somewhere with outlets to plug into.
Of course this means buying
A- a spare car battery
B- a car battery charger

Also- how often can you do this with a car battery- discharge and charge back up- without damaging it???
 
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I bought the summit link last week off amazon. It most certainly is a. Fake review as battery does not like charge it receives from it plus it's only 50w so charge would take double time. Just bought the 300w pure inverter thanks for link. Now I really want to get that three battery power charger another moderator posted but 15A in my Prius kind of scares me

The 50W may be much slower but will it actually damage the P3's battery? If so, in what way?
 
A while back someone said he actually keeps a spare car battery and an inverter in the back of his car for charging on the go. I assume he charges that battery backup when he returns home.
This way he's not using the actual battery from his vehicle (risking draining it) and can keep charging while car is off.
Any thoughts on the practicality of this?
And by doing so we can then attach leads to a nice 300w+ inverter for clean constant power?
Also- how many batteries can be charged this way before that spare car battery gets too low to work?
In a typical day of flying if you have 4 batteries I would guess I'd only need to charge 4 more times before getting shows here with outlets to plug into.
Of course this means buying
A- a spare car battery
B- a car battery charger

Also- how often can you do this with a car battery- discharge and charge back up- without damaging it???
Just another piece to carry with you. If going on a long shoot-- maybe practical-- but going out every day or a few days a week-- it would be a nuisance to me. I use my 1200 watt inverter with the engine running-- just don't want to change running my vehicle battery down. Did that once charging airplane lipos and wound up having to purchase a new battery.

All great questions for discussion! Cheers:)
 
Im a pro photographer. Carrying equipment is nothing new to me. I carry as much or as little as needed for the shoot. If that is the best solution to fly as long as I need in the field, I've no problem with a couple extra pieces of gear. That's why I have a mini-van....
What I want to know is
- What is the BEST solution, and one that won't hurt my equipment. Or rather extend its life rather than shorten it.
 
Car batteries are not designed for being discharged and recharged like lipos. That will shorten their life and possibly leave you walking.

If you are going to be on location and need to charge multiple batteries I'd recommend using at least a 200 watt inverter per charger.
1. Leave the car running.
2. Get a small generator.
3. Install a separate deep cell battery. You would need to monitor the voltage to avoid damage to either battery.
 
Thanks FPlvert. Thats why I mentioned a SPARE car battery to keep on the back of the van - not to use my actual car battery.
But it makes sense that it's not the best solution.
I'd like to find a large rechargeable battery of some sort that I can use as a charging station so I don't need to leave the car running. Or take on jobs where I don't necessarily want to be by the car. We often have a rolling cart with equipment on jobs to carry cameras, laptop lighting accessories - and now Drone stuff.

I have even considered getting one of these from Paul C Buff - a very powerful rechargeable inverter made to plug in studio strobes in the field.:
They are $400 USD - not cheap - but would definitely get the job done and are designed for use- Discharge & charge.
Wondering if there is a similar product out there that is not designed for pro photographers, thus not being quite as expensive.
http://www.paulcbuff.com/vlx.php

Specs:
Vagabond™ Lithium Extreme
Weight 6 pounds including battery and stand clamp (excluding charger)
2.2-pound inverter / 3.8-pound battery
Dimensions 6.5” h x 5” w 7.8” d (with stand clamp)
Battery 25.6V, 6.2Ah, 158.7Wh lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) battery
Inverter 120VAC inverter with two standard, 3-prong 120VAC outlets
Battery Charging 3-hour rapid charging with supplied universal charger
(100-240 VAC, 50/60Hz, 50VA input)
Powering Capacity multiple flash units with a combined total wattsecond rating up to 3,200 Ws (the more lights connected, the longer the recycle time and the smaller the number of flashes available per battery charge)
 
Anyone have a list of GOOD inverters for the car- ones we know are actual Pure Sine-Wave and enough power for our chargers? There's lots of crappy ones out there.
 
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Anyone have a list of GOOD inverters for the car- ones we know are actual Pure Sine-Wave and enough power for our chargers? There's lots of crappy ones out there.
I use one of these - http://www.xantrex.com/power-products/power-inverters/prowatt-sw.aspx

In my truck I have the 1800W version, wired to a dedicated AGM solar battery (for deep cycle capabilities). This is wired through a 200A solenoid and breaker to the main battery/alternator. I have an ignition controlled switch to turn on the solenoid. So with the key off, the inverter battery is isolated and I can discharge it as low as I need to without fear of not being able to start the truck. When I start the truck, I flip the switch on and the dedicated battery will charge.

In my wife's car I have the 600W version, wired through an ignition controlled solenoid. So I have to have the key on (best to have it running) to use the inverter. Charge while I drive. That said, last week I did lock the keys in with the engine running while out camping and charging a battery. haha Axe and a tent pole to the rescue. Phew!

I am working on a 12VDC cig lighter charging system so I can charge without the inverters. Just waiting for the step-up converter and the connector the P3 batteries to arrive from China, and I will assemble it with input and output volt meters, and then I need to figure out an enclosure. I will probably add either the DJI charging hub for 4 batteries, or the eBay 3-battery strip. The DJI hub looks much nicer though, not sure it's worth $90 USD though.
 
Guys:
Is it wise to charge with the car ON? Doesn`t make "noise" and spikes, to the line?
 
A good inverter will filter any alternator noise or spikes. Depending on how much you charge, and how big your vehicle battery is (ie. 60 AHr vs 105 AHr), you can have the engine running or not. To just charge 1-2 batteries I would say you're generally safe without starting it, anything more and you should consider it. Again, that's based on the capacity of your vehicle battery.
 
Humm....agree.

However, it NEVER should be done when turning ON the car, because the pikes....even on a good condition battery (I have Varta 75A on my Golf).
 
Hi All

Been away for a few days... and WOW.. thanks for all the input!
 
Humm....agree.

However, it NEVER should be done when turning ON the car, because the pikes....even on a good condition battery (I have Varta 75A on my Golf).
I have never encountered any "spikes" in voltage in a vehicle, other than when a regulator fails. If anything, you will see a drop in voltage while the started is engaged.
 
I use one of these - http://www.xantrex.com/power-products/power-inverters/prowatt-sw.aspx

In my truck I have the 1800W version, wired to a dedicated AGM solar battery (for deep cycle capabilities). This is wired through a 200A solenoid and breaker to the main battery/alternator. I have an ignition controlled switch to turn on the solenoid. So with the key off, the inverter battery is isolated and I can discharge it as low as I need to without fear of not being able to start the truck. When I start the truck, I flip the switch on and the dedicated battery will charge.

In my wife's car I have the 600W version, wired through an ignition controlled solenoid. So I have to have the key on (best to have it running) to use the inverter. Charge while I drive. That said, last week I did lock the keys in with the engine running while out camping and charging a battery. haha Axe and a tent pole to the rescue. Phew!

I am working on a 12VDC cig lighter charging system so I can charge without the inverters. Just waiting for the step-up converter and the connector the P3 batteries to arrive from China, and I will assemble it with input and output volt meters, and then I need to figure out an enclosure. I will probably add either the DJI charging hub for 4 batteries, or the eBay 3-battery strip. The DJI hub looks much nicer though, not sure it's worth $90 USD though.
Ok. This sound really cool.... And way over my head. Interested in how this works, but don't fully grasp it.

The "dedicated AGM solar battery" - sounds like it's a separate from your truck battery- where is it placed, & how do you implement the "solar" part?
Pretend I'm not an electrical engineer....
 
Ok. This sound really cool.... And way over my head. Interested in how this works, but don't fully grasp it.

The "dedicated AGM solar battery" - sounds like it's a separate from your truck battery- where is it placed, & how do you implement the "solar" part?
Pretend I'm not an electrical engineer....
Yes, completely separated and isolated battery. In my truck it's mounted in a large toolbox in the truck box. I also store stuff like a shovel, tow ropes and chains, and tie down straps in there. There is no solar, it's just a battery meant for solar applications - gel cell so it is less susceptible to freezing with a low charge, and can be deep cycled without harm.

Now, I did want to come up with a solar charging idea for hiking, but I would either need a large panel to charge at a decent rate, or charge really slowly. There are lots of roll-up and foldable products out there though.
 
I bought one of these about a year ago. Not to charge Phantom batteries but it it works perfectly well for that as well. Think mine was around $280 so they raised the price a little. Runs about 7 hours on a gallon of gas. Better then leaving your vehicle idling for an hour.

http://www.amazon.com/Earthquake-11...39644464&sr=8-1&keywords=earthquake+generator
That looks way more economical than those little Honda's. How loud is it when running? Maybe I'll just go find some YouTube videos. [emoji6]
 
That looks way more economical than those little Honda's. How loud is it when running? Maybe I'll just go find some YouTube videos. [emoji6]

I understand it's a little louder the the Hondas but not by much. You can have a normal conversation with someone 10' away from it. It's great for charging the Phantom batteries. I just ran the generator for 8 hours non-stop today on 1 gallon of gas.
 
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