A few weeks ago, I played around with repurposing a spare Bogart sc2030 solar charge controller as a DC-DC charger to increase charging from my truck alternator to my trailer batteries. The experiment worked, but my results were lukewarm. So, I decided to buy, install, and review a charger designed for the purpose, of the … Read more
Our First RV Solar Experience About a year ago I popped my RV solar cherry and installed a simple little 200 watt RV solar kit from a company called Renogy. We didn’t have too much dough to spend on solar, but I believe I got a good bang for the buck with the roughly $400 … Read more
Introduction So far in my extensive review of new Firefly portable power box from Renogy I first (Part One) gave you my initial impressions of the build quality and functionality. Then (Part Two) let you have a look with me inside to examine the guts of the beast, offering my opinion as an experienced electronics … Read more
Curious to See What’s Inside? Prior to becoming a full-time RVer I spent over 25 years as an electronics repair technician. Because of this background I just had to see what is inside the Renogy Firefly. Warning! I took the Firefly apart as part of my thorough product review and only because I’m very experienced … Read more
Introduction I recently received a 200 watt Renogy solar kit for the fifth wheel as a Christmas gift. As I usually do for our RV upgrades I wrote up a blog post and made a video detailing the install and my impressions of the product. Well, I guess the folks at Renogy took note. They … Read more
Introduction Well Love Your RV! is finally getting some solar! This Christmas, Santa (my lovely wife) sent me a special package from Amazon containing a brand new Renogy 200W Solar Kit. Woot! This is a starter kit and will get our feet wet in the solar power thing and hopefully help wean us off our … Read more
In this video, I show you my roughed-in version of a project I’ve been puttering around with lately. I’m utilizing various spare off-grid electronic components and batteries to build a toolbox power station for my pickup truck bed. The primary purpose is powering my multiple dash cams in parking mode for surveillance and storing extra … Read more
This video looks at a new battery charging product offering from SRNE model MD1250N05. It’s a two-in-one DC-DC Charger plus MPPT solar controller putting out 50 amps of battery charge power. This enables you to charge the RV house battery bank via solar panels or the vehicle’s alternator using just one device. I first review … Read more
A few years ago, I installed a Renogy DC-DC charger for improved charging power from my truck alternator to my trailer batteries. My truck has an optional 220-amp alternator, so I was able to go with a 40-amp DC-DC charger. It’s worked out great and allows me to recharge my lithium RV battery bank as … Read more
In this video, I use a spare 40 amp MPPT solar controller to help cobble a system together to keep my truck batteries topped up. I utilized an existing 100W solar panel I have previously mounted on a toolbox and a 12VDC port in the truck bed. This mod is desirable since I’m now running … Read more
Over the last 11 years of full-time RVing, our off-grid power system has evolved and changed quite often. Early on, I slowly increased our power input and output options and storage capacity as I could afford it. Then as my LYRV YouTube channel grew, I was offered product samples for review by various companies. Many … Read more
In this video, I install an inexpensive 12VDC wireless switch to turn my Renogy 40 amp DC-DC charger on and off remotely. This will be a nice option to have when towing the trailer. In hot weather, stop-and-go traffic, or while pulling a long steep hill, I may rather have the DC-DC charger off to … Read more
In this video, I go through the current state of my RV boondocking power systems. Over the last year or so, I’ve added more solar panels, a 40 amp DC-DC charger, and a new 40 amp MPPT solar charge controller. With all these recent additions, a major reorganization to the existing system and wiring was … Read more
Last spring, I reviewed a couple of items from an online seller called BougeRV. I had a look at their 170W solar panels and AC/DC portable fridge freezer. Though both are not the best quality out there, they weren’t too bad considering the price. Since then, the company has been asking me to review something … Read more
As Christmas, approaches people are wondering what to gift the avid RVers in their lives. Or maybe what to put down on the old wishlist to Santa. Over the years, I’ve been lucky enough to receive some awesome stuff from my lovely wife Anne, and a few self gifts. 🙂 This year, I’ve decided to … Read more