I picked up a demo of an inexpensive clamp-on amp meter with Bluetooth capabilities for monitoring our new boat’s electrical systems. It’s a model BT7200APP BTMeter that I bought off Amazon. In this video, I give you a demo of it in action, monitoring our boat’s alternator amperage output. It should also help troubleshoot problems … Read more
Our 1976 vintage CHB trawler has a teak sliding entrance door to the main cabin, but unlike our RV, there isn’t a screen door. Since there isn’t any obvious way to install a screen door, the next best thing was one of those, as seen on TV magnetic auto-closing mesh screens. The mesh gets attached … Read more
In the video, I go through the process of installing EZ Snap window shade screens onto our 1976 CHB trawler windows. The boat came with custom stitched shades covering the large front windows, but there were many more I wanted to be able to shade if needed. The older trawler has no air conditioning, so … Read more
A look at a new CIGS (Copper Indium Gallium Selenide) 360-degree flexible thin-filmed solar panel from BougeRV. The panel features new technology that allows it to be rolled up! Being super thin and lightweight makes it perfect for mounting on curved surfaces found on many RVs and boats. In this video, I mount it on … Read more
I continue my electrical upgrades to our 1976 CHB trawler by installing an all-in-one AC surge protector, power monitor, and soft starter device from Active Controls. The ActiveStart device gets installed directly in line with our incoming 30 amp shore power connection. It can help reduce inrush current up to 50% when high amperage loads like … Read more
In this video, I upgrade my boat’s old 30 amp twist lock shore power plug and outlet to a safer type called a Smart Plug. I am happy with the product quality and the peace of mind it will bring when hooked up to marina shore power. The installation was straightforward, taking about 1/2 hour … Read more
In this video, I look at an upcoming product from Aolithium. The Aolithum Power Kit is an inverter/charger box that can hook up to 8 Aolithium 12V batteries. It can charge those batteries via solar or shore power. Power outputs include a 2000W pure sine wave inverter, 8 amp 12VDC power socket, and USB outlets. … Read more
In this video, I install a 16 amp ActiveStart soft starter module into my Furrion Chill 14.5K BTU RV air conditioner. A soft starter reduces and smooths the heavy in-rush current that developers when the AC compressor first starts up. This enables you to run the AC using less powerful/smaller inverters and gas generators. I … Read more
In this video, I do a couple of repairs to my RV screen door: replacing the bug screens and a broken lower hinge. Then I attempted to repair the cracking wall inside my outside door with plastic paint, plus upgraded my RV Lock to the latest version. I also give some long-term reviews of the … Read more
About five years ago, I reviewed a dual cylinder water filtration system from Clearsource. Then two years ago, I checked out the three-cylinder system with the extra virus guard filter. I’ve been using that one ever since with great success. Recently though, I got an email from a company called Blu Technology asking if I’d … Read more
In this first of two videos, I install and show you the features and settings of the new model BT11 Rear View Mirror Backup Camera System w/ BSD from Haloview. I’ll be back soon with demo footage and my product review. Stay tuned. BT11 Installation and Settings Related Links BT11 on the Haloview Website Haloview … Read more
In this video, I demo and give my take on a new battery monitor series KH-F from Junctek. My main interest in the latest version is the low-temperature protection functionality. A big plus for people using lithium batteries in the cold. So a good portion of the video is testing that specific feature. Other welcome … Read more
I’m reviewing an interesting lithium battery from a company called Lvgoo. Unlike many 128V 100 amp hours, this one (model LV12V130) is 130 amp hours. The construction is also a little different, using a metal case and stepped-down terminals. In this video, I tested its charging and discharging performance, then took it apart to look … Read more
The Tornado 30000 charger charges 6/12/24 volt led acid and lithium batteries. It also includes 12V and 24V constant power supply modes. It’s an intelligent charger with nine stages and a lead acid battery repair mode. In this part one video, I review the main features of this versatile battery charger from TOPDON. Then perform … Read more
In this video, I review a self-heating 100 amp-hour lithium battery from BougeRV. Over the years, I reviewed several products from BougeRV and found them to be a pretty good value for the money. I’m still using a pair of their solar panels and two controllers I reviewed. Tests performed on the BougeRV battery included … Read more