backchannel: wrap your mind around this, bucko
from this thread:
I can't get my head around inverting from DC to AC then using a transformer to feed a device that is native DC to start with.
Luckily for both of us you don’t have to.
But in the spirit of transparency I’ll lay out my cost/benefit analysis:
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the tools came with an AC charger.
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I already had a small inverter
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the tools need a charging for about 1hr/week
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the inverter only runs as an opportunity load
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I have a surplus of solar power; bank was at 12.7v this morning and entered Absorption at 945a while charging my phones, running a laptop and a mifi.
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the DC-DC charger is $50
Buying new stuff to upgrade/replace adequately working stuff goes against my core principles; my current setup is Good Enough for me.
I’ll keep the $50 in my pocket.
And from the same thread:
Stick with good brand names: Morningstar, Xantrex, Samlex, Renogy. There are others too.
Hardware elitism, or at least assuming others have the same needs you do. This is cheap RV living, folks.
Avoid cheap unpronounceable or generic no-names.
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It’s fairly common to see generic versions released by the Chinese manufacturers who were hired to make the “name brand” originals. Finding those is a huge money-saver, unless one is in a d*cksize war to collect the right logos for show & tell.
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Unpronounceable? I assure you they are pronounceable to the Chinese people who made them. That remark is xenophobic at best.