Bro, you are a God Send. Everything you have done is Exactly what I wanted to do and now thanks to you I will be doing this same setup. Excellent and thanks for sharing your knowledge.
I have gathering materials for a similar system using 600w inverter with 2 gel batteries. Best series I have found on actual wiring and design. Fantastic. Thanks a million for your outstanding series.
Great series. Working on putting a similar generator box together and you sure have made it a lot easier with your step-by-step instructionals. Outstanding!
Well done. Great video and great generator. I made a small one (1450 Pelican), no lights and a small inverter that plugged into the 12v socket. I like the trailer plug. I hope to make one, like yours, soon.
Excellent work! I have been searching for videos for a couple years now on a great step-by-step video series on just how to put together just such a generator! THANK you!! Having ZERO experience with such things I need as many of the steps covered in a video as possible. This is perfect! Now, I would like to know how many of those batteries are needed to power an appliance that typically takes up the most power over the longest period of time, that being an oven. I wonder this too ... rather than using traditional deep cycle batteries for such a project would would be able to use SOLN1 Capacitors instead? I have little knowledge about the capacitors but I will learn. I have no idea right now just how many of the capacitors I would need to string together to equal the output of a 12V battery like the one you've used in this project. Some advice or ideas on this would be great too! Thanks again for these GREAT videos! Lee
wow nice build love it 🥰🥰🥰 i have 3000 watts pure sine wave in water proof tool box i have 3 breaker 1 20A AND 2 15A breaker for my 3 110 out let i have switch between my positive and my battery and positive of my inverter i have put cool fan and usb port and solar charger not finish building it yet the wire i used for my plug is wire that wire house 🥰🥰🥰
Nice build. I'd consider a small MPPT controller instead of that one you have put in there though, as the cost increase wouldn't be that bad, but since this is aimed at a portable application, you'll want to make the most out of whatever panels you can carry with you.
So much info to absorb. I watched a few times and still couldn't understand (as an ignorant newbie)... How was the 110 charging inlet wired to the charger?🧐
It has a standard AC power inlet, which we wired to the waterproof male power plug mounted to the side of the case (it will allow the female end of an extension cord to directly plug into it, so no dangly power cords on the outside of box to snag on things). The charger also has a 12v output which we wired through the fuse block and then directly to the battery.
More parts coming today. I’ll post up when I’m done. I have the inverter and it’s a solid great piece. I’m wondering if you have any problem with it running computers iPads etc. I debated a pure sine....but many of the products had mixed reviews.
Great work! You answered my question how to connect a trickle charger to the battery along with solar charge controller. Thanks. Is there any reason not to use the solar charge controller's output to the 12v and USB outlets so that it can control power cutting when low battery voltage?
This is an incredible video series, well done and well organized on your website. I'm curious, given that you can build one of these quickly and have the tools - what would you charge to build this for me and ship to Colorado?
I have been considering the possibility of building them minus battery and shipping them, but am not sure if it is something I am ready to take on right now or not.
Great video. Are you not using any relays in this build? All the toggle switches are robust enough to handle your loads? If I can get away with not using relays I am all for it but I was worried about too high of currents
EXCELLENT VIDEO! I've been looking a solution similar to this for years. My question is can this adapted to a smaller case and smaller components, for example my inverter AND battery is a LOT smaller than yours because I have to consider weight constraints due to the fact I have Fibromyalgia and need a lighter weight setup in order to manage. Also considering if I have enough solar panels, inverters and/or batteries can this generator be used continuously to run for instance a refrigerator?
I'm using a lot of similar components as this project. I'm wondering if it's necessary to put a fuse between the battery and the fuse distribution box. I have the same one as you and it says it's 30amp max per circuit and 100amp total. I don't plan on using all 6 circuits maxed out. Thanks!
I'm working on a similar type of system, wondering about powering an induction burner thought. Its rated at 1500W and I think it may be used up to three hours in one use- 3 hrs per day. Do you think a single battery system like this could handle that?
I am interested on what you are building, i want to know how much you'll charg to build me one, I actually don't need solar panels . just the solar generator only. Looking forward to hear from you thanks
Not a dumb question at all it doesn’t make sense for him to hook up trickle charger to fuse block it gets power from outside no need to hook up ! Also his fuse block is 12v not 120
The only thing I see you might could possible improve is I noticed the inverter has a earth ground you might want to add a earth ground lug on there somewhere for better protection.
That's true. I won;t have an external ground available in most places I use this, but adding an external lug for those that might is a good idea. Thanks!
ModernSurvivalists You can make or buy a copper rod (like a really big nail) but wit handles on, that you can ram down in the ground, and pull it out using the handles. This rod should be positioned as close to the ac tool / appliance you are going to use, since the grounding potential will vary depending on soil conditions and how long the grounding rod are inserted into the ground
Thanks for your videos, need to confirm the ac charger ans solar panel controller are not directly connected to battery but connected through the fuse block?
Thanks Roger. That is correct. Any wires connected directly to the battery should be fused, as closely to the battery as possible. The fuse rating should be equal to or less than the DC current rating of the wire. In this build we achieved that using the 6 position fuse block linked in the blog post, which left us a couple spots for future expansion.
WOW! What a great series! I'm just beginning research into a project like this. Any advice on making this box using a Lithium Ion battery instead of the lead acid? Trying to figure out if I can trickle/float charge the battery off of AC when not hooked up to the solar panel. More research... Thanks for a great DIY!
Thanks! I went with an AGM battery due to the lower cost. The Li-Ion batteries have some neat properties, including lighter weight, but their much higher cost, and the fact that most of the inverters and solar chargers are designed for more traditional battery technologies turned me away from them. I have an AC float charger / battery maintainer included in this build series. It uses a flush mounted / weather proof receptacle that the end of an extension cord plugs into like a socket. It's been working great!
dan finger I'm in the process of making a li-ion solar generator myself, plus making a foldable 65W solar panel that fits into the case I have using a 3D printer and a laser cutter, so I'll only need to grab one thing instead of both the case and the solar panel. I'm going to use it on camping and boat trips so one package is essential. I to struggle with the charging from the solar panels, the best bet so far is "electrodacus solar bms" but this is a kickstarter so I'm not so sure if it'll go through, so I'm playing with the idea of making my own using an arduino, some power resistors, some mosfets, and some other stuff. Remember that lithium cells need to be balanced charged and NEVER, I repeat NEVER EVER!!!!! Trickle or float charged unless your intention is to make a bomb. When the battery pack is fully charged, the charging process need to be stopped. Say your li-ion battery pack is at 12v 50Ah, that's 600Wh, that's 2 160 000 joules of energy, that's equivalent of 470 grams or roughly 2,5 sticks of TNT ( (Hello FBI: just educating on the topic of lithium cells, nothing to see here, move along!) (xD) )
I'm planning building something similar with a 12V 150AH lithium battery. it aint cheap, but I was looking at the Kodiak or Yeti 3000. For the price of the Yeti I would have a lot more storage! We will see.
Lithium polymer is better for any portable use simply because it is significantly less likely to catch on fire. Think of Samsung note 7 and other phones that have caught on fire spontaneously. all of them used lithium ion batteries. Lithium ion becomes very unstable at high temperatures or high voltages.
I'm pretty sure I saw you also make THE MOST COMMON MISTAKE on systems like this. You REALLY should install a switch between the battery & the Charge controller-otherwise there is a draw on the battery from the controller that over time, WILL run down the battery!
The charge controllers are intended to be wired in permanently. Their intended design scenario is to be connected to the battery 24 hours a day, so that they can begin charging as soon as enough sunlight hits the panel each day. I supposed the battery status circuitry and the status LED would have a VERY small draw. It should be inconsequential during normal usage, much like the clock / computer in a car is not generally an issue even if the car sits for months between use. I suppose if you are storing the unit for many months between uses, then a switch to disconnect the charge controller could make a difference. When I get a chance I will try to hook a DMM to the charge controller with no panel connected and see what the current draw amounts to.
Hey Bruce, I did go back and measure the charge controllers idle current draw. It was 8mA, which isn't a ton, but still more than I would like. I didn't want a switch to have to constantly remember to turn on and off all the time, so I came up with a better solution that was no additional cost! I used my solar panel connector to build in an automatic controller disconnect when the panels are unplugged. Check it out! ruclips.net/video/VnB82Gio0Zw/видео.html
My own portable solar power bank has the charge controller permanently wired to the batteries. Thing is that the very small milliamp draw takes MONTHS to drain the battery. If it sits that long then you should have it connected to a battery trickle charger/smart charger. Traditional SLA batteries (deep cycle or otherwise) will slowly loose charge over time. They should be topped off periodically or maintained with a trickle charger (if stored, if you have yours connected to the panels on the back porch then don't worry about it). But of course this is my own opinion. 😁
There are several different benchmarks on how much current different wire gauges can handle, some with more safety margin than others. A common rating for 16 AWG is 22 amps. Since the 100 watt panels we are using can only generate 5.75 amps max, it would allow for up to 3 panels safely. However, your voltage drop will be less with thicker wires, making them slightly more efficient (less voltage loss = better battery charging).
I imagine you could, but I have not. If I have the solar panels connected, I prefer to let them do all of the charging. The AC battery tender / trickle charger is more intended for if I am storing the generator longer term somewhere without the panels, just to be keep the batteries healthy, topped off and ready to go for an emergency.
Showing my ignorance no doubt, but can you have the solar panel controller and the AC charger providing current to the battery at the same time? What happens if they are both on?
Nope, not ignorant at all! They both act independently from each other,and can both work together to charge the battery if desired. Both the battery maintainer and the solar charger will try to charge the battery when they detect it is low. If it is sunny out, and the solar panels are keeping up with the current load, its more cost effective to just let the solar panels do the charging, but if its cloudy out and the panels are not keeping up with your load usage, the AC charger will assist if you have it plugged in.
I didn't include it because I did not see myself using it very often. I usually use the generator in places without an auxiliary ground / earth available. I included a GFI receptacle for additional protection however. Connecting the ground lug on the inverter is not mandatory per the manufacture instructions, however if you using it in a scenario where you do have a ground available, adding a external lug connected to that wouldn't be a bad idea!
Two 6 volt batteries in series would give 12 volts, but the Amp Hour ratings of the battery do not add together like when batteries are wired in parallel. For example, if you have two 6v 50AH batteries wired in series, they each can supply 50A for one hour. But in order to reach 12V, they are both supplying 50A at 6V for one hour, adding up to 12V and 50A for one hour. So two 6V 50AH batteries in series are the equivalent of one 12v 50AH battery.
I haven't had any issues with heat yet. Most of my usage with heavier loads has been very intermittent. My reasoning with no ventilation is I wanted to keep everything water-tight / weatherproof, and the enclosure really is not much different than a truck toolbox, which is where these inverters are often installed. The inverter also has a built in thermal overload auto shutdown, but it has never activated for me. If it ever becomes an issue, I can always just simply open the case to give it ventilation.
I built this nearly identical to the video, but used a blue Optima 75aH battery. Way heavy, but I work out, and that makes it harder to steal! I power a 63qt ARB fridge/freezer with it. It works for days inside, but it cuts out very, very quickly in the back of my truck in the shade. I thought it was a bad DC cable, but have since disproven this theory. All I can think is that the heat (90+ F) is what's causing a problem. Any ideas on alleviating this? And what is it exactly about the heat that would prevent the ARB from receiving enough current from the system?
There's two problems I saw in this design. 1. No Venting. The inverter needs fresh cool air to keep its components cool. If it's all closed up like that, then it'll overheat and die. 2. No earth ground. Dangerous. Other than those two, your build is great......
We've been over both of these. Both are not issues. The vent free design in necessary to be fully weatherproof. The inverter has thermal overload and will shut off before any damage occurs, and has never happened in my usage yet. If someone is using it in hot / dessert conditions, and wants to vent the inverter, you just open the case. Simple. As far as the earth ground goes, it is recommended to use one when for a permanent installation, but it is not required for a mobile units. Hundreds of thousands of work / utility trucks have inverters installed in them with no earth ground.
Bro, you are a God Send. Everything you have done is Exactly what I wanted to do and now thanks to you I will be doing this same setup. Excellent and thanks for sharing your knowledge.
I have gathering materials for a similar system using 600w inverter with 2 gel batteries. Best series I have found on actual wiring and design. Fantastic. Thanks a million for your outstanding series.
Thanks. glad you liked it! Let me know how yours turns out.
Great series. Working on putting a similar generator box together and you sure have made it a lot easier with your step-by-step instructionals. Outstanding!
Thanks!
Well done. Great video and great generator.
I made a small one (1450 Pelican), no lights and a small inverter that plugged into the 12v socket. I like the trailer plug.
I hope to make one, like yours, soon.
Thanks for sharing your video and your work. I have saved your video because I use it as a guide ...
Starting my own box, thanks for the info.
Excellent work! I have been searching for videos for a couple years now on a great step-by-step video series on just how to put together just such a generator! THANK you!! Having ZERO experience with such things I need as many of the steps covered in a video as possible. This is perfect!
Now, I would like to know how many of those batteries are needed to power an appliance that typically takes up the most power over the longest period of time, that being an oven.
I wonder this too ... rather than using traditional deep cycle batteries for such a project would would be able to use SOLN1 Capacitors instead? I have little knowledge about the capacitors but I will learn. I have no idea right now just how many of the capacitors I would need to string together to equal the output of a 12V battery like the one you've used in this project. Some advice or ideas on this would be great too!
Thanks again for these GREAT videos!
Lee
I think this is a great video I am going to make 1
wow nice build love it 🥰🥰🥰 i have 3000 watts pure sine wave in water proof tool box i have 3 breaker 1 20A AND 2 15A breaker for my 3 110 out let i have switch between my positive and my battery and positive of my inverter i have put cool fan and usb port and solar charger not finish building it yet the wire i used for my plug is wire that wire house 🥰🥰🥰
Thansk! Good luck with your solar generator build!
You’re a genius
Wonderful and useful Thanks
Nice build. I'd consider a small MPPT controller instead of that one you have put in there though, as the cost increase wouldn't be that bad, but since this is aimed at a portable application, you'll want to make the most out of whatever panels you can carry with you.
So much info to absorb.
I watched a few times and still couldn't understand (as an ignorant newbie)...
How was the 110 charging inlet wired to the charger?🧐
It has a standard AC power inlet, which we wired to the waterproof male power plug mounted to the side of the case (it will allow the female end of an extension cord to directly plug into it, so no dangly power cords on the outside of box to snag on things). The charger also has a 12v output which we wired through the fuse block and then directly to the battery.
Did I miss the maintainer wiring during my 420 break???
More parts coming today. I’ll post up when I’m done. I have the inverter and it’s a solid great piece. I’m wondering if you have any problem with it running computers iPads etc. I debated a pure sine....but many of the products had mixed reviews.
Would there be any value/safeguard in adding a fuse or breaker between your external battery connector (Red plug) and your fuse box?
Great work! You answered my question how to connect a trickle charger to the battery along with solar charge controller. Thanks. Is there any reason not to use the solar charge controller's output to the 12v and USB outlets so that it can control power cutting when low battery voltage?
This is an incredible video series, well done and well organized on your website. I'm curious, given that you can build one of these quickly and have the tools - what would you charge to build this for me and ship to Colorado?
Thanks, glad you liked it!
I have been considering the possibility of building them minus battery and shipping them, but am not sure if it is something I am ready to take on right now or not.
Great video. Are you not using any relays in this build? All the toggle switches are robust enough to handle your loads? If I can get away with not using relays I am all for it but I was worried about too high of currents
EXCELLENT VIDEO! I've been looking a solution similar to this for years. My question is can this adapted to a smaller case and smaller components, for example my inverter AND battery is a LOT smaller than yours because I have to consider weight constraints due to the fact I have Fibromyalgia and need a lighter weight setup in order to manage. Also considering if I have enough solar panels, inverters and/or batteries can this generator be used continuously to run for instance a refrigerator?
please talk about the type of wire you use for the system.
I'm using a lot of similar components as this project. I'm wondering if it's necessary to put a fuse between the battery and the fuse distribution box. I have the same one as you and it says it's 30amp max per circuit and 100amp total. I don't plan on using all 6 circuits maxed out. Thanks!
The pelican 1620 doesn't have ribs on the inside of it??? Damnit, that's like the only one I didn't check. Makes it so much easier to mount things
I'm working on a similar type of system, wondering about powering an induction burner thought. Its rated at 1500W and I think it may be used up to three hours in one use- 3 hrs per day. Do you think a single battery system like this could handle that?
How do you know if the battery is getting too low? What voltage will the battery be at?
I am interested on what you are building, i want to know how much you'll charg to build me one, I actually don't need solar panels . just the solar generator only. Looking forward to hear from you thanks
I know this is a dumb question, but for your trickle charger did you actually cut the terminals off and connect it to your fuse block?
Not a dumb question at all it doesn’t make sense for him to hook up trickle charger to fuse block it gets power from outside no need to hook up ! Also his fuse block is 12v not 120
The only thing I see you might could possible improve is I noticed the inverter has a earth ground you might want to add a earth ground lug on there somewhere for better protection.
That's true. I won;t have an external ground available in most places I use this, but adding an external lug for those that might is a good idea. Thanks!
ModernSurvivalists You can make or buy a copper rod (like a really big nail) but wit handles on, that you can ram down in the ground, and pull it out using the handles. This rod should be positioned as close to the ac tool / appliance you are going to use, since the grounding potential will vary depending on soil conditions and how long the grounding rod are inserted into the ground
I hope this isn’t a stupid question but does this leave your usb outlet in d/c?
what about a connection for another battery out side the case
These wires good for using with 200-400 ah batteries?
What was your total spend building this generator? Did you have much waste (materials)?
Thanks for your videos, need to confirm the ac charger ans solar panel controller are not directly connected to battery but connected through the fuse block?
Thanks Roger. That is correct. Any wires connected directly to the battery should be fused, as closely to the battery as possible. The fuse rating should be equal to or less than the DC current rating of the wire. In this build we achieved that using the 6 position fuse block linked in the blog post, which left us a couple spots for future expansion.
How much would you sell one of these for?
WOW! What a great series! I'm just beginning research into a project like this. Any advice on making this box using a Lithium Ion battery instead of the lead acid? Trying to figure out if I can trickle/float charge the battery off of AC when not hooked up to the solar panel. More research... Thanks for a great DIY!
Thanks! I went with an AGM battery due to the lower cost. The Li-Ion batteries have some neat properties, including lighter weight, but their much higher cost, and the fact that most of the inverters and solar chargers are designed for more traditional battery technologies turned me away from them.
I have an AC float charger / battery maintainer included in this build series. It uses a flush mounted / weather proof receptacle that the end of an extension cord plugs into like a socket. It's been working great!
dan finger I'm in the process of making a li-ion solar generator myself, plus making a foldable 65W solar panel that fits into the case I have using a 3D printer and a laser cutter, so I'll only need to grab one thing instead of both the case and the solar panel. I'm going to use it on camping and boat trips so one package is essential. I to struggle with the charging from the solar panels, the best bet so far is "electrodacus solar bms" but this is a kickstarter so I'm not so sure if it'll go through, so I'm playing with the idea of making my own using an arduino, some power resistors, some mosfets, and some other stuff. Remember that lithium cells need to be balanced charged and NEVER, I repeat NEVER EVER!!!!! Trickle or float charged unless your intention is to make a bomb. When the battery pack is fully charged, the charging process need to be stopped. Say your li-ion battery pack is at 12v 50Ah, that's 600Wh, that's 2 160 000 joules of energy, that's equivalent of 470 grams or roughly 2,5 sticks of TNT ( (Hello FBI: just educating on the topic of lithium cells, nothing to see here, move along!) (xD) )
I'm planning building something similar with a 12V 150AH lithium battery. it aint cheap, but I was looking at the Kodiak or Yeti 3000. For the price of the Yeti I would have a lot more storage! We will see.
Lithium polymer is better for any portable use simply because it is significantly less likely to catch on fire. Think of Samsung note 7 and other phones that have caught on fire spontaneously. all of them used lithium ion batteries. Lithium ion becomes very unstable at high temperatures or high voltages.
Little confused on your trickle charger ! Why did you hook it to your fuse block ? Doesn’t make sense
Just as an added protection. Ideally you want all wires to be fuse protected against short circuits.
I'm pretty sure I saw you also make THE MOST COMMON MISTAKE on systems like this. You REALLY should install a switch between the battery & the Charge controller-otherwise there is a draw on the battery from the controller that over time, WILL run down the battery!
The charge controllers are intended to be wired in permanently. Their intended design scenario is to be connected to the battery 24 hours a day, so that they can begin charging as soon as enough sunlight hits the panel each day. I supposed the battery status circuitry and the status LED would have a VERY small draw. It should be inconsequential during normal usage, much like the clock / computer in a car is not generally an issue even if the car sits for months between use. I suppose if you are storing the unit for many months between uses, then a switch to disconnect the charge controller could make a difference. When I get a chance I will try to hook a DMM to the charge controller with no panel connected and see what the current draw amounts to.
If unused for 3-4 weeks, your battery WILL be drained. Spend Ten Bucks and put in a switch-CHEAP INSURANCE!
Hey Bruce, I did go back and measure the charge controllers idle current draw. It was 8mA, which isn't a ton, but still more than I would like. I didn't want a switch to have to constantly remember to turn on and off all the time, so I came up with a better solution that was no additional cost! I used my solar panel connector to build in an automatic controller disconnect when the panels are unplugged. Check it out! ruclips.net/video/VnB82Gio0Zw/видео.html
I like your idea-I'll look into it.
My own portable solar power bank has the charge controller permanently wired to the batteries. Thing is that the very small milliamp draw takes MONTHS to drain the battery. If it sits that long then you should have it connected to a battery trickle charger/smart charger. Traditional SLA batteries (deep cycle or otherwise) will slowly loose charge over time. They should be topped off periodically or maintained with a trickle charger (if stored, if you have yours connected to the panels on the back porch then don't worry about it). But of course this is my own opinion. 😁
Great video! Just a small question! Will the 16 gauge wire's capacity too small for the PV input connection?
There are several different benchmarks on how much current different wire gauges can handle, some with more safety margin than others. A common rating for 16 AWG is 22 amps. Since the 100 watt panels we are using can only generate 5.75 amps max, it would allow for up to 3 panels safely. However, your voltage drop will be less with thicker wires, making them slightly more efficient (less voltage loss = better battery charging).
Thank you! Great job and great video!
HELLO WHAT SIZE WIRE DID YOU USE
your the man ,talk to Elon musk ,he might need you to the mission to mars ,marvelous work
Thanks! Mars mission is a little out of my league, but thanks all the same lol!
Do you run your AC trickle charger and the solar panel charger simultaneously?
I imagine you could, but I have not. If I have the solar panels connected, I prefer to let them do all of the charging. The AC battery tender / trickle charger is more intended for if I am storing the generator longer term somewhere without the panels, just to be keep the batteries healthy, topped off and ready to go for an emergency.
Showing my ignorance no doubt, but can you have the solar panel controller and the AC charger providing current to the battery at the same time? What happens if they are both on?
Phenomenal series - thanks for putting this out there!
Nope, not ignorant at all! They both act independently from each other,and can both work together to charge the battery if desired. Both the battery maintainer and the solar charger will try to charge the battery when they detect it is low. If it is sunny out, and the solar panels are keeping up with the current load, its more cost effective to just let the solar panels do the charging, but if its cloudy out and the panels are not keeping up with your load usage, the AC charger will assist if you have it plugged in.
Thanks for the reply! And thanks for the inspiration - am off to shop Amazon. Keep the videos coming!
How much did this cost ?
what about the earth on the inverter.I did,nt see you doing anything to it.Please explain
I didn't include it because I did not see myself using it very often. I usually use the generator in places without an auxiliary ground / earth available. I included a GFI receptacle for additional protection however. Connecting the ground lug on the inverter is not mandatory per the manufacture instructions, however if you using it in a scenario where you do have a ground available, adding a external lug connected to that wouldn't be a bad idea!
im not an expert, but why not use two 6volt batteries? I heard it creates more amps I think.
Two 6 volt batteries in series would give 12 volts, but the Amp Hour ratings of the battery do not add together like when batteries are wired in parallel. For example, if you have two 6v 50AH batteries wired in series, they each can supply 50A for one hour. But in order to reach 12V, they are both supplying 50A at 6V for one hour, adding up to 12V and 50A for one hour. So two 6V 50AH batteries in series are the equivalent of one 12v 50AH battery.
Yes, but you double your total power in watts.
Do you have a problem with heat? (from the Inverter)
I haven't had any issues with heat yet. Most of my usage with heavier loads has been very intermittent. My reasoning with no ventilation is I wanted to keep everything water-tight / weatherproof, and the enclosure really is not much different than a truck toolbox, which is where these inverters are often installed. The inverter also has a built in thermal overload auto shutdown, but it has never activated for me. If it ever becomes an issue, I can always just simply open the case to give it ventilation.
I built this nearly identical to the video, but used a blue Optima 75aH battery. Way heavy, but I work out, and that makes it harder to steal! I power a 63qt ARB fridge/freezer with it. It works for days inside, but it cuts out very, very quickly in the back of my truck in the shade. I thought it was a bad DC cable, but have since disproven this theory. All I can think is that the heat (90+ F) is what's causing a problem. Any ideas on alleviating this? And what is it exactly about the heat that would prevent the ARB from receiving enough current from the system?
There's two problems I saw in this design.
1. No Venting. The inverter needs fresh cool air to keep its components cool. If it's all closed up like that, then it'll overheat and die.
2. No earth ground. Dangerous.
Other than those two, your build is great......
We've been over both of these. Both are not issues. The vent free design in necessary to be fully weatherproof. The inverter has thermal overload and will shut off before any damage occurs, and has never happened in my usage yet. If someone is using it in hot / dessert conditions, and wants to vent the inverter, you just open the case. Simple. As far as the earth ground goes, it is recommended to use one when for a permanent installation, but it is not required for a mobile units. Hundreds of thousands of work / utility trucks have inverters installed in them with no earth ground.
You made a big mistake
You have no disconnect between the battery and the inverter .
Sorry, I had to stop watching, why do you keep saying "go ahead and ......" it is redundant and is pointless