Here’s where I’ll put pages to stuff that appeals to the “geek” in me.
5/22/2021 – Solar on board duet, version 2.0
Back in 2014 when we were provisioning Duet, I installed 2 45 watt solar panels along with an inexpensive charge controller, and we were quite happy with that. I removed that system and brought it back with us when the boat went up for sale in 2015.
I got all the components together to reinstall the panels in a more permeant way. I started reading forums on “Solar on a boat” and found intformation about new technologies that would help us manage power on board, as well as the fact that solar panel technology has been advancing quickly over the last few years.
The new system features the following components:
1. Victron Energy SmartShunt 1,000 amp Battery Monitor.
This is a battery monitor that can be accessed via bluetooth on our cell phones and tablets. This provides LOTS of information about power consumption on Duet, so we can make the most of what power we store on board. Currently we have 400ah of battery storage in our house battery bank (AGM batteries). When we were living on the hook, we found desipite the fact that we had the 90 watts of solar and the wind generator, that we had to run the generator once or twice a week to keep things charged up. At that time the engine alternator was not connected to the house bank, just the starting bank. This has been fixed and now we can charge both banks when we run the engine. This battery monitor should help us to better understand what devices use how much power (refrigeration, mostly), and manage accordingly.
2. Victron Energy SmartSolar MPPT Tr 150V 70 amp 12/24/36/48-Volt Solar Charge Controller
This is a smart charging controller that maximizes the incoming power from the solar panels and provides optimal charging of the batteries. This also can be monitored via bluetooth on our phones/tablets so we can see how much power we’re actually harvesting from the sun.
3. LG NeON2 LG415N2W-L5 415w Mono Solar Panel (qty:2)
This speaks for itself, 415 watts versus my old 45 watt panels. They’re big though, 40 x 80 inches.
7/26/2018 – Status as of right now
WIFI on the boat is working, AIS updating to Coastal Explorer, VPN and Camera working.
One of the things I want to get working is to connect the Coastal Explorer to my RayMarine network so I can transmit routes to my chartplotter.
Another item on my list is to get the 220v system running properly on the boat, so I can have both 120 and 220 available, depending on where we’re plugged in.
7/14/2017 – Starting the path back to full functionality
During the passage across the gulf, the AIS information was not getting to the “Coastal Explorer” software, so we couldn’t map AIS targets on the chart display. This is something we’ll want working in the SF-Bay area, so this will be one of my high priority projects. I’ve also got to get the wind generator and radar units back on their poles and functioning again. Installing one internal camera this weekend after we land in the marina, should work through the VPN to the house security system. I’ll also be setting up at least a couple of solar panels as well some time in the next couple of months.
7/16/2017 – UPDATE – AIS fixed, showing targets on Coastal Explorer. Had to reset all options on radio and re-option. Wind generator is up and wired, need to test still, boatyard did this without asking. Couldn’t get long range antenna working on dock, messed up antenna configuration while messing with it, brought it back home to fix. VPN/camera not functioning still. (update 7/29/2017, marina getting new WIFI, hopefully that will fix network connection.)
4/11/2017 – Misc. preparation
I’ve configured a new router for the boat, with VPN support, so I’ll be able to access IP devices on the boat from our local home network. I’ll probably have a couple of cameras so I can keep an eye on what’s going on in the neighborhood of the boat when it’s in the marina. The long-range antenna stopped working so I purchased another, even better one and it’s been working fine. Got a new waterproof case for the iPhone 6 and a new action-cam, cheapo, we’ll see if I like it… Apeman! With a name like “APEMAN”, how could I go wrong? The mounting stuff is the same as the Gopro, so I’ve already got lots of mounting options.
3/9/2017 – Preparation notes.
I’ve been burning the midnight oil getting the radio (with GPS and AIS) talking to a network that I can take to the boat and plug in with just a couple of wires. Everything is working now, just need to beautify things now and prep for transport to FL.
I’ll be buying a little satellite time for our Iridium GO! for our trip across the gulf.