veletron

Based on your calcs re the Varta 95, If a lithium lasts 8 years then it represents good value. NB: I get 3 years out of a set of LA's The key for me is usable power. Drain a lead acid flat and it will do 20 cycles, do the same with lithium and it will still do thousands of cycles. Usable capacity of a lead acid is about 50% dod if you want it to last a couple years while lithium will do 80% dod and still last 6000cycles. My issue is one of capacity, I have 200W of solar - there is no more space on the roof! I have a 60A B2B. I am needing to use my work laptop for a full working day. It pulls a steady 10A@12V so 80AH in a working day (it's a beast of a laptop as required for my job!). My choices are hookup or lithium, but I would like not to be stuck on a campsite (that's assuming I can even book one!). I escape to the hills every weekend, driving back home for mon-fri has become a bit nuts given that all I need is an internet connection, laptop and reliable power supply to work from the van! This is my main reason for considering lithium. Looking to fix my work/life ballance! Karen

Yes, I got a short answer to a question many moons ago when I bought my 1st B2B off them! Once bitten, twice shy!!

Hi I have been looking at Sterling Power's range of LiFePO4 Lithium batteries. I am thinking these are just Chinese imports that Sterling has put its name to, however, Sterling enjoys a good reputation so I am thinking that they would not put their name to any old thing. Cost has come right down for Lithium to £540 for a 100AH battery, less if you shop via eBay. These appear to be well thought out and matched to the Sterling B2B which I already own (has a lithium setting). I rather like the idea of having twice the usable power of my current lead-acid pair, as well as having a 30KG weight saving. Anyone have any experience of these? Karen

http://photos.veletron.com/index.php/album151/Wifi

Hi For the UK... I use a shared EE Sim (shares the data from your phone contract), costs £7/mnth extra. I have 20GB from my EE phone contract so loads to go around - I run two shared sims off it one in MiFi and the other in tablet. For remote area's of highland Scotland, Vodafone 2G is often all you will get. OK for emails, checking the weather and not alot else. For this, I use a second sim from http://the.pebble.network/ in a separate MiFi. The pebble is NOT cheap at 25p/MB, but it does roam across all UK networks. The MiFi is fixed to 2G service and at 2G speeds it would take a while to get through 1MB of data. I used to use a sainsburys mobile sim for this (they used vodafone), but they are shutting down early jan). To ensure that the MiFi gets a decent signal, I have a high gain dual band (700-900 + 1800-2100MHz) antenna on the van. This covers the majority of 2G,3G and 4G bands in the UK. The 2600MHz 4g band is only deployed in larger town's/cities with high population densities - eg places I never go! Aside from cellular, I also joined FON (as a non BT customer, by plugging in their router at home). Fon operates a 'you share yours, we share ours' model. FON is often useful in small highland villages where no mobile, or only 2G mobile exists. I run an Alfa R36 router connected to an Alfa TubeU-G the TubeU-G connects to a high gain wifi antenna on the rear of the van. The Tube-U picks up the wifi signal, and the R36 re-broadcasts this inside the van as my own fixed network V.A.N - van area network ;-) It works well, I tell the R36 to do a 'site survey' via its web interface, I choose the network and it connects and re-broadcasts as V.A.N. Also useful outside pubs etc for borrowing wifi after you have finished your pint. For those with Van conversions, the mounting method is easy. Buy https://www.leisureshopdirect.com/electric/caravan-tv/maxview-accessories/maxview-masts-and-mounting-brackets/maxview-universal-aerial-clamps Form the long edge of one bracket such that it hooks around the top of the door (use mole grips with tape on them to protect the paint). Secure this in the inside of the door with a blob of sikaflex. Use the supplied sticky pad on the lower part of the top bracket and both sides of the lower bracket. Put some clear mastic around the sides. Any wind loading is on the top bracket, which is secure - even if the sika gave up, it would stay put because it is trapped by the door. The cables just go through the door, the door still seals well enough. no drilling required, and invisible removal possible. On my old van I used a telescopic pole to get the antenna high up, but this not poss on new van. See pic Nigel