Snackchaser

JT, I'm not sure which connector you have, or how you're installing it, so forgive me if I state the obvious. I think you might be trying to put the nut on the inside wall of the trailer, that would probably be too thick. The nut goes on the back of the Furrion cable TV port after it's drilled out to fit the Rj45 panel mount. It's assembled on the bench, then installed on the trailer with the 4 mounting screws. The hole through the Oliver might need to be enlarged a little, this is best done with a step drill bit. I sure hope this helps you out!

No. My 30 amp Orion only powers up, and shows in the App, when it's connected to the truck. That’s the proper operation per the manual and it's a good thing otherwise it would be another tiny parasite draw when not in use. I don’t know about the 50 amp. Its ability to be used as a power supply, or that it's non-isolated could have something to do with it. Or if you have it connected through VE Direct it would probably show up on the App.

John, I'm fairly sure that I found the following Moen part number in an old forum post. I bought them on Amazon, but they were a bit larger and the mounting holes were different (vertical verses horizontal.) My wife actually liked them better, so I relocated one of the original hooks so that the size difference is not noticeable. I looks factory🤙 https://a.co/d/fdl5a9h

I guess technically speaking, it’s correct that Gree does not have a built-in SoftStart, but that might not be the whole story. The Gree website says: “Proprietary compressor technology eliminates the need for an add on "Soft Start.” This seems to be a new industry direction. Good discussion! I’ve been slowly building an AC spread sheet over the last few months and trying to capture information. Sound levels are not usually specified so Its good to hear actual comparisons in an Oliver. I think your probably right about 45dB being too low, some vendor claims are dubious:

I received a reply from Greenland this morning and I'm still on the fence with its viability, despite its other excellent attributes. Customer service has been very responsive though: "Turbo Customer Service Thank you for your patience and continued interest in our products. The ambient temperature needs to be lower than 109 degrees is designed to protect the compressor's longevity. Regarding the low-temperature threshold, the design of this product does not include electric auxiliary heating so it does not heat when the ambient temperature is below 20°F."

Hi Derek, Good question, I'm also curious what folks think about the Greenland Turbo Inverter. It could be my top choice except that it’s only rated to operate in temperature ranges from 19.4℉ to 109.4℉. I asked the manufacture if that related to the inside or outside temperature, and they said both. I reached out to them again for more perspective because temperatures over 109℉ are common, and that’s when the AC is most needed. I’m hoping to hear some better explanations next week because that could be a non-starter. Another potentially controversial issue is that the Greenland is designed to slowly ramp the compressor up-and-down - continuously. The starting/running current looks like a smooth sine-wave, unlike conventional compressors that turn on with a large inrush starting current and then a steady run current. The Greenland runs continuously when in use, cycling the compressor from high-to-low to maintain temperature. The conventional AC compressor constantly turns on-off when in use. Our Penguin sometimes does that every 30 seconds. I was skeptical of the Greenland at first, but after more thought I think it’s a good design because it doesn't have frequent starts and stops, and there is less temperature fluctuation. They supposedly have lower energy consumption, and are very quiet at 45db. They come with a remote control thermostat where I’d prefer a wired one to replace the existing one. Another interesting AC is the Eco Cool by Gree. It’s also a heat pump with a built-in SoftStart. The manufacture claims its the quietest. I like that it has “intelligent” dehumidification, a 3-speed fan, and both remote and wired thermostat. The Houghton and Dreiha Atmos are on the table too, they are getting good reviews! From what I understand, the Truma is unavailable for DIY. Cheers! Geoff

Yea after miles of dirt road the dust gets everywhere. We missed cleaning under the caps but I'm not concerned about it. To get the ethernet cable from the attic to the outdoor garage, you will need to remove the attic's street side wall panel, it's held in by two hex head screws. Also remove two screws to partially pull back the garage side panel. From both locations, you will see the clear poly drain tube for the air conditioner. The gap is wider here, and I was able to snake a fish rod along the side of the tube straight down to the garage without restriction or obstruction from the insulation. A cheap Amazon sectional fish-rod works well here. Always pull an extra string with the cable because it gets harder to get the rod through with each wire added, and you may want to add wires later for my "Turning On The Rear Camera Automatically" modification😁 https://a.co/d/fl9XvxS

Yea this stuff could drive anyone nuts! Forgive me that Iv’e showed this before, but it still might help you save $$. I looked at the SmartPort way back when, and was appalled at the price. Also it would stick out like a sore thumb on the Oliver. You can buy another matching Furrion outlet for $9 and a RJ45 panel mount (two) for $16. Just have to drill the Furrion hole bigger and the RJ45 panel mount will fit right in. It’s a double female, so any Cat 6 RJ45 patch cord will work on the inside, just fish it up the wall into the attic. There is a clear path next to the AC drain tube. Gosh, that photo looks like it's mounted crooked🫢 A female 5.5 mm barrel connector will screw into the Furrion without any drilling if you want to go that route. You can even make your own Starlink Mini power cord from cable, at least #16, and run the Mini without boosting the voltage. https://a.co/d/6ZfCA1Q https://a.co/d/5YNGSrP https://a.co/d/9p1RQpP https://a.co/d/hszApCd

There are battery isolators for charging, but I've never seen one that would work for your purpose of using both sources at the same time to power your Mini. You would be essentially wiring the batteries in parallel, and it's also a no-no to mix lithium and lead acid. I'm sure you could rig up a diode affair, but that's not very realistic. I'd keep them separate with a "On - Off - On" toggle switch to feed the Mini from one source or the other . . . or off! The common terminal goes to the Mini, the others to the starter battery and tow harness trailer battery respectively. Ground to the chassis. You can get toggle switches up to 30 amps. A relay will work too, but overkill in this case. Just fuse it properly. 🤙

My typical problem with the Mini is "partial" obstructed view, where the connection continuity is impacted when the satellites pass over the blind spots. It depends how big the obstruction is, whether it can be buffered-out without disruption or too much speed loss. I have a Dishy pole mount on the front and rear of the trailer for that reason, and sometimes only that much movement can make a big difference in an obstructed area (See my "Tacky Starlink Dishy Mast" post). Often the obstruction is on the low horizon and a long mast is the ticket. That's another advantage with the lightweight Mini because my heavy Gen-3 Dishy is too wobbly on a long pole. The Starlink App has an interesting feature that maps the sky and shows obstructions. I think it works even without having a Starlink connection if you want to play around with it. It might help you answer the question how well the Mini would work laying flat. Correct, I think mobil cords are around 15-20 feet long compared to the standard 50" cord, so there is no need to boost the voltage. Cheers, Geoff

JD, I devised my Victron Starlink Mini power supply because there were no other options available at that time. Now that there are other options available, I’d still prefer the Victron for my setup with the standard 50’ Mini cord. It’s a quality power supply, and I haven’t felt the need for a different router yet. The PoE injector has benefits too. It’s a good option if you want have the Mini more than 50’ away and/or use a separate router for a stronger WiFi signal. The Mini’s built-in router’s WiFi signal can weaken the further away it gets. This hasn't been a problem for me so far, the problem is always obstructed view on the upper horizon from trees and hills. In your setup, with the Pepwave router and Mini mounted permanently on your truck, then you don’t need the Victron or PoE injector. You can simply power the Mini with a shorter 12 volt mobil cord (Amazon). The Mini's connection to the Pepwave can either be a short Rj45 cable or the Pepwave WiFi interface. If you ever want the flexibility to move the Mini away from the truck for clear sky view, then I’d consider either the Victron or PoE injector. It really depends on how you want to connect to the Pepwave. Remember, if your in that situation where you need to move the Mini away from the truck, then you don’t have to connect it to the Pepwave every time. . . or it will still connect through WiFi. . . or carry a longer Ethernet cord and run it parallel with the Mini power cord. You have options. Cheers! Geoff

Since you asked; I needed to have a ground pass-through jumper for the "optional" automatic switching using a digital "ground open" trigger😁 Otherwise the jumper isn't needed. And you're right, the jumper un-isolates the Victron but it's a non-issue for this application. Cheers, Geoff

JD, unfortunately it’s true that the DC to DC charger does not pass current in the opposite direction to back-feed the truck, otherwise the trailer battery would try to equalize with the truck battery and it could act like a charger in reverse. This is also why the DC to DC charger uses an engine-on sensor to turn it on, otherwise the truck battery would try to equalize with the trailer battery when the engine is off. If you want to use your DC to DC charger cables to run your Mini/Pepwave from the trailer battery, then you would need a relay to go-around the charger on the trailer side, and another (50 amp relay) to isolate the battery on the truck side. Then you would need switches for both with an interlock for safety. It’s rather complicated and expensive, not to mention relay parasite current. A better idea is to use the +12vDC wire from the 7-pin tow harness. It should be spared already on the trailer side, and you would have to isolate it on the truck side to use it as a trailer power feed for the Mini/Pepwave. I used that same wire to automatically turn on the rear camera. Otherwise, I’d recommend adding a separate #12 or 14 circuit in parallel with the DC to DC charger cables. Hope that helps, Geoff

I was conservatively using the 300 horsepower rating of our Tesla verses the Honda generator at 2.5 hp. It's actually way less than 1% because the Cyber truck is rated 600 to 800 hp. They say that regenerative braking re-captures about 20% charge, and that's already factored into the range estimates. Our Tesla has never registered an increase of charge even on the longest downhill grades. It sure registers discharge going up them through. 🫢 I see this technology working well for long haulers where they can stop for hours at charging stations. But I think there is still a ways to go before it's practical for campers.

The milage increase would be insignificant. The Honda is less than 1% of the horsepower of a Tesla and Energy conservation law states “energy cannot be created or destroyed, but can only be transformed from one form to another.” As Tesla owners, we love the performance and safety aspects of it, and it's defiantly energy efficient. However, I’d never consider one for travel trailer tow vehicle because of the range and charging challenges. I’ll stick with the 2500 RAM.

Thanks for your kind words @GaRambler, I hope to get to a rally and meet other Oli owners too!! You folks with the Starlink Mini may also be interested in this compact, self-contained Starlink power supply. It gives the Mini extra portability so you can take it to the campsite of an internet-needy friend, or hiking, or a remote picnic. It uses six common 18650 rechargeable batteries that will power the Mini for several hours. This DIY “StarSled Go” was cleverly designed by @Everlanders using a 3D-printed case and electronic components from AliExpress. It has a power switch, voltage meter, and built-in BMS/equalizing charger. The case can be printed for a couple of dollars’ worth of filament, and parts are so ridiculously cheap that I built extras for fun and gifts. Message me if you’re interested in one. Cheers, Geoff

That would be a "Single Pole Double Throw" (SPDT) switch. I buy my switches from DigiKey company, PN CH876-ND. If you message me privately, I can send you an extra one I have.

Yea that looks like a quality product. Thanks for sharing! With the voltage boosted to 48 volts, you could run the dishy father away than the standard power cord will allow, and it's easy to make your own ethernet cables with a few cheap amazon tools, bulk wire and connectors. I like the DC modem too! We used to run the Starlink gen 3 modem on the inverter and had to shut it off to save the battery. Now it just stays on all the time without a worry. Cheers, Geoff

Hey JT, Also take a look at my other post for getting your ethernet cable into the Oliver in a neat and professional manner: "Don’t cut your Starlink Cable! There’s a better way to install Starlink…" For the Mini, you will still have to run both the power cable and ethernet cable to do what it sounds like you'r describing. The second router is a great idea because, as you know, the WiFi/speed decreases when the Mini is placed further away from the trailer. We travel in the Pacific Northwest with lots of trees so we often have to move the dishy farther away to find a clear sky. Flexibly in that regard is a must for us too! Cheers, Geoff

Oh okay. Thought you were messing with me because I have posted several automation projects. Take a look at my post “Electric valve control... with a twist” where I installed motorized valves all connected to a single selector switch. It takes the error out of valve line-ups and it was a fun project. We don’t winterize, but we often use the boondocking position, and we usually drain and re-fill freshwater after every trip. I just hated lifting our oversized mattress too! I don’t think anyone has copied that modification yet because there were no comments about one of the 3-way valves being backwards. I really should update that photo with the corrected valve orientation 🤔

Oh Yea, you're jerking my chain now! I'll take the bait though😂 I used a 4 -position rotary switch with LED position indicators and automatic return to normal... proud to say.

Although I’m not sure how much difference it makes, maximum flow is important to me as well. With all the plumbing modifications I’ve made, I did’t want to introduce too many more restrictions in the system. I actually used 3/4” motorized ball valves, and SharkBite fittings wherever practical. I also heated and bent the PEX pipe instead of 90 deg. fittings whenever possible, and used 90 deg. plastic sweep clips to maintain the bend. Every little bit helps IMO!

We were down in Cabo San Lucas last month and saw an Oliver parked on the beach! Unfortunately we were headed to the airport and couldn’t stop, but Iv'e been wondering who that was, and how the trip down Baja went? I’d love to make that trip in the Oliver too! But not without the backup and support of a large group.

Another "pro" for the SharkBite fittings is that they have a larger internal diameter. They go over the PEX pipe, where-as the crimp-on fittings insert into the pipe creating a slight restriction. Both types of fitting work fine, but I'd recommend getting a crimp ring cutting tool. They are inexpensive, and they make it easy to salvage crimped on fittings.

This was a reminder that some state and federal campgrounds have very small sites, particularly in older parks. Unfortunately it’s difficult to know that ahead of time. For instance, we’ve spent many weekends at Jedidiah Smith with our Elite II, and there are plenty of usable sites. However, you wouldn’t know that from the website, and the Rangers might try to discourage you because some people will block the road. We always drive the loop to see for ourselves, and we keep maps of every campground we visit with the best sites noted for future stays. Sometimes Google Maps (satellite view) is helpful to check-out the sites beforehand, as long as it's not forested.