BATTERY MANAGEMENT and RECHARGING - REDARC

One of the main goals that I wanted to achieve with this build is to have a quality power management system onboard that I could rely on for my landscape photography. While I'm away on trips, I'm capturing still images of the landscape as well as footage for clients and for the vlogs I share on YouTube. I regularly need to recharge batteries from still cameras, video camera, drones, audio gear and a range of lighting.

The foundation of my power setup is two 100 Ah Lithium Batteries from Revolution Power Australia, which I talk about in more detail here.

These batteries need to be managed, recharged correctly, and it's important to know what's going on with the batteries, their health, levels, and what power is being drawn. To do all this and more, I have the BMS Manager 30 from Redarc.

Redarc Battery Management System Manager 30

The Redarc BMS30 is a quality unit, mounted to the front wall of the Norweld canopy on the non-driver's side. It takes care of everything, providing insight into what goes on with the battery system.

Though the Management panel, I receive relevant information including battery level and what power used from devices and lights I have on. I also know how much power I have left with an estimate of how long that power will last given the devices that are currently running. I can even get the temperatures of the batteries as well. All of this information is updated to the minute, so I know what's going on at any time.

The Redarc BMS Manager 30 also manages how the batteries are recharged, with a priority on the most environmentally friendly method, the BMS30 is set up to charge the batteries using Solar, DC from the car or 240V when plugged into mains power.

To charge the lithium batties with solar power, I use the Redarc 115 watt Solar Panel Blanket, with a 10m extension cable. The blanket is easy to set up and provides flexibility as I can have the vehicle parked in the shade while laying out the solar blanket in the full sun available.

Along with USB and 12V connections throughout the canopy, there is a 2000 Watt inverter installed on the driver's side. The inverter is located just above the draw where my photography and video gear is stored, so the charging of camera batteries and devices is quick. The inverter itself has one 240V connection. Using a power board, I can recharge multiple batteries and a range of devices all at once.

For more information on the range of gear Redarc have available check out their website.

Managing the Battery System in the Adventure Truck