Solar Panel

Here is the solar panel that I picked up on Amazon. I don't know exactly how much we're getting out of it but checking it with a digital volt meter it is recovering fast in the full sun in my driveway. When I checked it with the analog gauge mounted in the camper it was under 12v. By the time I went in and got the digital meter it was over 12v, 12.30 to be exact. It steadily increased about 0.01v every few seconds. We let it get up around 12.5v then ran the pump for a few seconds and it dropped back down to 12.3 but was back up quickly.

Mike put a two prong male female quick disconnect so we can take it off for travel.

I'm happy with the purchase. I'll give more details after a camping trip. Unfortunately we camp in the shaded woods so it won't pull as much power.

• Power (Pmax) : 30W
• Maximum power voltage ( Vpm ) : 17.5V ;Maximum Power Current: 1.68A
• Cable lengths : 12.5'
• Open circuit voltage ( Voc ) : 21.95V
• Charge controller prevents overcharging of 12-volt batteries

LED Bulb Replacement

Thanks to free two day shipping from Amazon the LEDs and solar panel came today. I will give an update on the LEDs for now because thats quick and ea

sy. I ordered two of these. Details are as follows:

• Bulb Type:BA15S Base (Single Contact)
• 93B2 1156 1141 Bulb Replacement with LED
• Lumen:80 Lumen Color Temperature:Warm White 3100K
• Working Voltage:10 - 16 V DC, Power:1.44 Watt
• LED:15 LEDs, SMD3528

They were packaged very well from LED Wholesalers.

The LEDs are slightly taller and thinner and fit just fine. These are "water proof". I just thought it was a better design. The reviews also noted that in other LEDs that they had purchased they had broken the LEDs off the base putting it into the socket and the glass on these solved that issue. These are the only ones I bought so I don't really know otherwise. I'm very happy with how these feel though.
Old incandescent bulb:
Incandescent covered:
LED:
LED covered.

In the daylight they look to give off about the same light, the LED might even be slightly brighter. These are the 3000k warm led's and I think they are just a tad white and not as harsh as I thought they might be. I can only imagine the 6000k are pretty harsh. I haven't seen them in the dark yet. I'll try to check them out later. I am very happy with them in the daylight though. I was afraid they wouldn't be bright enough at only 80 lumens but they are perfect. These should only use about 1/24th of the power that the old bulbs did too!!

Solar Panel and LED Bulbs.

With my 10 year anniversary gift card from work I am going to pick up a small solar panel and some led light bulbs for the camper. Things I would like but just can't see spending the household money on. I looked at clothes and jewelery but I keep coming back to these things, sad, I know, lol.
Here is the solar panel I have decided on at Amazon.com. It is a 30 watt mono-crystalline panel with a power controller (which probably isn't needed but it's only an extra $12). From what I learned in my research mono-crystalline cells are the oldest technology but they are also the smallest and most efficient. Poly-crystalline is a close second and then the thin film technology is called amorphous which I didn't spend too much time on because they are the largest and least effiecient, supposedly the least expensive but the price differences where not really worth noting, at least not on Amazon. I am going through Amazon because of the gift card, but honestly it's hard to beat the prices and no one can touch the free shipping. I asked a lot of questions on the Aliner Yahoo group list and between them and google I am pretty happy with this choice and I'll place the order later today.
To help out the drain on the battery when dry camping I am going to put LED bulbs in the two light fixtures in the camper. They both are single bulbs, old style 1141. This style isn't as easy to find the LED bulbs in, so they are more expensive then the common wedge types used in current models. It wouldn't cost more than $10 probably to update ours, but there isn't anything wrong with ours so why bother. I settled on these small bulbs because they had a good review. I was looking at brighter bulbs but honestly I hate bright white light. I made sure the ones I picked where the warmer light (3000-3100K not the 6000-6100K).
I'll post update once the order comes in and we get everything put in. I'm hoping it comes before Memorial Day as we're spending the weekend at our favorite spot, Otter River State Forest which does not have any hook ups....not that we wouldn't make it the weekend on a single charge, but it would be nice to try it out!

Logo's Complete!

Mike suggested the brown stripe, picked it up locally and applied it. We think it really pulls it together. We had an extra logo because the vendor had made a mistake so Mike used it on the rear and added the green stripe with a concave cut near the wording. It's raised up so it sits over the lights and spare. Like a new camper, love it! Well worth all the hours agonizing over the right logos, fonts and colors as well as all the picking and cleaning up from the old logos.

Green Stripes Added

Today we applied the green stripe on both long sides. We're thinking of not adding anything to the front (not sure yet, suggestions welcome!) on the back we're going to put the wording, Aliner LX and a variation on the green stripe. We're also going to add a small one inch stripe under it all. We were up in the air about the brown stripe but now that the thicker green stripe is on we think it would really tie it in with the wording and all.