Jennifer, if you put a deep cycle in the aux. battery compartment under the
driver's seat, the vans running engine will recharge it fine. With the temps
dropping in your area as they likely are this time of year, you may have to
do that (run the engine) anyway to keep your "office" warm.
Bob Stevens

http://groups.msn.com/BobsPhotoShare
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/tiico

----- Original Message -----
From: "jennifer dumpert" <undine@HOTMAIL.COM>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Friday, October 10, 2003 11:35 PM
Subject: Power Source: Westfalia as mobile office

> As a consultant, I do most of my work from home, or in cafes, or in my '86
> Westy, which I drive down to the beach so I smell and hear the ocean while
> I
> work. Idyllic, for an office.
>
> My big problem, however, is that the battery on my laptop only runs for
> about two hours. To really make my Westfalia a reasonable mobile office, I
> need to be able to power the computer (24 volts, 1.875 amps) for at least
> five or six hours at a time. I have considered getting a deep cycle
> battery
> (like the ones folks use on boats) and wiring an inverter to it to plug
> the
> computer into. I think that would work fine when I'm just leaving the
> house
> for the day, but I would have to charge the battery frequently so I would
> have to come back home every night instead of taking small road trips
> while
> I work. I also thought about a quiet generator, but that would have to run
> outside the van and those seem a bit bigger.
>
> Does anyone have advice/experience about this?
>
> Jennifer Dumpert
> '86 Westy, "Baby"
>
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