Hello!
I am just getting into the world of components and programmable logic but have been tinkering with things for decades, so please pardon my simplicity.
Nutshell version:
What is the simplest way to accomplish the following:?
-If 12V battery drops below a certain value (say 10.5V) for a certain period of time (say 5 seconds), a contact is closed for 1 second.
(the contact would then be a pulse to the remote starter module to start the vehicle [the remote starter itself times out at a configurable interval] then the cycle repeats).
I camp in remote places quite a bit and need to run a DC-to-AC inverter to power a few basic things with a typical constant load around 200W. I have a 2005 Ford Escape Hybrid that does a good job of generating electricity and storing it, so the gas engine doesn't need to stay running. It will periodically restart for about 1 minute every 5 minutes to maintain a 40-43% SOC on the HV battery (which in turn, charges the 12V battery that I am drawing from). I also have an aftermarket remote start system that is able to manage starting and stopping of the ignition upon a signal, so the hard part of "hotwiring" it to run is done. I just need to send a signal to the remote start module to do its thing.
(I can provide much more detail on the logic programmed into the vehicle and how it does certain things)
In a nutshell, rather than constantly starting and stopping the engine every few minutes, I'd like it to only run when the 12V battery reaches a low level (something the vehicle logic doesn't include). It seems if I run it for about 10 minutes every 2 hours, that's sufficient to keep things running so I've considered doing a simple timer (rather than low voltage detection) as well. I realize the 12V battery isn't going to like this cycling, I eventually plan to incorporate a deep cycle battery for this (the 12V battery only runs accessories and contactors, cranking is handled by the 300V battery).
The inverter itself has a piezo beeper that activates at low-voltage (<11.0V), so I thought somehow I might be able to tie into the buzzer as a "trigger". However, this also briefly activates during the startup surge of some devices (hence the desire for a sort of delay in confirming the low voltage condition is steady).
As I previously stated, a timer function that accomplishes this every X hours is also an option. Part of me wants to limit the thermal cycling of the vehicle, so running for 10 minutes per hour (regardless of SOC) may accomplish that.
Perhaps I'm overthinking this, and I assume I'd be able to build something with an Arduino once I fully understand them. But is there a way I can accomplish this with simpler individual components like relays and timers?
Thanks much for your advice and I look forward to paying it forward once I know a bit more about all of this.
Pete
I am just getting into the world of components and programmable logic but have been tinkering with things for decades, so please pardon my simplicity.
Nutshell version:
What is the simplest way to accomplish the following:?
-If 12V battery drops below a certain value (say 10.5V) for a certain period of time (say 5 seconds), a contact is closed for 1 second.
(the contact would then be a pulse to the remote starter module to start the vehicle [the remote starter itself times out at a configurable interval] then the cycle repeats).
I camp in remote places quite a bit and need to run a DC-to-AC inverter to power a few basic things with a typical constant load around 200W. I have a 2005 Ford Escape Hybrid that does a good job of generating electricity and storing it, so the gas engine doesn't need to stay running. It will periodically restart for about 1 minute every 5 minutes to maintain a 40-43% SOC on the HV battery (which in turn, charges the 12V battery that I am drawing from). I also have an aftermarket remote start system that is able to manage starting and stopping of the ignition upon a signal, so the hard part of "hotwiring" it to run is done. I just need to send a signal to the remote start module to do its thing.
(I can provide much more detail on the logic programmed into the vehicle and how it does certain things)
In a nutshell, rather than constantly starting and stopping the engine every few minutes, I'd like it to only run when the 12V battery reaches a low level (something the vehicle logic doesn't include). It seems if I run it for about 10 minutes every 2 hours, that's sufficient to keep things running so I've considered doing a simple timer (rather than low voltage detection) as well. I realize the 12V battery isn't going to like this cycling, I eventually plan to incorporate a deep cycle battery for this (the 12V battery only runs accessories and contactors, cranking is handled by the 300V battery).
The inverter itself has a piezo beeper that activates at low-voltage (<11.0V), so I thought somehow I might be able to tie into the buzzer as a "trigger". However, this also briefly activates during the startup surge of some devices (hence the desire for a sort of delay in confirming the low voltage condition is steady).
As I previously stated, a timer function that accomplishes this every X hours is also an option. Part of me wants to limit the thermal cycling of the vehicle, so running for 10 minutes per hour (regardless of SOC) may accomplish that.
Perhaps I'm overthinking this, and I assume I'd be able to build something with an Arduino once I fully understand them. But is there a way I can accomplish this with simpler individual components like relays and timers?
Thanks much for your advice and I look forward to paying it forward once I know a bit more about all of this.
Pete