Zambia Trip Report

[Shane]

Geeze Andreas what a report!

Well done and thanks!

[grips]

Very nice report Andreas. Thanks.

[Mad Manny]

I think we should add a question "Where was the spoon" to the Club membership renewal form...

[SueAnne]

Really enjoyed reading the trip report. Amazing adventure and great pictures Andreas.

[AndreasR]

Just another incident that I omitted from the original report.

Having met my friends from Ultimate Adventures in Livingstone, I heard that they would be moving into Pontoon Camp at Kasanka on the same day as we were leaving. So, I decided to leave them a house warming gift. A bottle ofJagermeister!

[BushWacker]

Thanks for a great report Andreas.
Especially interesting to me as one who grew up in Zambia.
The brief assessment/descriptions of the various campsites should prove very useful to those who follow/venture to those parts.
The local Sadza (‘Pap‘) probably owes much to being traditionally stamp ground with older equipment as opposed to commercially ground ; so its somewhat courser and not finely screened … almost gritty when uncooked.

I travelled with Johan Kriek on one of his early ‘Ivory Trail ‘ recce trips which, in part, formed one of the ‘Defender Trophy’ routes.
Very nice easy-going guy … like all LandyFolk.

[Mad Manny]

Chas, wasn't Zambia still called Northern Rhodesia when you were growing up there?

[ZR6SGN]

Thanks Andreas. A very nice read.

[BushWacker]

Chas, wasn't Zambia still called Northern Rhodesia when you were growing up there?

… well … yes and no !
There through independence.

My Grandfolk were first white farmers
in Chisamba district and my Gran evidently
the 1st white woman the locals had ever seen.

[Flipside]

Great report Andreas, it had me very upset that I could not embark on a similar trip immediately.
Great experiences should be celebrated like this.

[BushWacker]

Andreas , from your report :

“ The Blue Nova batteries that I fitted did not skip a beat and provided hassle free power to the freezer and fridge.
These lithium batteries charge so fast, and have so much usable capacity that I ended up not even checking their state of charge after a few days. They are definitely worth the price …
… bear in mind that you can save significant money by opting for a 82ah battery which gives you ample capacity. “

What solar panel and solar charging set-up
were you using and on how many batteries
and with good sun how long to charge etc ?

Im hoping to charge one 82 Ah Blue Nova
off a single panel of 100w (20v, 5A in good sun) using
a straight solar regulator.

[AndreasR]

Chas. My set up is not the rolls Royce but it worked very well. My decision to install was made three days before departure. Not ideal.


I must also point out that I am not an expert in this field, but I’ll give you my thoughts.

I have my RTT on the car. On that is a 300w solar panel. I can charge the second battery in the car or the two batteries in the trailer with this panel. In the car I also have the NL 25Amp dc-dc and solar controller.

In the trailer I have two batteries with a 100w solar panel and an old style WRND dc to dc and solar controller.

I plan on another solar panel on the trailer.

So, these lithium batteries are a bit different to the old lead acid things.

You should charge at higher voltage than lead acid. Up to 14,7v. For that you need a proper controller designed for the purpose. From what I have read you can get away with charging with a lesser controller without damaging the battery, but you will never fully charge it. But the capacity of lithium batteries is all usable so that is not serious.

The other difference is determining the state of charge of lithium batteries. You should have a fancy shunt(I think it’s called) installed. Just monitoring voltage of the battery only gives you an indication of capacity. I have attached a table that gives an indication of state of charge. Note that from a voltage reading of 13,2v you have 70% capacity left and then it drops quickly from there.

As for charging, lithium batteries charge super fast if being charged with the correct charger, being alternator, solar or ac. Basically they “ take” a charge very quickly. I do think your panel is too small to replace the usage of a fridge long term. When charging off the alternator my battery is absorbing 25amps so generally after running 90 -120 minutes it is fully charged.

Another thing to calculate is the max output of the battery. My compressor is wired to work off the aux battery. While I always run my car while using the compressor I found that the BMS on the battery did not like the huge power draw of the compressor and the battery monitor gave some strange signals.

Long winded but Hope this helps.

[BushWacker]

… thanks Andreas … that should be enough for me
to gain some insight & perspective for my needs …
just a 40L fridge freezer & night lighting for campsite.

…as Manny would say ‘ Obrigado ! ‘

[Mad Manny]

Bottom line is - if Andreas can charge 3 x 84Ah LiFePo4' with 300watt of solar panel Chas should be able to charge 1 such battery with a 100wart solar.

Only thing Chas needs to check is his Solar Controller - can it charge a LiFePo4 and does it have the right outputs....

[Johannes]

Nice report Andreas. Glad you enjoyed it .