matt
AGA Sprout
Posts: 10
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Post by matt on Aug 7, 2019 11:50:14 GMT -5
I hope it's OK to post this here as I wanted to share what we've been up to. A little while ago I posted in the forum to see if anyone could share the voltages used in the AeroGarden Ultra LED and Sprout LED. My intent was to assess the feasibility of converting them to run on 12V - we have one of each in a storage unit right now. Unfortunately, based on the responses here and my further research, it looks like a conversion would have been difficult / impossible. So why do we want it to run on 12V? We live in an RV traveling around the US full-time to visit all 419 National Park Units. We have batteries, solar and an inverter. But running the inverter 24/7 uses a substantial amount of power - around 35W of parasitic draw. Not going to happen. Fortunately, the new AeroGarden Harvest Elite runs off 12V, using a power adapter to convert 110V AC to 12V DC so you can plug it into a standard wall outlet. But for us, we were able to power it directly from 12V. I don't know if this was AeroGarden's intent with this model, but it's opened up their product line to anyone living in an RV or living off-grid! Check out the blog post I've written about how we set up the AeroGarden Harvest Elite in our RV. |
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Post by Deleted on Aug 7, 2019 11:54:55 GMT -5
I always admire those who can adapt and find ways to make things work for them..and share ! What an adventure you are on!
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Shawn
Administrator
Posts: 16,218 
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Post by Shawn on Aug 7, 2019 12:34:57 GMT -5
First off WOW, traveling all over the US. NICE! I just want to get my husband to take a week vacation and that is hard enough. I think it is wonderful that you are able to use your AG while traveling.
Keep us posted how that garden grows!
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matt
AGA Sprout
Posts: 10
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Post by matt on Aug 7, 2019 12:53:22 GMT -5
I always admire those who can adapt and find ways to make things work for them..and share ! What an adventure you are on! Thank you! So much of RV life is about adapting, and we were sad to leave our old AeroGardens back in storage. But after 12 months on the road, we were struggling to reliably find fresh herbs on the road, so I researched the topic some more. That's when I came across the AeroGarden Harvest Elite and found it can run off 12V. Success! |
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matt
AGA Sprout
Posts: 10
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Post by matt on Aug 7, 2019 12:55:30 GMT -5
First off WOW, traveling all over the US. NICE! I just want to get my husband to take a week vacation and that is hard enough. I think it is wonderful that you are able to use your AG while traveling.
Keep us posted how that garden grows! Thank you so much! It was definitely a big change for us to leave our 4-bedroom house and move into a 21ft long RV, but it's been one of the most rewarding experiences of our life. Check out our blog at AdventurousWay.com] if you want to see more of what we've been up to - you might find some material to tempt your husband too! |
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Post by Deleted on Aug 7, 2019 15:37:56 GMT -5
OK..so I will be rude and go ahead and ask. I was just over on you tube and watching the video about quitting your jobs. How does a couple eat, fill a gas tank for about $400 on up and pay other travel fees,health insurance, RV insurance and maintenance, life insurance ...without employment ?
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matt
AGA Sprout
Posts: 10
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Post by matt on Aug 7, 2019 15:42:43 GMT -5
OK..so I will be rude and go ahead and ask. I was just over on you tube and watching the video about quitting your jobs. How does a couple eat, fill a gas tank for about $400 on up and pay other travel fees,health insurance, RV insurance and maintenance, life insurance ...without employment ? I don't consider that rude at all  We saved up for several years before we hit the road, and that gave us enough to start our travels. We are treating our journey like a startup business - we hope that over time we can generate enough income on the road to sustain ourselves (website, YouTube, sponsorships, etc), but we realize it will take time to get there. Living on the road is a lot cheaper than living in the Bay Area - for one, we don't have to pay any mortgage payments / rent as we boondock (dry camp on public land) almost exclusively. Hope you enjoyed the video! |
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Post by Deleted on Aug 7, 2019 15:47:43 GMT -5
there are more of interest that I will have to view. Several years back, my brother got his license to drive a tractor trailer just because he wanted to see the US from coast to coast. So many stories he had to tell about not only the land, but the people and the different ways of living from region to region. You 2 are a very blessed couple to be able to do this!
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matt
AGA Sprout
Posts: 10
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Post by matt on Aug 7, 2019 15:49:48 GMT -5
there are more of interest that I will have to view. Several years back, my brother got his license to drive a tractor trailer just because he wanted to see the US from coast to coast. So many stories he had to tell about not only the land, but the people and the different ways of living from region to region. You 2 are a very blessed couple to be able to do this! Thank you - we certainly feel very privileged. It's a beautiful country, and there's so much to see - like you say, not just the stunning landscapes, but the people too. We've spent this summer exploring Colorado and were blown away not only by the snow-capped mountains, but at how kind and welcoming everyone has been. |
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bigev
AGA Sprout
Posts: 4
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Post by bigev on Aug 14, 2021 11:45:29 GMT -5
Hi Matt!
I Have been battling and testing and tweaking with the LED driver in my ultra LED panel for a week now. I saw your post and saw you were searching for the same thing. What is the output voltage range and current of the ultra LED S light panel driver up in the hood. I can get mine to run for about 20 seconds or so sometimes, and I do some measurements. DC current is pretty hard to nail down in that environment. And I get stupid measurements. Like 1.8 or 2.0 milli Amps. The voltage is strangely stable at about 11.7 to 12.1 votes DC. I don't trust the current reading at all, and I'm trying to build the ultimate LED driver for that hood that will never ever ever go out lol. Did you get anywhere in your search to find the exact output voltages and currents for that LED driver? OR did you find an alternate driver that worked well for the hood that you could power with your 12 V battery? Thank you so much hope this reaches you Ev
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campingcorgis
AGA Farmer
🌴 I wet my plants. :-) 🌴
Posts: 3,113
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Post by campingcorgis on Aug 15, 2021 10:44:15 GMT -5
bigev, since matt hasn't been active on AGA for a couple of years, I'm not sure he'll respond. That said, you can read all about his AG setup on his blog mentioned above and link copied here -- he is quite detailed, but not sure it gives you exactly what you need? Anyway, check it out? 
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Shawn
Administrator
Posts: 16,218
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Post by Shawn on Aug 15, 2021 10:58:03 GMT -5
Yes I would also add that the link campingcorgis supplied may have your answer!
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