Powering a 1HP BLDC Lathe in a Van

So I hope to have something ready to go in early 2021.

I won’t buy anything until I figure out the power system.

I don’t like automobiles very much. The only vehicle that appeals to me is the Ram Promaster.
 
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a friend/ colleague of mine lives in a Ram Promaster. She has a large AGM battery and a bank of solar panels on top of the van, with a charge controller and inverter inside. The panels can be raised for better efficiency, but she tends to keep them flat against the room for stealthiness. By and large it works okay, though a spell of cold cloudy days can run the AGM down to the point where she can't run her little fridge (60W). I built her a backup bank of LiFePO4 batteries that she can charge at work to run her fridge, but she hasn't really got the hang of that for some reason. You'd be able to run a small lathe (Sherline, 7x14) or minimill of that easily.

Downsides - fuel economy sucks, I think she gets around 18mpg highway as she's basically driving a giant brick. Also you're looking at a pretty significant chunk of change - her van cost her $50,000 all set up and about 2 to 3 years old.
 
mattthemuppet2 said:
a friend/ colleague of mine lives in a Ram Promaster. She has a large AGM battery and a bank of solar panels on top of the van, with a charge controller and inverter inside. The panels can be raised for better efficiency, but she tends to keep them flat against the room for stealthiness. By and large it works okay, though a spell of cold cloudy days can run the AGM down to the point where she can't run her little fridge (60W). I built her a backup bank of LiFePO4 batteries that she can charge at work to run her fridge, but she hasn't really got the hang of that for some reason. You'd be able to run a small lathe (Sherline, 7x14) or minimill of that easily.

Downsides - fuel economy sucks, I think she gets around 18mpg highway as she's basically driving a giant brick. Also you're looking at a pretty significant chunk of change - her van cost her $50,000 all set up and about 2 to 3 years old.
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Hopefully not having any living quarters in the van will keep costs down. There was a time in my life when I was interested in automobiles, but now I just look at them as a tool to get from point A to point B (and apparently to house tiny machine tools).

My tentative plan is to buy a used RAM Promaster and try to use solar along with AGM or lithium ion batteries to power the interior lighting, Sherline lathe & mill with DROs.

I can charge other things like phone, laptop, and cordless tools in the motel room.

I will save room in the van for the milling machine, but that will not be purchased until later. When I head off in 2021, I’m okay with just a lathe.

I think that both machine tools use the same motor: a 90V DC as in the screenshot above. The electrical system for the work area will be independent from that of the van. I will have to figure out how to supply power to the 90V DC motor and the 110V AC DRO.

Since there is a DRO, I would just go with an inverter with 110V outlet. If this is the plan, I would just have to calculate how much power I would need and figure out how many solar panels would provide this.
 
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I have both a Sherline 4400 lathe and a 5400 mill, before you buy anything you are welcome to check them out. They are very portable and could fairly easily be built into a transport safe box mount.

I ran the lathe in a spare bedroom when I first got into this insanity, I would see no issue running on in a motel room. Chip control is a minimal issue, a drop cloth or tarp should be quite adequate. When I had mine set up in the house I put it on a 2x4ft piece of plywood with a 12" high backsplash, it is a carpeted room and chips were not an issue.

Getting the mill is what moved me into the basement, mills are chip flinging tools. That might be more of an issue in a motel.

These are quite small machines, but very capable within their size constraints.
 
Aaron_W said:
I have both a Sherline 4400 lathe and a 5400 mill, before you buy anything you are welcome to check them out. They are very portable and could fairly easily be built into a transport safe box mount.

I ran the lathe in a spare bedroom when I first got into this insanity, I would see no issue running on in a motel room. Chip control is a minimal issue, a drop cloth or tarp should be quite adequate. When I had mine set up in the house I put it on a 2x4ft piece of plywood with a 12" high backsplash, it is a carpeted room and chips were not an issue.

Getting the mill is what moved me into the basement, mills are chip flinging tools. That might be more of an issue in a motel.

These are quite small machines, but very capable within their size constraints.
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Aaron, you are one of two forum members who has visited my shop.

If not for the current public safety crisis, I would come up and see the machines now! When this craziness settles down, I will come visit your shop.
 
DROs actually run 12v and 5v DC as well. If you find one with an external transformer, you can just wire that to a DC source as well. An internal transformer is a bit more work, but might be worth it as well.
 
Anytime, tiny machines are not for everybody,but if making huge chips isn't required to keep you occupied, then these might be a great solution to your issue.

Thinking about it they could easily be built into locking storage boxes with room for tooling storage and still be kept to around 100lbs each.

Also I'm in a FB Sherline group I'll see if anyone has experience running them on a portable power source.
 
PS: the reason to try to skip an inverter if you can: the battery 12v to 110v conversion has about a 10% power loss, as does going the other way. So if you can find a way to power your equipment right off the 12v supply (voltage conversion I'm DC is really cheap!), You can pick up nearly 20% more capacity while saving weight.
 
Ford still make transmissions the have a PTO. Might be something to consider.
 
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