DC Power Distribution w/ Anderson Powerpoles

On the left is the 10 gauge input cable with 30 amp fuse. Next are 4 fused DC outputs using Powerpole connectors. Finally on the right are two USB charge ports.

I hope to avoid installing any of the cigarette-lighter type receptacles. These are really not designed for low voltage drop at high current. So for my portable DC accessories I have cut off the DC plug and reconnected the cable with a pair of Anderson power poles. Thus if I ever want to connect to the large style receptacle, I can still do that. But for my use in the Rpod I remove the cigarette lighter plug and use the Powerpole connector. This is shown in the following photos.

Above we see the Endless Breeze fan and Duracell Pocket Inverter 175 (130 watts continuous) with Powerpole connectors installed in the input cords. The next photo shows the Powerpoles disconnected.

The next photo shows these appliances connected to the Rigrunner via the Powerpole connectors.

My little Winbook TW802 tablet computer can be seen behind the fan. It is being powered by two USB charge ports on the Rigrunner. These ports can also be used to charge our iPads and iPhone. While the Rigrunner was designed to handle up to 40 amps maximum, I fused the input with a 30 amp fuse in line with the current carrying capability of the 10 gauge input zip cord. Here's a photo showing the appliance power cords attached to the Rigrunner.

I anticipate most all of our portable DC appliances will be used near the dinette table with handy DC power distribution via the Rigrunner. The next photo just shows the inverter and tablet computer attacher to the power distribution system:

Near the Rigrunner is a 4-port USB 3.0 hub (attached to the computer) with wireless mouse dongle and USB connection to the solar controller. 

So that's my power distribution system for portable DC loads. It should be adequate for powering my portable Ham radio system (shown below), which pulls around 22 amps maximum. 

A good source for Anderson Powerpole connectors is Powerwerx. These connectors are much superior to the cigarette lighter plugs, particularly for high current loads like the Ham radio and any inverters. The connectors I used are good for up to 45 amps. But there are different sizes of connectors that can handle many hundreds of amps if needed. These connectors are the standard for many emergency services like ambulance, fire department and Ham radio. 

I too have become very fond of power pole connectors. Once you know the correct way to wire them up, you never have to worry about polarity - just connect red to red, black to black. If you assemble the positive/negative connectors in attached pairs, it can't be connected red to black. The connectors handle large currents better than other types. I soldered my first pair of connectors. But then I still had to spend a lot of time using a knife to trim off excess solder to make the connector fit in the housing. But then I got the power pole crimper - the best $40 I ever spent. Since then I've made many dozens of connectors, taking just seconds to make the crimp. While some may cringe at spending that much on a crimper, power poles are well worth the cost.

At least we have the option of selecting efficient DC outlets in our Rpods. I've become an unabashed fan of the Powerpole connectors. One advantage is that they are genderless - there is no male or female power pole connectors. They can all plug into another power pole of the same series. Compare that to cigarette lighter or molex connectors which have male and female connectors and different sized pins for different current capacities. Power pole connectors of 15-, 30- and 45-amp capacities all have the same contact surface. They only differ in the crimp receptacle for different wire gauge. And these three current capacity connectors all fit in the same small housing.

Unfortunately there is considerable inertia for continuing to use the old cigarette lighter plug/receptacle. But once you try Powerpoles you'll never go back. I encourage all Rpod owners to look into the Anderson Powerpole connectors. 

I hope my write-up will encourage others to look into power pole connectors. In answer to your question I'll first give some background on the tablet computer. The Winbook TW802 was purchased from Microcenter.com. It comes with Windows 8.1, but I got a free upgrade to Windows 10 which has worked well for me. I also bought a leather folio with bluetooth keyboard for around $30. The little tablet has 2 GB RAM, 32 GB flash storage with micro SD slot to add additional storage up to 32GB. It is a touch screen tablet, so the physical keyboard is a useful accessory.

As for logging software I use the free program provided by Morningstar, the makers of my solar charge system SSMPPT-15L charge controller. I believe the program is called MSView. It is OK for a free program, providing real time display of up to 40 different parameters reported by the controller. The ones I most often show are solar panel voltage, battery voltage, charge current, charging watts and daily Amp-hour charging. Another very useful utility in the software is the ability to program the controller for battery charging parameters (bulk, absorption, float voltages etc.) as well as some other parameters. To do this requires a controller to USB adapter, which I believe was around $30. Since the controller is inside the camper and battery outside I purchased the remote temperature sensor for battery temperature. Most of the time I just rely on the cheap battery monitor to display battery voltage, charging amps and watts.

I also use the little tablet computer for running WinlinkExpress software to control my Ham radio (Icom IC-7100) for digital communications via VHF and HF. There's also a copy of FLDigi on the tablet for communicating in different digital modes. But I've yet to use it much. As yet I don't use any call logging software - still using a paper log. The small size and decent performance of the computer is a good fit for the Rpod camper. I hope this information will be of use to you and others, David. 73 from KG7ONE