Redarc and Antigravity

As I mentioned here, LiFePO4 batteries have a different charging profile than lead-acid batteries. For one thing, they can take a much faster charge. However, they also don’t like to be constantly trickle-charged. Thus for an installation that replaces an AGM auxiliary and starting battery system, as I’m doing with our Troop Carrier, I also needed to replace the existing charge controller.

The choice was pretty easy. The Australian company Redarc, while fairly new to the U.S., actually has a 40-year history in its home country, and thus extensive experience building vehicle electronic systems capable of surviving hostile Outback conditions. I know a half-dozen people personally who rely on Redarc charging systems in their vehicles, from a Hilux to a Mitsubishi camper, and none has had a failure.

After a consultation, the company sent me one of their BCDC1240D controllers, an RK1260 relay, and all the necessary connectors and fuses.

This system will be able to integrate the input from the Land Cruiser’s alternator along with that from its two 100-watt Renogy PV panels, to keep both of the Antigravity batteries properly maintained.

I’m very close to tackling the installation; just waiting on a couple of custom cables and an aluminum heat shield.

Trail of the Jaguar – One month anniversary

It’s been a month since the debut of my first novel, Trail of the Jaguar, the first in the Clayton T. Porter adventure series. I’m delighted to report that response has been excellent.

You may recall that I’ve pledged to donate a percentage of proceeds from book sales to the Northern Jaguar Project, to help ensure we will always have wild jaguars roaming the borderlands. I made a $150 donation on Arizona Gives Day, 10% of retail sales.

If you have already read Trail of the Jaguar, and enjoyed it, would you be willing to leave me a review on Amazon? Reviews are the lifeblood of publishing and the best advertising a book can receive. Here is a link (or go to your own country’s Amazon site, alternatively):

https://www.amazon.com/review/create-review/?ie=UTF8&channel=glance-detail&asin=B08XXWLNB5

If you haven't yet purchased Trail of the Jaguar, we’re running a special promotion, with the goal of getting as many Amazon ”Verified Purchase” reviews as possible:

• The Kindle version of the book will be just 99 cents (or the equivalent in Euros or Pounds or Yen!) from now until the end of Sunday, April 18. Here is a link to the sales page:

>USE THIS LINK TO ORDER< (will portage you to the Amazon store in your country)

Thank you for your support, and I'm eager to hear what you thought of Clayton T. Porter's first adventure—even while I’m working on more Porter adventures. (If there was anything you didn’t like about the book, please email me; I’m happy to hear honest criticism. )

Here are a couple of recent posted reviews:

“It is absolutely fantastic. Thrilling, poignant in moments, and downright fun. I’m savoring every page.”

– Ben Wilder, Ph.D., research biologist specializing in the Sonoran Desert and Sea of Cortez

“I admit to having a bit of sleep deprivation this week. It all started last Tuesday when I received my copy of Trail of the Jaguar. I read well into the wee hours of the morning and finished the novel in three nights. Jonathan Hanson has written a thriller that promises to be a great series. His knowledge as a naturalist, sea kayaker and explorer, weapons expert, tracker, and his familiarity with the natural history of the Southwest, particularly Arizona and northern Mexico, creates a multi-colored backdrop for this adrenalin-laced thriller. His protagonist Clayton T. Porter, just like the Sonoran Desert where he resides, can kill you in all manner of ways. Porter uses his desert knowledge and tactical training to dispatch bad guys by the most satisfying of means. Well-researched and timely, I highly recommend this book and can't wait for the next installment of the Clayton T. Porter series.”

– John Gentile, author of Baja Redemption (1) The Guardians of Gaia

Finally, I also have a new author website dedicated just to my fiction works; SIGN UP HERE for a fiction-only, non-annoying email list to get notifications when new books, short stories, and special promotions are coming out (though rest assured you’ll also hear about them on this blog).

Thank you!

LiFePO4 vs. lead-acid starting batteries . . . on a bathroom scale

An impressive difference—a friend noted that the standard battery for a Honda Gold Wing motorcycle weighs 13 pounds.