Coulomb IQ

09/11/2025

The perfect combination for those off grid adventures! 600W of solar and 200Ah AGM.
These 200W Alvolta monocrystalline panels are the perfect size to play “caravan roof Tetris” and they perform great too!
These are in stock now so feel free to give us a call to discuss your upgrade needs.

22/10/2025

Found! (Again) - Substandard Wiring for Fridge Circuit

It is always disappointing when customers have paid good money for a junk installation like this. The crimps shown here have not been crimped with the correct crimper and the installer did not care about the quality of their work.
The negative wire was loose in the crimp (crimp shown in pic) and came out in my hands.

Other things we see EVERY time we see a caravan or camper are circuits connected to the battery with no fuse! Please do not let anyone connect a circuit directly to a battery without a fuse!

The best option is to trust the professional team at coulomb IQ. Our open and honest approach and drive to deliver the highest quality work will give you piece of mind that your off grid power installation is safe and reliable for years to come.

- Military Trained Technician plus Licensed Electrician
- Secure Hardstand for your Caravan / Camper Trailer / Motorhome
- Local Kalamunda Business
- System Design Specialist
- All work completed to AS/NZS 3001

- Fault finding / New System Builds / Upgrades / Repairs

Call us today for a telephone consultation and obligation free quotation.
www.coulombiq.com.au

15/10/2025

When we build an off grid system for your Caravan or Camper, you get a full information pack including circuit diagrams, all the equipment manuals, Certificate of Compliance to AS/NZS 3001 and and Electrical Safety Certificate.
Our goal is to ensure you have all the information you need should you need any support, anywhere in Australia.

If you are thinking about upgrading your battery and solar power in your caravan or camper trailer, look no further than coulomb IQ. Reach out to our friendly staff for a no obligation quote and discuss any repairs, upgrades or new builds you may need.

We are your local Caravan and Camper off grid power system specialist.

All work compliant with AS/NZS 3001.2022.
Secure hardstand for your van or camper.
All brands available.
System design specialist.
Military trained technician plus qualified electrician.

28/09/2025

At coulomb IQ we take battery safety seriously….
With more and more Lithium Ion (note: not LiFePO4 or LFP) batteries failing and catching fire (another home destroyed in Perth last week)
We are producing a fire proof battery charging box for our tool batteries.
This box has its own power inlet and power board. It will come with a metal shelf for your chargers to sit on while all the cables are tucked away underneath.
Let us know if you are interested.

12/09/2025

400W Solar Upgrade on a caravan. These Alvolta panels rock!
We put 1000W of these on a Jayco Base Station recently and even at this time of year, they still delivered over 750W

01/09/2025

Dreaming of those spring and summer getaways?
Tired old battery or poorly performing solar panel letting you down?
Give us a call for any repairs, upgrades or new builds you may need.

30/08/2025

At coulomb IQ, we love hand over day!
We are so happy to have the privilege of building the off grid power system for this Jayco Base Station.

-560Ah of LiFePo4
-Victron 3kVA Inverter
- 1000w of Roof top solar plus portable solar
-Vehicle charging

Fully compliant to AS/NZS 3001:2022. ✅
Certificate of Compliance (for insurance). ✅
Information manual provided including all circuit diagrams. ✅
Electrical Safety Certificate provided. ✅

Coulomb IQ can help you with repairs, upgrades or full off grid power system builds like this caravan. Feel free to call us to discuss your system requirements.

01/07/2025

Small Lead Acid Batteries and Inverters - Why you should think twice...

Small lead acid batteries (up to 200Ah are fantastic at running lights and fridges and other low current devices) but the chemistry behind a lead acid battery does not lend it to running high powered devices such as inverters very well at all.

This article dives into the relevant battery specifications and disects their real meaning.

Card #1 highlights the specification of a very well known Bosch lead acid battery, specifically, it's capacity at different current draws.

Card #2 further breaks down the current draw V's time to discharge relationships.

Card #3 then looks at the power required to make a simple coffee using your inverter.

Card #4 converts this to current and in using the table from the spec, derives the battery capacity at that current.

Card #5 looks at what you have left after you have completed the coffee making -

The result, one 5 minute coffee making session has cost you 25% of your 100Ah battery's capacity meaning by the time you wake up in the morning, your battery will be nearly flat. Your solar has to work really hard to recharge the battery which as we know, at this time of year is tough.

The only way to compensate is by fitting more lead acid batteries but who wants to carry all the weight when you could just switch to lithium?

If you need an upgrade, reach out to us for a no obligation chat.

Thanks for reading,
Jason

16/06/2025

We hear it all the time…
Why isn’t my solar charging properly?
It’s always around this time of year…

Why?

Answer – The angle of the sun. However, there are TWO factors relating to the angle of the sun that will reduce the output of your solar to about half.

Let’s look at the best-case scenario – The summer solstice, 12pm lunchtime on the 21st of December, anywhere along the Tropic of Capricorn. Yep, the sun is directly above you, and its rays are perpendicular to the earth’s surface.

So, to work out the first factor, we need to assume the thickness of the earth’s atmosphere which is around 10km (for the important bit). Science journals have said the attenuation of visible light with light perpendicular to the earth is about 30%. So, if you refer to the first image in the deck, if 1450W/m2 of visible light hits the top of the atmosphere, with a 30% reduction, you get 1000W/m2 at the ground.
That’s perfect for getting 100% out of your panels.

Refer to the second image in the deck, 1000W (on the ground) / 1000W STC = 100%. The caravan shown would generate 800W of energy under these conditions, assuming the load and battery can take it.

Lets jump now to the Winter Solstice. Refer to image 3 in the deck and we are again on the Tropic of Capricorn, at 12pm on the 21st of June. The sun is no longer above you, it is at an angle of 43.1 degrees above the horizon. This time, the distance the visible light has to travel through the atmosphere is longer, increasing attenuation which reduces the amount of light hitting the surface. The 1450W/m2 hitting the atmosphere is reduced to only 813W/m2 once it gets to your caravan. Refer to image 4 in the deck.

That is reduction factor number one…

To work out how much power the panels output with the angled light, we need to calculate the equivalent vertical power as solar panels are rated based on perpendicular light only. Refer to image 5 in the deck. The correction angle is 46.9 degrees and by using trigonometry, we can calculate the equivalent vertical light power is only 555W/m2.

Now refer to image 6 in the deck and the second reduction factor will become apparent. The percentage output of your panels is 555W / 1000W STC = 55.5%.
55.5% of 800W array is only 444W to recharge your battery and run your load.

That is reduction factor number two...

This is why designers like coulomb IQ design for winter performance. If you are south of the Tropic of Capricorn it is even worse as the sun is even lower in the sky. There are many variables in light power, thickness of the atmosphere, particles that can attenuate the light, so this is an illustration only, but the logic is sound.
Even if it is sunny, this shows the output from your array will be greatly reduced in the middle of the year. We recommend you have a portable panel to supplement your roof top solar when camping in the middle of the year.

Thanks for reading,
Jason

22/05/2025

Hello to our Kiwi viewers, particularly those in the South Island....

This weekend is the NZ Motorhome, Caravan and Leisure show which is at the Wolfbrook Area in Christchurch.

If you are going, keep an eye out for one of our mates Elliot, from Falcon Overland. - https://falconoverland.co.nz/

Elliot has been really busy getting some really innovative power products ready to show you, making system builds easier, faster and more cost effective.

You should check them out 👍
Cheers,
Jase

Introducing:The Giga Power Hub Wiring your campervan’s electrical system doesn’t have to be complicated or time-consuming. The Giga Power Hub streamlines the entire process, making it faster, safer, and easier—even if you’re not an electrical expert. Learn More Products & Services Power Dist...

12/05/2025

At coulomb IQ, helping people is in our DNA.

Take Sue and Colin and their fantastic caravan for example. They recently had some changes made to their van that was leaving them very confused about what was going on with the performance of their battery monitor.

After a lot of hunting around for answers on socials and even reaching out to a 12V retailer in Perth, we agreed to meet up and decipher what was going on with their system. It turned out that Sue and Colin were far more knowledgeable than they realised and their understanding of the system operation and what it should do was spot on.

We quickly identified that their monitoring solution wasn't working correctly and in addition there were several safety critical defects in the wiring system, all of which will get rectified prior to their next holiday.

We have assisted people with their power system faults across Australia, from Perth and Exmouth to NSW, Queensland and the ACT. If you get stuck and have a problem, we can help.

At coulomb IQ, all work is completed to comply with AS/NZS 3001:2022 with a certificate provided describing the work completed.
Based in Kalamunda, we have a secure hardstand for your van, camper or motor home if it has to stay for work to be completed.

If you have questions or are having issues with your power system and aren't sure where to go or what to do next, give us a call. We can certainly let you know what your next steps to resolve the issue are.

Thanks for reading,
Jason
www.coulombiq.com.au