Great description of your system, Dan!
I found that taking the inverter out of the loop helped a little with battery runtimes. But I was running 12V halogen lights at 50W each. I found inexpensive track lighting fixtures at Home Depot, and removed the transformers. Originally 110-20V, they have a small transformer inside the case. A fairly easy task to remove the cover, take out the transformer, and rewire the lamp direct to the track contacts. I made up a cable using very heavy 12 gauge wire, terminating in a standard 110v duplex box on one end, and alligator clips on the other end. Since the lights are now running direct off the batteries, the cable will get hot -- it's transferring DC power, not AC. I used a very heavy cable from the batteries to the duplex connection. The tracks plug into the duplex, and the alligator clips attach to the batteries. I ran about 9 lights apiece on a battery, with two marine/deep cycle batteries. I could get about 7 hours out of the batteries before having to recharge them. I have two Sears recharging units that do a very good job, and can recharge them overnight.
But I found that there were only a couple shows that ran into the evening that didn't provide electricity for the dark times, and that the few days of dark skies didn't offset the hassle of carrying the batteries back and forth, charging them, and rigging the tracks. There is one show that I do where I can run a generator off 100 yards behind the booth. All the other evening shows offer electricity, albeit at a price.
The work looks great on a rainy day using lights. But track lighting is a major time sink in setup and breakdown, and it's not fun moving the batteries back and forth to charge them. Did it make a difference in sales? Hard to say. It certainly attracts more lookers when your booth is lit up and everyone else looks dark and gray.
Jim Parker
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