About RigWatts & Our Off-Grid 12V/24V Engineering Methodology

Who Built RigWatts?

Hi, I’m Louis—founder and lead electrical systems engineer at RigWatts. Before building tools for the campervan and overlanding community, I worked in field operations and maintenance for overhead power transmission line remote monitoring systems, alongside holding a Bachelor’s degree in Logistics & Supply Chain Management.

Out on remote mountain transmission towers, every monitoring terminal—ice-load sensors, ultrasonic anemometers, PTZ inspection cameras, and cellular/satellite backhaul radios—runs 100% off-grid on solar panels, MPPT controllers, and 12V/24V/48V lithium battery banks in brutal sub-zero winters and summer heatwaves.

When you maintain unattended DC systems miles from the nearest paved road, you learn fast that 90% of "mysterious equipment reboots" are not broken electronics—they are transient voltage drops across undersized wire, oxidized fuse holders, or cold-soaked batteries sagging under startup surges.

Our 4 Engineering Verification Standards

Every interactive calculator and wiring chart on RigWatts is cross-checked against four industry standards and field measurement protocols:

1. ABYC E-11 & NEC DC Voltage Drop Rules: All cable sizing equations use the full round-trip conductor path (2 × one-way length) and operating-temperature copper resistivity (K = 10.75 Ω·CM/ft), targeting ≤ 3% voltage drop for voltage-sensitive 12V loads like Starlink Mini and diesel heater controllers.
2. ABYC / NEC 125% Continuous Fuse Sizing Rule: Overcurrent protection is calculated at 125% of peak continuous load current, rounded up to the next standard automotive/marine blade or ANL fuse size without exceeding the thermal ampacity of 105°C marine-grade tinned copper wire.
3. Transient Surge & Parasitic Load Modeling: We test and model worst-case current spikes—including Starlink Mini’s 58W–60W boot/snow-melt lock surge and 12V diesel heater 115W (~9.6A) ceramic glow-plug ignition cycles—plus inverter no-load quiescent draw.
4. Chemistry-Specific Depth of Discharge (DoD): We separate LiFePO4 lithium iron phosphate banks (90% practical usable capacity with flat voltage curves) from legacy AGM / Lead-Acid batteries (50% safe DoD ceiling and steep Peukert voltage sag under winter loads).

Contact & Technical Corrections

Spot a new portable power station firmware change, Starlink power profile update, or want us to model a specific 12V/24V appliance? Reach out directly:

• Engineering & Editorial Email: hello@rigwatts.com
• Transparency & Monetization Policy: Read our full Affiliate & Editorial Disclosure.

Explore RigWatts 12V/24V Calculators

Cross-check your campervan or overland power budget with our interactive 12V/24V calculators and field troubleshooting guides:

Interactive 12V/24V Engineering Calculators

Field Troubleshooting & Hardware Selection Guides