Can you Improve Travel Buddy 12 Volt Oven Performance using Voltage Step-Up Converters? 

Thanks Lock - being a retired Avionics technician I will er on the side of caution and potentially ☺️(no pun intended) try the 13.8V regulator only to protect the oven over long term use because I don’t want a raging fire while driving down the highway - I’m at my third stage and three years in to the Hilux/Aluminium canopy/RFT project build with many prototype setups discovering what works and what doesn’t - I’ve gone with a simple 100ah Amptron Lithum battery system incorporating Redarc, Renogy, Engel mane even Kings products because I only run lights, 27 litre fridge and Sureflo water system - my Travel Buddy is on its way so I’ll start with a simple high capacity/fused/relay configuration first an monitor current draw and heat which are the two important elements that can destroy a system and your vehicle.

As a straight resistive element in the travel buddy you will find that raising the voltage raises the current draw anyway due to ohms law. So the losses through the converters probably aren’t as bad as indicated here anyway. You could measure the current with a clamp or inline power meter to compare the oven current vs the battery current.

I added a 15v converter to mine today. Oven now too hot to touch after 45 mins. Such an improvement. I found the stock blade fuse on mine was adding too much resistance so changed that out to something better and increased voltage to converter by 0.3v. All adds up

Bloody awesome video guys! Gotta love your tips, especially when the proof is provided, not just opinions like many other channels.

Superb video.. solid technical presentation from someone who clearly has a very firm grasp of the subject matter! I run a cheap Jaycar 12V warmer, only room for a couple of pies and you have to leave it open for the last 20mins of cooking to dry it out a bit.. but does a great job and doesnt take up much room. Those stepup converters are an interesting bit of kit at what looks like a pretty fair price.. thanks for the information and ideas.

I really like your videos on the DC systems. Good, comparable, repeatable results. Great stuff!

I did some testing today on my new Rough Country travel oven. I found the element was about 1.6ohms using a four-wire resistance test (no wire leads or fuse included), and using the figures from the 60V/100A power meter is was about 1.7ohms (including wiring, fuse and the power meter itself). I ran with a 135Ah battery only, which dropped to around 12.05V with a current of 7.2A and power of 86W. I then added a 4A battery charger where the battery settled under load to 13.98V with a current of 8.1A and power of 113W. Lastly, I put two small motorcycle AGMs in series and it was running about 22.3V under load with a current of 12.8A and power of 285W(!). I cooked a couple of pies that way. I thought it might go "pop" and let the smoke out, but it went fine...for now. Cabling was a little warm ;-) This was done on a concrete floor, not in-vehicle. I'm not staying with such a high voltage. It was just for fun. Generally, anyone wanting to work out the current draw in this type of oven can use 1.7ohms as a starting point. Divide your chosen voltage by 1.7 and you have your current in amps, which is the output side of the step-up converter. The current going into it will be higher, though these boost converters usually have a larger wire size on the input side to allow for this. The limiting factor, apart from the element, will be the 15A fuse and the wiring, which I'm leaving alone. My stove is rated 100W, while I see Kick-Ass specs say 130W max. I'm guessing there's not much variation between all these brands, but you never know. I'll be getting one of these step-up converters, that's for sure. Thanks for the great video. Well presented data and charts. It's good to see. New subscriber.

Love the idea, will probably do this even though I Run a lithium atm.. Just want to make a note, that the factory wiring that come with it most likely could do with an upgrade.. Especially as it has a 1tamp blade fuse and most likely 15amp rated wire... I'd definitely be putting 12g (25amp) cable on and a 20 amp fuse

awesome job mate, made it so easy to understand where you were going with it but i was so interested in the info. keep them coming.

I have a kings travel oven and i put 2x frozen saussage rolls in and from cold start it was done in 50 min no pre heat .

Really great video, but yes it was drawing more amps from the battery at 15v but it was actually pulling more watts through the oven. So the first test doesn't really show the efficency all that well. What you needed to do was test the current on the other side to view in and out. But final test showed the end result anyways.

FYI, 170W @36minutes is 102.6Wh 145W @48minutes is 116Wh 120W @80minutes is 160 Wh. Even though the step up converters are not 100% efficient and do loose power to heat, the oven is also not 100% efficient and also looses heat over time.

Another top bloody notch video guys 👍 Well done! Rito, enough of pumping up your tyres..... I've got to get on Ebay 😂

Nice! Good info and great explanation/demonstration and results. Thanks again.

This was a sensational video mate, well done to you. I was screaming at the screen “what amount amp/hrs” when you were showing the heat up times, but true to form you covered that off in the end. I’m sold, just bought one! Again, thanks from Jafffa Adventures for educating me.👍

Great video. Was keen to find a solution using the Buddy when not driving and when sun wasn’t optimal for solar... now I’ve got one thanks to you... Cheers 🍻

Thanks mate, brilliant stuff.

Brilliant video, great info,cheers

They are purely a resistive load - A length of nichrome resistance wire, more or less. Not a lot to go wrong, and makes them fairly tolerant to different voltages, but I wouldn't push them much further than 15v I use a 24v version, and it's a bit slow dead on 24v, but nice when the sun is out and I'm at 27v, 28.5 on the road and it's beautiful.

Love it. Great stuff. Off to ebay now!

The 13.8 makes sense, as said being a charge voltage which is way you use them when driving or hooked up to a battery taking a solar charge. They can be used off stand alone battery but it's not an ideal situation. On a sla performance is only going to get worse as the voltage drops. Interesting to see results long term. I can imagine it impacting on the oven much at all. If any wiring couldn't handle that small increases, I'd be a bit disappointed. If be interested in that Guage of the nichrome heating element and if you could wind another to improve performance. Likely not worth the effort though.

excellent stuff mate - thanks

Another great video, well researched and tested - thank you. Hey you could have your questions regarding longevity answered by asking Aussie Dave Jones from EEV Blog - he'd love to sort you out I reckon. Shoot him a mail or send him the link to one or more of your clips as his motto is "don't turn it on - take it apart" and he's a Guru & Aussie. Cheers mate.

Thanks mate. Very helpful.

1x 13.8 left in stock as of 4th January 2024

I got the 13.8 since it's the same as my alternator but I wish I got the 15v now!

Nice video, very informative.

Well done mate. Great reviews

Great video and loads of good tech data! My alternator runs at 14.4v so 15v should be fine, but curious if the ovens have a voltage limit before things break? What stopping you using a 24v step up?!

Gonna weld my travel buddy to my turbo manifold 😅 & let the boost cook my pie

Thanks for the video. Very informative. One question though…what step up converters are you using?

I just brought kickass new oven with digital temperture gauge and have two heating elements. 12v 260w ... watching your video 15v 15A ... i look up for converter step up .. just wondering if i can use 12v to 24v 20Amp .... ... but 260w / 12v mean 21.6A !!! Not sure what i can do ....get 30A if have or not thanks

I prefer mrs macs Great product review without the hype

Great videos you do. Very informative and helpful. If these step up/down convertors are 12v input, 13.8v(or 15v) output, how do they handle it when the car is running and the input voltage could jump up to 14.5v? Can they handle that?

G'day, Can I leave a 13.8v regulator in when alternator charging or with solar input? Run an old school isolator and a separate renogy rover mppt for solar.

Well done on this video top demo 8)

WOW! Bloody great video, thanks so much, so in theory this data would replicate for a 12v Fridge running from a similar set up???

Will a step up converter void the oven warranty?

Interested to see the results with 12v fridges as well my trailblazer fridge is 12v to 24v

I have a question...what would be the results if you used a 12v dc dc charger and attached Anderson connectors to the input and output sides of the charger..then put it between the battery and the travel buddy..the reason I say this..is that I have swapped out a 12v dcdc charger..so I have one lying around gathering dust.

I only cook when driving. So are these useful when driving?

Got myself a SMW set-up converter... my question is fuses... One before that 15amp? Any after the set-up for safety of over?

Hi mate great video ! Could you tell me what size wire is used on the step up converters you are using ? I brought one off eBay for my travel buddy last week witch looks identical to the Amazon ones you are using but the cable is only 1.5mm 10 amp witch I’m not real keen on trying but seems a lot of people use these same ones so just wanted your feedback! Thanks Chris

I’ve just purchased the 15v converter, what’s the go with fuses, do you install 1 on the input and out put sides? I already have 1 on the travel buddy wiring so was thinking on the out put side would be over kill?

Where did you buy the step up converters? Was it just eBay?

G'day, I know this is an old vid but hoping you maybe able to still answer a question. Is there any recomendations on where the Stepup converter (15V) should be in relation to the travel buddy "Distance from travel buddy to Step Up Converter)? or doesnt it matter? Ill be putting in a switch at the dash area but travel buddy is in the back of the wagon. I was thinking of hiding the converter for clean wiring. Enjoy ya vids. Thanks.

Nice video, thank you Just to be pedantic, the saying is not. “The proof is in the pudding.” It is “the proof of the pudding is in the eating”

Hi mate, great video I got a step-up converter and works great on my AGM battery, but I have just upgraded to lithium 150ah would there be any benefits using it on a lithium ?. Would it work the same ? Cheers

So can you run the oven for 2 hours without damaging the battery with engine off ? 105 amp battery. Is it bad for the battery to drop to 10.5 v ?

Well presented

Hi can you please do a temp comparison between the 12v and 24v Travel Buddy? I would also be keen to see the Amp draw between each and how much Amp Hours over time for the same cook and how long each took. I'm looking to use a 12v to 24v converter for this and would be interested to also know how much extra Ah that adds to the battery consumption instead of a direct 24v source.

Brilliant. I have one question. Can the step up converter be left permanently connected while driving as well? Cheers

So what happens when you set it up and car is still running? Does it max out at the 15v or boost past that?

Has anyone checked the output of these when the alternator is pumping in the juice? Would be very interested to know what they do when the system is running at full charge of around 14.5v. Thanks for the great content and thanks for any further info.

Just the information I was looking for, thank you, can you let me know where you got the 15 volt step up converter from? I've had a look around and, and can find 12v to 15v, with a max output of 15 amps, do you think that should be fine considering you hit around 13.6 amps draw, or should I look for 20 amps max?

Is there anything different been 12v and 24v travel buddy other then volts

Could a similar test be done for operating off 240v to 12volt convertors? Difference between a 13amp compared to a 15amp unit. I noticed a lot people are using different amp converters.

Do you think these step up converters are sealed good enough to be mounted on the back of a tool box in the weather? I have wanted one and this great review has sold me on one. I have always held off due to mounting positions.

Is the most basic way to use the step up converter , plug it in with Anderson when you need it and then unplug it when you are driving ? I’m not an auto electrician so don’t want to do anything to difficult in terms of wiring..

12v devices have good voltage tolerance. I can't imagine the oven will be damaged.

So are the 13.8 v at 10amp is it

Great video Simon! Can anyone share a link to either a 13.8 or 15.0V step-up converter. I'm having trouble finding one with the model numbers provided in the description.

What does the performance look like with a 24V step up?

Gaday mate, I have a late model Patrol with a so called smart alternator. I’m assuming that using the step up converter whilst driving, will still be beneficial even though the alternator kicks back to 12.?V about 2 minutes after you start the car?

Brilliant video as always! Have you tried leaving this plugged in while driving? I wonder what happens when the input voltage is say 13.6.

is the correct model for the 13.8 unit XW-12-13.8-248W (12v-13.8v18A) ? I am not super with my 12 V just want to make sure i get the correct one? Thanks

Does the stepups work with the opposite? Which is a fridge

Hi. Just a thought. Is there any reason why you cannot run these units direct from the alternator?

The 13.8 V reg, will be the same as driving, as the car system is a nominal 13.8 to 14.2 volts while driving..

Just hooked my 80w solar panel it was running at 6a and 83w in the sun. By rights would that be enough to not 100% offset the power draw but sort of help keep some juice in the battery so I am able to run my oven with the vehicle off? I wanna cook dinner without pissin me mates off by runnin a 3 inch straight pipe diesel for 2 hours

Nice video mate do you think it would work the same with 12v fridge like a 80lt waeco

Would a link to the E bay item be possible, i cant seem to find it? Love the vids!!!

Great video... do you have a link to the actual unit (15v please) that you used in this test... I want to get one.

Where can i get the 13.8v one please

LOL any excuse to break out the Four & Twenties :)