Een lineaire actuator voeden met een accu (camper, zonne-energie & off-grid)

A battery is a perfectly good power supply for a linear actuator — provided it is treated like a power supply, not like a magic box. The same three questions from mains-powered projects still apply: is the voltage right, can it deliver the current, and for how long? Battery projects add one more: what recharges it. This guide answers all four, for RVs, boats, solar setups, and anywhere else the mains does not reach.

The Three Numbers, Battery Edition

Voltage must match. A 12V actuator needs a 12V battery system; a 24V actuator needs a 24V system (two 12V batteries in series, or a native 24V bank — wire it as your battery system requires, and check the resulting voltage before connecting the actuator). Voltage mismatch causes exactly the same problems as with a mains supply: weak or no movement on too little voltage, overheating on too much.

Current decides whether it moves. A battery can deliver very high current in a short burst, which is precisely why the rest of the circuit must be rated for the actuator's full-load current. Size the wiring, the switch or controller, and the fuse for the full-load figure in the table below — not the no-load figure, and not "whatever the battery can do."

Capacity decides how long it runs. Battery capacity is measured in amp-hours (Ah). In theory, a battery's running time for an actuator is its capacity divided by the actuator's current draw. In practice, real running time is always less than that theoretical figure, for reasons explained below — but the division is still the right starting point.

Full-Load Current, by Model

These are the verified full-load currents for HyHaven actuators:

Note how quickly the numbers grow. A small U1 at 12V asks for 3.0 A; a U6 at 12V asks for 16.0 A; a U7 at 12V asks for 20 A. That difference decides the battery, the wiring, and the fuse — a setup that is comfortable for a U1 can be hopelessly undersized for a U6, even though both are "12V actuators."

How to Estimate Runtime (and Why the Estimate Is Optimistic)

The method: runtime (hours) ≈ battery capacity (Ah) ÷ actuator full-load current (A).

Worked examples (arithmetic only, not product claims): a U1 drawing 3.0 A at 12V from a 100 Ah battery gives 100 ÷ 3.0 ≈ 33 hours of continuous full-load running, in theory. A U3 drawing 8.5 A at 12V from the same battery gives 100 ÷ 8.5 ≈ 12 hours, in theory. A U6 drawing 16.0 A at 12V gives 100 ÷ 16.0 ≈ 6 hours, in theory.

Three reasons the real figure will be lower:

1. Actuators rarely run continuously. The estimate counts only motor-on time. If your actuator runs a few minutes a day — a hatch, a vent, a lift — a single charge lasts far longer in calendar days than the "hours" figure suggests, because the motor is off most of the time. Count cycles, not clock hours: estimate how many full strokes a day, how long each stroke takes, and multiply.
2. Current is not constant. Full-load current is the worst case. An unloaded or lightly loaded actuator draws less, which stretches runtime; a stalled or heavily loaded one draws the full figure or trips protection, which shortens it.
3. Batteries do not deliver their full rated capacity in all conditions. Cold weather, an ageing battery, and high discharge rates all reduce usable capacity. Do not plan a system that only works if the battery delivers 100% of its label figure.

So use the division to size the battery, then treat the answer as a ceiling, not a promise. If the estimate says the battery only just covers a day's use, the battery is too small — size up, or recharge more often.

12V or 24V on Battery Power?

If you already have a battery system, match it: a 12V RV or boat bank means a 12V actuator, unless you have a specific reason to add a converter. If you are building a new system around a large actuator, 24V has a real advantage: the same model draws far less current at 24V (a U6 drops from 16.0 A to 9.0 A; a U7 from 20 A to 10.5 A). Lower current means less voltage drop in the wiring, less heat, and an easier time for switches, controllers, and fuses. For more on this trade-off, see our 12V vs 24V guide.

One caution: a 24V system built from two 12V batteries in series must be kept balanced and charged as a pair. Do not tap 12V off one half of a 24V bank for other loads while the actuator uses the full 24V — that unbalances the pair and shortens battery life.

Solar: Let the Battery Do the Buffering

Solar and actuators are a natural pair — vents, chicken-coop doors, greenhouse windows, and gates are all classic solar jobs — but the wiring order matters: Solar panel → charge controller → battery → actuator. The battery is the buffer. The panel's output varies with sunlight, clouds, and time of day; the actuator needs steady voltage and a surge of current at start-up. A panel wired directly to an actuator will stall on a cloudy moment and surge on a bright one, and it cannot run the actuator at night at all.

Practical points:

• Size the panel and the battery for the daily cycle count, not for a single stroke. A panel that recharges the day's strokes by evening is enough; a panel that only just covers one stroke is not a system.
• Keep the charge controller between panel and battery, set for your battery type. The controller protects the battery from overcharging; it is not optional.
• The actuator still draws from the battery, so the full-load current table above still governs the wiring and fuse between battery and actuator, even in a solar setup.
• If the actuator will sit unused for weeks (a seasonal greenhouse vent, for example), check the battery's self-discharge and the controller's standby draw. A system that is fine in summer can arrive at winter with a flat battery.

Wiring and Safety for Battery Systems

Battery faults are less forgiving than mains-adapter faults, because a battery can deliver very high fault current. Five rules:

1. Fuse close to the battery terminal. Fit an inline fuse on the positive lead, as close to the battery as practical, rated above the actuator's full-load current. This fuse protects the wiring, not just the actuator. If it blows, find the short or jam before replacing it — do not fit a bigger fuse.
2. Keep runs short and wires substantial. Voltage drop hurts most at 12V and at high current. Route the battery, controller, and actuator as close together as the installation allows, and use wire that is clearly adequate for the full-load current over that run. If the actuator runs fine on a short test lead but not on the installed run, the wiring is the suspect.
3. Do not run a large actuator off a starter battery as a permanent arrangement. A vehicle's starter battery is built for short, high-current cranks, not for repeated deep cycling. A dedicated auxiliary or leisure battery, charged from the vehicle or from solar, is the right home for an actuator that cycles daily.
4. Protect connections from moisture and vibration. RV, boat, and outdoor installations shake and get wet. Use sealed or protected connectors, secure the wiring so it cannot chafe at a hinge or panel edge, and inspect terminals for corrosion as part of routine maintenance.
5. Disconnect before working on the wiring. A battery does not have an "off" switch on the wall. Disconnect the fuse or the battery terminal before rewiring, and reconnect it last.

One Battery, Two Actuators?

A single battery can power two actuators if it can deliver both full-load currents at once — add the two figures from the table and check the wiring, controller, and fuse against the total. But a shared battery does not synchronise the actuators: two actuators on one supply will still drift apart under uneven loads, because speed varies with load. For a platform that must stay level, you need a synchronisation strategy, not just a bigger battery.

If your platform must stay level, you need a synchronisation strategy before wiring two actuators together — a shared supply alone is not that strategy.

Symptoms of a Battery Problem

• Moves slowly, then stops: the battery is low, or the wiring drops too much voltage under load. Check the battery voltage under load, not at rest — a flat battery can read deceptively well with nothing connected.
• Works on a mains supply but not on the battery: the battery, its fuse, or its wiring is the difference. Test the actuator on the battery with a short test lead to isolate the wiring.
• Runs once, then the system goes dead: a fuse has blown or a protection device has tripped. Find the cause (short, jam, or overload) before resetting.
• Runs fine in the morning, fails by evening: the battery is not being recharged enough for the daily cycle count. Either the charging source is too small, or the cycle count is higher than estimated.

FAQ

Can I run an actuator directly from a solar panel without a battery?

Not reliably. Panel output varies with sunlight and cannot supply the start-up surge steadily. Use a battery as the buffer, with a charge controller between panel and battery.

Will a bigger battery make the actuator stronger or faster?

No. Force and speed are set by the actuator. A bigger battery only runs it for longer. Voltage must still match, and current rating must still cover the full-load figure.

Can I use my car's starter battery for a weekend project?

For a short test, yes, with a fuse. As a permanent installation that cycles daily, no — use a dedicated auxiliary battery so a flat actuator battery never becomes a vehicle that will not start.

How do I know if my battery is big enough?

Estimate daily motor-on time (cycles × seconds per stroke), multiply by the full-load current to get daily amp-hours, and compare with the battery's usable capacity — then leave generous headroom for cold weather, ageing, and days without charging. If the numbers only just fit, the battery is too small.

Does a 24V actuator need a special battery?

Only a 24V source: a native 24V bank, or two matched 12V batteries in series, charged and maintained as a pair. The actuator itself does not care how the 24V is made, as long as it is steady and can deliver the full-load current.

The Short Version

Match the voltage, size the wiring and fuse for full-load current, estimate runtime by dividing capacity by current — and treat that answer as a ceiling. Put a battery between any solar panel and the actuator, fuse at the battery terminal, and do not let a starter battery carry a daily-cycling load permanently. Do those things and battery power stops being a compromise and becomes the reason the project works off-grid at all.

For the mains-powered side of the same decisions, read our power supply sizing guide and our 12V vs 24V guide. For the wiring itself, start with our guide to wiring a linear actuator, and browse controllers and remote kits for the control side.