6Legger
Member
So. Some months ago whilst visiting a shared workshop of a friend he offered me a 12v Lithium battery to use. I was actually collecting 2 for a friend here in Coventry anyway, and he was taking away 6 to go into his 24v Volvo C303 camper.
I ummed and ahhed, but decided to go with the flow and borrow it. I later bought it.
It was the Valence U27 12XP, 12v 138ah, 1.7Kwh. I already had a Bluetti AC50s, which is a 500wh, which is 0.5kwh and it coped with running my compressor fridge for 2 days before needing a charge. So this thing should manage 3 times as long!!!
I had already decided on using the Magnusson toolboxes if I could because I had some of their crates already, and initally decided on using one of the open stackable crates that looks like a crate. However, the guy I got to eventually build it decided on the enclosed box.
I'm not the best with electric. I can do it but there are times when I need support of others to confirm I'm not going to electrocute/blow myself up/melt things/break things etc. Now that the box has been built I feel a bit better on the next versions....
The Open Crate Option.
There was even enough room to lie the battery on its side. A hard thing for me to do, but I kept being reassured it was a thing that could be done.
So I packaged it all up and it went off to be built. I discussed it with the guy quite a few times (AR Power Solutions) who is up in Liverpool and popped up there with all the bits. He preferred to used wolf type boxes, which is a storage solution that overlanders with 4x4s often use as they are stackable and interlockable and can be stored on the roof rack if necessary.
But I wanted to use the tool stack I had. In one of those pictures you can see the base with wheels. As I live in a flat it's great to get all the stuff down to the car by loading up and taking it all down like that.
So. Onto the end result.
I chose with advice on using a specialist waterproof connector that could cope with 20a and 12v (It's rated for 500v/20a) and got one end hooked up to the charger and the other to the box. It means I can just 'plug it in' and leave it running.
This is the end result.
So. The front has got 5 ports (L-R 2x Euro Hella, Ciggy Socket, 2x USB, 20a plug), the side has got 2 ports, and the rear has the power isolator. The two side ports are protected by 30a fuses each but not on the power isolator, and that is the charge plug and the 50a Anderson plug. It doesn't have one here but it quickly gained a safety cover plug. The isolator switch is removable. The box was made up so that the Victron charger could travel inside as well if necessary.
For most of the time I don't expect it to need it, so will live at home. There are only a few events I expect to last a full week and I'll have my Bluetti which I can also use and top up on site. Plus this year I get to test out the 200w solar panel on the roof of my LR Discovery 2 (as pictured in the images too).
I ummed and ahhed, but decided to go with the flow and borrow it. I later bought it.
It was the Valence U27 12XP, 12v 138ah, 1.7Kwh. I already had a Bluetti AC50s, which is a 500wh, which is 0.5kwh and it coped with running my compressor fridge for 2 days before needing a charge. So this thing should manage 3 times as long!!!
I had already decided on using the Magnusson toolboxes if I could because I had some of their crates already, and initally decided on using one of the open stackable crates that looks like a crate. However, the guy I got to eventually build it decided on the enclosed box.
I'm not the best with electric. I can do it but there are times when I need support of others to confirm I'm not going to electrocute/blow myself up/melt things/break things etc. Now that the box has been built I feel a bit better on the next versions....
The Open Crate Option.
There was even enough room to lie the battery on its side. A hard thing for me to do, but I kept being reassured it was a thing that could be done.
So I packaged it all up and it went off to be built. I discussed it with the guy quite a few times (AR Power Solutions) who is up in Liverpool and popped up there with all the bits. He preferred to used wolf type boxes, which is a storage solution that overlanders with 4x4s often use as they are stackable and interlockable and can be stored on the roof rack if necessary.
But I wanted to use the tool stack I had. In one of those pictures you can see the base with wheels. As I live in a flat it's great to get all the stuff down to the car by loading up and taking it all down like that.
So. Onto the end result.
I chose with advice on using a specialist waterproof connector that could cope with 20a and 12v (It's rated for 500v/20a) and got one end hooked up to the charger and the other to the box. It means I can just 'plug it in' and leave it running.
This is the end result.
So. The front has got 5 ports (L-R 2x Euro Hella, Ciggy Socket, 2x USB, 20a plug), the side has got 2 ports, and the rear has the power isolator. The two side ports are protected by 30a fuses each but not on the power isolator, and that is the charge plug and the 50a Anderson plug. It doesn't have one here but it quickly gained a safety cover plug. The isolator switch is removable. The box was made up so that the Victron charger could travel inside as well if necessary.
For most of the time I don't expect it to need it, so will live at home. There are only a few events I expect to last a full week and I'll have my Bluetti which I can also use and top up on site. Plus this year I get to test out the 200w solar panel on the roof of my LR Discovery 2 (as pictured in the images too).
