My full electrics upgrade project with a long inverter cable run
- Thread starter 8balladdict
- Start date
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- 12v power
So progress has been made on the install at last. I’ve moved the amp from the drivers seat to the passenger seat. I managed to get it to fit at the front if the enclosure that the sub is mounted in. I re-routed the audio cables over to the passenger seat and ran a new 16mm2 cable to power the amp between the seat bases.
Victron MPPTs say they require the battery to be connected before solar and the solar to be disconnected before battery. If you isolate your battery then having a solar isolator enables you to do this. You also may wish to limit the charge current going into your battery whilst driving if you have both a high current DC-DC converter and a large solar array. Or you may wish to isolate voltages on your busbars whilst you are working on your electrics.
More progress….
Took the Dremel to the factory ground point. That’s been removed to get the battery to sit as flat as possible. Then I sorted all the cables and the factory loom connection blocks out. Ended up locating the blocks in the recess where the grommet is in the picture and getting the cables as flat as possible.
That’s allowed the battery to now sit nice and flush to the floor once I put the carpet back down but the Fogstar Drift 230Ah does protrude at the front too much for me to get my Sportscraft seat base back on. Not really an issue as with the furniture I had fitted last year means I can’t really swivel that seat anyway so no biggie leaving it out.
Took the Dremel to the factory ground point. That’s been removed to get the battery to sit as flat as possible. Then I sorted all the cables and the factory loom connection blocks out. Ended up locating the blocks in the recess where the grommet is in the picture and getting the cables as flat as possible.
That’s allowed the battery to now sit nice and flush to the floor once I put the carpet back down but the Fogstar Drift 230Ah does protrude at the front too much for me to get my Sportscraft seat base back on. Not really an issue as with the furniture I had fitted last year means I can’t really swivel that seat anyway so no biggie leaving it out.
Next I had to start looking at the seat base itself. I made some slight modifications to the base to allow more room for the cables to come up into the seat base and also made some hole in the side which is where the 2 50mm2 cables are going to be routed to the back of the van for the inverter.
This is the bit I cutout to make more room down the side of the battery
And the two holes for the inverter cables. Plus an extra one to route a cable to power the 12v socket in the side pocket of the seat
So what that now gives me is room to get the cables up through the carpet in the seat base
This is the bit I cutout to make more room down the side of the battery
And the two holes for the inverter cables. Plus an extra one to route a cable to power the 12v socket in the side pocket of the seat
So what that now gives me is room to get the cables up through the carpet in the seat base
I then made the template for the piece of ply that I was going to use in one of the sides. I already had a bit of carpeted ply that was used to mount the old CTEK to the front of the seat base from the old install so I just decided to also reuse that.
After that, I started working on the figuring out where all the components were going to live. After a bit of head scratching, I’ve settled on the following arrangement.
Left side: DC-DC and the positive distribution box
Right side: Neg busbar and the SmartShunt
Then the front panel: Main isolator, solar isolator, MPPT, AMT12-2 and the blade fuse holder
After that, I started working on the figuring out where all the components were going to live. After a bit of head scratching, I’ve settled on the following arrangement.
Left side: DC-DC and the positive distribution box
Right side: Neg busbar and the SmartShunt
Then the front panel: Main isolator, solar isolator, MPPT, AMT12-2 and the blade fuse holder
@8balladdict If you have a multimeter could you confirm if there is continuity between the BATT - and PV - on the MPPT 75/15 at the terminals? Would be good to know for definite.
Before I put the seat base back in, as I’m going to be using one of the seat base bolts as the new main ground point, I checked it for continuity and resistance using my multimeter. I’m glad I did too as I was struggling to get reliable continuity through it at all. So, I did then follow @EAN’s post and cleaned off all the coating from the threads and the flat surfaced edges of the seat base bolt in the chassis, the contact area of the chassis itself and also the actual nut. I also then removed the paint from the top and bottom of the seat base itself.
I then re-tested all the surfaces and was getting perfect continuity and pretty much zero resistance. So definitely a worthwhile 10 minute job.
I then re-tested all the surfaces and was getting perfect continuity and pretty much zero resistance. So definitely a worthwhile 10 minute job.
@8balladdict I'd recommend the carbon paste I used, to help prevent oxidisation of the exposed metal. Use it sparingly as it can be a bit messy.
Last bit of progress to date…..
Started making up the cabling and connecting things up. It is all very tight, especially with the two 50mm2 inverter cables coming through. I think I can get it all wired up, just not going to be as tidy or as easy as I’d have liked. Ran out of 50mm2 terminals to make the main battery cables but other than that, everything else is ready to go. Just need to program the AMT12-2 and configure the DD-DC, then squeeze it all in. Coming along though.
Started making up the cabling and connecting things up. It is all very tight, especially with the two 50mm2 inverter cables coming through. I think I can get it all wired up, just not going to be as tidy or as easy as I’d have liked. Ran out of 50mm2 terminals to make the main battery cables but other than that, everything else is ready to go. Just need to program the AMT12-2 and configure the DD-DC, then squeeze it all in. Coming along though.
VANLIFETerry
New Member
Did the battery fit in the end 8ball? Looking to do a similar set up ourselves. Really helpful post!
I know its a bit of an old post. But Im going to be working on my solar install in the not too distant future. Is it 100% that I can just use one of those switches just to isolate the positive cable from the solar panels?
