T6 with leisure battery - how to add a plug socket - 3 pin & USB C charger

[tommycj]

Hello

First time poster!

I just bought a VW Transporter T6 4Motion.

It has a leisure battery under the front passenger seat with a split charger installed, and I'm not sure which battery is in there.

I would love some advice on how to add a three pin plug socket, a battery charge indicator & a USB A + C port behind the front passenger seat.

I know I can plug in an inverter, but would like to have switch plate like the attached photo and be neat and tidy!

My new van


This is where I want to have the sockets



This is what I can see under the seat
.


This is the kind of plug I would like to add

Thanks so much for your help!

 

[roadtripper]

Do you have EHU or absolutely no 240v in the van at all currently?

 

[tommycj]

Do you have EHU or absolutely no 240v in the van at all currently?

As far as I'm aware, no 240v & definitely no EHU.

Can you run a three pin plug off the leisure battery?

 

[roadtripper]

Leisure battery is 12v DC, a mains socket is 240v AC so not directly.

To do that you will need to find space to fit an inverter.

Depending on what you want to run that might need to be quite large and will need to be positioned close to the leisure battery as it will need high current cables.

What are you planning to run and does it have to be 240v, if you can run off 12v things will be considerably simpler.

 

[Scottish Scrutineer]

You can power USB A and C from 12v. Most vehicle USB sockets are designed to operate from a 12v feed.

 

[Salty Spuds]

As far as I'm aware, no 240v & definitely no EHU.

Can you run a three pin plug off the leisure battery?

I’d pour yourself a beer/wine/G&T/oat milk & spend an hour or so playing with the search function. Have a look at @Dellmassive’s “how to’s” . You’ll get a feel for what’s what in the camper electrical field, then you can come back and ask specific questions.

 

[tommycj]

I’d pour yourself a beer/wine/G&T/oat milk & spend an hour or so playing with the search function. Have a look at @Dellmassive’s “how to’s” . You’ll get a feel for what’s what in the camper electrical field, then you can come back and ask specific questions.

Thank you, I have been doing this for a week or so and haven’t really been able to find an answer

So far this thread has been very useful

 

[tommycj]

You can power USB A and C from 12v. Most vehicle USB sockets are designed to operate from a 12v feed.

Thank you very much, very helpful

 

[tommycj]

Leisure battery is 12v DC, a mains socket is 240v AC so not directly.

To do that you will need to find space to fit an inverter.

Depending on what you want to run that might need to be quite large and will need to be positioned close to the leisure battery as it will need high current cables.

What are you planning to run and does it have to be 240v, if you can run off 12v things will be considerably simpler.

Thank you very much for info, it’s sounds like a portable power bank might be the most cost effective way for my needs.

I want to charge a laptop, LED lights on a roof rack and a camera charger.

 

[roadtripper]

Thank you very much for info, it’s sounds like a portable power bank might be the most cost effective way for my needs.

I want to charge a laptop, LED lights on a roof rack and a camera charger.

You should be able to do all of those from the 12v system you already have.

LED lights will be natively 12v

Camera charger is likely to have a car adaptor available - again 12v - or can charge from USB?

Laptop chargers can be near the current limit of a standard car 12v socket but you can find many 12v to USB-C 65w options.

Which laptop and camera.do you have?

 

[tommycj]

You should be able to do all of those from the 12v system you already have.

LED lights will be natively 12v

Camera charger is likely to have a car adaptor available - again 12v - or can charge from USB?

Laptop chargers can be near the current limit of a standard car 12v socket but you can find many 12v to USB-C 65w options.

Which laptop and camera.do you have?

Thank you! I’ve got a 14 inch MacBook Pro and a Nikon D850

So is there something I can plug into the leisure battery which will make this work?

Like a plug socket with a USB port which I can attach to some kind of kick plate

 

[IanEx]

USB C chargers with a decent power output that conform to USB C specifications are really hard to find. We both have Google Pixel phones and they're very picky about the power supplies they get plugged into. I've found that this one works really well. If you already have cigarette lighter sockets, these work too.

 

[roadtripper]

So when looking for 12v laptop adaptors two limits tend to be found:

• The standard 12v "cigarette socket" tends to overheat if used for long periods above 8 amps (about 100watts)
• Low voltage supply in aircraft using EmPower tends to be 70watts

Unsurprisingly this means a lot of the 12v to USB-C laptop adaptors available tend to be 65watts. More powerful laptops that need more will often not charge the battery when running on a smaller wattage supply, but will charge them when shut down.

I think though your generation of MacBook still has the Magsafe3 on the laptop and a lead that expects a USB-C socket? Most of the aftermarket 12v to USB-C adaptors for laptops have a USB-C plug.

Nikon 12v battery chargers are also very expensive (even for my venerable D200) and the third party ones suspiciously cheap.

So I think overall you might be better off getting a small inverter that will run your current chargers. 150watt ones will run from a cigarette style socket (just check for heat the first few times to check). 300watt ones are a bit more available and could still be used if you were only drawing under 150watts. You can find 12v native power supplies but they are going to be much more expensive overall than a reasonable small inverter. You will have a bit more loss from heat but not really enough to worry about, just don't leave it on when you don't need it.

This Bestek 300w pure sine wave unit has been recommended a few times around the forum:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/BESTEK-Power-Inverter-Smart-Adapter/dp/B076P9PGX3/

It looks like you already have an Anderson SB50 connector fitted to your leisure battery. Ideally you would want to remove the cigarette lighter plug on the inverter and fit an SB50 as those are rated to 50 amps and much more suited to an inverter connection.

If you go that route you might want to consider the 400w Bestek with terminals and a ready made lead with an SB50 and fuse:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/BESTEK-Inverter-Charger-Converter-Adapter-Red/dp/B00RV69O0I/

https://www.amazon.co.uk/1meter-Battery-Connect-Wiring-Anderson/dp/B0CDPHZRJQ

Just check that your existing Anderson is wired correctly in terms of + and - feeds. I suspect the red lead is + to the + terminal of the battery and the brown lead is - to either the - terminal or the grounding bolt under the seat. The + and - on the housing is stamped into the plastic:

 

[roadtripper]

I suggest you try this for a bit to see if it works for you.

Longer term you can get replacement rear panels that attach with magnets/screws in furniture ply that you can mount sockets and panels on.

2 x VW T5/T6 Passenger/Driver Single Seat Base Cover/Panel

The base covers are designed to complement any conversion furniture in your van and are a great way of tidying the lower base of your seats.

clearcutconversions.co.uk

Magnetic seat back panel VW T5 or T6

Driver or passenger single seat magnetic seat back panel Key features: Allows quick installation , not drilling or screwing required Easy access to under the seat base means you can use the space as storage Available in a wide range of finishes Comes flat pack form for you to edge and tap in...

www.evomotiondesign.co.uk

You can get SB50 panel sockets if you want to continue using the inverter externally when needed.

If you want more fully fitted you'd have to find space under the seats remembering it will need ventilation. If there is not enough under the passenger seat (and I suspect there isn't) then many folks put the inverter under the driver's seat, there is a cable channel under the floor between them.

If you are not confident with high current 12v systems you might want to find a local auto electrician/converter to help, many are active on the forum.