New Solar Panel and Major Electrical Refit

[Jeff G]

Hope this is of interest to anyone thinking of the same sort of conversion.

Just picked up the T6.1 upon completion of a fairly major refit by Olie at Hythe Auto Electrics. Pleased as punch with all of the works completed. The new solar panel and Roamer 230 battery in particular has transformed the 'Off-Grid' capabilities. The solar panel is a 210W Austrian made unit that comes with a five year warranty. I believe it is fairly new to the market, being a 'Peel & Stick' fixing.



As well as the solar panel there is also a Poynting Antenna, alongside which is connected to a Teltonica RUTX50 router located inside the wardrobe.



The original electrics in the van were as supplied by Hillside.

In order to install the new Roamer 230 Seat Base 4 lithium battery, all of the original components have been replaced and wiring upgraded to include all Victron components. They include a Orion XS 12/12-50A DC/DC Battery Charger, a MPPT 100/30 Smart Solar Charge Controller, a Victron Energy Blue Smart 12v 30A Mains Charger, and a Cerbo GX Monitoring System with a GX50 touch screen.

I opted to have my solar feed installed as a 'Switchable' feed to supply solar power to either the van or my EcoFlow Delta 2 unit.

I attach a few photos of the the very tidy installations, as completed:


The mains charger is located behind the drop-down door inside the cupboard.


WIP...

WIP

WIP photo. I removed a few things prior to the installation to make access a bit easier.



The Ablemail Trickle charger and switching upgrades/repositioning are due to be completed in a couple of weeks. The switch upgrade will basically be a re-work to install them in better positions in the same location, on a polished stainless steel backing plate.

Enjoy!

Regards, Jeff

 

[TallPaul_S]

Very nice!

That looks like a really well done install, good choice of components too (the only thing I'd question is the 100/30 MPPT as you'll never see 30a with only 210w of solar, but tbh if you've got the space it's not a big deal, they're a fair bit bigger than the 100/20).

Is the touch 50 going to be mounted on a wall?

With the Cerbo GX, have a look at the new Gui V2 which is available via a beta firmware download, it's a lot nicer than the current gui.




That's in VRM but it works on the touch 50/70 too.


Edit: can't see a smart shunt in there, but now I think about it it's not required as the new roamer can talk directly to the Cerbo GX... Fancy!!

 

[Jeff G]

@TallPaul_S Hi Paul,
I am very pleased with the installation expertise, a really neat and tidy job.

I don't think there is much difference in size between the 100/20 MPPT, which is what I originally was going to use, and the 100/30? It isn't really an issue as you can see from the photos posted. It fits nicely in my 'Electrical Cupboard'

The Touch50 is going to be mounted on the wall where the other switches are located. The existing switches need to be moved a bit to allow a better looking install. The intention is to place a new polished stainless steel backing plate on the existing location which will then accommodate the 'moved' original switches Touch50, and a couple of USB outlets.

Thanks for the heads-up re the Cerbo... will take a look

J

 

[TallPaul_S]

@TallPaul_S Hi Paul,
I am very pleased with the installation expertise, a really neat and tidy job.

I don't think there is much difference in size between the 100/20 MPPT, which is what I originally was going to use, and the 100/30? It isn't really an issue as you can see from the photos posted. It fits nicely in my 'Electrical Cupboard'

The Touch50 is going to be mounted on the wall where the other switches are located. The existing switches need to be moved a bit to allow a better looking install. The intention is to place a new polished stainless steel backing plate on the existing location which will then accommodate the 'moved' original switches Touch50, and a couple of USB outlets.

Thanks for the heads-up re the Cerbo... will take a look

J

There's actually a decent difference in size, but as you say you've not got any space concerns, if you upgrade to 300w or more solar at any point then you're good to go. Just be aware you'll never see 30a, you'll only ever get to about 15a with your current solar panel.

I'm running a 100/20 with a 305w panel so I'm slightly over-pannelled, the most wattage I'll see is from my panel is about 270-280w.

Get signed up for Victron VRM if you haven't already, it's an excellent way of monitoring the system. I've got Ruuvi tags for temperature, and a GPS too. I'll probably add a Bluetooth tank sensor at some point.

 

[Jeff G]

@TallPaul_S ..... You are correct. No Shunt required with the Cerbo GX. .... so did I save a few quid? Not worked that one out as yet.. Certainly saved some space as there isn't a lot of room alongside the Roamer!

I am signed up for the VRM but it is early days as yet... a lot to sort out. I will no doubt be picking your brains at some stage!

 

[TallPaul_S]

Yeah that's the brand new roamer battery which has built in canbus so it can connect to the Cerbo and uses the battery BMS (and it's own shunt) to provide the state of charge.

 

[Jeff G]

@TallPaul_S There is supposed to be a new monitoring App for this new Roamer battery, to be released in the coming days .. will be interesting to see that and what it provides.

Ruuvi Tags.... will look into those as not heard of them before.

Tanks monitoring is on my bucket list also.

 

[TallPaul_S]

Certainly saved some space as there isn't a lot of room alongside the Roamer!

You're right there, same as the fogstar 230ah seat base battery.

Still, didn't stop me from fitting an Orion XS 50a, 100/20 MPPT, smart shunt , and Cerbo GX in with mine oh and a 2000w inverter on the rear of the seat base...




Bluetooth tank sensor:

Mopeka Pro Check Water Sensor Bottom Mount w/Collar (Victron Compatible)

Mopeka Water Sensor Pro Check with Mounting Collar. You can have the information about the water level in your motorhome. Without manual checking, comfortably.

lpgshop.co.uk

Ruuvi tags, buy direct:

Ruuvi - Ruuvi

Measure temperature, air humidity, air pressure and motion with Ruuvi Bluetooth sensors. The measurements can be read with a smartphone. Remote access and long history available using Ruuvi Gateway and cloud service.

ruuvi.com

You'll want a cheap Bluetooth usb dongle for the Cerbo as the internal Bluetooth is unreliable and turns off when the unit gets hot, check the Victron forums as there's a list of tested models.

 

[Jeff G]

@TallPaul_S I can see you are going to a bad influence on my wallet! Thanks for all the info and links you have sent. Appreciated!

I have some research to do now!

Getting the van sorted and ready for a trip this weekend to the Tractor Fest .... Biddenden. Will likely be a good opportunity
for a van shakedown.

 

[TallPaul_S]

I blame this forum. Hide your wallet is my advice!

 

[Jeff G]

I meant to say you certainly managed to shoe-horn your battery in there!!