I've never been particularly happy with the electrical system in the camper trailer. I made the power board whilst waiting for the trailer to arrive from China; only to discover the manufacturers had included a power board in their "upgraded" model. Their power board didn't have the enhanced functionality of mine; but rather than remove it and re-wire the trailer I incorporated their board into my system.
The trailer manufacturers very basic power board.
One of the problems with its location is the power board can't be accessed until the tailgate is opened as the spare wheel on the tailgate fouls the power board.
The recent failure of the AGM battery and replacement with lithium has spurred me into rectifying my "Heath Robinson" wiring.
The new 120Ah lithium battery will go inside the trailer at the rear.
I'm making an electrical compartment around the battery that will contain the:
- Battery
- DC - DC Alternator and solar charger
- 240V Inverter
- Battery Monitoring System
The charger will be mounted on the battery case and be modular so that it can easily be relocated to the back of the 4WD should I decide to travel without the trailer.
I bought a 2400x1200x17mm sheet of cheap formwork plywood for the case. When I initially started cutting plywood with a circular saw it always resulted in "tear out" on the top surface of the board. This occurs because the circular blade is spinning anticlockwise. The blade teeth make a clean cut into the bottom of the panel and a very splintered cut as they exit the top surface. In order to achieve a clean cut on the surface I've adopted the following technique.
The track guide is clamped to the panel
The plunge saw is positioned at the end of the cut and the blade set to a cutting depth of 3mm I then drag the saw backwards along the guide. This results in the bade cutting down into the top surface of the panel rather than tearing up. The result is a shallow clean cut.
The saw blade is then reset to cut from the bottom. Now I get a clean cut on both the top and bottom of the panel.
Stage One of the modifications has been completed. I now have an electrical compartment around the battery.
I want to maximise the available power from the battery without damaging it or shortening it's life. My existing Projecta DC - DC 25Amp charger does not have a lithium setting. However lithium batteries can be charged using the configuration settings for AGM batteries so the Projecta charger should work.
The lithium battery I bought was cheap. About 25% the cost of a reputable manufacturer (eg, Victron). If we were going to rely on lithium batteries continuously as our sole source of power then I would probably have bought a top of the line battery. However as the trailer is only for leisure I'm prepared to risk the cheaper battery. I've applied the same philosophy to the Battery Monitoring System. After looking at top pf the line systems (eg, Victron BMV 712) I decided I couldn't justify the $300+.
More online searching identified the Junctek KH140F as a significantly cheaper compatible device. It was $92 from Aliexpress. However Jan found a discount code and purchased it for $85. Delivery is in early May.
The Junctek consists of a 400A shunt; control box and display screen.
Display screen
There is a Bluetooth Android or iOS application to monitor the system remotely. The Junctek appears to have the same functionality as the Victron.
My plan is to remove the manufacturers switch board and replace it with the Junctek display. Obviously I won't be able to view the display when the tailgate is closed. However this shouldn't be an issue as I will have the App on my mobile phone. Moreover I should be able to monitor the battery system whilst in the 4WD.
I have a 12 Day outback trip commencing later this week. This will give me an opportunity to see how the new lithium battery performs. My next post will likely be in a fortnight.
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