Recently, I bought some additional high beam lights from LazerLamps for our truck. For this I had to create and extend a couple of connectors. TE AMP SuperSeal 1.5 connectors, as it turned out. This article serves as an aide-mémoire to me when I have to use and order these connectors in the future. And it might be of no particular interest to you at all. So, feel free and skip reading …
First, these connectors do not have a typical male/female plug/socket arrangement. Instead, they use
“male” plug housing with “female” receptable contacts
“female” cap housing with “male” pins or contacts (called tab contacts)
The SuperSeal 1.5 connector becomes water tight (IP67) by using wire seals that have to be used on every single wire and are crimped to the contacts. So, the contacts have two crimp points:
Outer crimp for attaching the wire seal and the insulation of the wire insulation which also serves as a bend protection
Inner crimp for crimping the uninsulated wire to the contact – and this uninsulated part is rather short: only 4mm. This is suprising as the connectors are still rated for 14A.
Note: The wire seals come in different diameters and colours with “yellow” the most common size (especially when buying no-name clones).
For the correct way of crimping these connectors, I could reuse my existing Knipex Crimp System Plier (97 43 200) and just add the matching crimping dies 97 49 28 along with the wire feed stopper 97 49 28 1. The latter greatly helps to have the right insertion depth when crimping, as one cannot really see anything due to the wire seal attached to the cable.
After crimping the contacts have to be inserted into the housing. And there is only one correct and possible direction which fits. Audible and tactile feedback is given with correct insertion.
Both housings have locks (usually in red) that must be open for insertion and extraction and locked for use. Gettings these locks unlocked is quite tricky and a specialised tool is highly recommended – especially for the cap housing. The same for the actual extraction of the contacts themselves. I found it easy to destroy the contact, housing or screwdriver when not done carefully or properly.
There is a good video (in german) that shows how to use the pliers and assemble the connectors:
Here is a summary of most of the parts along with their contact sizes.
Nearly two years ago, I wrote about trying to get an alternate access to our plot. And yesterday, we finally were able to test it. Not the way we originally envisioned – but doable. The exact path is shown on an old entry in the Sasine Register of Scotland as shown below.
Servitude right of vehicular and pedestrian access
We actually only wanted to move our digger to our neighbour’s site to assist in setting fence strainers but along this exercise we had to take our Mule as well. The Mule just fits the track …
In order to cook in our Toyota Hilux and Toyota Hiace we use a glass ceramic hob Steba HK 30 that – according to the manufacturer – allows for precise adjustment of the power consumption from a company called Steba. However, in reality these ratings seem to be different. In this article, I give an overview of the energy ratings I measured.
Observed Power Consumption
The hob has 2 rings with a nominal rating of
Ring 1 100w, 400W, 600W, 700W, 800W, 900W, 1’000W
Ring 2 200W, 800W, 1’200W, 1’400W, 1’600W, 1’800W, 2’000W
In the table below you see the actual values I measured in comparison to the nominal values as shown on the hob. For our Victron MultiPlus Compact 24/1600/40-16 the highest setting is on Ring 2 with 1600W nominal.
Ring
Wnominal
Waverage
Wmin
Wmax
0
0
0
0.4
4.1
1
100
200
225
254
2
200
450
417
459
1
400
400
375
409
1
600
475
450
477
1
700
600
580
602
1
800
700
708
731
2
800
750
699
770
1
900
860
850
863
1
1’000
930
932
934
2
1’200
900
863
901
2
1’400
1’150
1’108
1’148
2
1’600
1’400
1’368
1’396
2
1’800
1’650
1’645
1’659
2
2’000
1’800
1’787
1’795
Energy ratings of Steba HK 30
Other Observations
There are a couple of (negative) things that I noticed when using this hob:
When using the outer Ring 2 (or the full hob) the lowest level you can choose is 200W or then already 800W which turns out to be too much when trying to cook for a longer period of time. In my case, I use a large cast iron pot and let it cook for 4h to 5h. With 200W it was too little and with 800W it effectively started burning its contents at the bottom.
After 2h – 3h of constant use the hob once switched off after the pot boild over and spilled sauce on the hob. But I do not know if this was just a coincidence. After turning it back on it worked without interruption for another 2h – 3h.
The hob pulses when heating, i.e. turning the heating rings on an off very quickly. This seemed to stress the inverter when it was connected to mains (which was another inverter on batteries). For whatever reason it quite often drew power from the battery instead from mains.
After use the hob keeps a ventilator running for approximately 15min. It is rather on the loud side but not necessarily disturbing. Power draw during the cool down phase is 4W. When cooking something on the move one has to take that duration into consideration before switching it off.
The device is relatively bulky for that it is meant for only a single pot.
Summary
Most of the devices are not perfect (as described in the observations above). But all in all I really like the hob and we use it quite often. It is easy to clean and usable over several hours of constant use. Bon appetit.
Pulled Pork cooked on the Steba HK 30 with a Victron MultiPlus ( 1 )Pulled Pork cooked on the Steba HK 30 with a Victron MultiPlus ( 2 )Steba HK 30, taken from https://steba.com/produkte/glaskeramik-kochfeld-hk-30
This is sort of a never ending story for me – just as the installation of our workshop container on the truck bed by our trusty mechanic which has been “in the making” since October 2022.
It is clear that we want and need electricity in the container. Just how and how much is not clear yet. In the following, I will consider our rquirements and different apsects and constraints of the electrical installation to hopefully come to a conclusion. This is a rather dry article with a lot of numbers – so beware …
Here is what we know (or at least think we know):
The truck has a 24V system
Charging any “leisure” batteries via the truck engine on a regular basis does not seem to be a good idea, as the fuel consumption is already 33l/100km without the container (that makes an astonishing 8.56mpg in the UK)
It is a EURO0diesel so we will not be able to get into all the cities (regardless of its problematic weight, length, height and width anyway).
Solar panels are still no real option (most of the time too way up in the North)
Charging from an EVSE might not always be possible as most of these EVSEs are for cars and do not have space for trucks
We want to be able to cook and wash in the vehicle
We will have a 2kWdiesel heater
We will have a 900W single phase petrol generator
We will be using Eve LF280K cells
The inverter must at least provide 2'250VA or 1'800W (concurrently, but not neccessarily on a single phase)
(optional) We would like to have 3-phase power in the container (as the cabling is already in place) – but also we know we would only use it very seldomly (such as for welding, then we need at least 11A per phase)
We would like to be able to charge 60% of the batteries (from 20% to 80%) within 3h
Refrigerator (able to run on 12V DC/24V DC or 230V AC)
Microwave (1'000W)
Water heater (immersion heater with 1'000W or 2'000W and/or kettle with 2'000W)
Table grill (1'250W)
Steam cooker (450W/900W)
Bread baking machine (600W)
Coffee machine (1'150W)
Washing machine (750W)
Water pressuriation system (850W)
Computers peripherals (USB-C charging with 36W via AC or DC, or 60W AC)
Lights (12V or 24V DC)
Water pump (12V or 24V DC)
Fan (12V or 24V DC)
Diesel heater (12V DC)
Starlink (60W AC, possibly 48V DC)
Infrared heating panel (150W AC)
Battery charger (12V/24V DC or 230V AC, depending on model)
Other USB powered and/or chargeable devices (via 12V/24V DC or separate 230V AC charger)
built-in 6t winch (powered by engine)
(optional) electric shower (8'000W)
Sizing the electrical installation comes with a number of additional constraints:
The crane in the workshop garage can lift up to 500kg this mean, all batteries, inverters, washine machine and water tanks must be less that weight
No single battery can charge or discharge with more than 140A
We can only charge from EVSEs with a Type 2 connector
A 12V system is very quickly out of the picture (and the largest and only MultiPlus-II with 12V is a 3’000VA system). Besides, the truck has 24V system anyway. So it is either 24V or 48V. Here is an overview of all current 24V and 48V MultiPlus-II models and their charge and discharge values:
MultiPlus-II 24V and 48V
Let’s first evaluate a 24V system:
Combination of 24V batteries and invertes
1* 8s battery
Capacity is likely to be too small
Single battery is not redundant
1*3’000VA can draw too much discharge current
1* 5’000VA can draw too much discharge current
2* 8s battery
2* 3’000VA can draw too much discharge current
1* 5’000VA possible
3* 8s battery
1-phase charge requirement can only be met with EVSE 7kW 32A Type 2
3* 3’000VA can draw too much discharge current
2* 5’000VA can draw too much discharge current
4* 8s battery
1-phase charge requirement can only be met with EVSE 7kW 32A Type 2
4* 3’000VA can draw too much discharge current
So, in a 24V 1-phase system only the 5'000VA inverter would be possible with either 2 (14’336Wh) or 4 (28’673Wh) batteries.
For a 3-phase setup to support our Kemppi Kempact 253A we would need at least 4 batteries and 3* 5'000VA inverters.
And now let’s have a look at a 48V system where we have a couple of more inverter options:
Combination of 48V batteries and inverters
1* 16s battery
Single battery is not redundant
2* 3’000VA inverters needed
1* 5’000VA inverter possible
1* 8’000VA can draw too much discharge current
1* 10’000VA can draw too much discharge current
1* 15’000VA can draw too much discharge current
2* 16s battery
1-phase charge requirement can only be met with EVSE 7kW 32A Type 2
3’000VA not as 3-phase setup feasible (otherwise 6 devices necessary)
8’000VA only as 3-phase setup, but then too heavy
1* 10’000VA possible
1* 15’000VA can draw too much discharge current
3* 16s battery
1-phase charge requirement cannot be met
charge requirement can only be met with 3-phase EVSE (16A or 32A) Type 2 (11kW+)
3’000VA possible, but too heavy with combined battery weight
5’000VA possible
8’000VA only as 3-phase setup, but then too heavy
10’000VA only as 3-phase setup, but then too heavy
15’000VA possible
4* 16s battery
batteries too heavy
1-phase charge requirement cannot be met
charge requirement can only be met with 3-phase EVSE (16A or 32A) Type 2 (11kW+)
3’000VA too heavy with combined battery weight
5’000VA too heavy with combined battery weight
8’000VA only as 3-phase setup, but then too heavy
10’000VA only as 3-phase setup, but then too heavy
15’000VA only as 3-phase setup, but then too heavy
So, this leaves us with really 3+2 choices:
2* 8s (14’336Wh) batteries in a 1-phase system with a single 5’000VA inverter
Battery and inverters would weigh roughly 140kg
2* 8s (14’336Wh) batteries in a 3-phase system with three 5’000VA inverters
Battery and inverters would weigh roughly 250kg
Not possible for 3-phase welding
4* 8s (28’672Wh) batteries in a 3-phase system with three 5’000VA inverters
Battery and inverters would weigh roughly 310kg
1* 16s (14’336Wh) battery in a 1-phase system with a single 5’000VA inverter
Battery and inverter would weigh roughly 140kg
2* 16s (28’672Wh) batteries in a 3-phase system with three 5’000VA inverters
Battery and inverters would weigh roughly 310kg
3h on a 1-phase 16A Type 2 would charge about 38% (a 60% charge takes 4.7h)
From there, we can narrow this down even further:
1-phase system: 24V, 2*8s
Price: batteries 2* 1’364GBP = 2’728CHF plus inverter 1* 1’359GBP total = 4'087GBP
Con: 24V MultiPlus-II are considerably more expensive (than 48V)
Con: only have the capacity
Con: cannot run electric shower
3-phase system: 48V, 2* 16s
Price: batteries 4* 1’364GBP = 5’456CHF plus inverter 3* 812GBP = 2’436GBP total = 8'802GBP
Con: charge requirement can only be met with 32A Type2 on 1-phase
Con: additional 48V|24V DC-DC converter required
Con: heavier, 300kg+ Con: higher self-consumption in 3-phase configuration
So – drum roll – my conclusion: for roughly double the money in a 48V we would get double the capacity and triple the charge and output power and pretty much can do everything we want the system to be able to do.
The 3-phase system can be reconfigured to a parallel 1-phase system, so we would even be able to use an electric shower (though very unlikely – we have our mobile shower). We can either charge 1-phase or 3-phase and have a longer window of electric autarky. And for most of the time we would leave the system in a 1-phase single device InverterCharger configuration. And additionally, for charging the other 2 devices would bet set to ChargeOnly (but be configured independently configured from each other).
The exact setup I will have to layout some other time, but right out of my head I would think of the following components:
External power in with CEE 16-5, CEE32-5, CEE32-1, CEE16-1 and Neutrik PowerCON True1 TOP (the more the better) connected to an ATS
AC out from MultiPlus-II connected to ATS
Orion-Tr 24V|48V DC-DC converter charging from alternator (though not the norm)
Orion-Tr 48V|24V DC-DC converter as power supply: to support 24V loads in the container as charger: as an emergency charger for the truck batteries
Lynx Power In, Distributor
Venus OS with Raspberry PI for RS-486 and DVCC
So, in case our Saurer ever gets finished – at least I know how to do the electricity …
Though this could have been our first “unboxing blog post” in this article we only describe an already unboxed table grill.
Being able to have fires in the open less and less often it was time to find an electric BBQ alternative – with the constraint that it should run on a Victron MultiPlus Compact 24/1600/40-16 (or any other 1600VA sized inverter). After some frustration we finally found a nearly perfect match: the WMF Lono Quadro.
According to its spec sheet and product brochure, it uses 1250W – which is just under the nominal maximum power of 1280W that the MultiPlus can deliver.
Plus, the BBQ is relatively cheap. With a MRSP of 79.99 EUR it is available for as low as 60 EUR (PP included depending on your location). So, we ordered one of these table grills and gave it a try.
Upon powering up the device it uses its full power (regardless of the dial setting 1 .. 5) which results in a current draw of around 50A as seen on the BMS. The setting of the dial only seems to affect the intervals between heating (drawing current at 50A) and not heating (not drawing current at all).
The initial heating phase lasts naturally longer which results in the fan of the inverter kicking in at some point. But once the BBQ is at its operating temperature the fan is silent most of the time (as the heating intervals are relatively short). With 1250W nominal power consumption and a heat-up time of around 5min this consumes roughly 104Wh – about the same energy to boild 1.1l of water from 20°C.
During the use of the BBQ the inverter is pretty much at its power maximum and so has little to no resources left to power anything else. Though it seems possible to leave a fridge running, it might be better to unplug any consumers during cooking.
But all in all, with this table grill we now can do the BBQ inside (or outside) in our Toyota HiAce – even when we are on the move.
Some additional observations:
Weight The device is relatively heavy – especially the grill plate.
Size The usable size of the BBQ (270mm x 270mm) in relation to its overall dimensions seems quite large (while the whole device is still not bulky).
Power consumption Though the power consumption is rated at 1250W the heating intervals are relatively short which turn leads to a moderate overall power consumption.
Cleaning The grill plate can easily be removed and thus easily be removed (even in a dishwasher if you happen to have one in your car). Also, the drip tray can easily be removed and cleaned. Only the base plate is not meant for dishwashing.
Drip tray If the BBQ is not positioned horizontally (maybe due to the parking position of the vehicle) then the drip tray might have difficulties to catch all the fat that might float around the grill plate.
And this is it for today. Happy BBQing …
WMF Lono Quadro running from a Victron MultiPlus Compact 24/1600/40-16 at roughly 1250W/50AHeat-up time is roughly 5min when turning the dial to the maximum position
However, in this case we wanted a kind of “special” setup which included the use of MultiPlus Assistants. So, in this article I will quickly describe what we wanted to achieve and how we implemented it.
In general, when connected to shore power we want to be able to limit the AC current drawn from the shore power. This is easily accomplished by setting a limit on the MultiPlus itself – or, as in our case, via the VE.BusSmart Dongle. Though the Phoenix does have a VE.Direct interface and is able to be connected to a GX device, in our setup we did not want to use a GX device. So, essentially the Phoenix can only be controlled via Bluetooth and the VictronConnect app. But configuring the AC input limit on two devices (Phoenix and MultiPlus) is not only a nuisance from a usability standpoint, but also error-prone as one (or at least we) tend to forget things quickly. So, a different and better solution was needed.
Enter the MultiPlus Assistant in form of the Programmable Relay. With this, we can configure the built-in relay of the MultiPlus to open and close based on the availability of an AC input.
Note: we have to disable “Virtual Switch” in the MultiPlus to be able to use the MultiPlus Assistant.
The Phoenix has a Remote Input connector, that can be used to stop charging when the connection is “off”. So in our case, we enabled two Programmable Relay assistants:
Programmable Relay, NC – On/Open After 5 seconds of AC input on the MultiPlus the relay is opened.
Programmable Relay, NC – Off/Closed After 1 second of no AC input on the MultiPlus the relay is closed (which is the default state).
Below you find some screenshots with the configuration in VE Configure:
Disable Virtual Switch on MultiPlusAdd 2 Progammable Relay assistantsProgrammable Relay ON after 5 secondsProgrammable Relay OFF after 1 second
So, five seconds after the MultiPlus has power via AC input it will open the relay which in turn will enable the Phoenix to start charging.
One second after AC input is gone the MultiPlus will close the relay so the Phoenix will stop charing (if it was charging at all).
The AC input of the Phoenix is connected to the AC output of the MultiPlus. So, when there is a AC input limit configured on the MultiPlus (such as 3A @230V) the MultiPlus and the Phoenix will not be able to charge with more than 3A. And from the MultiPlus perspective, the Phoenix is just an arbitrary consumer.
This can lead to some undesired behaviour if we were to limit the AC input to e.g. 1A. In this case, the MultiPlus would – when in Inverter mode – draw from the battery so the Phoenix could charge the battery. perpetuum mobile … ? And when the AC input is gone, this means that for roughly one second the Phoenix will also charge form the battery. But this is something I can live with easily.
And if we really had a very low power AC input (of e.g. 1A) we can still unplug the remote input and force the Phoenix not to charge. Or manually switch the MultiPlus to Charger mode only.
For us this is a usable solution without the need for multiple configuration changes nor the presence of a GX device.
Now, that we got our Toyota HiAce we thought it might be a good idea to add more power to the vehicle: in form of an 8s EVE LF280K LiFePO4 battery and a Victron MultiPlus Compact 24/1600/40-16 inverter/charger. In the following, we describe our setup and the reason why we built it like this.
The Requirements
The sustained output power of the inverter must be over 1'200W.
Charging via AC via EVSE or generator must be possible.
Charging via alternator must be possible (but is not the norm).
Charging of 60% of the battery (from 20% – 80%) via AC should take less than 180min.
The installation should use the minimum amount of space possible.
We should be able to use our existing Eve LF280K cells, thus limiting the overall current to 140A.
As the vehicle will not have a diesel heater, it should be possible to run a 150W infrared heater for at least 3 * (4+2)h = 18h (^= 2'700Wh).
In addition, the battery should be able to run a refrigerator with an average power consumption of 50W for at least 72h ^= 3'600Wh (next to other power consumption).
Design Considerations
With a maximum current of 140A and a cable run length of 1.5m, we should plan with a cross section of at least 35mm2.
Basically, with Eve LF280K cells we have three choices regarding the battery size:
1* 4s (“12V”) Configuration 4 * 3.2V * 280Ah = 3'584Wh This would lead to a required nominal AC charge power of at least 716.8W/h and a charge current of at least 56A/h.
2* 4s (“12V”) Configuration 2* 4 * 3.2V * 280Ah = 7'168Wh This would lead to a required nominal AC charge power of at least 1'433.6W/h and a charge current of at least 112A/h.
1* 8s (“24V”) Configuration 8 * 3.2V * 280Ah = 7'168Wh This would lead to a required nominal AC charge power of at least 1'433.6W/h and a charge current of at least 56A/h.
The Victron MultiPlus Compact xx/1600VA inverter/charger provides enough sustained power output (while being smaller than the non-Compact edition). Depending on the voltage of the battery, this will slightly impact the amount of charge current.
To charge the battery via the alternator we would need a DC/DC converter that depends on the battery configuration as well (either 12-12 or 12-24). So, let’s have a look at the battery first.
1* 4s (“12V”) Configuration
The smallest, lightest and cheapest configuration. But capacity requirements regarding the fridge are only fulfilled, if there are no other loads. In addition, the discharge current is relatively high (scratching the maximum discharge rate of 0.5C).
2* 4s (“12V”) Configuration
More complex setup, as each battery needs a separate BMS, which leads to the need of an aggregator for both batteries to correctly report SoC and calculate CCL and DCL. In addition, more cabling and fusing is required (and probably to a large bus bar). Comes with the advantage of having a redundant battery in case a single battery fails. Most expensive configuration.
1* 8s (“24V”) Configuration
Custom battery build needed, as there is not enough space for a typical 2 * 4 cells setup behind he seats. But, only a single BMS and thus less wiring is needed. Comes with a slight disadvantage of not having native 12V from the battery. This is actually not an isse, as all our DC devices also accept 24V. Cells can better balance voltage differences across a single 8s bank.
The Setup
In the end, I decided for the 8s configuration, due to less complexity. Splitting the 8s configuration across two cell blocks seemed to be an acceptable compromise.
As a regular MultiPlus 24/1600/40-16 would not fulfill my AC charge requirements, I had to decide to either add a second MultiPlus or to add a dedicated charger. I opted for a Phoenix Smart IP43 Charger 24/25 instead of a second MultiPlus. The MultiPlus in parallel would always consume 10W though most of the time I would not need the output power. Whereas, the Phoenix would only need power, when connected to AC. And reconfiguring the MultiPlus every time I charge was not an option for me. And yes, I lose redundancy – but also save some money (Phoenix is much cheaper). So, in the end the nominal charge power is 40A + 25A = 65A, which lets me charge at 1'560W reaching 60% within 165min.
The HiAce comes with a 70A alternator, so I chose a Orion-Tr Smart 12/24-15 DC-DC Charger. With this charger, I could run the engine in standby and still have the car heater running. And this is probably the predominant use case (if charging via alternator at all).
For the DC bus bar I went for a Victron Lynx Distributor, so I could use and install MEGA fuses. Having a 1’000A bus bar seems certainly overkill, but a separate bus bar and fuse box that accepts 35mm2 cable and MEGA fuses would be not be much smaller.
I changed the existing AC inlet of the HiAce to Neutrik PowerCON True1 TOP (congrats to the marketing department, I am still amazed how this name rolls of the tongue) and installed 2 Siemens compact 16A CRCBOs (external AC in, internal AC out). I am aware that theoretically I could support more than 16A on the internal AC out (via PowerAssist). If ever needed, I can replace the RCBO with a 20A version.
I added a VE.Bus Smart Dongle to the MultiPlus and opted against a complete (Raspberry-based) GX installation. The reason, I keep a USBMK3 with me anyway (in case I need to reconfigure the MultiPlus) and still have (Bluetooth) access to the most important settings and information of the MultiPlus. With the GX, I would to be running a WiFi hotspot (and consuming more energy as well). The disadvanage of not being able to use DVCC with information from the BMS is clear to me and accepted.
I selected a B2A8S20P JK-BMS that has an integrated 2A balancer and an RS485, CAN and heat port. In case, I ever add a GX device, I am still able to connect them and use DVCC.
The Specs
Nominal power (“capacity”) 8 * 3.2V * 280Ah = 7'168Wh
Maximum discharge power 1’600VA (1'280W, capped by the inverter) with a maximum current of 80A/63A/55A (at 2.5V/3.2V/3.65V)
Maximum AC charge power 1'560W
AC Charging from 20% – 80% in 165min
Maximum DC charge power 360W
MultiPlus self-power consumption 10W
The Build
As mentioned before, due to space constraints I had to split the battery in 2 parts (with each having 4 cells). Instead of using utz RAKO boxes I used 12mm (sanded) plywood which I did not screw together but tied down with a banding/tensioning tool and a ratchet strap. With this setup, I can easily access und disassemble the cells if needed, while still having a sturdy case. Both cell blocks are connected with a (blue) Anderson SB175 connector.
The BMS itself is mounted to the side of one of the cases (I took extra care to use short screws, in order not to drill into the cell casing). I used M6 Weidmüller 35mm2 90° angled compression cable lug to get the wire away from the BMS and into the bus bar. All other compression cable lugs are DIN 46235 from Klauke (M6 35mm2 on the cells, and M8 16mm2/35mm2 on the bus bar).
The AC and DC wires are all Eland H07RN-F (except for the last two points):
Charger to bus bar, battery to bus bar: 35mm2
Cell block to cell block: 2 * 35mm2
Alternator to DC-DC converter, DC-DC converter to bus bar: 16mm2
External AC in to RCBO, RCBO to inverter/charger (both directions), RCBO to internal AC out: 3G2.5mm2
For the connection of the Inverter/charger to the bus bar, I used the Victron installed 25mm2 welding cables.
Images
The installation is barely visible behind the seatsView from the back with preliminary wiringConnection of cell blocks with SB175 connectors, cell block 2 and DC-DC converterLynx Distributor with cell block 1Inverter/charger with space for second charger and cell block 2 (left)
Note: the Phoenix charger is not visible on the images, as I am still waiting for it to be delivered.
Charging via EVSE
Conclusion
We now have more than 7'000Wh of additional energy without losing any storage space for roughly 2'850 CHF/2’500 GBP (parts without labour). We can survive an extended weekend of 72h without recharging while still being able to enjoy amenities as using a coffee machine, heating and refrigerator. In case of longer periods of usage, we can recharge at any EVSE, or via shore power. And in emergencies, we can also charge via our Honda EU10i or via the alternator of the vehicle.
The battery is placed directly over the engine which helps in cold weather conditions to easily warm up the batteries to a chargeable level.
With the next Toyota Hiace and the Saurer 2DM around the corner waiting to be converted, I thought it was time for consolidating our vehicular electrical installations.
But before going into details, some history first: In 2019, we started on the VW Calkifornia T6 with a Super B Epsilon 12V90Ah LiFePO4 battery as a simple drop-in replacement and added a Votronic SMI 1200 ST inverter to it. And this was probably where I made my first two mistakes. At that time, I decided for Votronic and against Victron Energy. And I did not pay attention to the non-existing programmability and extensibility features of the Votronic inverter.
Once with a vendor stick with that vendor? There a pros and cons to it as we will later see.
When we later prepared our Hilux for our first longer trip to Loch Watenan, I opted for a Liontron 12V200Ah battery again (for the reason Liontron being way cheaper than Super B). And for the inverter/charger, I went for Votronic again (SMI 1200 and the same DC-DC charger 1212-45) .
But when I tried to get the DC-DC charger working, I realised that the D+ signal was not available on the Hilux. All in all, I did not get it to work in any configuration and looked for alternatives – which came in the form of the Victron Orion-Tr Smart DC-DC Charger family. And when I had to add an AC charger (where in the Hymer I could use the existing AC charger) to load the Liontron battery “on-shore”, I chose the Victron Blue Smart IP22 Charger.
So, at that time there was some kind of tie between Victron and Votronic. And the setup was getting more complicated and more complicated. And I am not only talking about the diminishing space in the trunk of the Hilux.
If I had known about the Victron MultiPlus series at that time I could have saved me a lot of headaches and complications.
It was shortly after our first and very successful trip to Loch Watenan, when we got rid of the Hymer and I added the battery from it as a second battery to the Hilux. And I got 2 more Victron DC-DC chargers. But I sticked to my Votronic inverter. And this is how the final layout looked like:
Toyota Hilux setup with 2 Liontron 12V 200Ah batteries, 4 DC-DC 30A chargers
This all worked well end of 2021 when one of the Liontron batteries did not want to charge properly anymore. The combined cell voltage stayed low at 13.1V with no single cell near at 3.5V and the internal BMS still reported 100% SOC.
So it was time for a change. And while doing that eliminting some design shortcomings of the current installation:
Invertert has a power maximum of 1200W.
AC charging is limited 30A.
Both 200Ah batteries are operating separated with one of them feeding the inverter and the other feeding the 12V DC sources.
Each pair of DC-DC chargers is bound to a single battery.
The alternator cannot feed all 4 DC-DC but only 3 chargers at the same time.
Have both batteries run in parallel to feed the inverter and the DC sources at the same time and thus reducing the maximum current at 1300W to 65A (when both batteries are dropping down to the minimu of 4* 2.5V = 10V) or considerably lower when running at 14V (45A) .
But the “best” of it, I then got rid of all the Votronic devices and can integrate and configure more easily with Victron. And I can do the same in the Saurer and HiAce.
I hope I can start with the conversion mid of March and will post updates on the way.
So, what do you think? (And no, I have no affiliation with Victron at all.)
Two weeks ago our water tanks arrived. But due to heavy winds, it was only possible to collect them last weekend.
The tanks are manufactured by Enduramaxx, but I actually ordered the tanks from JDP in Inverness, as it was cheaper to buy from them.
And then there were the transport cost … According to Enduramaxx or JDP, delivery cost to Whaligoe would be have been between 1’800 GBP and 1’900 GBP. Hmm, that is actually more than the price for the tanks!
Though JDP on their web site offered free delivery, there is a fine print on their web site (“Remote Areas”), stating that specific post codes seem to be exempt from it. When I suggested to them to pick up the tanks directly from their branch in Inverness (and thus saving me the delivery cost), they told me that I could certainly do that but the delivery fee would also apply. As it seems their branch in Inverness (post code starting with IV1, in the center of the city) is also considered a “Remote” or “Restricted” area.
But then funnily, Farm & Forestry in Ardersier (being 10 miles away from the JDP Inverness branch) was not considered a restricted area and could get delivered without paying a fantasy price.
A distance of 10 miles makes a difference of 1’300 GBP in delivery cost (source Google Maps)
The next interesting thing was the price of the water tank itself. The price quoted by the JDP main office was cheaper than the price of the Inverness branch – though both would buy the tank from Enduramaxx directly.
Anyway, after some weeks now the both tanks arrived. And I got 2 times the 6’000l version (instead of a 5’600l version that I originally wanted to buy).
And on Saturday, I went to Inverness to load one of the tanks on my trailer. Once again, the trailer proofed its purpose. After unmounting the high side walls we could drop the tank carefully on the trailer bed.
And as soon as we have the roof on the barn, we can start collecting rain water …
Tank loaded and secured with 2 orange and 2 blue ratchet strapsTank safely arrived in Whaligoe with 3 orange and 2 blue ratchet strapsOn the way to the plotUnloading with the TeleHandler
ps – yes I had to stop on my way home a couple of times as the road surface and the resulting bouncing of the trailer was not helping at all to hold the tank in place …
On Saturday, we picked up our first water tank. Thanks a lot to the guys at Farm & Forestry in Ardersier for helping me! pic.twitter.com/YOaKvmKTpK
Our Journey to Scotland 