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We’ve been looking forward to this one for a while! It’s time to install our campervan 12V electrics system and actually get some power into our van! 🚐 We had already run wires around the van as part of our pre-wiring so this time we just needed to make a board to house our 12V van electrics setup, which includes our MPPT charge controller, Lynx Distributor, DC-DC charger and 12V fuse block (and a few switches). In the video we run through the simplified version of our wiring diagram. Our van electrical system uses 2x 100aH LiFePo4 batteries wired in parallel to double the capacity, paired with 525W of solar panels on the roof. The moment of turning on the main switch for the first time will forever be one of our most satisfying moments of the entire van build 🙂 Disclaimer: We’re not electricians so everything we’ve put together for our campervan electricial system is the result of research from various different resources – always do your own research on how to install electrics in your own campervan and consult an electrician in your locality if you’re in any doubt 🙂 Thanks for watching! Any comments or questions? Let us know below! ——————————————————————————– Blue sea voltage drop chart: http://assets.bluesea.com/files/resources/newsletter/images/DC_wire_selection_chartlg.jpg Products used in this video: * ↠ Victron Lynx Distributor – https://amzn.to/3fU0h4V ↠ Victron MPPT 100/50 – https://amzn.to/3tQs5PY ↠ Victron Orion 12/12-30 – https://www.batterymegastore.co.uk/product/victron-energy-orion-tr-smart-12-12-30a-360w-isolated-dc-dc-charger-ori121236120/ ↠ Blue Sea 6006 Battery Switch – https://amzn.to/34afhcw ↠ Blue Sea Fuse Hub – https://amzn.to/3KQBr4m ↠ Battery Terminal Fuse – https://amzn.to/3IPPq8P ↠ Lithium (LiFePo4) Batteries – https://www.ksenergy.co.uk/store/product/2-ks-lt100b-12v-100ah-super-series-bluetooth-lithium-leisure-battery ↠ Wire Strippers – https://amzn.to/33FD9EZ ↠ Ferrule Crimp Tool – https://amzn.to/3Enshvg ↠ Heat Shrink Crimp Tool – https://amzn.to/3nUcL0Y ↠ Heavy Duty Crimp Tool – https://www.12voltplanet.co.uk/heavy-duty-spring-loaded-hammervice-terminal-crimping-tool.html ——————————————————————————– We’re Tim & Abi, a.k.a Self Built Stories, and we bought a Ford Transit Jumbo which we’re converting into a campervan. We’ve never done anything like this before so it is a big learning experience, but we hope to finish it up and then travel around the UK and Europe. It’s sure to be an interesting adventure! 🚐 Follow Us —————— 🔔 Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/selfbuiltstories?sub_confirmation=1 ↠ Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/selfbuiltstories/ ↠ See our full van conversion playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLaS9zgelfoIiMR5RWctgR_vwCkpu-h0t0 Filmed with: ↠ Sony ZV1 – https://amzn.to/35msYFJ ↠ GoPro Hero 8 – https://amzn.to/3IAbCna ↠ Zhiyun Crane M2 – https://amzn.to/3G1ApP8 ↠ Rode VideoMicro – https://amzn.to/3IzBnUx * Disclaimer: Some of the links above may be affiliate links. If you choose to click on them we may earn a small percentage of the sale at no extra cost to you, which helps us to keep creating content. #vanconversion #campervanconversion #vanlifeuk
Very informative and edited nicely with every step explained,.So very well done. After watching this video, I asked the wife if I can start a camper van project but it would put us under at the moment so I’ll follow along on your journey instead. Thank you for sharing, all the best.
Thanks and no problem, glad you’re enjoying watching it all 😊 And yeah it’s definitely a big project and has inevitably taken longer than we anticipated, but we can see the end in sight now. Hope you’re able to do it one day 🙂
What AWG did you guys use from batteries to Lynx? Thanks again!
Hiya, we used 70mm^2 which is about 2/0 AWG 👍
This is one of the best tutorials / instructional videos I have ever seen. Well done.
Wow, thanks! 🙂
Гарно все зроблено, молодці! Тільки б я деревину (фанерний щит) обробив би якимось антигорючим складом і яхтним лаком, щоб виключити горіння і передчасне знощування.
Дякую за контент!
Дуже дякую! We did think of adding some coating of sorts, or using something other than plywood, but nothing we’re using so far gets particularly hot. If we think we need it in the future we could add a thin sheet of aluminium between the wood and some of the components though
@Self Built Stories it would be nice, because such electricity systems have a big chance to bring on fire in case of overheating and occasionally sparks.
One more time, good job!
@Igor Nedashkivskyi Thank you! 🙂
That was the BEST explanation Ive watched to date. Thank you!
Ah no problem, glad you found it useful! 🙂
Fabulous job, respect !! Some of it I understood 🙂
Haha, cheers 🙂
Thanks for the video! Just wondering if you have the link to the Victron printed guide you used? Thank you 🙂
Sure, it’s called Wiring Unlimited and is a free PDF download here: https://www.victronenergy.com/upload/documents/Wiring-Unlimited-EN.pdf
Where did you get those eye plates used to hold down the straps on your battery holder? Cheers.
Hiya, we got them from here: https://www.vandemon.co.uk/product/tie-downs/lashing-ring-vy22866/, but annoyingly they’ve since been discontinued and we haven’t found yet some others that are the same nice rectangular shape. Let us know if you find some!
Great video, I have a question about battery wire. What size of cable do you used? Thanks
Cheers! And we used 70mm^2 cable for the battery bank wiring, which was appropriate for our setup based on how we sized everything 👍
@Self Built StoriesGreat, I have very similar set up. Thanks.
By the way, Your Van look stunning.
@Jevhenij Havryljak You’re welcome, and thanks a lot! 🙂
Very nice installation. I do have one very important question. What type of batteries are you using? Are they lead acid? If so, what are you doing to mediate the potential of hydrogen off gassing from the batteries during their charge cycle? Being so close to your electrical distribution, if a small buildup of gas were to happen, an accidental spark or arc from a switch could cause an issue.
Thanks! 🙂 And no worries there as our batteries are LiFePO4 👍
Such a helpful video, making learning how to convert my Mercedes Vito a lot easier. Do you have any links to the wires used at all?
Awesome, glad it was helpful 🙂 We got most of the wire from https://www.12voltplanet.co.uk/cable.html and a few extra bits from eBay 👍
Hi, really enjoyed this video, I’ll be doing the same soon, can I ask what size cable wire you used form the batteries to the control panel? Cheers
Hiya, glad you enjoyed it! And sure, we used 70mm^2 for the battery bank and battery to lynx wiring, which was appropriate for us based on how we sized everything in our setup 👍
Brill.
Cheers 🙂
Qn: How do you connect the 3 pairs of cables from the 3 solar pannels into the single pair of connectors on the MPPT please? Do you solder the 3 negatives and 3 positives from the 3 pannels into 1 pos and 1 neg and then insest these into the MPPT? Thx in advance.
The panels came with MC4 connectors already wired onto the ends, so all we had to do was clip them together in series and then we had a single positive and negative wire from the whole 3 panel array. Then we bought a pair of extension MC4 cables that clips on to those, pass through the roof, then come out as bare wire right by the solar disconnect switch. We wired those two into the disconnect, and then two more 16mm^2 cables out from the disconnect and into the MPPT using ferrule ends to keep the wires tidy. HTH 👍
Hi guys , love your build from the start. Am now thinking of the wiring and my vans needs and hunger . Like your setup and just a quick question where did you get the victron wiring unlimited book . Did they send this to you guys . Many thanks and love the channel
Hiya, thanks glad you’re enjoying it 🙂 It’s a free PDF download that you can get here: https://www.victronenergy.com/upload/documents/Wiring-Unlimited-EN.pdf. And we picked up a free printed copy at a campervan show we were at, so they do exist too but not sure where else to get hold of one of those!
@Self Built Stories thanks for the quick reply , merry Xmas
@Lee Lendon No problem, Merry Christmas to you too! 🙂