SUV camper

[tatajer]

I'm 30 hours into the project and roughly another 60 to go!

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Replaced the old floor which doubled as a table, sad to see it go.

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[/font]Can I fit the inverter and battery in the wheel well? Nope. Looks like just the inverter will be able to fit.


starting the cabinets. they seem to fit well.

and here it is installed.
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waiting for battery, inverter, and a few electronic components to start the next steps. In the meantime the center will be filled with three panels that will double as a bridge between both cabinet doors for more table space.
any recommendations or opinions welcome!
more to come in the coming weeks.

 

[highdesertranger]

looking good. thanks for posting pictures here and not just posting a link to your video , that's what we like to see. highdesertranger

 

[tatajer]

2.5 more hours and lighting for one of the cabinets is complete.

 

[tatajer]

Apparently my post got deleted for some reason. Here's my progress so far:
[video=youtube]


Tesla module came in. this is equivalent to a 12v 460 amp hour battery. I only plan on charging it to 90-95% and draining to 30% for long battery life, but that's still 270@12v usable amp hours. in emergency situations, it will be fine to drain it all the way to 0% for 400amp @12v. I still need to determine the right BMS to manage the battery, I will temporarily install a battery monitor while I determine the right solution. A relay based bms is probably the right choice, just finding one that has minimal current draw.

This weekend I should hopefully have the centre area sorted, battery compartment completed, and maybe the side supports. I'm running out of wood and trying to minimize going to the store.

Current time and costs tally:
Build Time excluding planning: ~55 hours

Costs (CDN):
315 Watt Solar Panel: $300
2.4kw pure sine inverter/mppt/ATC/shorepower: $845 - backordered
Tesla Battery Module $1,700
DC Boost converter: $20
24v-12v 60w: - Converting Tesla module to 12v for lights [font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]$20[/font]
12v-24v DC-DC (250watt) charger: Charge while driving [font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]$40
[/font]Switches/panel - $40
12/24v to 5v USB port: $15
LED Lighting - $30
Dimmable LED switches: $15
12/24v self priming water pump: $50
Wood/ Screws - $150
induction cooktop/pan: $139
TOTAL Costs: $3,364

 

[rvwandering]

Sorry about that tatajer. We lost several days worth of posts to some type of glitch. They may not be recoverable. Thanks for reposting!

 

[tatajer]

Haven't had time to continue production on the camper, but the components came in and are tested.

Inverter/ Charger / ATC

I've tested this unit out, I think it will work well for my needs. I'll have to wire a separate switch to a central panel, but that's easy enough.
Looks like it uses ~35-45watts with the inverter on. that means if I leave this on overnight (8hrs), it will eat up 360wh or I can leave it on for about 4.5 days. few cool features:
2.4kw inverter
auto shut off when no solar and inverter is off
auto transfer switch (hook up to A/C and will charge battery and transfer loads to Grid)

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[font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]I've tested amp draw of a kettle and the induction cooktop. both seem to work well. Quick test shows I can boil 1L of water and use .2V, or boil water 1L of water 20 times. I estimate it will be using about .5-.75 volts for cooking a full meal (1/2hour + of cooking). If I had no way of charging the batteries, It would last about 2.5-3 days of cooking! consensus is I have plenty of power![/font]

DC -DC Charger

de-rating the charger from its '360 watt' down to 180 watts (12v @ 15AMPS) should hopefully make it stable and last a while. usually normal electronics you never go past 80% of its capability, however with no name Chinese units, I'm going 50% for extra margin. this is a 'name brand' unit however 50-60% should be enough. You can limit the current and set the voltage plus there's a voltage cut off which is nice so you don't drain the battery.

I'll use this when driving to top up the battery when needed. I could have done a 12V system, but I wanted to specifically use this inverter for the home as well. 24V also means I can go 4AWG and that's probably overkill for what i'm actually running.

 

[tatajer]

[font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]Water Pump[/font]


[font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]Took a gamble with this one, I wanted a 24v unit, but did not have enough info on the threaded connector. I ended up making my own pex connector with a rubber washer, used teflon, and seems to hold a few bars of pressure. I will probably make it ghetto fab and add some tape around it. Thankfully it will only be pressurized when using it. surprisingly really quiet.[/font]

[font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]Temporary Battery Monitor[/font]
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[font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif][size=small][font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif][size=small][size=small][font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]this is the stock TESLA board that just handles balancing of the cell, has 2 temp sensors and uses CAN BUS. I will tap into it later and use a relay to break a connection to the pack for overcharge, over discharge, over or under temp. in the meantime I just soldered a connector so I can manually check with a standard battery monitor.[/font][/size][/font][/size][/font][/size]



[font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif][size=small][font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif][size=small][size=small][font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]That's it so far. After a few home renos it's back to the camper and have it ready by June 1. Try it out locally if travel ban still exists.[/font][/size][/font][/size][/font][/size]

 

[tatajer]

One more update.

Since I will most likely have my e-bike when adventuring, I can use my battery as a backup power in an emergency to charge the house battery for another 600wh or another 10%. I will have to build an XT60 connector to MC4 connector, should work! Then I can plug in Solar or my e-bike battery.

Lots of battery sag, MPPT is drawing about 1kw from the battery through solar, but it works!

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[JohnnyM]

Wow -- super nice work, Tatajer. I'm late to this thread for some reason, but this job is really looking good.

Keep it up!

Johnny

 

[tatajer]

Thanks John!

Weight is always a concern with such a small vehicle and it being a 4 cyl. I will be adding some 'speed holes' to help where possible. I've started to weigh the items...
MAX ALLOWED WEIGHT is 1013lbs

Known Weights (506lbs):
Back seats -122lbs
Solar Panel 42lbs
Charge Controller 24.5lbs
2 People 310lbs
water (L) 66lbs
pump 1.5lbs
Wing 15lbs
e-Bike 50lbs
Paramotor 61lbs
battery 58lbs

Estimated weights (335lbs):
Drawer units 80 lbs
additional wood 80 lbs
cables/accessories 20lbs
electronics/fans 20lbs
hoses 5lbs
sink 10lbs
pans/cooktop 20lbs
food 50lbs
Clothing 30lbs
bedding/padding 20lbs


Estimated Weight: 841 lbs with people and toys

Did i miss anything?

 

[tatajer]

A little more work done this past weekend. Mounted the inverter and created holes for ventilation, they will all be hidden by the cabinets. two access holes to see status of the inverter and access to all the inverter connections.

Wiring is self contained as much as possible. I don't have a fuse for the 24-12 converter, but the rest of the items will have a fuse. Main system is fused with a 200amp.
big delay in progress due to concussion.

 

[highdesertranger]

nice work Tatajer. A word of caution on those pinch terminals, you will have to go in periodically and retorque them. they will come loose so make sure you can access them. highdesertranger