Vanna now has three working battery charging sources!
The last episode showed the installation of the DC to DC charger which charges from Vanna’s alternator while driving.
This episode shows the installation of the Solar Panels which harnesses solar energy for charging. Shout out to my bro Geoffrey for collaborating on the design of the roof rack. Special appearance from my son, Darnell, assisting me with stripping insulation from 10awg wires because I didn’t have the proper tools. Still on the “To Do” list is to add wind deflector enhancements and to make it look snazzy.
Lastly, there’s the ability to charge batteries from shore power. There’s a video somewhere showing the Transfer Switch, which will switch from Inverter to shore power when the van is plugged in, enabling the batteries to be charged from a Victron Smart Battery Charger (when it is plugged into the shore power).
Note - it is 1/4-20 screws at 1/2” or 1” long! I kept blundering the way to say this the entire video! 😆
00:00 - Introduction
00:36 - Design & Plan
04:24 - Attaching long beams
07:00 - Cross beams
09:05 - Long beams in
09:38 - Adjustments
10:30 - Position Solar Panels
11:43 - Specs
12:29 - Solar Panel cables
14:25 - Loctite talk
16:07 - Wire into van
20:50 - More wiring
21:49 - Charge Controller
23:40 - Shunt reading
24:01 - Conclude