Installing the ULTIMATE 12V Off-Grid Electrical Setup
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- Опубліковано 6 лют 2025
- Join us as we DIY install our 400AH lithium 12v system into our vintage caravan. To be totally honest- we are shocked at how smoothly this week went for us 😆
⚡️ Our Electrical Setup:
(Use code JM30 for $30 off any order above $300 at Caravan RV Camping)
The entire bundle (free portable power station included for the first 10 orders!):
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Renogy 12/24/48V 200Ah Core Series Deep Cycle Lithium Iron Phosphate Battery
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DCC50S 12V 50A Dual Input DC to DC Battery Charger with MPPT
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3000W 12V Pure Sine Wave Inverter Charger w/ LCD
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200W 12V Monocrystalline Fixed Solar Panel
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40 Amp MPPT Solar Charge Controller
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Renogy One Core Monitor
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Renogy Battery Shunt 300
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BT-2 Bluetooth Module for Renogy Products w/ RS485 Port
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Cable used:
95mm2/000 gauge (battery & inverter wiring)
35mm wire (alternator to dcdc)
Fuses:
Mega fuse 80ah (DCDC)
Midi fuses 40ah (Solar )
Class T fuse 225-400ah (main battery fuse)
300-350ah kill switch
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#caravan #renovation #vlog
About us:
We're Jack & Megan, and in late 2020 we sold our belongings and packed our lives into our 2005 Toyota Troop Carrier to travel Australia. Our original plan was to complete a full lap of Australia and return home to Perth to resume our 'normal' lives. We decided we wanted to document our lap for the future and began sharing weekly travel vlogs of our life on the road and fell in love with filmmaking and sharing our lives with you. We completed our first lap and couldn't imagine living any other way so we decided to continue travelling and calling the Troopy home. We have gone on some crazy adventures since then and it is all thanks to you tuning in to join us every week.
Hey!
From someone who has built a number of offroad touring setups;
You should be super proud of the quality of your install. Especially considering you dont do it day to day.
I have seen “reputable” companies do work that doesnt come close to how this looks.
Keep it up you two!😘
Well done. Really neat. ❤
Cheers mate! I’m so happy with how it turned out. Thanks for watching!
You have done an awesome job with the electrical. Glad you went 400ah worth of batteries because now you won’t have any energy anxiety. Renogy is an awesome brand, high quality. You will be super happy with everything to do with Renogy.
Love the job, there is a simple way to do this that conforms to the electrical standards, saves time, saves costs, saves space, saves stress and is portable and transferable. The answer is Ecoflow Delta series units, they are all in one portable units, built in MPPT chargers, built in inverteres, built in battery, built in display with Bluetooth and WiFi that connects to an App. Again love your build and effort making this informative video, I am just showing another option.
Hey mate thanks for watching!
You’re very right, I have been using EcoFlow products for the last 3-4 years they’re a game changer!
Great job on the electrical install, it looks amazing! Just an FYI, Pos and Neg only need to be same lengths if going from each battery individually to bus bars (To ensure same resistance on each cable, Path of least resistance will draw down first)
When you are linking the batteries together in parallel (pos to pos, neg to neg and taking pos from battery 1 and negative from battery 2, cable length does not matter. Great job team 🍻
Hey Muzz! Thanks for this appreciate it.
@@itsJackandMegan Yes was thinking same thing, anyway you've done a great job and it looks really clean. Ah yeh just another thing, you can only measure voltage drop when you've got current running through the circuit, the voltage you were measuring was open circuit voltage. If you want to measure voltage drop, run the car again and hook it up, measure the incoming voltage at the van and then at the car. The difference in voltage under load will give you the voltage drop, hope that makes sense. Other than that you've done a really good job.
Great work on the electrical. Looking very professional. A suggestion is that you wire in an external Anderson plug onto the DCDC for a solar blanket in case your parked in shade or need an extra boost.
The caravan is hooked up to the cruiser with an anderson lead, when the caravan i parked they can use that plug :)
@MrDolly195 All the DCDC chargers I've seen (and I haven't seen them all) have a separate input for solar.
Absolutely right, I've even got my canopy wired up with an extra Anderson plug for our solar blanket. Had a brain fart this morning 😂
I wish I had invented the Anderson plug.
Bruce is a great name for a car! My granddaughter named our new Defender Bruce and we treat him like a fully fledged member of the family now.
The name rolls off the tongue well. 💛💙💛
You guys are killing it! Well done, love watching your achievements with this van build. Actually got a little emotional when the lights came on 🤣
Glad it wasnt just me.
😂😂😂😂
Jack, mate, I can't even place my batteries into my TV remote the right way - you're a legend.
Mate be very proud of your efforts. I have seen plenty of so called tradesmen sparkies do work no where near that quality. It’s pretty clear you did your research and followed manufacturers instructions 👍
I wish my caravan was wired that nicely! Great job.
Wow you guys had us on the edge of our seats. Loved the moment when the lights came on! Such an impressive installation can't wait to see Myrtle in the final stages :)
Great progress. Jack the 12V System Master. 😁 FYI... typically it's referred to as "Shore power" if you're on a boat. For land, it's referred to as "mains power".
😂omd ... you've lits truppled what you actually needed ! 😂 that dc dc charge controller would do everything ... 😂
Don't worry about showing us the setup in the dark. It made the controller really easy to see.
Well done, Jack and Megan Gold❤
Electrical work is so neat and tidy. Well done. Sir John sounds like Surgeon 😂
Im a sparky, and watching you pull the supply up was funny; Jack underneath Pleading for a tug!
😂😂
You will only get voltage drop when drawing current, Voltage drop = current x resistance of cable.
Tidy as. I know from experience how difficult it is to do all those cable runs and keep it neat. You’ve done a great job mate, way neater than me! And mines neat enough.🙂👍🎯🍻🇦🇺
Thanks Andrew! Was a bit of work but came up really nice hey!
🎉🎉🎉 how exciting! It was great to share your "buzz" 😂 ha, there was no punn intended there to begin with, but hey, I'll just roll with it...thanks for sharing, really amazing
Awesome vid guys! The way Jack took that on made it look like he's been doing it for years. Big brains for days!
Good Job on the install, Do you have any details on the enclosure you built for the batteries and how it is vented to the outside?
Myrtle would look good in the same colour as Sir John .... Glad to see you go big with the wires, so many people reduce all their hard work by a couple of thin wires limiting the system.
Thanks for watching mate! Very happy with the choice to go bigger on the wires!
Great vid and neat setup .I also have a 400 Ah custom setup in our van. Hope to see you run some high power off grid stuff.
cheers to you both.
Wooooweee, thats very pro like Jack, you should be very proud.
One tip, I highly recommend installing a battery isolator off the car battery, so the caravan doesn't (possibly) drain the car battery and leave you stranded.
Safe builds guys, 🤙🤙
I would have thought that the bcdc + wire would have gone straight to the + on the battery . As going to the busbar you will need to keep the isolated on all of the time .
Nice work, I'm still a basic solar woman. I have a Coleman trailer I'm working on. So exciting to see you so happy.
WELL DONE... Its great to watch someone who is a novice. And not trying to push products down ya throat every 5 min of their video. Keep being you...
How exciting to get that task completed 👏 now you will have lights when it starts getting dark.
Nice work installing that guys! I remember the feeling of getting our camper and figuring out how the DC/DC charger settings worked correctly, not alone installing it from scratch 🤣
You pair are simply amazing . . . Hunter Valley NSW ... I love it & the life you want to live xxx
Loving watching your caravan build. Great achievement Jack. Looking forward to part 2. I agree that Bruce is a great name for the 4x4. Bruce and Myrtle. ❤😅
Great to see how much is involved with a modern power system. Thanks for showing us. You’re doing a great job 👏
Great job Jack - well done!
Nice work! Just put a 400AH system in my rig, is bloody awesome when you flick that switch for the first time and it all works!
Probably my favourite episode. I love all my 12 Volt camping setups. I love building them and using them. Got my own that I've built for my ute and I'll be doing it all again soon on the next ute I'll be getting in the near future for the missus! You've done well that's for sure. Call the car Cecil - I call my nephew Cecil for a laugh - he hates it.
Bit of overkill with the 2 regulators when you have 3 all up, but if you wanted to add more solar (maybe some foldable panels on the ground), you could route that through your regulator with the DC2DC. You won't really need the DC2DC with your massive solar setup and 400ah of storage, but overkill is good. :D
Loving your work. I need to get the old 1976 Franklin van into the shed and start.
That’s a quality install, congratulations to you both. We upgraded our new motorhome a year ago to Renogy equipment and recently added the Shunt300 and the Core One, we are super happy with the result. The leveller is also a cool and useful addition. Enjoy your hard work when you start producing Solar and Alternator power to your batteries. After 2 months in Tasmania in Feb/March we did not use shore power once to charge our batteries, Renogy is a great system when installed properly.
It’s coming alone nicely you be in your new van in no time, and back on new travel adventures.
Fingers crossed we can get our heads around the cabinetry quickly!
Well down guys- I’ve got zero idea of anything that youve spoken about, but I remember the absolute joy my husband had when he did similar, and got to the end and it all worked as it should! 👌🏼
Hey peeps,
I love all your videos and I have been following you since you started touring.
This video was in particularly more impressive due to the level of technology you both had to learn and enforce.
I also love Sir John. I have an 80 series Land Cruiser and a 1988 Viscount Sea-Breeze caravan that I renovated both over the last couple of years as they have both been in my family since the early 1990s
In my mind you two rock and with regards to marriage I agree don’t waist your time or money.
Great job, that's a lot of work, well done❤ little tip if you want your batteries to last much longer only charge them to 95 % they will last almost double the life span, ❤
Your solar power system looks so neat and tidy. Nice video. Greetings from Jamaica.
Hey thanks so much!!!!
Terrific build and 400ah should be perfect for this caravan, if you do 200ah in the car (when you get to it) you will be set 👍
You guys have done an amazing job on this. So excited to see your power set up. Take a bow!
Amazing!!! I'm so impressed and inspired every week. Megan is very similar to me, and Jack is very similar to my partner, very tech and car loving and how everything works. 😂 So it's extra fun to watch together. Always excited for a new video ❤
Love watching you two, your energy is contagious .❤❤
Super bloody proud of Jack for giving this a go. I absolutely froth 12v setups and have also watched countless videos on it. but this is unreal!!
It takes a bit to get your head around hey, but once you get started and the tunnel vision kicks in, you just cant stop hahaha.
Brilliant job guys. I cant wait to watch more on this with the solar.
Bloody brilliant job, was feeling your excitement, so very happy for you. Everything is coming together nicely.
another great video from you guys!!!!!!......laughed, cried (from remembering my experience)and was left fulfilled.......great sunday wake up video. Having done a caravan reno recently i totally understand the effort that goes into it. Love you guys! perfect job! I really think the car should be called " THE CAPTAIN"
Wow what a fantastic effort, learning all about and then installing it. It looks fantastic so tidy. Well done.
Amazing work to Jack and Megan. Nailed it. Top notch 😊 ❤
Well done Jack. Excellent work
Great stuff Jack and Megan with her moral support, what a good job. I loved your excitement ❤😄
29:38 Nah! The Dc/Dc charger max's charge at 51 amps (so it doesn't overload your Alternator. If you had a solar input into the Dc/Dc charger it would accept only 26 amps from the car and the remaining
Nice neat setup, renogy stuff really is decent for the price.very curious to see six panels on the roof,thats gonna be like tetris.
congratulation you guys did a good job i was hoping to set up my van to be solar self sufficient but i don't believe i could do anything as good as you
Woah well done Jack. Your excitement is contagious. 🎉
ABSOLUTELY LOVING THIS BUILD SERIES! 😍 …must say you either make this look easy or have all the right tools/parts every time haha! Love ya work guys!
I was going to add a similar set up to our camper, I’ve got a job for you JACK, cash of course.
Well done.
Fantastic work to both of you. My OCD loves how you are so meticulous in the final product. Myrtle loks happy to shi e her lights😊
That extra time cleaning up the wires made it so worth it hey!
Unreal effort and patience getting this stage done 👌
Great work mate well done 👏 ✔️ 😊
What a excellent presentation perfect 👌 thanks for sharing.
Doing well in this build. Electrical is always my favourite part of a build whether it's a 4wd or caravan/camper followed up by the metal fab which is my trade. Keep up the great work and videos
Well done, awesome 👏 guys
You did a fantastic job of explaining the electrical set up. Thank you!
Well done Jack 👍 ha it’d be funny if you call the car Humphrey 😂 love your style cheers Myrtle and Humphrey
huge effort well done guys, can’t believe how well you pick up all this stuff!
Job very well done guys! All way above my skill set, but you managed to get it done without blowing it all up!
Enjoying the build very much guys. Just a concern though. I thought the lithium batteries had to be outside now (new law) with new build or major change. Possibly something you should check.
Can be inside if in a sealed box that prevents vapours or gasses escaping. Box needs to be vented to outside.
This is the way new vans are doing it in line with new standards.
Awesome job Jack! so rapt for you guys you can do anything. This is going to make you love your travels even more.
Job well done guys, great job to you both. Cheers Michael
great work jack you've given me confidence to tackle my own system in my caravan and another in my container home. loving this series
How good that’s what we want to hear!!
Great job! Much neater than my setup.
Srry guys was following but haven’t been back for a
While nvr not have an island bed but good luck with it all 👍👍
Congrats, awesome job and it looks great!
Top job Jack
Great job it looks fantastic the caravan is coming a long beautiful
Glad you nailed it 🎉 know how frustrating and exciting this can be, especially for your first time. Have a massive smile for you both ❤
Job well done guys 👏🏼
Hi Jack, may I ask why you did not use one bluetooth module and connect all devices to the renogy hub? Also the gauge of your main battery cable makes the route length inconsequential at these short lenghts. All in all good job.
Hey Steve, I was not aware of the hub until after. I would have definitely used it if I had known. Also thanks for the tip in regards to the cabling.
This is phenomenal!!! Incredible set up, excellent walk through and explanation. So happy for you both 👏👏
Run the DCDC solar port to the an accessible outdoor access plug for portable solar only, don't have to use it but its there for early morning late afternoon sun.
Good job guys, it works! Looks great too.
Nice job guys! 12v is a lot of fun to learn and do yourself 👏🏼
Cheers guys!
Nice job guy's, little point with your dc to dc charger, your orientation is better with fins vertically to naturally cool the device especially wth WA heat!
Great job guys it's a great feeling when you finally turn it on and it works keep up the good work as you asked are nearly there all the best Ron
Hey guyz been watching ur electrical setup, bloody great job, u should b proud of urselves.
Is the cavity behind the power board going to be creating a perfect place for a mouse nest? Warmth and lots of chewables? They can be super destructive buggers when they want to.
Good one guys. Another milestone. 👍
Yeoww cheers mate! Onto the next one 🙌🏼🙌🏼
Looks awesome guys, electrical is definitely one thing that I’m super nervous about trying to tackle but I feel like I might be able to use this video to get through haha
You may need your dcdc solar input if your roof is in shade you may need to use external solar panels to change your batteries.
Awesome job!!!
Such a clean install guys! Incredible work :)
So proud of you both !!! Lovin the build and lovin how you are working together to make your dream build !!!! Matt
Thanks so much Matt! Definitely starting to feel proud of ourselves after this week 😄
Fantastic patience. Looking great .😊😊👍👍👍.
Patience was definitely needed this week 😅 thanks so much! 🙏🏼
Done a great job well done looks good
Super effort, guys. The electrical system looks shcmick as.