Sterling Battery to Battery Charger Install | Sprinter Conversion Electrics
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- Опубліковано 6 вер 2024
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In this DIY Sprinter van build episode we’re cracking on with more of our 12V electrics system and installing a Sterling 12V/12V 60A Battery to Battery Charger.
This nifty device connects to our van starter battery and while the van is moving pushes excess charge generated by the alternator into our leisure battery bank.
Also known as B2B or DC-DC charger, this is the setup you will need if you have a smart alternator (i.e. generally Euro 5/6 compliant engines onwards).
If you have an older vehicle, you can use a similar but much cheaper system called a split charge relay or voltage sensitive relay. They both do the same thing.
There’s a blog post on our website which explains in detail how we sized our self-built 12V electrical system to create our off grid campervan. You can read it here: thewholeworldo...
Thanks for watching! If you enjoyed this episode don’t forget to smash the thumbs up & hit subscribe so you don’t miss the next episode.
Catch you in the comments!
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Here’s a list of the materials and tools we used to install our Sprinter DC-DC charger:
Sterling 60A B2B Charger Kit: bit.ly/3q4Nv6p
12V 110ah AGM Lead Acid Batteries (x3): bit.ly/3uFpkyS
Battery Isolator Switch (100A): bit.ly/3q3oPuP
Cable Lugs (Assorted): amzn.to/3dUsyIU
Heat Shrink Tubing: bit.ly/3riWYbq
Cable Cutters: amzn.to/3kxkvD3
Wire Stripper: amzn.to/3sBVyJt
Stanley Knife: amzn.to/3rYIWN2
Battery Cable Lug Crimping Tool: amzn.to/3e4yEpY
Ratcheting Crimp Tool: amzn.to/3uIfdJs
Mini Heat Gun: amzn.to/3dX92eI
Voltage Test Screwdriver: amzn.to/2OchDiM
P.s. Some of these are affiliate links, so if you buy through them we may earn a small commission from the seller. It’s at no extra cost to you and so is a lovely way to say thanks if you found the video helpful.
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Disclaimer: We’re not qualified electricians. Our skills are completely self taught through hours of research. We hope you find this information helpful but do bear in mind it is not professional advice. Electricity can be dangerous, always consult a qualified person if you are unsure.
i went on vacation and came back to TWO videos. Best gift ever! I love watching yalls videos. Amazing helpful tips and its also great to see real life issues. Thanks for sharing your ups and downs of your van life build!
Haha amazing, thanks - we hope they lived up to expectations!! Honestly about 90% of our van build felt like problem solving so there wouldn’t be much to show if we cut the mistakes and difficulties out 😅
Hi guys, Really appreciate the time and effort you put in to explaining the details. I'm currently struggling with the electrics on my Sprinter so this is perfect timing. Also love the fact that you show the mistakes as well as it helps others (me) to avoid doing something similar. Keep at it 😃. Mike
That’s great to hear you’re finding it useful 😀 The mistakes are probably even more useful than anything else, you’re right! The electrics is definitely one of the trickiest parts of the build but once they’re done and all working it’s such a satisfying feeling. Good luck with the installation and let us know if you have any questions we might be able to help with. Oh and if you haven’t already seen it, we’ve got a blog post on all things electrics on our website as well here: thewholeworldornothing.com/diy-camper-electrical-system
great video showing the detail and challenges, working on getting a 20 amp charger going on my sprinter, love the cable routing and switch install instructs :)
Thank you, glad you found it useful. Good luck with your install!
Sarah the Master Electrician does it again. Great video guys.
Thank you! “Master electrician” though 😅
@@TheWholeWorldorNothing Can I ask why you chose this particular charger?
It was reasonably priced, had good reviews, but most importantly it was actually in stock when we were looking for one! We really struggled to find them at that time last year, loads of stuff was sold out. Oh but if you’re meaning why we went for the 60 amp one then its’s because it charges the batteries quite quickly. Does any of that actually answer the question?! 😅
@@TheWholeWorldorNothing Thank you, yes it answered everything. I ended up buying the Victron but was looking at this one and the Renogy and I just wondered what tipped the scales for you.
Ah ok. Yeah we didn’t have too much choice in the end - it certainly wasn’t because we thought it was a better brand than victron or renogy, they all seemed relatively similar.
Another great video guys, you have a method of explaining things in laymans terms - the ins and outs, ups and downs that I find really good. Van is coming on great and you seem to be ticking all the right boxes with your choices, well done.
Looking forward to future episodes.
Ah thank you, that’s great to hear as sometimes we worry that we just rambled on incoherently 🤣 Catch you next week 👍
I am enjoying watching this series so much. I have no plans to do my own can conversion but I'm learning so many skills along with you. Thank you for the time and effort it must have taken to film and document every step so well.
Another brilliant video guys. Thanks for a great installation explanation. Looking forward to the next video
Cheers Kevin, glad you enjoyed it. We’ll see you next week!
Folks! You had trouble making large holes. Use a step drill. Erbauer make one.
Can I ask exactly where in the circuit did you put the isolator switch? I have just bought the exact same kit. Thanks very much for the video, very helpful and informative!
Hi guys, another great video, Sarah you are such an inspiration. We have had our van for 6wks now and I have finally started the sound deadening and super liner. I am hoping to be able to tackle the electrics but as a lot of people I have zilch experience. My husband is terrified of 'electrical work' so it is down to me. I am 63 so I am a bit worried about the bending, kneeling which I can't do etc., my dexterity is not what it was. Hey ho, I'll give it a go I can always get someone in if I get stuck. Take care guys, love your channel xxx
Thank you so much. But we have to say, your attitude is an inspiration to us too. You’re so right, give it a crack and see how it goes and the worst that can happen is you get a bit of help from someone. Sounds like the van is coming along well 😀
I like that you didn't do the negative from the house battery to the vehicle ground without going back to the starter battery... not sure about that, but seen other people recommending that you can do that. Seems "unsafe" to run the negative through the car body only.
3:36 its for lithium battery's, if they are cold it will limit the current coming in to avoid damaging the battery.
Ah right, that explains it! So it doesn’t do anything for the batteries we currently have? Nothing lost anyway, better that we have it installed for if/when we decide to upgrade to lithium 😀 Would be a beast of a job to retrofit.
@@TheWholeWorldorNothing Depends on your components if you bought all victron stuff just swap out battery 4 battery, my stuff wasn't compatible had to buy new controller etc.
Ok that makes sense, thanks 👍
Hi guys I am in love with your van ! I was wondering what was the total budget of the installation of your van ? love from France :D
Hi, thank you so much, glad you like it 😀 We’re actually going to be doing a video on the cost of the van in the near futuros please keep an eye out for that which will include a full breakdown 👍
Hi guys what size cable did you use thanks Barrie?
Hey do u have a video on solar panel fixings?
Hi, yes the solar video is this one - ua-cam.com/video/QIacJq9XPys/v-deo.html
Hi loving your van build series, is there a reason for not installing 240 volt hook up just in case?
Hi! Thank you very much, glad you’re enjoying it 😀 Yep the reason we didn’t install a 240 hookup is because we never planned to spend much time on campsites so it would have been a large expense for something we actively didn’t intended to use. We spent a little more buying a larger (60amp) battery to battery charger as our backup instead. Hope that answers the question! 👍
@@TheWholeWorldorNothing thanks 😊
You’re welcome ☺️
How did you connect your negative leads to the starter battery? It’s a bit hard to see
How loud is the fan on the charger when you’re driving? I was thinking of placing in back due to fan noise.
Did the Sterling charger need a D+ information for knowing when car is turned on?
I’m gonna say no because I’m not sure what that means! What’s a D+ information?
@@TheWholeWorldorNothing Actually, my 60 amp sterling suggests a D+ connection. So that the B2B is only charging when the van is on.
@@TheWholeWorldorNothing think some Stirling chargers (& others?) may not need a signal ("D+") from a (12V) circuit which is live i.e. when the ignition's on. E.g. if the charger "senses" vibration when the engines running; just wondering if the wooden batons would dampen the vibration? Default, if the vibration doesn't work, is to put in a signal wire to the ignition --- more complicated though.
Thaks - great videos.
What are yall running off of your leisure battery? I have to install a system for someone that wants to be able to run a mini fridge, microwave and laptop
Hi guys..I got one of these and haven’t installed yet. Rain forecast for the next 2 weeks so I gotta do it.
You sayin to run 2 negative wires from the starter battery…one to the Sterling b2b and the other to the house battery right? And no need to ground anything to the van body?
Also, how can I get an attractive English woman to do all my wiring for me? I must be doing something wrong
Yep! Perfect time to get on with it 😀
Yes, that’s exactly what we did and absolutely no need to ground to the van, no. This was following the manufacturer’s instructions but probably worth double checking yours are the same, especially if you’ve got a different model.
Unfortunately Sarah is spoken for but I’m sure there are plenty other attractive English women out there just waiting to get stuck into some wiring 😅 Good luck with your search 🤣
@@TheWholeWorldorNothing did you already have your leisure battery grounded to the van chassis? Mine is not and I'm not sure if that needs to happen? Thanks.
No we don’t have the leisure battery grounded to the chassis either. We kept the campervan electrics completely separate to the vehicle electrics.
@@TheWholeWorldorNothing that’s a big help. Difficult finding info online for that specific question. Thank you again for your help and best of luck to you guys
Yeah we found the same, but from the research that we did it’s best not to mix the two 👍