by MickinOz » Sun Oct 04, 2020 6:11 pm
Scott/saltydawg, you do seem to know your stuff.
Some of the 12V advice on the forum runs along the lines of "yeah, xx AWG will do it", "don't/do need a fuse here", "that much is plenty".
Rules of thumb, wet finger estimates, some plain old misinformation. I blame auto parts stores a bit - you walk into their electrical sections here in Oz and you'll see a roll of wire marked 15 amp. "Yeah? Over what distance with what voltage drop?"
I admit I am not good with the search function. Still, I find it difficult to find what I consider a decent wiring diagram here.
The generic Benroy plans have probably helped dozens, maybe hundreds of people build a teardrop.
They have certainly helped me, but they are missing wiring diagrams.
We need someone qualified (hint, hint) to design a generic standalone 12V system, with a wiring diagram (not a block diagram with a single black line between blocks) that shows wire sizes, max run lengths, fusing and fuse locations, etc.
There isn't a "typical" system of course, but most people seem to want a couple of reading lights, a fan/dome light and a power outlet in the cabin, a porchlight and a power outlet and light in the galley. Around 100AH of battery storage (or 30AH or so of lithium) and a 100-200 watt solar panel would round out a system that keeps the lights on and the iphone charged.
Of course, this might already exist and I just can't find it.