aVANger Build

[bdosborn-SMB]

My wife got the beta version of the sports bra sewn (it always takes us a try or two to get new things like this dialed in). I glued some magnets to the inside of the cover and Jean sewed magnets into the bra. It works best when the louvers are opened manually a bit:

It seems to stop the rattles when I shake the ceiling but I haven't driven anywhere yet. It's stuffed with leftover thinsulate to try and keep drafts out in the winter. And, it matches the night cover for our control panel:

Bruce

 

[bdosborn-SMB]

Another refinement for the Lemans fan is a 3 way switch to add a manual mode. The temperature on the Inkbird thermostat is kind of a PITA to change so I added a manual mode that jumpers around the thermostat. It was super easy to add, I just popped out the existing switch, added the 3 way switch and one additional wire straight to the speed controller input:

Bruce

 

[bdosborn-SMB]

I've been making a few upgrades this winter. I don't think I ever posted that I had upgraded the Victron Orion B2B charger from the older 30A to the new 50A version. I just added a second one this week for a total of 100A@12V. I optioned the van with a second alternator so there's plenty of alternator capacity. My battery maximum recommended charge rate is 100A so I'm done adding chargers. I barely had enough room for the second Orion so it's not the most elegant installation I've done:

I'm out of V.E. and USB ports in the Cerbo GX so the new Orion is on it's own for now. I usually use the Bluetooth connection to each device when I'm driving so we'll see if I need it. I'll probably give the Victron GX Touch 50 screen it's own USB connection instead of powering it from the Cerbo and use that for port V.E. if I decide I need it.

I don't think I ever posted the very exclusive badging for our van. It takes years to earn this badge.

And finally I've been working with Chat GPT for a custom van dashboard in Home Assistant. This works whenever I'm parked at home and connected to WiFi. I now know how hard it is to come up with a dashboard that shows values at a glance and fits nicely on a screen. Kudos to Victron for the nice dashboard they have for the Cerbo GX but I wanted something a little more granular. The icons change colors at set values so you can tell status at a glance:

Next big mod is probably the roof top A/C but I'll wait till the weather is nicer to tackle that.
Bruce

 

[featherliteCT1]

I'm out of V.E. and USB ports in the Cerbo GX so the new Orion is on it's own for now.

I use a cheap unpowered USB hub to expand the number of cables I can plug into my Rpi running Venus OS. Works fine.

Your electrical system is fantastic!

 

[bdosborn-SMB]

I use a cheap unpowered USB hub to expand the number of cables I can plug into my Rpi running Venus OS. Works fine.

Your electrical system is fantastic!

Doh, I didn't even think of a USB hub. I'll probably go down that route.
Bruce

 

[bdosborn-SMB]

I use a cheap unpowered USB hub to expand the number of cables I can plug into my Rpi running Venus OS. Works fine.

Your electrical system is fantastic!

I added the USB hub and now the second DC-DC charger is reporting to the Cerbo. Thanks for the nudge.
Bruce

 

[bdosborn-SMB]

Last year I left a valve open when I filled the water tank for the season and flooded the van. It took me awhile to figure out the water was running out so the entire van floor was wet. This year I've added a leak detector with a sensor wire I can route down the entire side of the van, from the water tank to the sink. It beeps locally when it detects moisture and it also connects to the WiFI at the house to alert in Home Assistant. (home automation software)

Hopefully I wont ever flood the van again but this is cheap insurance against future leaks.
Bruce

 

[bdosborn-SMB]

We just got back from our annual winter adventure van trip. This year we traveled route 66 in NM and AZ. Here's a pic of the van at the El Rancho movie star hotel in Gallup:

Bruce

 

[Tom&Shelly]

Cool Bruce! You probably drove within a few miles of us, just East of Albuquerque.

The El Rancho is an interesting hotel/motel, though not necessarily comfortable. (We stay there sometimes when our balloon-owning friends go to the Gallup rally, first weekend in December.) Every room is unique. It was built before putting a separate bathroom in each room was a thing. They retrofitted by using the closets, sometimes with the smallest appliances they could find.

Tom

 

[bdosborn-SMB]

Cool Bruce! You probably drove within a few miles of us, just East of Albuquerque.

The El Rancho is an interesting hotel/motel, though not necessarily comfortable. (We stay there sometimes when our balloon-owning friends go to the Gallup rally, first weekend in December.) Every room is unique. It was built before putting a separate bathroom in each room was a thing. They retrofitted by using the closets, sometimes with the smallest appliances they could find.

Tom

My wife thought it was pretty cool so don't be surprised if we visit it again.
Bruce
P.S. they're silver dollar pancakes were pretty good and I hadn't had any in years.

 

[bdosborn-SMB]

Believe it or not, I committed to an a/c and got it installed. The 10k BTU OutEquip Summit II is DC powered so it will run directly off the house battery. It draws 700w in turbo mode and 350w in eco. First I had to take a little bit of the van apart and take the existing fan out:

I reused the existing DIYVan fan adapter after I cleaned off all the butyl tape from the fan installation. I beefed up the right and left sides of the cutout with 1x2s adhered with Silkaflex 221. I used a moving blanket as the landing spot for the a/c when I get it on the roof. Thank goodness the neighbor came over to help as I don't think I ever would have gotten it up there myself.

I had to take two solar panels down for the a/c to fit but I'm working on getting some different sized replacements.

I put the inside back together and the inside a/c panel fits well; we didn't lose any headroom. I wish I hadn't forgotten to take a photo of the new wiring and the plate that holds the a/c to the roof.

Of course the weather cooled of immediately upon installation so I haven't had a chance to put it through its paces. I do miss the light the old fan cover let in but I'm happy we finally have an a/c! Now we don't have to worry if we leave the dog in the van. Oh and hopefully we wont have to endure any more sleepless nights because it's too hot.
Bruce
P.S. A rattle I've been chasing for awhile disappeared, I think the ceiling was rattling against the fan.

 

[featherliteCT1]

Have you had a chance to run the air conditioner and test the sound level while you are inside the van?

 

[bdosborn-SMB]

Have you had a chance to run the air conditioner and test the sound level while you are inside the van?

Yes, it's pretty quiet. Nowhere near as loud as a 120V RV unit.
Bruce

 

[bdosborn-SMB]

I took the cover off the OutEquip today and took a few pictures. Here's how I routed the power cable so it would exit inside the van; it goes down into the intake plenum and I routed the cables across the inside roof of the van:

I used a step drill to carefully make a hole in the plenum (don't hit the condenser!) for a snug fit on the conduit. The I sealed it with Silkaflex 221:

This is why I took the cover off, I wanted to seal the exhaust plenum up a little better than the factory did. I noticed some cold air coming out of the vent closest to this opening when I was running the heater and it made me think I needed to seal this up better:

Of course I forgot to take a picture of what did, which was cover the holes as best I could with Gorilla Waterproof Patch & Seal Tape.

Here's what the bottom of the unit look like. You can see where the cord comes out the unit when they ship it. I didn't want another hole in the roof so I rerouted it. This is an option shown in the manual so I guess it doesn't void the warranty?

Bruce

 

[bdosborn-SMB]

While I was on the roof to install the new a/c so I thought I'd throw the Starlink Mini up there using a Veritas Vans case. It fits nicely and the case seems rock solid, both in protecting the mini and sticking to the roof. I also installed a Shelly power relay switch so I can turn it on and off via Home Assistant or the Victron console .

I can't reach the roof while on the road to take it down if we're parked under trees that obstruct reception. Oh well, that's a problem for future Bruce that he'll probably solve with an expensive door mounted ladder.
Bruce

 

[featherliteCT1]

Nice work!

 

[bdosborn-SMB]

I got a new PV panel installed so I think I'm done with the roof work for now. Thank goodness and I only almost tipped the ladder over twice this time . Here's what the PV layout was before the a/c install:

Here's what it looks like with the back two panels removed and a new 100 watt "slim" panel installed in the middle. 520w total watts with this arrangement and it just barely fit. The a/c is going to shade the new panel in the morning/evening.

I found some 50 watt "slim" panels that I think would fit in the space along the side of the a/c but they're out of stock everywhere.

Now on to performance testing of the a/c...
Bruce