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