First, this is a great video. Nice job! I installed this same 40A charger and I have a couple suggestions.😊 I don’t feel like your wiring is unsafe or anything but you don’t need that 60A circuit breaker. Just change the starter battery ANL fuse from 50A to 60A. That’s what the manual says. Think about it. The way you have it hooked up now the 60A circuit breaker will never trip before the 50A starter battery fuse blows. The manual shows ANL fuses not circuit breakers but again I think you’re fine. The manual also says “When the battery charger is sending the rated amps, the input side may experience a higher current draw by a factor of up to 50%. Larger wire sizes generally improve performance, whereas smaller wire sizes may reduce performance, especially if undersize.” So in my installation I chose to use 4AWG wire instead of 6AWG to get the “better performance”. Also of note are the dip switch settings this charger has for different battery types and charge voltages. I have a lithium battery that needs 14.4V charging so switches 1 and 5 are off and 2-4 are on. We also installed a switch on our dash that controls the two 12V inputs of D+ and LC. That way we can conveniently charge at 40A or 20A or just turn it off.
Thanks for the compliment and advice. We have learned a lot more since we made this video. We did change our wiring around the battery and installed an ANL fuse box holder. We did have an issue with a previous fuse and it didn't cause any damage but I think we improved it and made it look more clean. I also agree with the only needing a fuse and not a breaker but we like it because we can isolate the wire at either end. Looking back, if we know what we did now, I think our build would be totally different, but that's the fun part about doing it yourself, you get to try again!
Huge safety issue. The 50a fuse isn't in a fuse holder/enclosure. When a fuse blows, it can disintegrate. So that lead will fall on the live distribution bar when the fuse blows.
Thanks for your feedback. The other end of the cable is also connected to a circuit breaker so if it would disintegrate it wouldn't be a big issue since the circuit won't connect to anything. With that being said, We have changed the wire's location and got a fuse holder to make it safer because of your feedback. Never can be too sure! I appreciate you taking the time to comment!
The problem is the cover that goes over the battery. The space you mentioned is not open when the cover goes on. The car battery is directly under the driver's seat, which is why it has a cover.. That said, we did move it but it took some work and it's in a better area. I appreciate the feedback on our work. Always room for improvement!
since u chose to use a ON/OFF switch from where did u power it? any power of a power that is on only when the engine is on? i suppose the second. the problem is some old vans is always to get a place where to intercept this power
We chose to do an on/off switch because I habitually leave lights on in a car and drain the battery (no excuse, just an idiot sometimes :) ). That way, I can choose which battery to charge up if needed. The DC-DC needs a power source that is only on when the van is turned on, which is why most use the cigarette lighter or USB ports, but you could use anything on the van. Some people wired it into the dashboard. We didn't want to do that as I'm not a professional and didn't want to screw up the van in any way. We had to take the dash apart to get to the cables, and it was a big ordeal.
We used a multimeter to see what cables were on when we turned the car on and off when the car was off. Then we cut the cable, spliced the wire into it, and covered it with electrical tape. You could also use a Wago connector which would be easier and they hold really well. We didn't have any at the time but we use them for all of our lights in the van.
I purchased a "12 Volt Accessory Plug" (The kind you use to plug into a cigarette lighter Socket) from Walmart (In the Electronics Section at the Automotive Department). Use a 12 Volt test light to see which wire is positive when plugged into a cigarette lighter socket that is only on when the ignition is on. Only one wire is needed, which ever is the positive wire, the negative wire is not used. I connected the wire to the D+ Wire and inserted it into the D+ socket. It works! (Just make sure to use a Cigarette Lighter Socket that only comes on when the ignition is on).
We removed the Promaster cup holder by pulling it straight up. Then removed the 4 torx 40 screws. Next we pulled / yanked the panel toward the back of the van. There are a bunch of clips so you need to pull hard. Then we found a connector for the charging station that had yellow/black wire 12V and black ground wires on it. We used these for our switch which needed ground to light its led lights. You probably will only need the 12V wire for yours. Cut the wire, strip it back, reconnect and add your d+ wire with a wire nut. Test and make sure it works with accessory on or engine running. If all is good push panel back in. And install screws. Push cup holder back down in. Easy peasy!
To protect the charger from any surges. Every section of wire should have a breaker or fuse to protect the whole system. Might be overkill sometimes but it's better to be safe!
Do you have a 13 Volt Lithium Battery? A 12.8 Volt Battery? Or a 12.6 Volt Battery? On my 12.8 Volt Lithium Batteries The 1,2,4 and 5 switches are off. Only the #3 Switch is on (On is Pointing Down, Off is Pointing up.).
Our battery is at 13.3 volts. We had trouble figuring out the settings at first because we assumed we were at 12.6, we actually called Renogy and went on a call with them to figure out the correct settings for the pins.
@@dirtbagswithfurbags The diagram in the manual is ridiculously confusing in my opinion. I had to contact them also to figure out the sequence for AGM.
We spliced that because you need a power source which is only on when the van is turned on. You could use anything on the dash. It was also easiest to get to. We originally had it spliced into our wiring that was always on, but it was causing some of our fuses to blow, so we changed it up.
What batteries do you have? Also what are the voltages of the batteries? The manual is not the most helpful, we contacted Renogy to get the info. Big thing is you need to know what voltage the batteries will charge at, our batteries say 13.3 volts at fully charged but charge at 14.4 volts.
So it I would assume from reading the manual we have that all of your dip switches should be on for AGM batteries. S1 s2 on to set your absorbtion to 14.4 - s3 s4 to set your float charge to 13.8 and - s5 on for lead acid. I would also check with Renogy to double check. Is this what you have already done?
Thanks for skipping the long intro ad life story. I was hoping to figure out how to configure the starter connection with a basic set of standard battery connectors on the starter.
Many safety issues with your installation! Never connect the battery+ first because the other end is live if it touches anything connected to the chassis it will blow the fuse at the battery but because you haven't put it in an insulated fuse holder there is a good chance it will fracture and drop onto the + fuse plate what you have a split second later the whole length of the cable will melt and ignite! It happens in an instant lots of smoke flames and if you have the cable in your hand you are looking at skin grafts. People think its only 12v it won't hurt me. Like somebody else has mentioned the breakers are a waste of time the fuses will do what they are meant to do if wired and rated correctly. Heat shrink on your terminals no exposed copper. Looking at your vehicle it looks fairly new if its under 5years old its likely to have a smart charging alternator so your D+ connection becomes a bit more sophisticated than just wiring it into the cigarette lighter. Please for your safety seek some advice from a vehicle electrician. Best wishes.
Thanks for your comment. We have made some changes already but it's hard to update the video without taking it down. A couple of your points make sense, like the volts (it's the amps that really cause the damage). We also have redone the length of wire where the inline fuse is located. We put in a new inline fuse holder and secured it to the side of the battery compartment (hard to explain everything in a paragraph or two). I will try to post what it looks like now. The breaker is also overkill but I kept it in because it isolates the dc-dc without having to unhook the battery if we need to work on it for some reason (not that we needed yet). The D+ ignition cable though can be hooked up through the alternator but the cigarette lighter accomplished the same goal. The wire was hooked up while the vehicle was unplugged which means power could not have gone through the wire. I do appreciate you commenting and I hope someone reads these comments. The point of the video is not to show how perfect or bad we did on setting up this system, but if someone else is thinking of trying to convert a van they can do it themselves. I believe in learning new processes and trying it ourselves. Yes it might not look the prettiest but we have learned so much I'm glad we did it.
The recommendations are for a fuse, not a breaker. ANL is most appropriate fuse type. Those Chinese ‘breakers’ are fake, and are a real hazard. The crimping on the lugs is unacceptable. And there should be shrink tubing on the lugs.
your installation is not good or safe. directly screwing that fuse to the battery and the lug to the other is very bad practice. you should absolutely have used an enclosed fuse holder because if that fuse blows, or vibration of the engine snaps that connection and that wire falls onto another contact or negative you will have a whole load of problems. also on the output side you should have used decentt lugs and not cheap crimp terminals and those too should have been covered with the same shrink wrap as the other side your terminals there clearly dont have shrink wrap on and are clearly cheap crimp terminals. your wires are exposed. Also, I'd never fit cheap breakers like that. youtube is filled with van life channels telling stories of how dangerous these are for setting on fire . You should have used proper cut off switches. I'd never wire a dc to dc charger the way you have and I'd always use wire that is is above whats needed. Sometimes that reccomendation from renogy just might not be the best reccomendation. cutting corners never works and only endangers your safety, Please people, do not wire your dc to dc charger like this.
Thanks for taking the time to comment and watch the video. We have done some upgrades and fixed those issues about the heat shrink and the terminal on the battery. It looks a lot better and wish I could upload a different photo. If you would read through the comments you would have seen that but I understand not wanting to slog through all of it. We do clearly say we are not professionals and are DIYers. We have, since making the fixes, had electricians look over it and it got the thumbs up and live in the van full time with no issues. We are not here to make any professionals happy, we are here to help one person maybe find a little bit of inspiration to start there own van build. Yes we made mistakes but that's life. Have a good day
@@dirtbagswithfurbags I'm not a professional. I'm just an ordinary guy who paid a company to convert my van and found their work was sub strandard and dangerous and ended up doing the van again myself. Its because of that I picked up on stuff that should never be done in your video and thought it needed to be said so people did not do dangerous installs. Your fuse on the battery was deffo dangerous but I appreciate you now changed things. I think you should have done another video and taken this one down and shown how you correctly did the job. sorry, but if you are regularly using your van or living in it, dodgy electrics are the last thing you need if you dont want to be in a burning vehicle or come back to one. saying you made misakes and thats life is totally the wrong attitude. and you helped nobody with this video. you put lives in danger and that is totally irresposible.
I'm glad we got some feedback from the Australian political satirist, sculptor, and cartoonist Bruce Petty, but I thought you passed away last year? Well, I can sleep well tonight knowing what Bruce Petty thinks :)
Why? I'm a man replying to this btw. Do you just prefer the sweet voice of a man? That's cool if you do. It's all about the love thing. Also you just came across this video, heard a woman's voice and then went through the comments to find if someone agreed with you?
First, this is a great video. Nice job!
I installed this same 40A charger and I have a couple suggestions.😊
I don’t feel like your wiring is unsafe or anything but you don’t need that 60A circuit breaker. Just change the starter battery ANL fuse from 50A to 60A. That’s what the manual says. Think about it. The way you have it hooked up now the 60A circuit breaker will never trip before the 50A starter battery fuse blows.
The manual shows ANL fuses not circuit breakers but again I think you’re fine.
The manual also says “When the battery charger is sending the rated amps, the input side may experience a higher current draw by a factor of up to 50%. Larger wire sizes generally improve performance, whereas smaller wire sizes may reduce performance, especially if undersize.”
So in my installation I chose to use 4AWG wire instead of 6AWG to get the “better performance”.
Also of note are the dip switch settings this charger has for different battery types and charge voltages. I have a lithium battery that needs 14.4V charging so switches 1 and 5 are off and 2-4 are on.
We also installed a switch on our dash that controls the two 12V inputs of D+ and LC. That way we can conveniently charge at 40A or 20A or just turn it off.
Thanks for the compliment and advice. We have learned a lot more since we made this video. We did change our wiring around the battery and installed an ANL fuse box holder. We did have an issue with a previous fuse and it didn't cause any damage but I think we improved it and made it look more clean.
I also agree with the only needing a fuse and not a breaker but we like it because we can isolate the wire at either end.
Looking back, if we know what we did now, I think our build would be totally different, but that's the fun part about doing it yourself, you get to try again!
@@dirtbagswithfurbags yes for sure about looking back. It’s all good though.
😁
Great video! Thanks for getting to the point, and showing the details. Nice job.
Thank you!
Huge safety issue. The 50a fuse isn't in a fuse holder/enclosure. When a fuse blows, it can disintegrate. So that lead will fall on the live distribution bar when the fuse blows.
It's a circuit breaker.
@@InocenteSandoval 50A fuse at battery
Thanks for your feedback. The other end of the cable is also connected to a circuit breaker so if it would disintegrate it wouldn't be a big issue since the circuit won't connect to anything. With that being said, We have changed the wire's location and got a fuse holder to make it safer because of your feedback. Never can be too sure! I appreciate you taking the time to comment!
@dirtbagswithfurbags does it automatically go from charging to float?
@@billbarnes9718 yes if you have set the dip switches correctly for your battery type.
Great video. Thanks a lot!!
Glad you liked it, hopefully it helped or at least inspired you!
@dirtbagswithfurbags does it automatically go from charging to float? Thanks! Great video.
Yes, I know our lithium batteries do.
Delightfully concise.
Thank you!
Thanks for the video. Well done!
Thanks for watching!
You have a space next to fuse use that instead just move red wire around the battery come in on the bottom of the fuse connector. Minute 1.49
The problem is the cover that goes over the battery. The space you mentioned is not open when the cover goes on. The car battery is directly under the driver's seat, which is why it has a cover.. That said, we did move it but it took some work and it's in a better area. I appreciate the feedback on our work. Always room for improvement!
since u chose to use a ON/OFF switch from where did u power it? any power of a power that is on only when the engine is on? i suppose the second. the problem is some old vans is always to get a place where to intercept this power
We chose to do an on/off switch because I habitually leave lights on in a car and drain the battery (no excuse, just an idiot sometimes :) ). That way, I can choose which battery to charge up if needed. The DC-DC needs a power source that is only on when the van is turned on, which is why most use the cigarette lighter or USB ports, but you could use anything on the van. Some people wired it into the dashboard. We didn't want to do that as I'm not a professional and didn't want to screw up the van in any way. We had to take the dash apart to get to the cables, and it was a big ordeal.
How did you connect the D+ wire to the cigarette lighter??
We used a multimeter to see what cables were on when we turned the car on and off when the car was off. Then we cut the cable, spliced the wire into it, and covered it with electrical tape. You could also use a Wago connector which would be easier and they hold really well. We didn't have any at the time but we use them for all of our lights in the van.
I purchased a "12 Volt Accessory Plug" (The kind you use to plug into a cigarette lighter Socket) from Walmart (In the Electronics Section at the Automotive Department). Use a 12 Volt test light to see which wire is positive when plugged into a cigarette lighter socket that is only on when the ignition is on. Only one wire is needed, which ever is the positive wire, the negative wire is not used. I connected the wire to the D+ Wire and inserted it into the D+ socket. It works! (Just make sure to use a Cigarette Lighter Socket that only comes on when the ignition is on).
@@jameslamb7300that is great to know. Thanks for sharing. I know someone will find this very helpful!
We removed the Promaster cup holder by pulling it straight up. Then removed the 4 torx 40 screws. Next we pulled / yanked the panel toward the back of the van. There are a bunch of clips so you need to pull hard. Then we found a connector for the charging station that had yellow/black wire 12V and black ground wires on it. We used these for our switch which needed ground to light its led lights. You probably will only need the 12V wire for yours. Cut the wire, strip it back, reconnect and add your d+ wire with a wire nut. Test and make sure it works with accessory on or engine running. If all is good push panel back in. And install screws. Push cup holder back down in.
Easy peasy!
@@InchByInchff usually the easy things turn into the in biggest headache but thanks for sharing the info!
Why do you need 2 breakers before and after the charger?
To protect the charger from any surges. Every section of wire should have a breaker or fuse to protect the whole system. Might be overkill sometimes but it's better to be safe!
Do you have a 13 Volt Lithium Battery? A 12.8 Volt Battery? Or a 12.6 Volt Battery? On my 12.8 Volt Lithium Batteries The 1,2,4 and 5 switches are off. Only the #3 Switch is on (On is Pointing Down, Off is Pointing up.).
Our battery is at 13.3 volts. We had trouble figuring out the settings at first because we assumed we were at 12.6, we actually called Renogy and went on a call with them to figure out the correct settings for the pins.
@@dirtbagswithfurbags The diagram in the manual is ridiculously confusing in my opinion. I had to contact them also to figure out the sequence for AGM.
I've just watched a video where the guy put the settings as Off, on, on, on, off, for a lithium battery. Not sure of voltage though 🤔
@@anothercampervanchannel I agree, it's always best to follow up to be on the safe side. I was wondering why you choose AGM over Lithium?
@dirtbagswithfurbags Best I could afford at the time but looking into lithium 😊. I might be back for some advice on those damn switches 😄
for the D+ ignition cable, does it need to be a black wire or does that not matter?
That does not matter, that is the color we used. It is what we had on hand at the time.
@@dirtbagswithfurbags ok that's what I thought, thank you!
Your welcome!
Oowwmmy. That fuse on the van battery is not good. Fire risk. Should be on the bottom next to and inline with all the other ones.
Thanks for the feedback!
Do you splice the D switch wiring going to Cigarette lighter because Cigarette lighter has +ve &-ve.
We spliced that because you need a power source which is only on when the van is turned on. You could use anything on the dash. It was also easiest to get to. We originally had it spliced into our wiring that was always on, but it was causing some of our fuses to blow, so we changed it up.
The dip switches kill me. Idk what to do for my battery and the manual only gives options for lithium
What batteries do you have? Also what are the voltages of the batteries? The manual is not the most helpful, we contacted Renogy to get the info. Big thing is you need to know what voltage the batteries will charge at, our batteries say 13.3 volts at fully charged but charge at 14.4 volts.
@@dirtbagswithfurbags hi, I have a renogy deep cycle AGM lead acid battery it’s 200 ah and it says “cycle use: 14.4 - 14.8) & float: 13.6-13.8
@@jcardosa02 Last thing, are you using the same 40amp DC - DC charger or do you have another type?
@@dirtbagswithfurbags yes I have the same one!
So it I would assume from reading the manual we have that all of your dip switches should be on for AGM batteries. S1 s2 on to set your absorbtion to 14.4 - s3 s4 to set your float charge to 13.8 and - s5 on for lead acid.
I would also check with Renogy to double check. Is this what you have already done?
Thanks for skipping the long intro ad life story. I was hoping to figure out how to configure the starter connection with a basic set of standard battery connectors on the starter.
I hate it when people go into a life story but the video is labeled "how to do this in 5 easy steps"
Did you figure it out?
Many safety issues with your installation!
Never connect the battery+ first because the other end is live if it touches anything connected to the chassis it will blow the fuse at the battery but because you haven't put it in an insulated fuse holder there is a good chance it will fracture and drop onto the + fuse plate what you have a split second later the whole length of the cable will melt and ignite! It happens in an instant lots of smoke flames and if you have the cable in your hand you are looking at skin grafts. People think its only 12v it won't hurt me. Like somebody else has mentioned the breakers are a waste of time the fuses will do what they are meant to do if wired and rated correctly. Heat shrink on your terminals no exposed copper. Looking at your vehicle it looks fairly new if its under 5years old its likely to have a smart charging alternator so your D+ connection becomes a bit more sophisticated than just wiring it into the cigarette lighter. Please for your safety seek some advice from a vehicle electrician. Best wishes.
Thanks for your comment. We have made some changes already but it's hard to update the video without taking it down. A couple of your points make sense, like the volts (it's the amps that really cause the damage). We also have redone the length of wire where the inline fuse is located. We put in a new inline fuse holder and secured it to the side of the battery compartment (hard to explain everything in a paragraph or two). I will try to post what it looks like now. The breaker is also overkill but I kept it in because it isolates the dc-dc without having to unhook the battery if we need to work on it for some reason (not that we needed yet). The D+ ignition cable though can be hooked up through the alternator but the cigarette lighter accomplished the same goal. The wire was hooked up while the vehicle was unplugged which means power could not have gone through the wire. I do appreciate you commenting and I hope someone reads these comments. The point of the video is not to show how perfect or bad we did on setting up this system, but if someone else is thinking of trying to convert a van they can do it themselves. I believe in learning new processes and trying it ourselves. Yes it might not look the prettiest but we have learned so much I'm glad we did it.
The recommendations are for a fuse, not a breaker. ANL is most appropriate fuse type. Those Chinese ‘breakers’ are fake, and are a real hazard. The crimping on the lugs is unacceptable. And there should be shrink tubing on the lugs.
Thanks for the feedback
your installation is not good or safe. directly screwing that fuse to the battery and the lug to the other is very bad practice. you should absolutely have used an enclosed fuse holder because if that fuse blows, or vibration of the engine snaps that connection and that wire falls onto another contact or negative you will have a whole load of problems. also on the output side you should have used decentt lugs and not cheap crimp terminals and those too should have been covered with the same shrink wrap as the other side your terminals there clearly dont have shrink wrap on and are clearly cheap crimp terminals. your wires are exposed. Also, I'd never fit cheap breakers like that. youtube is filled with van life channels telling stories of how dangerous these are for setting on fire . You should have used proper cut off switches.
I'd never wire a dc to dc charger the way you have and I'd always use wire that is is above whats needed. Sometimes that reccomendation from renogy just might not be the best reccomendation. cutting corners never works and only endangers your safety, Please people, do not wire your dc to dc charger like this.
Thanks for taking the time to comment and watch the video. We have done some upgrades and fixed those issues about the heat shrink and the terminal on the battery. It looks a lot better and wish I could upload a different photo.
If you would read through the comments you would have seen that but I understand not wanting to slog through all of it.
We do clearly say we are not professionals and are DIYers. We have, since making the fixes, had electricians look over it and it got the thumbs up and live in the van full time with no issues.
We are not here to make any professionals happy, we are here to help one person maybe find a little bit of inspiration to start there own van build. Yes we made mistakes but that's life. Have a good day
@@dirtbagswithfurbags I'm not
a professional. I'm just an ordinary guy who paid a company to convert my van and found their work was sub strandard and dangerous and ended up doing the van again myself. Its because of that I picked up on stuff that should never be done in your video and thought it needed to be said so people did not do dangerous installs. Your fuse on the battery was deffo dangerous but I appreciate you now changed things. I think you should have done another video and taken this one down and shown how you correctly did the job. sorry, but if you are regularly using your van or living in it, dodgy electrics are the last thing you need if you dont want to be in a burning vehicle or come back to one. saying you made misakes and thats life is totally the wrong attitude. and you helped nobody with this video. you put lives in danger and that is totally irresposible.
I definitely have a different opinion on this but thanks for sharing yours. I appreciate all the feedback and hope you enjoy your van!
As soon as I heard a woman's voice I turned the channel,
I'm glad we got some feedback from the Australian political satirist, sculptor, and cartoonist Bruce Petty, but I thought you passed away last year? Well, I can sleep well tonight knowing what Bruce Petty thinks :)
I'm afraid I did the same,as soon as I heard a woman's voice as narrator I turned off.
Why? I'm a man replying to this btw. Do you just prefer the sweet voice of a man? That's cool if you do. It's all about the love thing.
Also you just came across this video, heard a woman's voice and then went through the comments to find if someone agreed with you?
@brucepetty But not before making a comment. Well you're a chauvinistic bell end then aren't you...🙄
@@ktd2956 And yet, still managed to make a comment first. You must be quick at typing...🙄