This series is more important than any other build series that you have made in the past. Why? Because it benefits more people. Hats off to you for this series!!
Andrew, I love your Land Cruiser and such builds, but those are pretty much science fiction for me. This budget build feels more realistic for me and I enjoy every second of it. Thank you for a great channel.
I have a dual battery setup in my VR Berlina wagon for camping. The system consists of a 135aH deep cycle battery behind the passenger seat on the rear floor. It is charged by the alternator (through the starter battery) via a Kickass VSR unit bolted to the left inner guard when the engine is running, or when camping, by a solar blanket plugged into an Anderson plug that is bolted next to the towbar with a heavy fused cable going back from that plug to the Aux battery. Have been using this regularly for 6 years to power a 2 way fridge & charging different equipment batteries and not had any problems.
One thing to remember is that even the small signal cables to the battery monitor have to be fused, thinner cable - smaller sized fuse, at the battery end . Those thin wires become serious source of fire when short circuited, they burn through the thicker ones in a loom like hot knife through butter.
Because i have a lot of tools i have 12 x milwaukee M18 lithium ion batteries. 18vdc 5Ah. This is in total (12vdc) 90 Ah lithium Ion. The milwaukee battery adapter has a usb 5vdc and a 12vdc plug. On the battery you can see how full it is. While camping i have my dometic fridge, smartphones, tablet running on these batteries. While driving i can charge the batteries with a 350 watt dometic inverter connected to the standard 220vac milwaukee charger. Simple setup. With more adapters you can connect them parallel then you don't have to change often the batteries. Also you can use your powertools for cutting wood or change your flat tire. When we drive every 2 days we only use our starter agm battery in my VW amarok v6. Greetings from the Netherlands.
I have to say I love this series. Will be “telling” to high budget buyers about how you apply the same design principles to budget builds All builds have a budget, but the same principles have different applications. Eg, buy battery “x” because it’s the best given the charging circumstances and you should replace the battery a little sooner than it’s expected life (which is more cost effective than installing a more expensive charging system and battery type). Design is everything. Thanks!!!
A thing I have taken to doing when wiring boats to keep water out. Crimp the connection, seal it up using double wall heat shrink (it has a glue pre-applied to the heat shrink, so it seals extra good), paint all the edges with liquid electrical tape, connect it to the battery, paint it with the liquid electrical tape again and if you're really paranoid, paint on a coat of Vaseline
Cameron is being a good sport in this series. Given that the rig belongs to him and Kate, I'd like to see him doing more of the work. In this video, it looks like it's your project, Andrew, and he's there only to provide content and an ear to hear the technical explanations. Regardless, thank you for stepping us through what can be done without a large investment.
Thank you so much. I enjoyed a lot of your other videos, but after some time I stopped watching. There were posh vehicles and kit I never could afford anymore. This is so brilliant. I hope the youngens film some of the adventures with that "backpack" rig of theirs. I think a lot of us, not so hardcore "overlanders" would enjoy those very much. Also, if you cared to join in at those adventures, with maybe some driving advice for our more fragile vehicles, or maybe some budget camping tips, that would also be nice.
Fuse vehicle side of the anderson connector that way it is ALWAYS protected and if someone puts on a different battery with out a fuse, you're covered. I would also recommend going to about 40A on the fuses as the charge draw will not really exceed 25A under normal charging opperations, I personally have ran 15A fuses in simple thin wire, close battery split charging, which I would actually recommend for this application as it auto diengages so you don't have the human error in forgetting to turn it off/unplug it. Also take the item power from battery side of the aux fuse. As otherwise there is no way to know if the aux side fuse has blown until you don't have power when it's unplugged. I would also recommend a switch for each item and a push-to-make "button" switch for the volt meter as you don't need it live all the time (gives a higher charge to your battery as every bit of voltage is a bonus!).
To avoid corrosion in a crimped connection it is a good practice to add a small amount of long lasting grease to the cable before crimping it with a professional tool. Then, of course, add the heat shrinking tube over it for additional protection from moisture/water.
Very nice simple budget build. The basics are solid and the owners can upgrade later if they desire without having to re do the basics. In the meantime it's simple enough to be fixed by a regular person.
25 years ago I fitted a second battery to a transit van but with a solenoid to the ignition switch. The second battery wouldn’t cooperate taking a charge when the starter battery was full (I always carry a multimeter) so to solve the problem after 30 minutes of driving I removed the positive lead from the starter battery and put a cut off plastic drink bottle over it to prevent shorting, then put it back before the end of the day. Worked well for years. This may help if you have the same problem. Good luck!
I agree with putting the aux battery on an AC charger monthly and if you use a good quality solar regulator this will also effectively charge the battery at camp. DC2DC chargers are one of the best marketing ploys in modern day vehicle electrics, not always essential as they make you believe. As I would forget switching or disconnecting, I've used a Traxide isolator for the last 15 years, great Australian product.
The timing of this video couldn't be any better😃Installing my system (budget as well) next week, with a solar panel, lights and for charging cameras and laptops. Thanks so much👍all my bases covered!!!
Hey Andrew this is more like the videos people would like to see budget stuff there is more people out there that dont have the money to spend but would like to do what your kids will be doing great work cant wait for more
Excellent. The only issue I don't favour is the battery disconnect using the anderson connector. I would have used (I do use), a cheap isolator unit, such as WARN 28022 120-Amp Dual Battery Isolator, or similar. Consider for an upgrade when disconnecting becomes tiresome. Thanks for the good tip on the solar charge!!
Did I miss the video explaining the need for a fridge in the first place? It would seem to me you can get a good quality esky and forgo the added cost and complexity to include the fridge; would suit weekend trips in any weather you're likely to camp in.
Upgrade exterior/interior bulbs to LED. LED headlights make amazing difference and power draw much less. Trick with the headlight bulbs is the thin wafer type - dual sided and index position to be the same angle as incandescent bulb. LED brake bulbs much faster to light. Economy improved by raising the tyres 5psi or so on road over label - steering action faster, grip slightly reduced.
Loved my T31. Had a T32 as well, nowhere near as good. Had a similar power set up but with dc-dc on the battery box & solar panel on the roof racks all done with plugs. 40lt Engel & side awning. T31 had the inbuilt draws which took enough gear for me. Still room to sleep in the back. Easy to clip out the back seats (bottoms) which gave heaps of storage room. Could pack up & go away for a long weekend then literally 20 mins to unpack the whole car when you get home & quickly turns back into a comfortable daily driver like it was never there. Put the battery on a good charger in the shed when not in use.
A good quality solenoid like a glow plug style solenoid connected to the ignition system shouldn't reduce voltage too much. Also, extra little note on the wire used, using tinned cable is a great way of avoiding corrosion.
I've never had the budget for the over the top 12 volt systems out there so agree with most of what you've done. However, you've introduced humans into the system and at some point that human is going to fail and the Anderson plug won't be pulled out to isolate the system. This could obviously cause flat batteries. I've got a Redarc SBI12 isolator which is a pretty simple relay and it takes me (the human) out of the equation. So it's idiot proof. :D There are likely cheaper isolators out there but I'd definitely put one in.
Interesting point. Will also be drawing off of primary battery when connected. Would be good to make sure it wasn't seriously discharged when connect it back up else could drain primary if left without vehicle running. Could it reduce start capacity of primary? What about connecting a battery when alternator running live? If have voltage protection so can't drain the backup too low may be make all these mute points..?
Great video love this new series. I've been agonising over how to do my electrics and you had almost convinced me to go for a lithium set up (that I really don't have the money for) but something like this will work perfectly. From a very excited university student!
Have a look for SolarKing 100AH Lithium battery - these use the "safer" Lithium Iron Phosphate technology and under $700 for basically 5 times the life, at least twice the usable capacity and about half the weight. They are excellent. Can be hooked up exactly as shown here as it has all the electronic smarts to manage the charging and discharging built in. (I have no affiliation with them, but I have used them - they do what they say). EDIT: SONICTECH1000 RIGHTLY POINTS OUT THAT A CHARGE CONTROLLER OF SOME KIND IS NECESSARY TO DO WHAT I SUGGEST HERE. I INSTALLED A CURRENT LIMIT ON MY OUTLET (TO CHARGE THE BATTERY IN THE CAR A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO AND HAD COMPLETELY FORGOTTEN I HAD THAT! SORRY IF I GAVE ANYONE A BUM STEER!
@@henrydakin9903 I'm down-under Henry and here there are a few stores that have them. I'm sure there are equivalents in the UK, but I don't know the brands there so I can't say anything about them.
@@MiniLuv-1984 I'm skeptical that it's a good idea to use these without a suitable charge controller. You're certainly not going to get that 5x lifespan doing it that way and your alternator won't last long either.
@@sonictech1000 Yes, you are right! I forgot that I had added a home brew charge controller to limit current from my Anderson connector from the battery. Thanks for point that out.
I decided to use deep cycle golf cart batteries for this segment. I bought 2 of them from a golf course which was getting rid of their old electric carts for petrol ones. They work well for me and cost me $35 for two. The battery is also only 14 months old.
You mention soldering. FYI, where the soldering ends inside the copper cable is a possible breaking point due to vibrations. Meaning, if you solder any cable/-s in a vehicle you must tie the cable down hard using cable ties to avoid future breakage of the cable.
Fantastic. I love the videos and wanted to start a project to some light overland in Europe. With this on budget project I can start one of my one without brake the bank. Many thanks
Interesting. So far all I've done is cabling for a winch, but I've been mulling a dual-battery setup. I added a 2" receiver to the front of my American market Nissan D40 behind the bumper cover, for the purposes of being able to slot-in a winch. I exited the positive terminal of the battery to a 350A HMG fuse, then into a high-current A/B/off switch, through more cables to SB175 anderson connectors at both the front and back of the truck, then connected the negative side of the anderson connectors to the chassis in the back, and to the large body to battery ground for the front. I used 1/0AWG and 2/0AWG cable because I had it laying around. The D40 Frontier does have one of those alternators that will reduce output, so I had to pass through the factory ground cable in order for the current sensing device to work properly. Unfortunately the way it's designed it doesn't look readily modifiable to run a heavier gauge cable, but given that even Warn's winch cabling is 2AWG I'm pretty sure that the this large factory negative battery cable is stout enough. What I am less sure of is the chassis ground for the negative at the rear. i think it'll be adequate, but if not I may end up having to add another 1/0 gauge cable from the Anderson connector back up to that factory negative cable with the sensor. I hope not, that's a lot of weight to carry and I'd like to avoid adding even more weight.
The teouble with fixed solar modules is you need to park in the sun. Also the angle to the sun is rarely optimal. Portable modules are more efficient but less convenient.
Please can you give us your opinion about the VW T3 syncro. It's a long time since they were last made, but they have an enthusiastic following and many different types of engine can be fitted, so this keeps them relevant and alive. Thanks.
just read the comments about the video. i dont believe it that disconnect by hand should be such a problem? what happened to the pioneer spirit from you wishwant overlander? i just love this design. the less electronics - the better. especialy when you really want to go a little bit further than to the next camping place in the your neighbour town. nerds remember this: less electronics - less problems - better it is. when a cable breaks - well you can fix it. but when you really go overlanding, and your switch-drop-elex box fails - you are done. trip is over
Loving the series. I used to have the 2.0 petrol with manual transmission. One of the advantages of this car was that it can run with 15inch wheels. I used to run 225/70/R15, which had better tire profile.
Great stuff. You don't see to many builds like this on youtube at least. Now it's all Li-FePO4 batteries. Would have liked some more details regarding the expected current draw from the fridge and the resulting calculation for the battery capacity. How many AH is that AGM battery?
I love your videos, so helpful & informative. I'm building my first overloading rig here in the UK using a Landcruiser 90 & I have been wondering about how to do the electrics. I actually have two batteries already from factory known as the winter pack but they are in parallel for starting. Should I run a third battery as I do have a spare leisure battery or should I just put a VSR or even a manual switch between the two?
Can you comment on the use of self-amalgamating rubber tape, it is very useful for making sure you exclude water and chemicals from connections e.g. the inline fuse box , quick wrap around after fuse fitted and lid closed. An alternative is perhaps a budget silicone grease to block off ingress points with some insulation tape over.
I think this overlooks the folly of PbSO4 - battery impedance. This type of battery ‘sips’ charge because its voltage rises quickly (hence the need to float charge). [LiFePO4 ‘scolls’ charge, I digress]. - a $12 relay, plugged into a cig outlet would preclude flat crank by connecting under Acc conditions. - a 2.5 sq mm charge lead would perform roughly as well as a 16, or 120 (or billion) sq mm conductor - the voltage drop is dominated by battery impedance; lead acid is drip fed, at best, always.
Anderew I love your videos and have the utmost greatest respect for you and your videos as I think you are the best channel on 4WDing and you videos are second to none. So it breaks my heart to have to make a criticism about part of your build. I think you really should have put a auto disconnect solenoid or VSR of some type or even a simple relay wired into the ignition to isolate and reconnect the battery. The reason I say this is because I can guarantee there will be a day or even more when they either forget to disconnect or forget to connect that battery and it could either leave them stranded with no starter battery or leave them with a flat second battery and spoilt food in their fridge. Other than that mate what an awesome build. Never ever thought an Xtrail was worthy of being used but I have learned something new.
Less is more ! Good point on fusing both ends of the main positive cable, but at 8:12 note BOTH will blow in the event of an earth fault. You will need at least three spares unless field repairing with strands robbed from flex.
Great set up, nice and basic 👍 BUT Manually plugging in every morning and disconnecting at night, remembering to reconnect next day etc...... We all know what’s going to happen here don’t we. Murphy will ensure the inevitable will occur in the most remote of places. Simple VSR’s are cheap insurance. Father in law should pull rank on this one.
Just like you remember to plug and unplug your solar panels when you want to charge your battery, you remember to plug in and unplug the Anderson connector when you want to charge your battery. Usually always when the vehicle is running anyway.
I'd accept the volt drop of a diode between the alternator and starter battery, but a direct connect between the alternator and auxiliary battery, will eliminate any need for switches or unplugging.
A basic redarc solenoid would make this installation a lot more bush proof. Because it’s not just if you leave your fridge running and drain secondary the reverse is true, if you leave your headlights on you can use your secondary battery to start your car.
appreciate prices vary from shop to shop, but some rough cost breakdown would be good content, budget build cost you X, expensive build would cost Y etc how much did you spend on battery set up etc.....no point telling us about your budget build without some idea of costs !!
Very interesting and well explained, to this electrical novice, anyway. I rewatched but couldn’t find a mention of the rating of the battery that was chosen. I know it is not relevant to your build but I am interested to know about the calculation of the ability of an existing, factory, alternator to determine if a higher output unit should be used to replace it. I have a 32 year old Ford truck and want to keep within the ability of the existing alternator, if possible, to run an auxiliary battery in a similar set up.
I'd also like to highlight that they look like 50A anderson connectors, and you're feeding an 80A fuse and 50A connectors!! NOOOOOOOO! 50A is the max rating of theose plugs, so your fuse MUST NOT EXCEED 50A as a MAXIMUM! That is basic electrics and how fires start by overloading connectors! (I like rants too! :-D )
Unless it’s 500 degrees at night and your fridge is set on minus 100 you won’t drain the second battery on a overnight stay. If you forget to disconnect it wouldn’t be a issue
I went through this recently and realised that the BH / Anderson plugs are 50ah and the fuse is 80ah. I’m clueless with electrical stuff but figured to play it safe and went up to a 125ah BH plug. Not sure if the plug can fail before the fuse
This series is more important than any other build series that you have made in the past. Why? Because it benefits more people. Hats off to you for this series!!
Yes give us a break with all the vanity projects
Andrew, I love your Land Cruiser and such builds, but those are pretty much science fiction for me.
This budget build feels more realistic for me and I enjoy every second of it.
Thank you for a great channel.
I have a dual battery setup in my VR Berlina wagon for camping. The system consists of a 135aH deep cycle battery behind the passenger seat on the rear floor. It is charged by the alternator (through the starter battery) via a Kickass VSR unit bolted to the left inner guard when the engine is running, or when camping, by a solar blanket plugged into an Anderson plug that is bolted next to the towbar with a heavy fused cable going back from that plug to the Aux battery. Have been using this regularly for 6 years to power a 2 way fridge & charging different equipment batteries and not had any problems.
following this step by step for my own budget xtrail build
Very happy with this video. Surpasses many. Safety first.
I used to design electrics for construction equipment. You have done everything right. Kudos.
Everything right? So you would recommend human memory to stop flat batteries in the bush? This system is a terrible idea.
@@davidhemmings5676 What do you suggest instead considering their budget?
@@davidhemmings5676 It's not terrible. If they get a flat car battery, they'll quickly learn.
(Hope the Xtrail isn't an auto😮)
One thing to remember is that even the small signal cables to the battery monitor have to be fused, thinner cable - smaller sized fuse, at the battery end . Those thin wires become serious source of fire when short circuited, they burn through the thicker ones in a loom like hot knife through butter.
@@Malc664 I would probably add a $80 VSR, then it’s set and forget.
Thank you, Andrew! There's so much information here that I'm going to be using in our Discovery 1 build!
its only a battery but i love hearing experts talk in detail on their subject matter, this is a riveting series already
Because i have a lot of tools i have 12 x milwaukee M18 lithium ion batteries. 18vdc 5Ah. This is in total (12vdc) 90 Ah lithium Ion. The milwaukee battery adapter has a usb 5vdc and a 12vdc plug. On the battery you can see how full it is. While camping i have my dometic fridge, smartphones, tablet running on these batteries.
While driving i can charge the batteries with a 350 watt dometic inverter connected to the standard 220vac milwaukee charger. Simple setup. With more adapters you can connect them parallel then you don't have to change often the batteries. Also you can use your powertools for cutting wood or change your flat tire. When we drive every 2 days we only use our starter agm battery in my VW amarok v6. Greetings from the Netherlands.
This is so good for the folks that don't have a great deal of cash to spend. Many thanks.
I have to say I love this series. Will be “telling” to high budget buyers about how you apply the same design principles to budget builds
All builds have a budget, but the same principles have different applications. Eg, buy battery “x” because it’s the best given the charging circumstances and you should replace the battery a little sooner than it’s expected life (which is more cost effective than installing a more expensive charging system and battery type). Design is everything.
Thanks!!!
A thing I have taken to doing when wiring boats to keep water out. Crimp the connection, seal it up using double wall heat shrink (it has a glue pre-applied to the heat shrink, so it seals extra good), paint all the edges with liquid electrical tape, connect it to the battery, paint it with the liquid electrical tape again and if you're really paranoid, paint on a coat of Vaseline
Cameron is being a good sport in this series. Given that the rig belongs to him and Kate, I'd like to see him doing more of the work. In this video, it looks like it's your project, Andrew, and he's there only to provide content and an ear to hear the technical explanations. Regardless, thank you for stepping us through what can be done without a large investment.
Thank you so much. I enjoyed a lot of your other videos, but after some time I stopped watching. There were posh vehicles and kit I never could afford anymore. This is so brilliant. I hope the youngens film some of the adventures with that "backpack" rig of theirs. I think a lot of us, not so hardcore "overlanders" would enjoy those very much. Also, if you cared to join in at those adventures, with maybe some driving advice for our more fragile vehicles, or maybe some budget camping tips, that would also be nice.
Fuse vehicle side of the anderson connector that way it is ALWAYS protected and if someone puts on a different battery with out a fuse, you're covered. I would also recommend going to about 40A on the fuses as the charge draw will not really exceed 25A under normal charging opperations, I personally have ran 15A fuses in simple thin wire, close battery split charging, which I would actually recommend for this application as it auto diengages so you don't have the human error in forgetting to turn it off/unplug it. Also take the item power from battery side of the aux fuse. As otherwise there is no way to know if the aux side fuse has blown until you don't have power when it's unplugged. I would also recommend a switch for each item and a push-to-make "button" switch for the volt meter as you don't need it live all the time (gives a higher charge to your battery as every bit of voltage is a bonus!).
just bought same model as a nifty little round town shopper....this video series has me thinking time to take up camping again
To avoid corrosion in a crimped connection it is a good practice to add a small amount of long lasting grease to the cable before crimping it with a professional tool. Then, of course, add the heat shrinking tube over it for additional protection from moisture/water.
Very nice simple budget build. The basics are solid and the owners can upgrade later if they desire without having to re do the basics. In the meantime it's simple enough to be fixed by a regular person.
25 years ago I fitted a second battery to a transit van but with a solenoid to the ignition switch. The second battery wouldn’t cooperate taking a charge when the starter battery was full (I always carry a multimeter) so to solve the problem after 30 minutes of driving I removed the positive lead from the starter battery and put a cut off plastic drink bottle over it to prevent shorting, then put it back before the end of the day. Worked well for years. This may help if you have the same problem. Good luck!
I agree with putting the aux battery on an AC charger monthly and if you use a good quality solar regulator this will also effectively charge the battery at camp. DC2DC chargers are one of the best marketing ploys in modern day vehicle electrics, not always essential as they make you believe. As I would forget switching or disconnecting, I've used a Traxide isolator for the last 15 years, great Australian product.
I use RED Anderson plug for solar input which is not compatible with grey plugs!
Am very keen, and Andrew this type of videos might overthrow your mainstream videos i tell you
How awesome this is no excuses anyone can do it If they want 👍👍
Thanks again Andrew, very useful information for building my Forester Overlander. Looking forward to the rest of the series.
The timing of this video couldn't be any better😃Installing my system (budget as well) next week, with a solar panel, lights and for charging cameras and laptops. Thanks so much👍all my bases covered!!!
Hey Andrew this is more like the videos people would like to see budget stuff there is more people out there that dont have the money to spend but would like to do what your kids will be doing great work cant wait for more
Wish I was 25 years younger, I would have courted Kate and have Andrew help me build an overlanding vehicle 🤣🤣🤣
Hahahaha well said. The son in law does not seem to be doing much. Although I suspect that the father in law is rather enjoying this to much
😂😂😂
😂😂😂😂😂😂 good one 😂 there
Thank you for the clear explanation, very helpful
Excellent. The only issue I don't favour is the battery disconnect using the anderson connector. I would have used (I do use), a cheap isolator unit, such as WARN 28022 120-Amp Dual Battery Isolator, or similar. Consider for an upgrade when disconnecting becomes tiresome.
Thanks for the good tip on the solar charge!!
Excellent coverage of this subject. Thanks very much.
Imvery happy you emphasised short circuit protecrion. The fuse is to protect the cable, not the equipment.
Did I miss the video explaining the need for a fridge in the first place? It would seem to me you can get a good quality esky and forgo the added cost and complexity to include the fridge; would suit weekend trips in any weather you're likely to camp in.
Living in the US, walking in to a store and seeing a wall of RedArc products and a German to guide me is almost euphoric.
edit:He is German, yeah?
Yeah, Heiner is German.
Brilliant, waiting to see more, awesome Andrew. Thank you!
Well done Andrew, the time expended with your daughter and son-in-law, priceless.
Clear as mud.
Great and informative video. really enjoyable. Anderson plug to fridge would prevent disconnection on rough roads
Upgrade exterior/interior bulbs to LED. LED headlights make amazing difference and power draw much less. Trick with the headlight bulbs is the thin wafer type - dual sided and index position to be the same angle as incandescent bulb. LED brake bulbs much faster to light.
Economy improved by raising the tyres 5psi or so on road over label - steering action faster, grip slightly reduced.
Your Awesome Andrew. Keep it up. Thank you!
Hainer is back. The most german Australian!
his name if he is german, is written with "e" - heiner
@@berndeikers8924 Both are possible. Heiner would be the modern way of spelling compared to the traditional Hainer.
Loved my T31. Had a T32 as well, nowhere near as good.
Had a similar power set up but with dc-dc on the battery box & solar panel on the roof racks all done with plugs. 40lt Engel & side awning. T31 had the inbuilt draws which took enough gear for me. Still room to sleep in the back. Easy to clip out the back seats (bottoms) which gave heaps of storage room. Could pack up & go away for a long weekend then literally 20 mins to unpack the whole car when you get home & quickly turns back into a comfortable daily driver like it was never there. Put the battery on a good charger in the shed when not in use.
Really loving this build. Can't wait to help my son in a few years with his 1st overlander.
So much knowledge
A good quality solenoid like a glow plug style solenoid connected to the ignition system shouldn't reduce voltage too much. Also, extra little note on the wire used, using tinned cable is a great way of avoiding corrosion.
One of the best series you have done, mate.
I've never had the budget for the over the top 12 volt systems out there so agree with most of what you've done. However, you've introduced humans into the system and at some point that human is going to fail and the Anderson plug won't be pulled out to isolate the system. This could obviously cause flat batteries. I've got a Redarc SBI12 isolator which is a pretty simple relay and it takes me (the human) out of the equation. So it's idiot proof. :D There are likely cheaper isolators out there but I'd definitely put one in.
Very informative I'm saving it for future reference.
With this type of set up, a fuse might fail when he forgets to unplug before cranking the engine.
Interesting point. Will also be drawing off of primary battery when connected. Would be good to make sure it wasn't seriously discharged when connect it back up else could drain primary if left without vehicle running. Could it reduce start capacity of primary? What about connecting a battery when alternator running live? If have voltage protection so can't drain the backup too low may be make all these mute points..?
@@pwatom22 all good and more expensive ideas, but the idea is to keep costs down with this set up.
Great video love this new series. I've been agonising over how to do my electrics and you had almost convinced me to go for a lithium set up (that I really don't have the money for) but something like this will work perfectly. From a very excited university student!
Have a look for SolarKing 100AH Lithium battery - these use the "safer" Lithium Iron Phosphate technology and under $700 for basically 5 times the life, at least twice the usable capacity and about half the weight. They are excellent. Can be hooked up exactly as shown here as it has all the electronic smarts to manage the charging and discharging built in. (I have no affiliation with them, but I have used them - they do what they say). EDIT: SONICTECH1000 RIGHTLY POINTS OUT THAT A CHARGE CONTROLLER OF SOME KIND IS NECESSARY TO DO WHAT I SUGGEST HERE. I INSTALLED A CURRENT LIMIT ON MY OUTLET (TO CHARGE THE BATTERY IN THE CAR A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO AND HAD COMPLETELY FORGOTTEN I HAD THAT! SORRY IF I GAVE ANYONE A BUM STEER!
@@MiniLuv-1984 They look really good but as with most good overlanding equipment I can't really get them in the UK
@@henrydakin9903 I'm down-under Henry and here there are a few stores that have them. I'm sure there are equivalents in the UK, but I don't know the brands there so I can't say anything about them.
@@MiniLuv-1984 I'm skeptical that it's a good idea to use these without a suitable charge controller. You're certainly not going to get that 5x lifespan doing it that way and your alternator won't last long either.
@@sonictech1000 Yes, you are right! I forgot that I had added a home brew charge controller to limit current from my Anderson connector from the battery. Thanks for point that out.
I decided to use deep cycle golf cart batteries for this segment. I bought 2 of them from a golf course which was getting rid of their old electric carts for petrol ones. They work well for me and cost me $35 for two. The battery is also only 14 months old.
You mention soldering. FYI, where the soldering ends inside the copper cable is a possible breaking point due to vibrations. Meaning, if you solder any cable/-s in a vehicle you must tie the cable down hard using cable ties to avoid future breakage of the cable.
well it depends how you are soldering. very unlikely that old school soldering will break
Back to basis! Lovely videos! Thanks fot the exceptional material as always!
Fantastic. I love the videos and wanted to start a project to some light overland in Europe. With this on budget project I can start one of my one without brake the bank. Many thanks
Interesting. So far all I've done is cabling for a winch, but I've been mulling a dual-battery setup.
I added a 2" receiver to the front of my American market Nissan D40 behind the bumper cover, for the purposes of being able to slot-in a winch. I exited the positive terminal of the battery to a 350A HMG fuse, then into a high-current A/B/off switch, through more cables to SB175 anderson connectors at both the front and back of the truck, then connected the negative side of the anderson connectors to the chassis in the back, and to the large body to battery ground for the front. I used 1/0AWG and 2/0AWG cable because I had it laying around.
The D40 Frontier does have one of those alternators that will reduce output, so I had to pass through the factory ground cable in order for the current sensing device to work properly. Unfortunately the way it's designed it doesn't look readily modifiable to run a heavier gauge cable, but given that even Warn's winch cabling is 2AWG I'm pretty sure that the this large factory negative battery cable is stout enough.
What I am less sure of is the chassis ground for the negative at the rear. i think it'll be adequate, but if not I may end up having to add another 1/0 gauge cable from the Anderson connector back up to that factory negative cable with the sensor. I hope not, that's a lot of weight to carry and I'd like to avoid adding even more weight.
I loved this series!!
Great to see that insulation being covered up. Great video Happy trails
For a 2/3 day trip a little battery bank for cell phones, and a large bottle of frozen juice in a chilly bin and your off
Very well thought out. I love this theme, it is very well explained and very informative. 😀
Great video. At last you have a great solution for what i need. Thanks!!!!
Thanks for sharing
The teouble with fixed solar modules is you need to park in the sun. Also the angle to the sun is rarely optimal. Portable modules are more efficient but less convenient.
A VSR is only about $50. Saves having to disconnect the battery every stop.
What is a VSR?
@@rockymountboy www.energyunlimited.co.nz/blog/how-vsr-voltage-sensitive-relay-works. I didn't know either.
@@rockymountboy voltage sensitive relay
Yeah I agree VSR is insurance and saves a lot of hassle
Agreed a VSR is *guaranteed insurance* against an absent-minded end user, how many people used to leave their headlights on accidentally?
Great setup. Looking for dual battery ideas myself. This has been helpful
Please can you give us your opinion about the VW T3 syncro. It's a long time since they were last made, but they have an enthusiastic following and many different types of engine can be fitted, so this keeps them relevant and alive. Thanks.
I can give you my opinion of vw. They're endless money pit cars as they age...
Wonderful technical explanation. Thanks.
Super selution. 👍
just read the comments about the video. i dont believe it that disconnect by hand should be such a problem? what happened to the pioneer spirit from you wishwant overlander? i just love this design. the less electronics - the better. especialy when you really want to go a little bit further than to the next camping place in the your neighbour town. nerds remember this: less electronics - less problems - better it is. when a cable breaks - well you can fix it. but when you really go overlanding, and your switch-drop-elex box fails - you are done. trip is over
An always throw one spare fuse into your glove compartment! Nothing worse than the fuse bursts in the bush and you don't have a replacement ;-)
Only one spare fuse? Take ten rather. Anything can happen.
@@BubblesTheCat1 absolutely, take as many as you want, but Murphy's law says you need one in the bush ;-)
@@ulrichm 😊☺👋😎👍👍
Loving this series! 😎
Loving the series. I used to have the 2.0 petrol with manual transmission. One of the advantages of this car was that it can run with 15inch wheels. I used to run 225/70/R15, which had better tire profile.
AGM battery,solar panel/blanket inverter is all you need.Everything can be run through car 12v while driving,then hocked to other battery when stopped
I have always loved your constructs. This one is very interesting for me.
I Love Heiners german accent ... grüße aus Heidelberg
Great stuff. You don't see to many builds like this on youtube at least. Now it's all Li-FePO4 batteries.
Would have liked some more details regarding the expected current draw from the fridge and the resulting calculation for the battery capacity. How many AH is that AGM battery?
I love your videos, so helpful & informative. I'm building my first overloading rig here in the UK using a Landcruiser 90 & I have been wondering about how to do the electrics. I actually have two batteries already from factory known as the winter pack but they are in parallel for starting. Should I run a third battery as I do have a spare leisure battery or should I just put a VSR or even a manual switch between the two?
Can you comment on the use of self-amalgamating rubber tape, it is very useful for making sure you exclude water and chemicals from connections e.g. the inline fuse box , quick wrap around after fuse fitted and lid closed. An alternative is perhaps a budget silicone grease to block off ingress points with some insulation tape over.
I think this overlooks the folly of PbSO4 - battery impedance. This type of battery ‘sips’ charge because its voltage rises quickly (hence the need to float charge). [LiFePO4 ‘scolls’ charge, I digress].
- a $12 relay, plugged into a cig outlet would preclude flat crank by connecting under Acc conditions.
- a 2.5 sq mm charge lead would perform roughly as well as a 16, or 120 (or billion) sq mm conductor - the voltage drop is dominated by battery impedance; lead acid is drip fed, at best, always.
Another excellent video Andrew, a good use of my (yours :) Patreon dollars
Anderew I love your videos and have the utmost greatest respect for you and your videos as I think you are the best channel on 4WDing and you videos are second to none. So it breaks my heart to have to make a criticism about part of your build. I think you really should have put a auto disconnect solenoid or VSR of some type or even a simple relay wired into the ignition to isolate and reconnect the battery. The reason I say this is because I can guarantee there will be a day or even more when they either forget to disconnect or forget to connect that battery and it could either leave them stranded with no starter battery or leave them with a flat second battery and spoilt food in their fridge.
Other than that mate what an awesome build. Never ever thought an Xtrail was worthy of being used but I have learned something new.
Love that store! I want everything they have on my garage.
Great Video, and thanks for the detailed explanation.
Less is more ! Good point on fusing both ends of the main positive cable, but at 8:12 note BOTH will blow in the event of an earth fault. You will need at least three spares unless field repairing with strands robbed from flex.
Great set up, nice and basic 👍 BUT Manually plugging in every morning and disconnecting at night, remembering to reconnect next day etc......
We all know what’s going to happen here don’t we. Murphy will ensure the inevitable will occur in the most remote of places. Simple VSR’s are cheap insurance. Father in law should pull rank on this one.
Thank you for the lesson!
Thanks for yet another great video!
I hope they have a better memory than me, I would forget to disconnect it for sure.
Just forget once in bad moment and You will never forget ;D
@@SGTBiernat Oh. You wouldn't believe the sift that my memory is ...
Yeah but most fridges have an alarm when the battery reaches a preset point.
Just like you remember to plug and unplug your solar panels when you want to charge your battery, you remember to plug in and unplug the Anderson connector when you want to charge your battery.
Usually always when the vehicle is running anyway.
@@BubblesTheCat1 no need to unplug your panels when charging with another method.
Great series many thanks! One question are portable power stations a game changer for shorter trips?
Thank you
Most interesting !!
Very useful. Thanks!
I'd accept the volt drop of a diode between the alternator and starter battery, but a direct connect between the alternator and auxiliary battery, will eliminate any need for switches or unplugging.
A basic redarc solenoid would make this installation a lot more bush proof. Because it’s not just if you leave your fridge running and drain secondary the reverse is true, if you leave your headlights on you can use your secondary battery to start your car.
I prefer a solenoid as well but this system, as designed, would still allow them to start their car from the house battery.
There should be a demand for this vehicle when you're done. Maybe GumTree in Sydney
appreciate prices vary from shop to shop, but some rough cost breakdown would be good content, budget build cost you X, expensive build would cost Y etc how much did you spend on battery set up etc.....no point telling us about your budget build without some idea of costs !!
great detail video
Great videos Andrew, are you having a video about the weight that’s been added to the car and the GVM?
Very interesting and well explained, to this electrical novice, anyway. I rewatched but couldn’t find a mention of the rating of the battery that was chosen.
I know it is not relevant to your build but I am interested to know about the calculation of the ability of an existing, factory, alternator to determine if a higher output unit should be used to replace it. I have a 32 year old Ford truck and want to keep within the ability of the existing alternator, if possible, to run an auxiliary battery in a similar set up.
I'd also like to highlight that they look like 50A anderson connectors, and you're feeding an 80A fuse and 50A connectors!! NOOOOOOOO! 50A is the max rating of theose plugs, so your fuse MUST NOT EXCEED 50A as a MAXIMUM! That is basic electrics and how fires start by overloading connectors! (I like rants too! :-D )
Unless it’s 500 degrees at night and your fridge is set on minus 100 you won’t drain the second battery on a overnight stay. If you forget to disconnect it wouldn’t be a issue
I went through this recently and realised that the BH / Anderson plugs are 50ah and the fuse is 80ah. I’m clueless with electrical stuff but figured to play it safe and went up to a 125ah BH plug. Not sure if the plug can fail before the fuse