ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 28 ธ.ค. 2020
- I wanted to revisit camper van 12v electrics. This how to video is to help new comers get started with a cheap, simple and easy to maintain system that would provide you with everything you need to get started and off grid. From this base knowledge you can massively expand your system to be more and more complex, there is so much more you can add to a 12v setup like this. Please remember to be safe around electrical items, I am not a qualified electrician and I would advise you get one to check over your system before use or even have one fit your system if your very un sure.
PARTS:
CABLE: www.autoelectricsupplies.co.u...
CABLE ABOVE 70A: www.autoelectricsupplies.co.u...
FUSING: www.autoelectricsupplies.co.u...
TERMINAL KIT: www.autoelectricsupplies.co.u...
OR
bit.ly/36GnRPe
ROCKER SWITCH: bit.ly/3iFDYPl
VSR: www.simplysplitcharge.co.uk/i...
240V KIT: www.jacksonsleisure.com/campe...
CONDUIT TUBE: Google 'cable conduit tube'
LED: I use www.wholesaleledlights.co.uk/ BUT most are good
Most other parts just search for on ebay, Auto Electric Supplies or google to see different styles and prices etc.
Camera Kit Used Throughout My Series:
BODY: Panasonic GH5
LENS: Panasonic 7-14mm 1:2.8
OTHER: My Phone
Please like share and subscribe as this will be a series of videos showing the full transformation and use of my camper van!
For more info about what I am up to subscribe to my channel! Get on board with my VanLogs and keep up to date with all my progress.
Website: www.hugh-tube.com
Instagram: hughtubevlog - ยานยนต์และพาหนะ
Loved how you instantly reverted to a 6 year old boy when the ice cream van arrived.
As an auto electrician of 30 years experience.. I can tell you that's the best video on camper electrics I've seen. One "camper Conversion specialist" I watched was advacating disconnecting the positive terminal of the battery first ..... 😂
I was an Electronics engineer, but van wiring confused me because I saw way too many ways of wiring a system in. This video made me realise the best way to wire things up. One thing I noted. Don't suggest all those extra switches to isolate devices. Unnecessary. Use the breakers. I would NEVER use a wire-fuse in a van, because when they trip in the middle of the night! Who's got a spare and how do you get to it? Just use 12VDC thermo-breakers and disconnect the offending device when tripped and reset afterwards. That way you can worry about it in the morning! Vans are subjected to an enormous amount of 'jiggling' on the road, so I would crimp AND solder connectors where possible. If you go off road, I would put a drop of Loctite on the main connectors.
Hey "HugeTube" your electrical set up videos are the best I've seen on TH-cam. The detailed explanations you give and the time, effort and cost of your easy to see and understand board layouts are the dogs doo dahs. Many thanks for sharing your knowledge with us. Keep them coming and best wishes for the future to you Hugh.
Thank you so much Its clear easy to understand even for a french 57 years old blond woman as me :)
Great videos I am on my first van build and your videos are a must go to. The electrics was explained so simply. Never even heard of smart alternators till now so an education.
Great informative video. I had a very similar setup in my first build, nice to see a few extra options and the information about the new alternator types is priceless. Thanks
What an absolute brilliant video, suuuper useful! Thank you so much for investing the time to explain it so well!
Thank you for such a clear and simple video, I am literally following it step by step at the moment, till I go to my friends to get everything checked and finally connected. It is very empowering to feel I have done 'most' of my electrickery myself.
By far the most useful video I have come across to help me install a DIY 12V solar system
Very helpful and clear to understand. I have been searching a long time on internet wondering if my 240 hook up was charging my leisure battery or not.. I bought the camper van privately and I was unsure. I think this is very helpful you have covered so much for me who has little knowledge about the electrics but a bit more savvy now. Thank you
Absolutely outstanding information , a huge huge Thank You for putting together a very comprehensive detailed video , this must have taken quite a bit of thought and effort to organise - we have all benefited from your experience and knowledge and definitely deserves a round of applause 👏👏
Thanks for taking the time to run down everything... Awesome job!! Just surfing the web for the fun of it. Now, you make me want to play with my toys... hehhehe
Hi Hugh! Dare I say it but this most excellent 'simplicity ' vlog of yours has given me multiple light bulb moments of inspiration as a newbie with that normal fear of electrics. Many thanks. Be safe, Be well my friend.👍👍
Thank you. The most detailed explanation yet a level directed to the layman.
Hi,
I have found your videos really helpful so thank you for that. Currently working on my 12v system in my conversion. I have 8 12v 3w LED spotlights. I have wired them in two sets of four in parallel using some wago connectors. I am struggling with a lot of flickering on a few of my lights. I have tried to re crimp connections, increase wire size and different fuse sizes but nothing has worked. Just wondering if you have any suggestions on what may be going wrong. Many thanks!
Hugh! From the Netherlands, well done! for the first time in months it is completely clear how this system is supposed to work! Keep it up!
Thanks so much!
Excellent video! Simple, clear and easy to follow 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼
This my pedigree chum was friggin awesome. Thanks bro lot of knowledge gained. Hefty amount of time you put into this I can imagine. Thank you 🤘🤙🍀
I am.a newbie to DC/DC charging; your video is the #1 in terms of explanation. A BIG thank you.
You explain and demonstrate brilliantly. Thankyou so much Hugh. Am doing my first 12v project of upgrading my caravan from just 2 x 100Ah AGM and 2 x 100watt solar panels as it came to:
Adding 2 x 300W solar and replacing the batteries with 4 x 100Ah LiFePO4 a new extra MPPT solar controller a new 40A lithium programmed AC to DC plus a new DC DC to feed from cars Anderson plug to batteries. Finally a 2000W pure sine wave inverter plus all wires fuses busbars etc.
Having watched this video I feel I can cautiously proceed and will rewatch video.
Wayne from sunny South Australia
Oh wow a hell of a setup there Wayne! And thanks for the nice comment! Best of luck but please remember that if you’re feeling unsure please consult an electrician.
HI Hugh, thank you for this great upload, can i please ask, will the VCR charge both my leisure batteries or would i need 1 for each battery, thanks ever so much
Probably the most helpful camper electrics video out there. Thanks.
Thanks!
Great video. As I do commercial electrical and don’t touch auto electrical it was good to see how basic it was. I think good kit is a must. Ty.
Absolutely brilliant video. So much covered in a simple ,informative format. Concise,without repitition.
The backboard layout is brilliant,as its easy to see,without the business of a van layout.
When you cover 'wires', could you add a basic arrow graphic pointing at the wire, that says the size of wire- gauge size, especislly battery wire etc. Thank you so much.
THIS! I don't know which guage cable to go from switch to 12v/lighter port. The cable I have isn't wide enough and doesn't supply enough power to the fridge.
@@4RingsRetro Don't think I'm violating any 'laws' by forwarding this - in the notes below vid there's a dropbox chart - th-cam.com/video/rVkDPzrA-zw/w-d-xo.html - props to Greg Virgoe.
Not sure if there's a B.S. advising the size against power used (amps) or if it's advice from the cable manufacturer?
I'm starting a build so I need info too. Don't want to be frying cables or worse, the van 🤔. Cool is cool, hot is not 👍
Hi Hugh , quick point. The best way to isolate your solar is to use a DC rotary isolator to interrupt pos and neg between your panel and your solar controller. Please advise people to check is their Circuit breaker (MCB) is DC rated as many are not..
Cheers
great video, super helpful and possibly the best one out there currently.
YES I LIKE HOW YOU HOOK THINGS AND ORGANIZING THINGS UP FANTASTIC! JOB SIR
This is exactly the video I was looking for. The CTEK dual charger is also exactly what I wanted but until you know the name of something it’s nearly impossible to find! 😅 Thank you
I love how you paused to get ice cream 😁 Your channel has been very helpful and I just found it and subscribed today
Big thanks Hugh, great video - so straight to the point and clearly done.
Thanks!
@@HughTube hey maybe u can help me i have a 200ah batterie i have 100ah fuse braker but when i connect mt lights the small fuse blow 30ah i dont get it thanx
Thank you for making this so darn simple! Everything else is like a darn physics lesson
Great video- I’ll be referring back to this a fair bit once I start running cables👍
Maybe an add on video about actual location of all the components in an ‘average’ van?
Very useful video. Thank you. I notice you do not have a main battery fuse, so there are some pieces of thin wire potentially exposed to the full output of the battery. For instance the wire going to the solar controller. Maybe the chances of something happening are remote.
Brilliant, Brilliant, Brilliant. And again, Brilliant........
New here.... But I love love love the commitment to only spreading good safe information. That's dedication man. Subbed and followed good day
Thorough and clear with well paced explanations.
The best video I've ever watched you explain everything in simple terms
Thanks a lot Hugh 😊
Brilliant video. My only recommendation would be to use a fully insulated terminal for those rocker switches. Nothing wrong with the ones you've used but I just feel they give you that little bit of extra protection. Like I say great video and I'm in no way criticising you 👍
Cheers Moose no you're totally correct, not sure which timestamp you're referring to but I add about insulating the terminals to prevent potential shorts etc.
This is a superb video mate. Thank you
Thankyou Hugh very responsible and informative video x Delica owner in Bunbury western Australia x
Thank you so much for the video, it was a big help as I’m approaching an electrical update to my new caravan. I have a question if possible, and sorry if it’s a stupid one: the caravan is connected to the car with a cable, that cable it’s supposed to control directional lights, brake light and more. I think that it also charges the leisure battery when the car is on (you showed that in the video) how do I know which cables I can use to charge and which one are going straight to the lights? Are the break lights and so on separated from my rv circuit?
The blue shore power socket is correct. The extension lead to a bollard has male and female at each end. The bollard has the flap too. It's so that the cable when attached to the mains does not have exposed pins.
Clear, concise,detailed and extremely well explained. I will definitely be using this during my van build. Many thanks!
Cheers mate. Very clear explanations!
If you were to add a secondary LED light above the existing light could you run it back to the existing switch. Or would you need to run it back to the fuse panel and have that light fused
Thanks!!
Great video. Really appreciate you doing this for me and others in the process of converting a van
Utterly brilliant...nice one Hugh, great video. I'm just a keen viewer tempted by the vanlife/perhaps forced following covid times, and while the topic was timed perfectly, I absorbed it which is key so thank you. Absorbed it as in listened, just don't test me! ;) I don't supose you do consultancy/supervised builds or full conversions by chance!? Wow that progressed fast from being a keen viewer to asking about builds...haha! Thanks again for making the video
thank you so much, for any custom work or info contact me at contact@hugh-tube.com
Fabulous explanation and details..thanks.
I’m not a leccy expert but an engineer so educate myself before pressing ahead.
Looking at the 3x different charge input to leisure battery, if all 3 are active is it possible that the battery “gets it from all angles” so to speak voltage wise ?
Concerning smart alternators, is that relevant if I’m doing a trailer build and the source of charging power is the 12v-pin in the hitch harness?
Great video, thank you very much. Just one question, if I am on hookup how does the system know whether to charge the batteries via the charger or the solar panels?
Could you fit a victron battery gaurd inbetween the cut of switch and fuse bored ...if so what size (max amp) victron battery gaurd would I need ..plus could thd battery gaurd be earthed to the fuse bored thanks any info appreciated
Referring to the last tip: is it okay to have just the controller connected to a switch? Some people say that the controller is on all the time and it dies quicker because of that. To avoid that they switch off just the controller when not used. What do you think of that?
Good morning great video in regards to the smart alternator charger i don't suppose if you know if the ctek charger will charge a lead crystal battery ?
Thank you for the great straightforward info! Best video on the topic! Did I get it right: if I get the CTEK D250SE I do not need a seperate solar controller? Thanks again!
Great video mate love it.I have bought a converted van which I want to upgrade the electrics because there isn't any fuse box just inline fuses which isn't very practical or tidy also the main power cable from the van battery is very thin..A couple of questions I have are my leisure battery is a AGM 95ah what would you suggest the fuse/circuit breaker from the starter battery?.....I would prefer to have circuit breakers rather than fuses and my 2nd question is what gauge cable did you use in your video? Could I use 16mm2 ?
Cheers
Andy
Hi brill video but do I have to earth the battery isolation switch I'm hoping to install it all on a wooden panel but do I need to Earth the isolation switch many thanks for any help
Hi there great video. Something I am wondering that I haven't seen covered in videos is is there any clear way if knowing how much charge is left in a 12v battery?
Excellent video. Ideal for someone starting out. Many thanks for your work in educating us.
thank you too Gareth!
Was the icream nice? What flavour was it?
Thanks for showing a 12v setup on a plan layout, rather than in the actual car where its impossible to follow things via video. One question please, the negative terminal on the fuse box, does this have to go back to the battery, or can it just go to an earth somewhere on the chassis?
Hi, thank you for a great insight into this. We are in the process of upgrading the living in a horse truck. How would I overcome the 24v charging system to allow a 12v leisure battery. Thanks in advance!
Hi Hugh , so to run a switch board I just take a live from the switch Panay to the fuse holder then run cables for all lights etc to the switch Panel?
This may have already been covered and I’ve missed it. How do you add a second battery to the 12v relay set up? Thanks for the video very helpful 😊
FANTASTIC video, very informative and I didn't even realise how long it was, great work 👌. ONE QUESTION to clarify......having a CTEK unit for my smart alternator van means that I DON'T need to purchase an MPPT charge controller?¿?¿ Cheers 🙏🇦🇺
Thank you very much. Your video was very informative and I will apply this to my enclosed trailer build.
Hey mate... I've got a question about the switch you put on the led light strip. I'm looking to run two strip lights which have dimmable bright white and also warm white LEDs in the same strips... I will be installing one above my bed in the cove as I'm sleeping horizontal and the other is in the cove by my feet... This cove will be where my projector screen goes so I would really like to be able to turn this one off independently... Could you explain how I do this with a switch I'm guessing ??
why do you call a circuit breaker a fuse ? though is serves the same purpose, the circuit breaker simply needs to be reset whereas a fuse must be replaced.
Hi Hugh, i was wondering I am looking to run one cable to feed 4 lights along the roof (in paralell) of the van. Can i use those wago clips to connect the cable 3 ways if I was to split it?
Thanks great video as usual!
Hi mark they do have 3 and even 4 point clips but they must all be the same polarity
Hugh I've converted my Campervan. Except for electrics
At the moment all I want to do is use site electrics. No off grid
Ive already put the mains Hook up on van.
And run 3 core flex 2.5mm to a socket. But wanting to put another socket in & some lights. Running off site electrics
Ive bought a busbar 6 way. What do I do with earth wire. There's only live & neutral in box.
Do i need to get. Another small busbar just for the earth
Love the videos Hugh! Just a quick question ... how do we cable size the grounding from the battery to chassis? Not sure if this is a stupid question and we are really over thinking things 😅? Thanks anyway
I depends on usage so as an example if you use an inverter your ground cable may come with your inverter and it would be much thicker. With the ground cable there isn't really any issue going too big so I would oversize, I use cable that can handle 140a
Have you a list for cable sizes
Hi ya! Loved the simplicity of your video, BUT, any mains work should be done by an electrician as the mains board connections must be tightened up to the correct torque and Rcd must be tested to ensure safe operation.
Also the cable from your 12v board to the neg bus bar is not rated for the 20a fuse.
The battery fuses also need to be as close to the batteries as close as possible. Your set up has no safety fuse between the leasure battery and switch, so if there is a fault between this battery and the solar charger you have a fire in your van/boat/caravan.
Hi David, thank you very much for sharing your knowledge!
Thanks dude, just what I was looking for. Great info.
incredibly detailed video, really helpful. just a quick, stupid question: if you've got a smart alternator and go down the CTEK route, do you still need a voltage sensing relay inline afterwards? or does the CTEK do the same job and take the relay out of the equation all together?
Hi Paddy, so the CTEK will mean you DON'T need a vsr which is why I like the CTEK system. Compact and simple to use
Once you earthed the battery to the bare metal van do you just add everything to the neutral buzzbar. And that will earth everything else. can someone let me know please
Thanks for the great video, I must have watched it 20 times! I'm still a bit confused about whether to go with single or twin core for my 12V wiring though. Is there a benefit of one over the other?
There are some cases where you may just be using positive or negative line on its own but dc twin core cable is so nice to use. Looks so much neater and is a doddle to get around a van
Single core involves more work in twisting the individual wires into a harness run.
I do stereo work and have to run 4 pairs of speaker wires from the amp in the trunk back to the stereo location in order to reuse the factory wiring for the factory speaker locations. I use 9 core wire for a neater factory looking harness install.
Dual core is great for let's say the roof lights you can start off with one pair of leads from the fuse box, instead of 6 or 8 wires from the fuse box.
Hey Hugh! I’n noticing you don’t always use shore power to charge your household batteries. I am wanting to do a very easy setup, using only some LED lights, a waterpump and some phone chargers (for cooking and fridge we are using gas). Is the Ctek d250 enough? What battery do you use to prevent it from running empty during winter and possibly breaking due to the being too empty? I hope I’ve explained this well enough in english :)
ok Hugh...i have a stupid question...maybe i am missing something...i have a battery...connected to a bus box...then i added a switch panel with 6 rocker switches and usb and 12v plug. If i then want to hook up my led lights...do i hook it up to my bus box or to my switch panel or both. Whatever i did...i seem to have power to the led lights but they are always on and not able to turn on and off with the rocker switch. Any help is greatly appreciated. Your video was simply awesome!
Hi I'm new to all the camper van life but I defo want to do this instead of getting a sparky it's just way to expensive. We only need proper basic so we'll install puck spot lights into the ceiling. And a few spot lights shining down onto a little work surface. A couple of fans in the ceiling. A few usb sockets around the van. Sockets here and there that's it really and to be able to plug into a hook up when we go onto camp sites what will I need electric wise I love that battery your using just 1 battery I like that. Could you tell me what I'd need thank you for your time and patience
Awesome, Thank you very much ✌🏽
Hi, what size thickness positive wire did you use for the 12v Cigarette Lighter. I want to fit one for a compressor fridge.
Fantastic video, very clear and practical
Where do you buy those screens that show the percentage your leisure battery has ?
So how about the combination of a "dumb" alternator and a LiFePO4 leasure battery?
I've heard stories about those type batteries being too effective, resulting in burned alternators.
How would you tackle that?
Couldn't work out where the positive is going from the relay. It goes into the cut off switch but which terminal in the switch. Also could thag same cable not just go straight into the battery
Hi, connect the neg terminal to the body and put the cut off on that cable. Ground all the earth wires to the body
Hi Hugh,sorry to disturb your break!.but have a question I brought a 120w solar kit, can I connect it together, and instead of connecting it to the battery, to my c.tec solar points??. Great video and Happy new year!
Hi, if you have a solar kit then I am guessing they have also provided a solar charger? the CTEK doesn't need a solar charger between the panels and itself you can connect the solar panels directly to the CTEK solar ports, just remember to add a fuse on the positive line between the solar panel and the CTEK
3:46 Can you make the nagative for this additional battery the car body? It means I wouldn't need to run a negative cables back to the fuse board.
Like, on a foglght the negative lead need only to be 3 inches long, bolted onto the van body. The charge circuit is wired that way afterall.
Hello, what thickness should the neutral cable be from the Buzz Bar back to the fuse box?
I'm doing the electrics at my campervan now - do we need a switch for the cigarette socket?
Would you use a breaker switch instead of shut of switch between fuse box and battery? How do you determine what amperage if so? Or are these the same thing? Cheers for the layman's guide keep up the good work.
to simplify the setup you could 100% use a breaker switch:
www.autoelectricsupplies.co.uk/product/1258/category/60
this would knock out two jobs with one stone. The amperage takes a bit of consideration, on the distribution board you need to add together all the fuses to find the total and then your breaker should be a little higher in amperage than this. so as an example:
If I was using 6 ports, two with 15a fuses and the other four with 10a fuses then the total of all those is 70a so I would get an 80a switch breaker and use cable between the battery, switch and distribution board that can handle at least 90a.
You also need to know what the max amps that the dist. board can handle but this one shown can handle 100a: www.autoelectricsupplies.co.uk/product/1052/category/63
so we would never overload it
Do I have to run a negative back to the fuse board? Or could I ground at a local point of the vehicle body?
Massive thanks, this is brilliant !
A great way to connect wires are the American wire nuts, fast, secure and used extensively on everything electrical. Don't know why we haven't accepted them on this side.
Not sure are they secure, as in how much tension can be put on the lines before pulling apart?
Hi Hugh, could you specify what size cables you use for this system? Thanks for the great video!
Hi Richard it depends on whats being used for each port or switch. If you have a control panel with 20a rocker switches I would use 2.5mm2 cable for each switch. As most things like phone chargers and led would only sap a few amps at a time then the switch and cable will always be safe from burning out but remember to fuse the switches, if on a 20a switch then fuse at 15a.
if you need more specific help please email me at contact@hugh-tube.com
Great work ! What about a 50 amp fuse between the battery and the battery isolator?
You can add a fuse between the isolator and battery but it would need to be much higher than 50a for a lot of systems, especially if using an inverter. I would suggest more around the 150a range but this is all dependent on your system and usage
Great video - Quick question: I have 2 x 95Ah AGM batteries in my van, I would like to view the status of the batteries - do you have a link to a recommended meter that I could install? Thank you in advance for any info.
Great vid. When fitting an inverter, do you earth it to the chassis? I've read some conflicting things about doing it and NOT doing it.
Yes, if possible. You don't really want 230/240v door handles/anything metal should a bad circuit take place.
Hi Phil, I would always follow the manufacturers instructions unless told otherwise but a qualified electrician. Personally I would always earth it yes
If you are connecting to the chassis....the chassis is not earth because the tyres of the vehicle are made of rubber, so the vehicle is electrically isolated from the physical earth.
And anyway, trying to earth anything on the vehicle by literally making a connection to the physical earth is totally pointless unless you have an electrical feed of power into the vehicle from another source.
It's all a question of terminology.
You are not earthing anything. What you are doing is using the chassis of the vehicle as a common connection point to take the current from various loads and take it back to the battery. It's a "chassis ground" , not an earth.
I’m just about to wire my van conversion, and I’ve brought a kit and with is was a pre made control panel with what looks like built in fuses on the back. So in theory I don’t need the distribution board you wired into. Just a bit confused how to do it as most videos only show it by using the distribution board 🙈
I think I know the panel you're referring to with red fuse holders at the back. in this case you need one larger fuse on the positive in but yes each switch has its own fuse so no need for distribution board