Week 57 - Electrics 4

Well, now that I have my electrical diagram for the 230v side of things, I can begin work on putting it together. Each of the components are drilled for the flex and plastic bolts to pass through and then they are bolted to the shelf. The bolts are cut short so as not to interfere with the battery charger on the shelf below. I have also fitted 2 rubber grommets where the cables go between the two sections under the seats. These are slightly too small so had glued in place to prevent them coming loose – a bit of a bodge job. They will prevent the cables getting caught on rough edges where the drill has been used.

The parts can now be wired up, however I was delayed on two components, the incorrect selector switch was supplied (2 pole instead of 3 pole) and I had to order another 16A RCB for the consumer unit (it was supplied with one 16A and one 6A). Once I got these parts I could continue to wire them up. Some of the wiring must be done when the shelf is in place as it is already fixed down in the electrical space. It looks alright so far though.

On a separate issue, I have had trouble starting the van in the cold weather. The mechanic came out on Tuesday (thanks Andy) who has since replaced the main fuel pump - at a cost of £310. It is nice to have the van back working again and hopefully now the problem is sorted and it will be a bit more reliable. Early signs are promising!

Week 56 - Electrics 3

Work is continuing with the van electrics this week, the first of the two upper shelves is fitted in place and screwed down. The RCD is clamped between the holding blocks and secured while the wiring for all of the 12v equipment is brought up through the back of the shelf to be run through the fusebox.

I was able to fit all the cables to the fusebox by crimping on ring terminals and then screwing them down in place. The fuses were then fitted in place, and the cover fixed on. I will also add stickers by the fuses as a reminder of which appliance goes where, and what size fuse it requires.

I could to get on with planning the 230v side of the electrics too - with a little help from the sparky at work (thanks Darren). This will all fit above the battery charger under the right-hand side of the front passenger seats. It comprises the following components and their uses:

• Polarity Checker Switch – Some campsites in Europe have the live and neutral wires “reversed” and this can not only blow your electrical gear becomes a safety hazard. This little grey box checks the input from the hook-up and lets you know if polarity is correct or if it needs to be changed over. If it is fine, a green LED will show and all is well, if it needs to be swapped round, a red LED will show and a buzzer will sound. Simply flick the switch on the top and job done, circuit safe.
• Consumer Unit – This is a simple garage-type unit comprising of a set of circuit breakers. The MCB (63A) is used to isolate the system and test the power coming from the electrical hook up via the polarity switch. It is what is referred to as “double-pole” (i.e. it cuts the live AND neutral wires, not just the live). This acts as a double safety measure. This then feeds two RCBs (circuit breakers) which run to the selector switch and the battery charger. These are both 16A so each will cut the power to their circuit if they are drawing over 16A.
• Power Selector Switch – This is a switch to select the power source to the internal van plug sockets. When on hook-up, the sockets will be manually switched to run through the consumer unit and when not on hook-up, the sockets will be switched to run from a 400w inverter. There is also a central “off” position. The switch is 3-pole (for live, neutral, and earth).

This diagram shows how they are all wired up. I hope I have explained it simply enough as I am no electrical expert and it took a while to get my head round it.

Week 55 - Bedding Storage

After testing the electrical equipment installed so far, I could start work on fitting the components to be situated on the higher shelves. I have designed the layout carefully to make sure that anything which needs to be accessed regularly is located at the top so that it is easier to reach. I used wooden batons fixed to the sides of this area to set the height and fix the shelves to.
 
One shelf will house the mains voltage parts of the electrics - the Consumer Unit, Polarity Checker, and Power Selector Switch. These units will be fixed to the shelf with plastic M6 bolts (steel bolts obviously conduct electricity). There will also be a socket for the battery charger to plug into.

The other area will house the main 12v fusebox and the in-line RCD. Two wooden batons are fixed on the underside to screw the fusebox into, and two more are fixed on the top to retain the RCD.
 
At this point though, I had problems starting the van for some reason (it has struggled before with air in the fuel-line if left for a while without running it). I have therefore decided to hold fire on the electrical gear and work in the back of the van until sorted.

The bedding doesn't fit very easily when folded to go above the cab area. I decided to clamp a fold line in the mattress pieces in an attempt to make this bend better. I left both pieces clamped about a week. When finished, they were folded and weighed down to help the process (see pics below), only time will tell if this works effectively though.
  
I also fixed a small beam above the cab area where the bedding is to be stored and fitted some screw-in hooks. This will cure 2 minor problems:

• It will cover the edge where the carpetted roof meets the fabric of the cab which is a little unsightly and also prevent the carpet from peeling.
• It will allow me to prevent the contents of this space from potentially falling out on passengers in the back by using bungee cord between these hooks.

The finished result is much neater.

Week 54 - Electrics 2

Work on the electrics continued with the testing of the installed components. After rigging up the smartcom and relay a couple of weeks ago, these could now be tested to ensure they work correctly. By connecting a multimeter between the relay input (pin 30) and the van chassis (earth) I could determine the voltage reaching the relay - (13.2v with the engine running, 12.3v without).

 
I then adjusted the smartcom with a screwdriver in order to set the point at which the relay would be switched on/off. This would be somewhere between 12.3v and 13.2v in order to charge the leisure batteries when the engine is running and the vehicle starter battery is full, and to turn off when the voltage drops (i.e. when the engine stops running).
 
I tested this using a multimeter between the relay output (pin 87) and the van chassis (earth) - if the multimeter shows 13.2v then the relay is charging the leisure batteries, and if the multimeter shows 0v then it is not. You can also hear and click when the relay switches on and off. Now it is all set and ready to go.
 

Additionally, I fitted a small blue "push-to-make" or "momentary" switch connected to the battery level meter. This switch is used to turn the unit on and check the battery level only as required. Press the switch in to make the circuit and test the battery level, release to break the circuit (hence "push-to make"). The switch was mounted above the battery meter and wired up. A quick test and it works great - job done.

Week 53 - Hook-Up Socket

When on site, I will charge the leisure batteries and power the van from an electrical hook-up point. I don’t think this will be needed to often but it is a provision I want to have. I wired up the socket and secured it firmly in place. I then sealed all around the socket with Araldite and bathroom sealant, as a preventative measure against water getting in.

After threading through the cable into the under-seat area, I fixed the socket (with the protective cap) to the underside of the van chassis by the driver’s door. This way there is less chance of driving off with the cable still attached. The socket was bolted securely in place and can now be connected up to various components inside the van.

Additionally, this week I decided to fit a 12v socket by the side door of the van. There are already two sockets at the back but I thought it would be more helpful to have one at the front near the table, ideal for a phone or laptop charger.

I drilled a pilot hole through the separating board and then used a hole saw to expand the hole for the socket to fit in. as there is carpet on both sides, it took a while make sure that the carpet wouldn’t unravel too much. The socket was then glued in and wired up.