TacomaWillow's camper build, camper done! (for now) dog bonus

Thanks! The battery is a Vestwoods, 250 ah with a 200 amp charge/discharge capacity. Will Prouse took one apart and said it had good build quality and a very high quality BMS. It has under and overtemp cutoffs and it also has a bluetooth monitoring app, so I don't have to have a shunt in the system.

I got the Renogy 30 amp DC-DC / MPPT charge controller, Victron 15 amp shore power charger, and Renogy 2000 watt inverter. Haven't tested the Renogy charge controller yet but the Victron charger, the battery and the inverter all work great together. The battery is a killer value.

I used FarOutRide to guide my electrical system design, their plans have really detailed information.

 

Ella is a pretty dog. Congrats on your new truck.

 

Will Prouse's recommendations are rock solid. Sounds like you are building a killer system that will last. It's a very wise choice that you chose a DC to DC charger that has integrated mppt for solar. 30 amps dumping back into your battery is huge. I got a 25 amp redarc DC to DC and it charges my 100 amp hour LiFePo battery so quickly. Love the blue tooth for the BMS

 

Thanks! She's such a sweetie.

 

Honestly I'm a little worried my stock alternator is going to be taxed by the 30 amp - do you have the stock 125 amp (I think) alternator? Im going to make sure not to run a lot of accessories in the cab when I'm charging, especially if I'm also running the AC.

 

I have the stock alternator on my 2017 DCSB. I only have a ICECO VL 45 fridge and LED lights in the back of my camper. The fridge is very efficient. How many watts and amps is your AC going to be pulling?

 

I just mean the factory cabin AC, which also takes a lot of alternator juice. Continually drawing heavy total amps off an alternator can cause it to fail, so if Im drawing 30 to charge I dont want to max out every other draw to tax it. So not run the cabin ac while wearing two heating blankets plugged into the cigarette lighter and blasting the stereo. Maybe I'm being overly cautious.

 

Ahhh.. I understand. Always smart to err on the side of caution

 

Camper electrical setup done.

NOTE: I am aware my wiring looks like mom's spaghetti. Now that everything is working I will work on repositioning a few things.

Here are two screenshots from the battery BMS bluetooth app showing what I see when I am charging from shore power or from the alternator. Fortunately the DCDC renogy charger is defaulting to charge at 15 amps instead of 30, which given the stock alternator I am more comfortable with. This was tested at idle so maybe it will bump up on the highway? It also didn't start charging until the car had run for a couple of minutes after I started the truck, and gave a "low voltage" light at first - so it's not going to compete for cranking amps against the starter battery. All in all I'm really happy about it.

List of components:

250 ah lithium battery with 200 amp charge / discharge capacity. 250 amp terminal breaker.
2000 watt renogy pure sine wave inverter
Victron 15 amp 110 volt charger
30 amp Renogy combined DCDC and MPPT solar charger
A 12 volt aux circuit in the cab so I can play music and charge my phone for hours without running down the truck battery
Wire run to the bed for the future 12 volt / 30 amp distribution panel
Wirw run from the inverter to the bed for future 110 volt outlets, including a remote on/off control for the inverter.
I have appropriately sized breakers on all the components and a main power switch, so I can easily isolate and trouble shoot. Shockingly, everything worked perfectly the first time, but there's always something later on.

This was a lot of work! I spend hours and hours just making cables.

Now I can build Ella's bed platform, for which she has been waiting impatiently, by which I mean she has been - apparently by coicidence - standing behind or in front of the truck every time I try to leave since I took her bed out.

edited to add gratuitous pics of Ella

 

Keep the updates and pics coming.!

 

Finally! Tidied the wiring, built the hinged platform, put the dog back in the truck, BOOM!

(oh and also put some sound deadening mat on the back wall)

 

Got the Leer 122 installed today! The truck looks a little dorky with it on, but it's exactly what I need for the camper. Including my smiling face so you can see how much head room it has. I am sitting on top of the wheel well, and I'm 5'6".

 

Cool!

 

I like the topper with the extra headroom and lots of windows... Looks like you have some slider windows with screen for ventilation too. Nice!

 

Great job!

 

@TacomaWillow you and Ella are doing a fabulous job keep the updates and pics rolling

 

The BedRug is in, and a new player has entered the scene: Killer approves. First step after the BedRug was connecting a 12 volt port to power some working music (ok, podcasts because I'm a nerd). Next step, building the bedframe with aluminum angle.

 

Looking good!

 

These caps don't come with a handle to close them from the inside. I used 3M high bond value tape to attach one left over from my kitchen project.

Tape is strong *enough*, and that's a principle of my approach to a build. You know what most camper build-outs start with: a bed load of lumber. 3/4" plywood, 2x4s, hell I've seen a build using 2x12s. Stop it with that! We are not trafficking gorillas by steamership from the Congo!

The Bedrug weighs almost nothing and is well insulated and is fine, I don't need a plywood floor. I'm not, as I mentioned, a gorilla, so a bed that would be strong enough in a house is certainly strong enough for occasional use in the camper.

I'm building the bed from aluminum angle and 80/20, with bed slats instead of a platform. I want to keep the total weight of my build, including the 200 pound cap, my bedding and recreational gear, and consumables like water and food, well under 500 pounds. I think using aluminum framing, and 1/4" or 3/8" fronts where needed, will make that possible.

I will also be using the tie-down rail to support the backs of the bed and furnishings.

My initial pass may not have enough rigidity, but the beauty of 8020 is how easily I can add reinforcing members after the fact as needed.

Gratuitous Ella and Killer on the farm.

eta: yikes the handle looks crooked in this pic! And that VHB tape is there to stay. I promise it looks better from inside.

 

Bed frame complete, and supports my weight just fine. Much sturdier than I expected. Using twin channel 8020 provides a lot of rotational rigidity.