Electronics & Circuitry

Oh yea, this bit is fun! And a little bit to get your head around.

This is my 12V circuit board. Note that this is the 10Amp charge controller.. it was too small (and it did not seem to work with the MT-50 remote monitor unit).

Depending on what you have, you will need different configurations.

I have created a really nice full-diagram of electronics which is in the eBook.
There is a link to how you can get the eBook at the end of this page.

< Circuit diagram in eBook 

I used 1.5mm wire for most of the circuitry. For wires that needed more flexibility I used multicore, but really it is probably better to use multicore wire for most of your electronics.

Ground

I found a sturdy bit of the metal work, sanded it down, put a bolt in to it, and used it as my ground.

For a full list of components, specifications and suppliers please refer to ebook.

Lighting

This is the lighting set-up I have used;

Essentially four lighting choices; front, back ceiling lights, side lights and a door light.

I used these LEDs for the ceiling and door light.

They are low profile and just push in to the wood. They are kind of small, but they actually fit pretty well into the van design. They feel appropriate for the size of the space.

Note: The second set of LEDs (from the front) are off-set to the side so they are not directly over your head when cooking. If you are tall you might keep casting an annoying shadow on what you are doing.

For the LED side lights I used these;

3M Warm Light LED Strip LEDS (5m roll)

You can find strip LEDs for van conversions online for extortionate prices! However these cost £30 ($45) and 5 meters was more than I needed.

They do use quite a bit of power, perhaps more expensive ones use less, but the solar system can easily handle them. Plus the feel of them in the evenings, compared to the ceiling lights are so worth it!

The LED side lights in situ – I have pulled back the fabric panel to show them.

The reel of LEDs comes with a connector – but only one. I found I was able to connect my strip LED to a chocolate box by splitting the contact and screwing the chocolate box on to it. So far, so good!