1. Welcome to Tundras.com!

    You are currently viewing as a guest! To get full-access, you need to register for a FREE account.

    As a registered member, you’ll be able to:
    • Participate in all Tundra discussion topics
    • Transfer over your build thread from a different forum to this one
    • Communicate privately with other Tundra owners from around the world
    • Post your own photos in our Members Gallery
    • Access all special features of the site

'House Battery' for Truck Camper - Options?

Discussion in 'Electrical' started by W3agle, Jan 11, 2022.

  1. Feb 7, 2022 at 7:48 AM
    #31
    W3agle

    W3agle [OP] New Member

    Joined:
    Apr 24, 2021
    Member:
    #62253
    Messages:
    276
    Gender:
    Male
    San Diego, CA
    Vehicle:
    2016 White Tundra SR5 TRD Off-Road
    Little update on my plan:
    • Create a 'portable' battery pack like is shown here.
    • Have quick connects to truck infrastructure
      • Inputs: solar charging, shore power, alternator charging,
      • house power (right now this is just the lights and water pump)
    • 'Permanently' install a lockable utility box or junction box for all the truck infrastructure (something like this).
      • 'permanent' home of my charge controller. I really want surface mounted receptacles on the outside of the utility box so I could plug in my whip/cord to the junction box and bring the other end over to a quick connect at my power bank. I still have to figure out exactly how my charge controller works so this whole thing may not work like I'm imagining. I don't want to have 10 different wires running back and forth, so I may end up needing to bring my charge controller into my power bank. If so, I'll get a much smaller utility box which is basically just the quick connects mentioned above.
      • Alternator charging - I'll be running 4awg from the alternator (honestly embarrassed to admit I'm not sure if this connection happens at the bus bar on my battery or if it happens somewhere on the output of the alternator). I want it to terminate to this junction box in some sort of receptacle. Then have wires going from that outlet over to my charge controller. Worst case it's just hardwired to the charge controller.
      • Solar charging - the alu-cabin is already internally routed for solar, but I'm not sure where it comes into the cabin. Based on all the install videos it seems like it's always installed at the rear drivers side, so maybe there. I'm envisioning my utility box being on the driver side near the front of the bed. Either way, same as above for alternator.
      • Shore power - I think I'll make a little whip that actually coils up/hangs/mounts in the space between the bed sides and the truck bed. So I could plug into shore power via an extension cord while everything else stays locked up.
      • Power supply for house loads (this takes power back from my battery bank and distributes to any infrastructure related loads like pump, lights, etc.
    • Where do I mount the digital display for the redarc manager30? Maybe surface mount it either to my power bank? Or in my utility box? It has a lot of control features so I should probably place it somewhere out in the open. I like where tiny rig puts their controllers at the drivers side rear panel beside the door. I'll probably leave it stowed away and use the bluetooth features until I feel really confident with my layout.
    • I'm thinking I should put in breaker switches for each input to the utility box. Not sure if I have my terminology correct, but what I want to do is be able to throw the breaker to either solar, shore, or alternator to "OFF" if I've removed any of those components, as well as to turn them all off when I remove the battery bank. Do I need to provide fuses as well before the breakers? In my understanding the breakers can have integrated fuses. Based on advice in this thread all this stuff will have fuses at each end.

    Lastly, on the solar panel mounting, I keep thinking of this idea and I'm not sure it makes sense. I want to mount the solar panel with one of these lift top coffee table mechanisms. Of course those *want* to lift so I'd need to secure it during normal operation. It's probably more trouble than it's worth. But the idea is it could help me get a little more range of motion for better sun 'tracking'. In it's base form it just lets me move it really in one dimension relative to the sun (either forward or backwards) and it's not by much (~13.5 inches in the attached product). With some tinkering it *could* let me rotate the whole panel around the short axis of the truck such that I could aim the panel almost directly backwards. If I mounted the panel to the lift top mechanism with pinned arms such that I could detach the rear end of the arm and swing the now loose end of the arm toward the front of the truck and bolt/connect there, well I would have effectively lifted the front side of the panel and pointed the solar face of the panel toward the back of the truck. I don't have access to a fab shop right now so probably not feasible. But it's a fun concept to daydream about. Also... could I get a degree of freedom in the other direction? It's not impossible! Haha.

    Taking the solar panel mounting discussion a totally opposite direction, is anyone aware of a 'quick disconnect' type of approach where I could just pull the whole thing down and go put it in the sun somewhere? I mean it's very doable if I'm willing to get up there with a drill or socket wrench. Curious on different approaches. Existing products?

    Theft - any solution that lets me easily remove the panels also makes theft a lot more likely. I live in a city so I'm thinking I'd like to be able to take the panel inside to store when I know it's not going to be used for a while. Other anti-theft considerations - create a roof-rack type of thing that mostly conceals the solar panel from below.
     
    Wallygator likes this.

Products Discussed in

To Top