BREAKING NEWS: We Have Ignition!

Ansel now has power!

In preparation for a trial run camping trip -- which I'll talk about in an upcoming post -- I wanted to establish some basic power functionality in Ansel.  Namely, I wanted to get the roof fan operational, which meant as a minimum I had to connect the battery to the system and wire up the converter/charger (for shore power).

A secondary goal, if possible, was to get the solar panels installed and wired to the solar controller so the controller could help "condition" the battery.  Fortunately my brother-in-law was visiting and was able to work with me to mount the panels on the van roof.  This was a huge help as aligning the panels, drilling the bracket holes, and getting the bolts installed was definitely a two-person job.  All I had to do after that was wire them up.

Then the moment of truth came.  After I checked all the wiring one last time, I was ready to turn the main battery disconnect switch to the "on" position.  Would everything work?  Would I hear a "snap, crackle, pop"?  What would I do if things didn't work?  Would I be able to quickly diagnose and fix the problem, whatever it might be?

Somewhat nervously I turn the switch, and all I heard was a very faint hum.  I looked at the LCD panel on the solar controller, and it showed that current was flowing from the panels.  That was a good sign.  Then I plugged an extension cord into the shore power outlet to fire up the converter/charger.  It seemed to be working too.  Finally, I checked the battery monitor (which shows the status of the battery itself).  It indicated that the battery was indeed charging.  Whoohoo!  

But, the real test was to see if the roof fan would work.  I grabbed the remote and hit the power button.  The fan immediately powered up, and the rain cover opened automatically.  No issues!  We were in business!!!  

I still need to connect the inverter and the battery-to-battery (DC to DC) charger, which I will do a little later.  Next, however, I need to focus on framing, insulation, and running the remaining wires for things like lights, outlets, etc.   Bottom line, this was a huge milestone!

The three 100W solar panels.  We staggered them so they could be installed a little closer together and so they were bolted through different parts of the roof, thus increasing structural stability.

Close-up of panels.  Note interconnecting wires.  Because of the rain channels on the roof, I had to get creative with the bolting scheme since the bracket holes were wider than the channels.  Once again luck paid off as I was able to find some hard plastic spacers the exact depth of the channels at the local hardware store!

The back-side of the electrical panel with wires in place.  Note the huge-a** wires from the battery (1/0 gauge for all you geeks).  Once other components are wired up, I will install wire clamps to prevent wires from moving.

The battery monitor.  The monitor will eventually be installed in a finished panel, but temporarily the box the monitor came in worked perfectly.  The image on the front cover was the exact same size as the monitor itself, so all I had to do cut out the image with a utility knife!  The device to the left (BT-1) is a Bluetooth transmitter for the solar controller, which enables me me to see power being generated by solar panels.  Fun technology!