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ZsZ
Samba Member
Joined: December 11, 2010
Posts: 1645
Location: Budapest Hungary, Europe
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 Posted: Thu Mar 23, 2023 1:51 pm Post subject: Re: Official lazy person's stupid question thread |
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| euni(e wrote: |
I believe my van is working OK, but this hose has been disconnected for a while…
Stupid question: where in my van should I look for the two-way valve that the manual is talking about, so I can connect that end of the hose?
‘82 Diesel Vanagon, AAZ. Thanks!
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That valve regulates which side of the turbo wastegate diaphragm gets the boost - it can force the wastegate closed to have higher boost on different circumstances eg. full throttle.
In the donor car there was some kind of controller circuit to regulate that valve. I doubt it is present on your van.
_________________
Zoltan
1.9 MTdi 2wd Multivan (ex Caravelle)
Van since 2006, engine since 2008 |
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vanagonjr
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Joined: October 07, 2010
Posts: 3431
Location: Dartmouth, Mass.
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| Posted: Thu Mar 23, 2023 4:41 pm Post subject: Re: Official lazy person's stupid question thread |
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| Zeitgeist 13 wrote: |
Lazy effer question alert: Does anyone have a good updated wiring diagram which includes solar, separate solar charge controller, DC 2 DC charging and lithium batteries (x2)?
I'm in a time bind to prep my wife's van for a weekend trip to Quincy Lakes and need to get the aux system temporarily installed so we can have the diesel heater run without anxiety. Her van is being converted from a Weekender to a full camper build out, so the final aux system will be built with the "new" cabinetry in mind. |
X2 - seems like the diagrams all include more stuff than I’m using, or want.
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John - 86 Wolfsburg Westfalia "Weekender"
Flint reversed 1.8T W/Passat 5-Speed
LiMBO (late model bus club) www.limbobus.org
LiMBO is on Facebook too! https://www.facebook.com/groups/
FAQ thread: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=525798 |
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DuncanS
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Joined: October 17, 2013
Posts: 4583
Location: New Hampshire
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| Posted: Thu Mar 23, 2023 7:48 pm Post subject: Re: Official lazy person's stupid question thread |
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Casey, I'm a little puzzled about your question. You really know you way around these cars and with 11k posts, you know your way around the site. There have been a ton of topics and articles about this.
But for now, it seems all you really want is the diesel heater and juice to be able to run it. For this I'd just get deep cycle flooded cell which will be the least expensive and a marine 1/2/both/off switch and wire it into the starter motor and go camping. A 35AH battery will get you at least two nights before needing to be topped off either with driving or shore power and charger.
Duncan |
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Zeitgeist 13
Samba Member
Joined: March 05, 2009
Posts: 12115
Location: Port Manteau
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| Posted: Thu Mar 23, 2023 9:20 pm Post subject: Re: Official lazy person's stupid question thread |
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Indeed, my question was lazy and not really well formed. Our local van group has been planning a trip over the Cascades this weekend, but I'm so swamped with projects that I had to bag out at the last minute. I'm in the middle of a full camper build out of my wife's van, but she wanted this trip and another up to Kalaloch mid-week, so I aborted all efforts to build camper stuff. We're in the process of switching over from AGM batteries to lithium, and I'm a little intimidated by the new tech. I just wanted a quick and easy wiring diagram to help with the temporary setup. I won't be accompanying her to Kalaloch so I want it to be nooby proof.
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Casey--
'89 Bluestar ALH w/12mm Waldo pump, PP764 and GT2052
'01 Weekender --> full camper
y u rune klassik? |
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DuncanS
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Joined: October 17, 2013
Posts: 4583
Location: New Hampshire
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| Posted: Fri Mar 24, 2023 8:18 am Post subject: Re: Official lazy person's stupid question thread |
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Don't know much at all about LiPo4s, except that they are finicky and need to be dealt with with kid gloves. I wouldn't send my SO out into the world with an untested LiPo4 setup which will be a Q & D job.
Duncan |
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PDXWesty
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Joined: April 11, 2006
Posts: 6244
Location: Portland OR
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| Posted: Fri Mar 24, 2023 8:28 am Post subject: Re: Official lazy person's stupid question thread |
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Simply put, chargers all connect to the battery in parallel. Loads all connect to the battery terminals.
There's a million parts and pieces you could potentially use, but it all could be simplified too. It doesn't have to be complicated for a temp solution.
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89 Westy 2.1 Auto |
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MsTaboo
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Joined: June 02, 2006
Posts: 4087
Location: East Kootenay, British Columbia
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| Posted: Fri Mar 24, 2023 11:02 am Post subject: Re: Official lazy person's stupid question thread |
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| Zeitgeist 13 wrote: |
Lazy effer question alert: Does anyone have a good updated wiring diagram which includes solar, separate solar charge controller, DC 2 DC charging and lithium batteries (x2)?
I'm in a time bind to prep my wife's van for a weekend trip to Quincy Lakes and need to get the aux system temporarily installed so we can have the diesel heater run without anxiety. Her van is being converted from a Weekender to a full camper build out, so the final aux system will be built with the "new" cabinetry in mind. |
Don't know whether you have already purchased the hardware, but one way to keep it simple is to use a DC to DC charger like the Redarc BCDC1225D.
https://www.redarcelectronics.com/us/dual-input-25a-in-vehicle-dc-battery-charger
This unit will keep the LiFePo battery healthy and it handles the solar panel without the need for a separate MPPT.
Check out the owners manual link, it has a simple wiring diagram to follow.
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Currently:
'90 Syncro Westy 3 knob w/Zetec
The information age has morphed into the age of disinformation and willful ignorance. Agnotology!
Help the fight against Truth Decay.
Defend democracy, support Ukraine. |
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Zeitgeist 13
Samba Member
Joined: March 05, 2009
Posts: 12115
Location: Port Manteau
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| Posted: Fri Mar 24, 2023 1:39 pm Post subject: Re: Official lazy person's stupid question thread |
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| MsTaboo wrote: |
| Zeitgeist 13 wrote: |
Lazy effer question alert: Does anyone have a good updated wiring diagram which includes solar, separate solar charge controller, DC 2 DC charging and lithium batteries (x2)?
I'm in a time bind to prep my wife's van for a weekend trip to Quincy Lakes and need to get the aux system temporarily installed so we can have the diesel heater run without anxiety. Her van is being converted from a Weekender to a full camper build out, so the final aux system will be built with the "new" cabinetry in mind. |
Don't know whether you have already purchased the hardware, but one way to keep it simple is to use a DC to DC charger like the Redarc BCDC1225D.
https://www.redarcelectronics.com/us/dual-input-25a-in-vehicle-dc-battery-charger
This unit will keep the LiFePo battery healthy and it handles the solar panel without the need for a separate MPPT.
Check out the owners manual link, it has a simple wiring diagram to follow. |
Yeah, I found out about those all in one units after already purchasing the separate bits. I may opt to go that direction in the future to save space. Thanks for the recommendation.
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Casey--
'89 Bluestar ALH w/12mm Waldo pump, PP764 and GT2052
'01 Weekender --> full camper
y u rune klassik? |
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bobbyblack 
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Joined: May 21, 2015
Posts: 4349
Location: United States, Iowa
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| Posted: Fri Mar 24, 2023 8:28 pm Post subject: Re: Official lazy person's stupid question thread |
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That Redarc unit solves a bunch of my present issues.. The size appeals to me, looking likely to be able to fit under either driver or passenger seat forward of either stock battery compartment. Have to wonder about heat dissipation though, I'd suppose.
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'87 Westy 'Flossie','86 Westy 'R1','86 tintop GL - Subi2.2 'J2','83.5 stock tintop L 'ZoomBus','74 Karmann Ghia, '63 Notch |
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jimf909
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Joined: April 03, 2014
Posts: 7466
Location: WA/ID
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| Posted: Sat Mar 25, 2023 9:33 am Post subject: Re: Official lazy person's stupid question thread |
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| Zeitgeist 13 wrote: |
Lazy effer question alert: Does anyone have a good updated wiring diagram which includes solar, separate solar charge controller, DC 2 DC charging and lithium batteries (x2)?
I'm in a time bind to prep my wife's van for a weekend trip to Quincy Lakes and need to get the aux system temporarily installed so we can have the diesel heater run without anxiety. Her van is being converted from a Weekender to a full camper build out, so the final aux system will be built with the "new" cabinetry in mind. |
I'm in the middle of converting my AGM batteries to a DIY LiFePo battery.
Here's the chicken-scratch schematic that I'm working with after a few iterations.
- the Victron BMV-712 shunt is entirely optional - I'm only installing it because I have one available from a house project.
- the Overkill BMS is part of the DIY battery so that and the four LiFePo cells would be replaced by your batteries. The 2x6AWG wires at the BMS are spec'd by Overkill (it could be 3x 8AWG or 1x3AWG).
- Since all the loads go through the Charge Controller it's limited to a 15 amp output which is fine for my use. This also means the 6AWG wire is heavy for this use but that's intentional to support heavier loads if I add them in the future.
- I'm open to suggestions for improvement.
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- Jim
| Abscate wrote: |
Do not get killed, do not kill others.
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Current: 1990 Westy Camper - Bostig RG4, 2wd, manual trans w/Peloquin, NAHT high-top, 280 ah LFP battery, 160 watts solar, Flash Silver, seam rust, bondo, etc., etc.
Past: 1985 Westy Camper - 1.9 wbx, 2wd, manual trans, Merian Brown, (sold after 17 years to Northwesty who converted it to a Syncro). |
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Zeitgeist 13
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Joined: March 05, 2009
Posts: 12115
Location: Port Manteau
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| Posted: Sun Mar 26, 2023 5:32 pm Post subject: Re: Official lazy person's stupid question thread |
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Thanks for posting that diagram. It confirms that I believe I've wired things correctly, but I seem to have a weird ground gremlin. The Renogy DC 2 DC charger has + & -- posts for input and output. The manual implies that the ground gets a direct pass through the charger, so the ground to chassis on input and output should be the same. However, all of my devices are connected to the output side, but they're not seeing ground. I ran all of my grounds through a disconnect switch and the input side gets its ground signal directly from there.
Weirdly, when I ground my testlight and touch the output side ground, the light comes on and blinks. I'm thinking the unit might be defective. When I bridge between the input and output grounds my 12v consumers come to life. Mysteries abound.
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Casey--
'89 Bluestar ALH w/12mm Waldo pump, PP764 and GT2052
'01 Weekender --> full camper
y u rune klassik? |
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jimf909
Samba Member
Joined: April 03, 2014
Posts: 7466
Location: WA/ID
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| Posted: Sun Mar 26, 2023 6:24 pm Post subject: Re: Official lazy person's stupid question thread |
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^^^This is Victron related and may not be relevant to Renogy unit.
Victron offers DC-DC chargers with isolated and non-isolated grounds. My diagram shows a non-isolated ground (only one ground lead). Isolated ground is a feature that is used when grounds for the car and trailer are different or for more esoteric needs that I don't understand.
Would wiring it this way solve the problem? Hopefully others with relevant experience will come along to assist.
https://shop.pkys.com/Isolated-vs-Non-Isolated-DC-...EALw%5FwcB
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- Jim
| Abscate wrote: |
Do not get killed, do not kill others.
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Current: 1990 Westy Camper - Bostig RG4, 2wd, manual trans w/Peloquin, NAHT high-top, 280 ah LFP battery, 160 watts solar, Flash Silver, seam rust, bondo, etc., etc.
Past: 1985 Westy Camper - 1.9 wbx, 2wd, manual trans, Merian Brown, (sold after 17 years to Northwesty who converted it to a Syncro). |
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Zeitgeist 13
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Joined: March 05, 2009
Posts: 12115
Location: Port Manteau
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| Posted: Sun Mar 26, 2023 7:58 pm Post subject: Re: Official lazy person's stupid question thread |
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That's essentially how I've wired it currently. Both the input and output grounds are sourced through the cutoff switch. I hope this resolves all issues, but this seems like an odd omission from the instructions.
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Casey--
'89 Bluestar ALH w/12mm Waldo pump, PP764 and GT2052
'01 Weekender --> full camper
y u rune klassik? |
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DanHoug
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Joined: December 05, 2016
Posts: 4777
Location: Bemidji, MN
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| Posted: Mon Mar 27, 2023 5:28 am Post subject: Re: Official lazy person's stupid question thread |
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| Zeitgeist 13 wrote: |
| However, all of my devices are connected to the output side, but they're not seeing ground. |
these DC-DC chargers are meant to charge a BATTERY, not power devices. the devices must be connected to said battery and so of course they are seeing the negative post of the battery.
electronic chargers, such as these, require 'seeing' the *battery* voltage in order charge at the proper amp rate and voltage. when not connected to a battery, they'll go dumb and not output voltage as a protection to the user and the charger.
so. when you say your devices are not seeing ground, that implies they are not hooked directly to the battery +/- but to the charger output, otherwise they would be operating off of the battery just fine. charger is hooked to battery, and devices hooked to battery through over current protection. parallel circuits.
or have i missed the boat on what you are describing?
_________________
-dan
60% of what you find on the internet is wrong, including this post.
'87 Westy & '89 Westy both 2.1 4spd
Past projects can be found at--
www.thefixitworkshop.com |
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crazyvwvanman
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Joined: January 28, 2008
Posts: 9923
Location: Orbiting San Diego
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| Posted: Mon Mar 27, 2023 5:57 am Post subject: Re: Official lazy person's stupid question thread |
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Nice drawing for a chicken scratch.
I'm wondering what exactly that "negative cut-off switch" is meant to accomplish?
| jimf909 wrote: |
I'm in the middle of converting my AGM batteries to a DIY LiFePo battery.
Here's the chicken-scratch schematic that I'm working with after a few iterations.......
- I'm open to suggestions for improvement.
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jimf909
Samba Member
Joined: April 03, 2014
Posts: 7466
Location: WA/ID
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| Posted: Mon Mar 27, 2023 7:43 am Post subject: Re: Official lazy person's stupid question thread |
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| crazyvwvanman wrote: |
Nice drawing for a chicken scratch.
I'm wondering what exactly that "negative cut-off switch" is meant to accomplish? |
Good question. That's part of the circuit I've been noodling. The idea is to disconnect power from all circuits in case of an emergency or working on the system. The circuit breaker on the positive side will be in the closet, the negative cutoff switch will be behind the driver's seat.
1) Will this negative cutoff switch open the circuits and disconnect the LiFePo battery or are there other paths to ground such as through the load circuits?
2) Would I also need a negative cutoff on the starter battery (something I'm planning to install)?
_________________
- Jim
| Abscate wrote: |
Do not get killed, do not kill others.
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Current: 1990 Westy Camper - Bostig RG4, 2wd, manual trans w/Peloquin, NAHT high-top, 280 ah LFP battery, 160 watts solar, Flash Silver, seam rust, bondo, etc., etc.
Past: 1985 Westy Camper - 1.9 wbx, 2wd, manual trans, Merian Brown, (sold after 17 years to Northwesty who converted it to a Syncro). |
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crazyvwvanman
Samba Member
Joined: January 28, 2008
Posts: 9923
Location: Orbiting San Diego
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| Posted: Mon Mar 27, 2023 9:27 am Post subject: Re: Official lazy person's stupid question thread |
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It seems to me turning off that chassis ground switch as shown in that diagram would only disable alternator charging through the DC-DC.
Everything else could still be live and working.
Mark |
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jimf909
Samba Member
Joined: April 03, 2014
Posts: 7466
Location: WA/ID
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| Posted: Mon Mar 27, 2023 12:47 pm Post subject: Re: Official lazy person's stupid question thread |
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| crazyvwvanman wrote: |
It seems to me turning off that chassis ground switch as shown in that diagram would only disable alternator charging through the DC-DC.
Everything else could still be live and working.
Mark |
I was suspicious that may be the case. I may want to use the charger manual on/off function but there are better ways to do that (Victron has a trigger that provides that function).
Thanks for taking a look at this.
_________________
- Jim
| Abscate wrote: |
Do not get killed, do not kill others.
|
Current: 1990 Westy Camper - Bostig RG4, 2wd, manual trans w/Peloquin, NAHT high-top, 280 ah LFP battery, 160 watts solar, Flash Silver, seam rust, bondo, etc., etc.
Past: 1985 Westy Camper - 1.9 wbx, 2wd, manual trans, Merian Brown, (sold after 17 years to Northwesty who converted it to a Syncro). |
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jimf909
Samba Member
Joined: April 03, 2014
Posts: 7466
Location: WA/ID
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| Posted: Mon Mar 27, 2023 4:36 pm Post subject: Re: Official lazy person's stupid question thread |
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Here's a nice schematic from fxr that is in the big LiFePo thread...
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=9669497#9669497
| fxr wrote: |
And... I've finally managed to get my 300Ah setup installed and working.  The only thing I still need to do is to fit a switch between the PV and the Renogy charger, to stop the PV from topping-off the battery when the van is between trips.
Mrs fxr is delighted that she can now use an Instant Pot.
Circuit:
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_________________
- Jim
| Abscate wrote: |
Do not get killed, do not kill others.
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Current: 1990 Westy Camper - Bostig RG4, 2wd, manual trans w/Peloquin, NAHT high-top, 280 ah LFP battery, 160 watts solar, Flash Silver, seam rust, bondo, etc., etc.
Past: 1985 Westy Camper - 1.9 wbx, 2wd, manual trans, Merian Brown, (sold after 17 years to Northwesty who converted it to a Syncro). |
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Zeitgeist 13
Samba Member
Joined: March 05, 2009
Posts: 12115
Location: Port Manteau
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| Posted: Sat Apr 01, 2023 2:50 pm Post subject: Re: Official lazy person's stupid question thread |
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Thanks to all who chimed in regarding my aux. lithium ion battery bank questions. My wife had a successful camping trip and everything performed as expected. So far I'm really happy with the new DC2DC and lithium ion setup.
_________________
Casey--
'89 Bluestar ALH w/12mm Waldo pump, PP764 and GT2052
'01 Weekender --> full camper
y u rune klassik? |
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