G'day! This article (and video) is about the power box in my Stockman Extreme Pod camper trailer.
Watch the video: https://youtu.be/a-skS_9lSZg
I have already published a video on the electrical fitout that I had Custom Off Grid Solutions install on the pod (see that video here: https://youtu.be/zlTcyshyLJU), but I had a couple of questions from people asking about what was inside the power box.
Custom Carpeted Box
COGS built a carpeted custom box that fits neatly into the box of the Stockman toolbox. It has a removable vented lid to give you access to the equipment inside when required.
Cable Management
Everything is beautifully cable tied and cable managed. That is important as it makes it so much easier if you're trying to check fuses, or if something needs to be replaced or serviced. It is all neat and tidy which is really important when you're in a remote location.
Clear Labelling
If you're going go to remote places and you need to check things, you want to make sure that everything is installed really cleanly, so it is easy to diagnose. In this install the major fuses on the battery here are labeled: AC Chargers, DC Charger, fuse box. Same on the fuse box: COGS has marked clearly on the fuse box lid what each of the fuses are, so I don't have to go chasing for what things are. Everything is labeled really well.
What's Inside the Box?
That was was the common question.
The heart of the install is 200 amp hour slimline Enerdrive lithium battery. I've found that 200 amp hours is absolutely the sweet spot for outback camping batteries. It'll power fridges for days, charge your phones and your other electrical devices, lighting, etc, it just gives you so much power. You're never really chasing the sun with a lithium that size. If you're going three or four days without any sun, then it is going to need to get hooked up for power. In this installation, we have a solar input and a Redarc solar panel which folds up nice and neatly (and small). The panel plugs into a solar Anderson input on the drawbar, and it easily keeps the battery topped up.
In addition to the Enerdrive Lithium battery, we have a couple of other things in the box.
We have and Enerdrive DC2DC charger, which provides two forms of input for battery charging. One being an Anderson lead that connects to the tow vehicle so when you're driving this is charging up the battery. The second being a the solar input on the drawbar as mentioned above.
There is also a Victron 240v charger with a 240 volt inlet installed on the outside of the toolbox. So if I want to top up the battery at home before I head out I can just plug into that waterproof connector without needing to open the toolbox.
We have added cigarette sockets and USB sockets on the front of the power box, so that if I want to charge some devices, I can just pop them in the toolbox, plug them in, close the toolbox, even lock it if I wanted to - and they can charge away.
Because the optional Stockman toolbox is angled down a little bit on the top, I thought this is a perfect spot to install a hard frame 40 watt solar panel. This is hooked up to a separate Victron solar (MPPT) regulator. If the trailer's just sitting, not setup or hooked up to anything, the 40 watt panel produces a couple of amps 12v power and keeps the battery inside topped up nicely.
Products
COGS custom made carpet covered components box
Enerdrive ePOWER B-TEC 12V 200Ah GEN2 Lithium Battery
Enerdrive DC2DC 40+amp Battery Charger/ MPPT Reg
Victron Blue Smart IP22 Charger 12/30 230v
Redarc 300 watt solar panel
Korr 40 watt solar panel
Victron Smart Solar MPPT 75/15 Solar Charge Controller
Conclusion
So that's an overview of what's installed inside the power box for my Stockman Pod Trailer Extreme. It is a very clean install that still gives me heaps of room for other gear inside the toolbox. Thanks to Custom Off Grid Solutions for doing a great job on this one.
Watch the full video here: https://youtu.be/a-skS_9lSZg
Thanks,
Brett
See you out there...