Working this weekend on some more details for the Kombi dual battery set-up.
I’ll prepare a more complete entry on the whole set-up in due course, but for now I’ll just set out my plans for this small add-on.
Once we start to run a few more accessories off the dual battery in the Kombi it will be good to keep an eye on the drain from the system. Particularly when I add in the portable camping fridges, which are on my wish list!
I recently added a volt meter into the circuit, which was a relatively easy task. The inclusion of an ammeter has proven to be a bit of an exercise in electronics and wiring theory. I have run a trial meter on the 12volt toolkit with some failures and now a deal of success. (again a more detailed entry on the project will be following soon.)
After some consultation with my cycling partner and resident electronics engineer, Dom, I managed to work out a placement for the ammeter which was both convenient and actually worked. Some smoke and burnt wires on the test circuit proved fun and a bit of a learning experience. (not quite a baptism of fire)
So the new 20amp ammeter is to be installed in the earth cable of the auxilliary battery and with this location should pick up the drain on all three circuits in the system together.
The meter and its attendant shunt are pictured.
ammeter & shunt for Kombi dual battery set-up
The shunt ensures the full load voltage doesn’t travel through the meter and burn it out. Part of the problem with my trial runs apparently!
Stay tuned for details of the installation and tests.
Brian.