Benz World Blog » Control Panel

Mark Four

Jason Benz — Thu, 09 May 2019 02:36:46 +0000

This is the fourth generation power board I have built for the van. It has been an exercise in iterative design. Fortunately, the blue gum chopping boards, which each stage has used, are easy to replace. The first, second and third designs all worked but after using them for a while I decided to remove the features I did not use and add others which might be useful.

The previous design had the unplanned issue of connecting the engine battery and home battery together if you turned them both on at the same time. This was sometimes of use when I needed to charge the home battery from the alternator. In this design, I added a button to connect them deliberately. The same button also allows you to use the USB and 12-volt chargers sockets on both sides even if you only want to use one battery.

After wiring it up I discovered the unplanned bonus of seeing how much current is flowing between the batteries via the chargers. This board also provides other useful data including the current I am getting from the solar panel. This has been a mystery for years as even the solar controller display does not give this reading.

I have also built some custom shelves to maximise storage in the van. These improvements should give me the ability to survive a whole month photographing in remote locations before needing resupply. This will come in handy in the second half of 2019 as I hope to be driving across many Australian deserts on my way to the start of World Solar Challenge in Darwin.

Mark Three

Jason Benz — Tue, 03 Nov 2015 10:06:23 +0000

This is the third generation power control board in our van. The first and second design worked but I have tried to simplify the controls. I am a novice when it comes to electronics however building these boards have been essential to photography on the road, as camera batteries and laptops always need charging. Unfortunately, I may have oversimplified it as switching on either battery now appears to connect both batteries together via the amp meter. I am not sure if there is an alternative button wiring or a fix with diodes, and if so which type of diodes? Any suggestions?

Update: The Mark Four

Control Panel

Jason Benz — Fri, 12 Dec 2014 22:37:59 +0000

I replaced the control panel in our van. The original solar controller was used to recharge the ML4U film crew at Mitchell Creek Rock n’ Blues Festival but needed some improvements. I added an ammeter, upgraded the volt meters and swapped power hungry lights for LED’s

Update: The Mark Three

Update: The Mark Four

Solar Controller

Jason Benz — Mon, 14 Jul 2014 11:38:41 +0000

I have been building a Steam Punk styled Solar Controller for our van since we moved to our house in Queensland two months ago. It is made from recycled antique hinges holding together three blue gum wood chopping boards. It allows you to direct power from a solar panel to a deep cycle battery. This can then charge my camera battery and power my laptop. I can then shoot, process and upload to the internet with 100% solar power resulting in Fossil Free Photos next time I am on the road in Australia.

The next job will be to attach a 150 watt solar panel to the roof of our van. Until then there is enough light coming through the window to power our music system.

Update: Control Panel

Update: The Mark Three

Update: The Mark Four