Category: Electrical System

While our 1970 Avion C11 was originally built to run on a combination of propane and shore power, our truck camper now runs 100% on electric power. We manage this with an extensive array of solar panels and two large LiFePO4 batteries that we assembled ourselves. This project has been a long and heavily researched process culminating in us assembling the entire system ourselves. With this power infrastructure, we are able to live off-grid for long periods of time.

Aluminum 1970 Avion C11 truck camper driving down a dirt road in Trona Pinnacles Wilderness in south east California.

Broken RV Brake Light

Electrical System

Fixing things on the road is part and parcel of our nomadic life. Having built this camper from the shell

Test fitting solar panels on a 1970 Avion C11 truck camper roof.

Mounting Flexible Solar Panels

We creating a 100% renewable energy home on wheels with Velcro and aluminum rails to mount flexible solar panels to

Connecting to the BMS with an iPhone App

Using A Battery Management System (BMS)

Lithium Battery

A battery management system (BMS) is an electrical component that enables a pack of individual battery cells to operate as

Reaching the end of top balancing battery cells.

Cell Balancing

Lithium Battery

Before assembling our DIY lithium battery we are optimizing our battery cells for solar panel charging by top balancing our

We make a custom battery box for our DIY lithium batteries featuring buck riveted aluminum, high impact rubber, and a plexiglass viewing window.

Assembling A Custom Lithium Battery

Lithium Battery

When we first stripped the electrical system out of our 1970 Avion C11 truck camper, it was still in the

We make a custom battery box for our DIY lithium batteries featuring buck riveted aluminum, high impact rubber, and a plexiglass viewing window.

Constructing A Battery Box

Lithium Battery

We make a custom battery box for our DIY lithium batteries featuring buck riveted aluminum, high impact rubber, and a

Bus bars (busbars) are short strips of conductive metal for high current electric connections. Learn how to build DIY bars for lithium battery cells.

How to Make A Bus Bar

Lithium Battery

Bus bars (busbars) are short strips of conductive metal for high current electric connections. Learn how to build DIY bars

Bus bars (busbars) are short strips of conductive metal for high current electric connections. Learn how to build DIY bars for lithium battery cells.

How to Pick Bus Bar Dimensions

Lithium Battery

Calculate the height, width, and thickness of copper bus bars for a high current DIY lithium battery using a battery

Bus bars (busbars) are short strips of conductive metal for high current electric connections. Learn how to build DIY bars for lithium battery cells.

Copper, Brass, or Aluminum: Best Bus Bar Materials

Lithium Battery

Dive into copper, brass, and aluminum: three conductive metals for high current electrical connections as bus bars in our DIY

Bus bars (busbars) are short strips of conductive metal for high current electric connections. Learn how to build DIY bars for lithium battery cells.

Understanding Bus Bars

Lithium Battery

Bus bars (busbars) are short strips of conductive metal for high current electric connections. Learn how we build DIY bars

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