Section 1: Power Systems¶
System Overview¶
The van is a 12 V system built around two Odyssey AGM Group 34 batteries - one START, one AUX - with a RedArc BCDC Alpha 50 DC-DC charger between them. A 200 A SGP32 relay and 600 A manual cutoffs isolate the AUX side.
Device-level view of the redesign. Diagram source: Van Electrical.drawio (page "Devices"); the image is regenerated from the draw.io file on each export.
Distribution¶
Accessory loads are split across four Garmin PowerSwitch boxes. Each is a 6-circuit digital switch box rated 30 A max per output, 100 A max system, at 12-16 V. There are no separate breakers on the branch circuits - the PowerSwitch output rating is the protection, so branch conductors are sized to the output rating rather than to expected load.
| Panel | Location | Feeds |
|---|---|---|
| Rear Powerswitch (A) | Rear seat | 3x Alpine PKG-RES3HDMI headrest screens (5 A each), 3x Nvidia Shield. Circuit 6 as built: Starlink Advanced Power Supply + 12 V USB-C outlet (rear driver's door) → UXG Lite |
| Rear Powerswitch (B) | Rear | Starlink Advanced Power Supply, USB power outlets, Twinkle Lights, and two 5 V USB-C buck converters feeding the UniFi USW-Flex-Mini and UXG Lite (3 A) |
| Front Powerswitch | Front seat | Midland MXTX575 (15 A), rearview mirror, radar detector (2 A) |
| Engine Bay Powerswitch | Engine bay | KC 50" light bar (45 A), KC reverse lights (8 A), KC bumper lights, KC rock lights (2.5 A), KC fog lights |
Both rear panels sit downstream of the Rear Powerswitch (A) & (B) cutoff.
The table above is the redesign drawing, not the as-built
The Devices drawing puts Starlink and the UniFi gear on Rear Powerswitch (B) behind two 5 V buck converters, with a USW-Flex-Mini switch. That is not how it is wired today: Starlink and the UXG Lite are both on Rear Powerswitch (A) circuit 6, the UXG Lite runs off a 12 V USB-C outlet in the rear driver's door, and the USW-Flex-Mini is not in use. See Starlink Power. The drawing needs reconciling - see Outstanding Items.
Sub-sections¶
- 1.1 - Starlink Power - Starlink Advanced Power Supply fed directly from 12 V DC, replacing the 1000 W inverter
Outstanding Items¶
- Document wire gauges and run lengths for each panel feed
- Document circuit-by-circuit conductor sizing on all four PowerSwitch panels against the 30 A output rating
- Confirm AUX battery capacity against measured house load (see #4 discussion - a single 100 Ah bank was judged undersized with a fridge on it)
- Decide whether the Genesis Offroad dual-battery tray (see Diagrams) is being used or dropped
- Document the grounding scheme - the drawings show no ground returns
- Reconcile the Devices redesign drawing with the as-built wiring: Starlink + UXG Lite moved to Rear Powerswitch (A) circuit 6, USW-Flex-Mini dropped
- Decide where the 3x Nvidia Shield network connections land now that the USW-Flex-Mini is out