HTF's campervan build

[trevskoda]

Changed my battery bank from 3 automotive Lucas start/stop AGM 95 ah batteries to 3 AGM deep cycle 125 ah. Not a big difference in size and weight but quite a difference in capacity. Now I can run my compressor refrigerator and separate 20 L freezer without worries. I don't like being dependent on "shore" power.

Loach Lead carbon batts are a better job, much more cycles and can sit in half charge witout doing any damage, cost just under £200 each.

 

[HTF]

Thinking about how easy it is to open the side door of my van, if someone wanted to breakin, I thought I would have to do something about it. For the front doors I've already made a pair of safety hooks that prevent the doors from opening from the outside without unbolting them from the inside at floor level. The side sliding door, the one we use 99% of the time o get in or out, is actuated by it's lever with easy access from the outside. This lever is just below the side acrylic window and someone with bad intentions will easily have access to this latch and open the door. My idea for this door is to install an electric actuated latch just below the floor on the cavity where the lower door rail is. Apon unlatching the opening latch, the first thing that must happen for the door to slide, is, the rear part of the door must move away from the door frame to start sliding. If I make something to prevent this, the door will not open. This is where the little board in the picture comes in handy. This board is a Shelly Plus Uni, an Internet connected device that can be controlled by the smartphone among other ways. This will be the main controller of the latching device that, hopefully, will make it a little more difficult for someone to brake into the van. In addition it can monitor 5 temperature sensors, a analog value such as the battery voltage and has a pulse/frequency counter that can send notifications to the phone. I'm going to use three of the temperature sensors to monitor the refrigerator's inside and freezer and the separate deep freezer I have in the garage. These IOT devices are easy to implement in many situations. If the system fails, I can get into the inside by crawling through the garage into the van to disable one of the safety systems