Not Your Average 12v Setup - Project Cyan

Having a well set up 12 volt system makes camping so much easier! I show you how I have setup Project Cyan's 12v dual battery system to power the fridge, camp lights and 240v power needs while touring. This Mazda BT50 is a power station on wheels!
Some of the good gear that Is talked about in this video, the Projecta IDC25 DCDC Charger, Blue Victron BMV-712 Battery Monitor, Kickass 300w 240v Inverter.

[@johnnybighorn1221]

I really miss your work Michael. I hope you come back to it one day mate.

[@superman01011]

Mate absolutely brilliant vid and brilliant channel. A mate from work told me about your channel and I found some time to take a look. You need and certainly will get more Sub’s as you totally deserve it! Well done again mate and keep up the good work

[@kingrpriddick]

You might know this already, but if you don't, just some small resistors can make a huge difference in the efficiency of cheap LEDs. Grab a variety of resistors so you can tune them to the light output you actually need. I'm planning a 6, 6v deep cycle, battery setup because I should have access to some cast offs with a cheap charger (might upgrade later) and a 100W hard panel. Install is in a building, so LEDs will be lighting the whole space and it's been really impressive how much power you can save dimming down your LEDs, like 5A to .25A at what looks like 1/4 the brightness on the strips I'm using. Based on your power use try chucking in some 47 Ohm or 22 Ohm ones and see how you like it.

[@lmelen1471]

Usually not one to comment on youtube videos mate but just came across your channel last night and have to say, ripping job! It's nice to have someone who just shows what works for him and not try and shove products down your throat. Ya 12v setup with one that I aspire to get mine to one day! thanks for some great ideas! Cheers

[@JustPete65]

Its good to see someone with a smaller budget that I can relate to

[@kingrpriddick]

@@SeekAdventure I think a lot of DIY people just don't feel confident enough and they don't want to deal with the haters youtube, in the US we have the "Built not Bought" movement, where it's cool because it's your hobby as much as what it can do, like the video of the guy that built his v12 motor for his motorcycle by hand in his shop. I just wish more of them would share their knowledge online, as Forums have fallen off so hard there doesn't seem to be a good place for them. I'm glad I found you! Keep on making great content!

[@normanmazlin6741]

I like your setup, elegant and effective. You need to fit covers over the Anderson sockets fitted under the car, filthy terminals don't work. You can buy excellent shunt battery monitors for less than $30 on Ebay.

[@WesternAustraliaNowAndThen]

Nice setup. One day I will take the cover off the circuit board in the Coaster and take a picture of the real 'spaghetti junction'. It was wired up before I bought it and all it took was one look for me to be so freaked out I put the cover back, never looked again and prayed nothing would ever go wrong. So much better to be able to do your own wiring. Good idea to have different adapters, I keep promising myself that I will sit down and make a full set one day....

[@kingrpriddick]

I think it's worth getting prepared to handle it, the wiring won't last forever. Start by just drawing things out, get every end you see on paper then open it up and take a lot of really good pictures and start to work things out. If you need help, idk /r/diyelectronics might be a really good place just be sure to mention that you are new and want to learn, and people should be pretty friendly, they have a bunch of real Electrical Engineers on there that can figure out just about anything.

[@Mattsworldwideadventure]

We miss you! Please come back ♥️

[@richardachyde]

Great setup mate, very well thought through too, like the idea of converting dash cig plugs over to aux. battery.

[@stephenbaker3616]

Love yer work bro, I absolutely love being self sufficient while out scrub, I just broke my gearbox in my trusty Mazda bravo2003 ex telstra which had basic set up, too expensive to fix so it went to wrecker heaven now have a wicked 2015 Ford ranger but back to basic, your stuff gives an electric numpty like me some hope. thanks

[@rudy6170]

Great channel bud, you turn out good information. Can't beat the good old Anderson Plug.

[@taylorfanumbr1]

Amazing setup, I will be doing the same thing to my rig here in the states. Very inspiring!

[@2-old-Forthischet]

Spaghetti junction...........LOL! As a former telecom tech, I found that wiring harnesses that are really fancy actually make it hard to troubleshoot later. Good job!

[@shanegrangrad8559]

Clever lad . I'm learning lots

[@alisonphilp7497]

Great work very handy tips cheers mate

[@Tommyt14]

I really liked your video. Very informative, and funny. You are a good talent. Stick at it.

[@GaryBoyd02]

The life cycle of Lithium Phosphate is so much longer and you can take 90 percent out. The upfront cost is more but they are actually more economical than glass mat batteries. The only draw back is you can't charge them below 0 C which isn't a problem for you. 😉

[@dash8brj]

That is one wicked setup. Great job. Subbed :)

[@muzzgit]

The alternator in the car only needs to charge your starting battery to about 90%. That's all the battery power that's needed to start the car. But that's no good when you want to charge a second battery in a 'dual battery system' which is why the dc-dc charger is THE ONLY WAY TO GO. It will charge to 100%, from low voltage, FAST, and as you said it automatically switches to solar panel when you plug in.

[@christoffer1973]

Love your videos. I heard that Blue coloured light don't attract bugs/mosquitos... never heard amber, but blue. I tried it I don't know how it works but when I tried it I didn't got so many mosquitos

[@robertsternberg6147]

mate, did you mention WHERE you are there? good stuff!

[@stuartkcalvin]

Good piece. Thanks.

[@lronpaw]

Cool setup man, thanks for sharing. Lots of great tips and plenty to consider for anyone planning a 12v setup in their vehicle. Cheers!

[@80nodrog]

Miss your episode mate.

[@jeepinjohnny2898]

yo - SA. another good show. thanks (from texas)

[@sunshinecatcher8779]

Stupid question what happens when you do a water crossing

[@mountainconstructions]

Another well done for such a great video But i would like to make a request regarding the Projecta IDC DC-DC charger. They claim it can charge both Alt + Solar simultaneously. Can you make a short video with your in-line meter showing each charging option separately and then when they are combined? It would be interesting to see if the sum total of them running separately was the exact same figure as when running concurrently. You may need good load running off your battery or Inverter to preform this test Thank you

[@SeekAdventure]

Hi Hugh, Thanks mate. I do get the idea of what you mean with the test, I do find it interesting keeping an eye on how it charges, so I can tell you from past experience what would happen. If the batteries were really low and the car wasn't running the unit would be pulling all the amps the solar can provide, so in my case around about 8-10amps in full sunlight. When you turn the car on the dcdc charger would be putting in 25amps since the batteries are really low, how much of the solar it would be using I wouldn't be able to tell you without testing it. But it would take as many amps as needed from the alternator to achieve 25amps. If while the car was running I disconnected the solar, the dcdc would still stay at 25amps and simply take more amps from the alternator to maintain the 25amps charge. As the batteries receive charge the amps going into the batteries would drop as the dcdc charger see's fit. So really as long as the car is running, the dcdc charger will take all the amps it requires, depending what stage of the charging cycle it is at. But it maxes out at 25amps no matter how much solar is going in. I hope that answers your question, the power from the alternator and the solar do not add up to give your more power. 👍

[@dre_110]

Good idea with the extension cords, I’m no electrician but how far can 12v go before the sine wave gets a little choppy and may hurt fridges, you may have 12v at the other end but the power might be a little dirty, wrong words I know,

[@nosaltiesandrooshere7488]

👍 Servus ❕ Usually you are blessed with sunlight in Australia! How big is your PV system / panels - and how many Wp / Watt❔ Are you rather underserved by the Watt yield? If not, what and how do you use overproduction? You save your 2 Bosch batteries and take only about ~ 20% of the capacity and that's good and reasonable. In case of overproduction, what are you doing with the Dump Load / Diversion Load ❔

[@hauptuhrdotnetblog6700]

Great video and videos. We have a 12 V cranking battery with a 12 V auxiliary and then a seperate 28 v 100 A alternator charging a 105Ah 24 V battery bank. We use the 24 V system for the fridge and 2000 W inverter and the 12 V for radios and lighting. What has driven me crazy with all of this is the conflicting information out there on deep cycling, charge voltages at different stages and voltage vs capacity. We also measure our usage and solar recharge by Wh and not Ah. We use a Victron MPPT and the iPhone app. It would be great if you could do a video explaining once and for all about battery and charge measurements. I’m going to make a notebook up to record what I (think) is right but you have a great style and I think it would be helpful for me and others.

[@sarefeet]

Hi Michael, Just stumbled on your channel whilst trying to learn about 12v systems as I intend to do a d.i.y. Instal in the future. Do you have a list of components that you used or are there too many to list lol Great work, I’m off to watch your other videos now 👍🏻

[@sarefeet]

Michael Sanders thanks mate, once they invent screen jumping I’ll certainly welcome the hand haha Got the fuse block wired in yesterday, so we’re off and running 👍🏻

[@gregbishop610]

Wonder why he stop such a good channel

[@tehschkott]

How do your second batteries stay charged while enroute? Or how do you charge them before you leave for a trip?

[@hailzeewolfman]

god I loved this, cuts through all the BS ! Simple is always best ! I do have one last question though- being a hat wearer myself, where can I get yours? Because of the really wide brim !!

[@simonjones2645]

Akubra ! 😎

[@hailzeewolfman]

@@simonjones2645 Thanks ! :-)

[@tianxiaoxie2742]

did you connect the blue ign wire of the idc25?I didn't,it worked for the first time on alternator charging,now it's not working,Im wondering could this be the cause

[@tianxiaoxie2742]

will try that.thank you.Im new to 12v system,your channel has a lot of diy information!

[@Krazy7mx]

ANother great vid, But mate apart from there i see on your shirt your a window cleaner. Any tips on cleaning water spots off old windows? My car have been in Broome for 10 years and its gathered some serious results. Need them clean any ideas?

[@liamwindsor5854]

Glass polish from supercheap

[@caesardgreatest]

Red lights don't attract bugs

[@blastar55m3]

The quality and content of all your vids is top notch mate. Genuine Aussie bloke. Keep them coming mate.

[@nosaltiesandrooshere7488]

👍 Servus ❕ Usually you are blessed with sunlight in Australia! How big is your PV system / panels - and how many Wp / Watt❔ Are you rather underserved by the Watt yield? If not, what and how do you use overproduction? You save your 2 Bosch batteries and take only about ~ 20% of the capacity and that's good and reasonable. In case of overproduction, what are you doing with the Dump Load / Diversion Load ❔

[@turbostyler]

Great vid mate, you pretty much summed up the information perfectly. One thing I do for my fridge/freezer is during the day when my solar system is charging or my alternator is charging, I'll put a few bottles of water in the fridge freezer to freeze, then when i go to sleep i shut it off and let the ice keep everything cold. In the morning I turn it all back on. I'll chuck it one a timer soon so its not a chore, but i find that the saving of 40ah at night really helps for battery longevity. keep up the great work, ps i got the same car in the same colour, I reckon they are great rigs.

[@Voltechs]

Great tip!

[@darrenjones5885]

I also have an Anderson plug addiction. I use lots of the small ones (30A) for internal wiring in my cars. Gives me flexibility without having to do too much rewiring. Hardwiring dashcams only needed the 5V power supplies connected to a spare Anderson plug behind the dash.

[@pjetenere1]

You are a smart young fella,, with a good attitude,, I like that,, well done

[@Fjsbdjdh]

😭 miss this channel 😭

[@andrewford80]

Yeah it is/was one of the best

[@Voltechs]

15:28 This man showers with pure direct current electricity. Watch out Chuck Norris.

[@jessiematthews2432]

Shameless plug for ICU window cleaning... Good vid.

[@MrRoma70]

Wouldn't mind to see your shopping list and connection diagram if you don't mind, great video keep coming

[@DaveGalligher]

Great video, would it be possible to include some links to a list of parts you used on Amazon? Thanks for the excellent explanation and showing your rig.

[@aussieboomer-theturtoncrew6996]

Informative video Michael, thanks. I found the more amps you have at your disposal, the more time it takes to recharge the batteries. My 130AH agm is plenty for me. I also use an AC charger when 240 is available, makes it easy to top up and maintain. Cheers..

[@pearcem66]

Like others have said. It's great to see someone working too a budget. Love the thought that has gone into your setup. Just found your channel and really enjoying your honest approach. Keep up the great work.

[@John-zo6do]

Good stuff mate! I'm of similar age and an auto electrician. Great to see someone working on a smaller budget compared to all the popular people on KZbin that are given everything for free! Where did you get the water tank made up?

[@beginners4x486]

Nice set up and well presented. I have the same sort of equipment in my Ranger and I found it handy to put Red Anderson plugs on all the solar equipment, to the BCDC and on all the panels. This way you can't mix them up as the red and grey plugs don't go together. Keep up the good work.

[@Campingdownunder]

Hey great video's. Where did you get your insulation for your canopy from? I'm currently looking at the best options for insulation and what to use

[@apex.amatuer]

The other important thing to remember about having more than one extra battery is, one battery only has an input limit of 20 amps, this will limit you to 20amp dc chargers and solar chargers (if you want your battery to last that is). If you link two batteries in parallel you double the amp hours but you also double the input limit so now you can use a 40 amp charger to full efficiency which also means you can use cheap second hand house panels with up to 40v VOC.

[@johnmoreta8650]

Your enthusiasm,passion and zest for 12 volt systems ( and the great outdoors) pours out from my TV and into my Lounge room...Thank you for motivating me to install a 12 volt duel battery system on my Van so i can see this great country of ours....Keep up the good work.

[@linz_in_NZ]

Great info. I'm considering adding an anderson plug between my solar charge controller and the house battery in my van, so I can swap the solar set up over onto the van battery to keep it charged when stood for a while. Now thinking of using them to connect my fridge too. No wonder they sell them in packs of 6 pairs or more, so useful.

[@jc-crafford]

I discovered your channel 2 days ago. Man, I am impressed. You are so much better at this than some of the “big guys”. When you have 200 000+ subscribers I will be able to say I was one of the early ones.

[@fionaludbrook8193]

Loving this. Beginning to understand 12 volts systems and dual batteries thankyou so much, Have so struggled to get my head around this stuff! Thanks again!

[@sacramentoman228]

That's a clean setup I'm in the u.s.a and I see low budget solar setups and they have 2 or 3 out backs 4 lithium batteries etc I check the cost on the outback there about 500+ depending on the model lithium batteries 600 a piece and I'm trying to figure out what part of there setup is low budget? So thanks for a reasonable setup view

[@christopherdoyle1419]

Hi Cyan, Great video, thanks for tips! Do the batterys get get submerged during river crossings and does that cause any issues?

[@oceanparkinteractive8096]

My question also

[@shawnholloway2142]

I have a Toyota Tocoma that I 4-wheel and camp with my family with. I been modding on for the last two years. Love your videos about the stuff you do with your truck. I've been wanting to add duel battery and solar. Appreciate all the ideas. 😉

[@Dillonpickle]

Good tip on packing an Anderson extension lead. I made one same night 👍

[@hauptuhrdotnetblog6700]

We use the smaller Anderson power pole connectors (30A) and 7 and 15 Amp DC cable from Jaycar, depending on how much I can afford. We’ve made up so many extension cords. They are very useful for extending out camp lights, powering our 12V TV etc.

[@Dillonpickle]

Yeah remember a wire does not have an amp rating, that varies with distance, just talk mm2. I use 4mm2 for 5m up to 10A

[@mothergoose3064]

Great video. Where did you get the fire resistant board for the panel? (I'm in Perth)

[@TimsBitsnPieces]

What a great vid and thanks for the info on the parts used as this is always a big issue replaying the video each time to find the names spoken about. I wish there were more like you to help us that are just getting into the 4wd fun. Keep up the great work and I have sub'd to your channel and will keep an eye out for more vids ~;0)

[@oscadelta]

Great vid, and great channel .. can you advise the setup of the RCD above the 240v outlet?

[@stevecrowe176]

Luv your vids, subscribed and liked, they're easy to listen too, explained in plain English and without the bloody annoying background music OMG! One tip if ok, when explaining PLEASE tell us what size cable you used in each situation, e.g. l used 8AWG for my Anderson extension. Thanks again, cheers

[@dhops81]

Great vid. Do you have a link to an instructional on wiring up the panel you made?

[@michealmcintosh2265]

Mate I was super sceptical about watching your videos but I have now watched a few and I’m hooked, I don’t know what is is your doing but it works. Keep up the good work mate

[@wexlop7450]

You shouldn't make videos unless you know what your talking about. You can take an AGM much below 50% frequently without any real problems. The brand name is far more important & many AGM are just trash quality. the 50% rule comes from offgrid use with true Deep cylcles where they are being cycled almost daily, for touring your lucky to do 20cycles a year. And typically all AGM in the touring world are only hybrids & are rated for just 300 lab cycles to 50% vs 1000 for true deep cycle AGM. So in touring AGM bandwidth can be alot more comparable to lithium

[@76irodriguez]

1:19 I didn't know Arnold Schwarzenegger was helping you with this project

[@noelgreig1358]

Yes Lithium batteries are expensive but far more benefits than AGM. I installed a 120AH Lithium in my rig as an auxiliary battery (almost 3 times the power of 3 linked AGM's) & will never go back to lead acid/gel etc again.. much more cost effective over time too..

[@bryanohalloran9001]

Yellow light on it's own =bugs Have a small hanging Primus Lantern about 10-15 mts away, and all the bugs go there ! Worked for us in the Outback, and Tropics for years

[@Scooopdog]

love the vlogs mate and being on a budget appeals more than the other sponsored money to burn overlanders. The DC looks OK, be very careful when doing DIY wiring i'd say the amount of overlanders that set there rigs on fire is massive, just be alert on proper fusing/discrimination. Fusing as you possibly know is protection of the cable. Just be aware of the size cable , also the DC/DC system works best as its an intelligent charger, im a DC specialist and have seen some very dodgy systems and some marine boats on fire. Keep up the good work

[@IvanStewartHunting]

Awesome vid mate!! I really got a lot out of it thanks keen to see what’s to come 👍

[@danielhern3000]

If you are using a basic 240v trickle charger with a duel battery system, do you connect it so it charges the main starter battery to then charge the Aux battery? Or just charge the Aux battery, when running a fridge 24/7??

[@mattsmith2051]

How do you find the Projecta IDC25? I’ve had nothing but issues, they have been very helpful but I feel that are pretty power hungry.

[@ashmodownunder]

Great video. Thanks for all your great content!

[@tonybeach4725]

Awesome straight forward no nonsense video's. Thank you.

[@shanedawson720]

Mate - great content and sad to see it sort of go/slow - enjoy just enjoying it again tho! quick one if you keep an eye here still: can you give a bit of detail or a link to the switchboard panel material and where you sourced it? keep travelling, cheers, Shane

[@homebase1958]

You are fun to watch as always👍

[@markthomas4594]

Great excellent set up ,I have dual battery batteries in me cruiser could I run me inverter of the Anderson plug on me towbar to power vacuum seal ?thanks for sharing

[@harleyjune1233]

nice video - so for the fridge - it runs non-stop and does not start and stop with a thermostat control? do they even make this so u r not eating 5amps all night per hour...? - do folks turn off fridge after lights out - to conserve battery? also thanks in advance - which fuse box did you use? will you post link to product ? thanks

[@rodh2168]

Just dropping by to rewatch some vids. Michael, I hope you are staying safe and enjoying what you love to do rather than having the pressure of having to catch everything on camera. We miss your wit and humour but truly understand. ATB mate.

[@tomskimcdouglegaming806]

Didn't you hear? He died of turbo cancer after too many cobid jabs.

[@essequamvideri]

seen enough clips to happily subscribe. keep having fun! 😃

[@bensoutter4520]

Hey mate, great vids, good stuff. can I ask how you got so many Andersons wired in? do you run them all back to the batts or the fuse box via 6 or 8 b&S ? cheers

[@sammaskell612]

Deserve more subs 👍🏽

[@RealMenLiving]

I love this video mate. Very informative and nicely explained. Thanks mate. Keep it up.

[@VideoShowMeHow]

What an epic setup! Nice man

[@whisthpo]

You have a natural talent for making the complicated understandable Sir! Really enjoy your fabulous channel!

[@mikehoffman3690]

Great overview. My opinion is there is no such thing as overkill when you are relying on your setup to get you on and off the trail.

[@shanegrangrad8559]

Strobe lights send bugs crazy

[@stephenfewson7188]

They send everything crazy! 🤣

[@hamishperring9307]

Mad setup mate I’m looking into the dual battery setups and I have a more modern vechile so does that mean I need a smart alternator and a dcdc charger or does the dcdc charger do it all meaning I will not need the smart alternator?

[@ddraug6096]

this might be a stupid question but since your batteries are mounted under your car if you go into a water crossing would they short circuit?

[@larrymouse]

You should do a review of the EverShower - awesome Aussie invention.

[@CaliVapor]

Awesome setup bro! Seeking adventure with some luxuries

[@sylvainmorency7061]

Did you connect all three batteries in parallel or did you put a bridge between the main and the two secondary batteries that allows you to use the batteries as you wish and always have the main batteries good to start the engine

[@WildTouring]

Nice setup mate. Similar to mine. I've got the same idc25, 240ah AGM and 300w solar, but I've found that my batts arnt doing too well with fridge, freezer, lighting, pump, oven and heavy inverter use. I think I'll swapout the agms for 200-240ah of lithium batteries and 40a charger.

[@WildTouring]

@@SeekAdventure thanks mate. Running two fridge/freezers, oven, lighting, pump etc I can quite easily be drawing 20a. But it's the 2kw inverter thats knocked the life out of the batteries. Just running the 650w milk frother draws around 50a which is too much for a battery bank my size, and Its done some damage to them already. Actually Havnt had a problem recharging though with the idc25. It's normally back on a float before midday on solar alone. That's a good price on the idc45, I think If/when i upgrade the charger I'd probably go for the enerdrive DC 40 just for the fact that it has the lithium charge algorithm.

[@davidmanning4047]

Got any plans for a full vehicle walk through of the dmax Cam? Would love to see the setup in detail.

[@WildTouring]

@@davidmanning4047 yes definitely on the cards sometime soon! I keep putting it off as I'm never really finished. But I'll pull my finger out and do the video of where it's at now.

[@aussiegruber86]

Just a handy thing to remember is that most standard AGM batteries are rated at a 20hr rating, for example your 240ah bank is good for 12ah draw over 20 hours, increasing the current draw will shorten the life of the batteries. Heat is also another factor, if your charging and draining batteries when they are hot this will decrease the life as well. Or buy a $240 king's 2kVa generator lol as mentioned above and save yourself $2k in Battery costs

[@GugaHornell]

Amazing setup! Would you be able to share your project scheme/drawings? If you have one. lol

[@leeriley66]

Mate I love your videos. Entertaining and informative. Keep it up.

[@Phil_McAvity]

Very enjoyable video. 12v always confuses the heck out of me.

[@jakkob489]

Absolute legend, great video.