NCV3 house battery tray design & group buy?

hein

Van Guru
Did you use equal length cable runs to both battery banks, even with the brains closer to the passenger bank? I'm considering a similar setup, and wondering if I need to coil up some thick wire on the closer side for equal voltage drop.
I paralleled the two banks together under the van but the cables are not equal length. It was a compromise. All cables are 4/0 welding cable so hopefully the voltage drop at typical charging currents isn't a lot.

Where do I purchase a battery holder?
There are links to our ebay store at DIYvan.com
Have questions? We encourage you to call or write

Any plans on production for a battery tray (2 6v golf cart) for the T1Ns?
Not at This time. Although our boxes can be adapted to fit other vehicles. we would be happy to supply overal dimensions if that helps you.
 

Eka

New member
I paralleled the two banks together under the van but the cables are not equal length. It was a compromise. All cables are 4/0 welding cable so hopefully the voltage drop at typical charging currents isn't a lot.
...
Not at This time. Although our boxes can be adapted to fit other vehicles. we would be happy to supply overal dimensions if that helps you.
I try to make sure each battery sees the same current draw during discharge, and same voltage during charging. If you link them in parallel in the same order for positive and negative wires and draw off one end of the battery bank, the one electrically farthest away will see a lower draw, and lower charging voltage. If on the other hand you connect them up in opposite order, then they all have the same electrical distance from the draw or charger, and thus share the load evenly. This means you take the positive from battery #4, and the negative from battery #1.

Code:
   B+1--B+2---------B+3--B+4----(+)-draw
/--B-1--B-2---------B-3--B-4
|
\----------------(-)-draw
Even though there is a long gap between batteries 2 and 3, they all still are the same electrical distance from the draw or charger. The wire distances for + and - wires from the battery bank to the draw or charger don't matter except for line loss.

I'm curious about the sizes of the under body spaces like where you have the battery boxes. Even though they don't have frame protection, they can be handy for installing equipment and tanks. With the proper housing even an inverter and battery charger could go in a space like that.
 
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andrisp

Member
Hi,
I'm trying to design battery tray like this by myself. Actually got one already manufactured, but failed to take into the account closeness to the catalytic converter. My current clearance between tray and the battery tray is around 2.5cm, which is too tight. I'm already planning to redesign the tray to hold the batteries upside so I could improve the clearance to around 7cm (but I'll sacrifice clearance to ground; in my previous design batteries were meant to be mounted side ways).

hein, have you or your clients experienced problems with heat by mounting the tray next to catalytic converter?

My thread about my tray: https://sprinter-source.com/forum/showthread.php?t=70786
 

hein

Van Guru
We don't experience any problems with our boxes. It's a well proven design. Our battery boxes are positioned well clear of the exhaust and CAT. Some of our professional up-fitters are putting LiFePO batteries (Battleborn) in our boxes. With 3M Thinsulate(TM) around them for insulation. A 12V heating wrap can also be added. I had a look at your thread and does appear very close not only for heat but perhaps mechanical contact. As mentioned, insulation and a heat shield would help.

All the best,
Hein
 

HarryN

Well-known member
The Lifeline GPL-31xt is 12.9 long vs the GPL-27T appears to be 12.1.

Any chance of them fitting?

2 trays (one on each side) would make a nice 500 amp-hr pack. (100 amp-hr gain in capacity)

NC3 170

Would appreciate any feedback.
 

hein

Van Guru
Hello Harry,

Thank you for asking about our battery boxes. We would be honored to have you on our up-fitter list. We appreciate the help you provide on the forums. Please call Kim (54l-49O-4292) to get setup. You'll get discounted pricing. We also develop custom products for some of our larger clients.

The Lifeline GPL-31xt is 12.9 long vs the GPL-27T appears to be 12.1. Any chance of them fitting?
The inside of our 'fits-all-sprinter" battery boxes is 12.25" This is our most popular model as it fits all Sprinter NCV3 vans. But only on one side so just 2 batteries with this configuration. 220AH is plenty for most. We recommend using two FullRiver DC220-6 group 27 6V batteries in this box.

It is located underneath directly behind driver. This enables a short run of cables to the seat pedestal (for the DC-DC connection) and to the much used location for inverter and 12V panel inside behind the driver. (located on back of seat pedestal or on lower wall)

Related to this box, we produce solid panels for the lower wall openings behind the driver. Our sub-woofer panels (first position, 2nd position) for these locations are quite popular and we run those same parts without holes for mounting electrical components. The 3/4" thick material we use is expanded PVC so will not rot or split. Holds screws extremely well which is great for mounting heavier electrical components. Non conductive too. Our panels fit into the wall so the front face is flush with the sheetmetal so they don't interfere with attaching wall panels. I'll run some today and post some photos to show how it they look.

We also produce battery boxes specifically designed to fit the 170WB 2500 and 3500. These are 10.625" wide so not designed for a group 27 but for a GC-2. This is due to space limitations. These and the 'fits-all-sprinter' version are deep enough for the largest (tallest) 250Ah CG2 batteries. GC2 batteries all share the same foot print but get taller as capacity increases.

The battery boxes for the 170 Sprinters locate just ahead of the rear wheels and can be mounted on either or both sides. So a total of 500Ah is possible and what we have in our Sprinter.

We feel it is vitally important to make every effort to maintain the stability of the vehicle as we add the weight of the build. That is why we place batteries between the axles and not behind them. And under the vehicle to help counter act the instability we get from placing weight up on the roof and high inside.

We really like the FullRiver batteries we get from NWBattery Supply in Portland, OR. Call and talk to Keith and tell him we sent you. You'll get a better price.

All the best,
Hein
DIYvan
 
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HarryN

Well-known member
Hello Hein,

Thanks for the offer.

As you know, we are primarily a "system and kit supplier" of our 1x1, 2x2 and other more powerful AGM and LiFe battery system level products.

The focus is to provide customers with a "drop in electrical system" that saves them time in their build.

None of our products are internally 12 volts and most are 48 volt battery based pack systems. As a result, our solutions pretty much always require a 4 battery solution.

The minimum system size (other than the 1x1) is 4 x size 27s and we are moving toward more capacity.

We only do electrical installations that related to our system sales, not generic van upfitting and most of our sales are to other installers and DIYers.

We do desire a 4 x 31XTs under the van option, but they don't need to be in one tray. I know that in the past you were not in a position to support a custom version, but I will call and discuss what is possible now.

Our focus is on the "performance end" of the market,and we try to use domestically produced components when possible. In order to meet the specs for our AGM based product line, we work directly with Lifeline as the full rivers are not able to support the currents required (and are not a domestic battery).

I do appreciate that it isn't so easy to mount things under these vans - and that the product volumes needed to make it worth while are not always so easy to achieve.

Thanks

Harry
 
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