Power system
Everything electrical lives in the locked cabinet. You will open it to flip breakers and read the display; anything beyond that is a job for VanBelkum or a qualified electrician.
How the system is laid out
| Part | What it does |
|---|---|
| Four 450 W solar panels | Charge the batteries whenever there is daylight. |
| MPPT solar charge controller | Converts panel output to the right charging voltage for the batteries. |
| Battery bank, 24 V | Lithium iron phosphate. Sized at 9.6, 14.4, or 19.2 kWh depending on your configuration. |
| Battery monitor | Tracks charge, voltage, and current through a shunt on the battery negative. |
| System controller with touch display | The screen on the cabinet door. Shows solar, battery, and load in real time and connects the trailer to the remote dashboard over cellular. |
| Inverter and 120 V outlet | A 500 W inverter feeds a standard household outlet on the cabinet for small tools or a laptop. |
| Shore-power input | A 110 V inlet that charges the batteries from any standard outlet or from the generator. |
| DC converters | Feed the camera network switch and the 12 V accessories such as strobes. |
The breakers
The rail carries one breaker per circuit. Typical layout, left to right; the labels inside your cabinet are the authority:
| Breaker | Circuit |
|---|---|
| Solar | Panels to the charge controller |
| Battery | Battery bank to the main bus |
| Inverter | The 120 V outlet |
| Controller | System controller and display |
| Network | Power to the camera switch |
| 12 V accessories | Strobes, siren, lighting |
| AC outlet | The inverter’s outlet |
Normal operation: Solar and Battery on, then Controller, Network, and any accessories you use. Shutdown or long storage: turn the load breakers off first, then Solar, then Battery.
Only a qualified electrician should troubleshoot or repair the electrical system. Before any service, turn off the solar, battery, and camera breakers and disconnect the panels and batteries. Never take power directly from the battery terminals, and never lay metal tools on them.
The touch display and the app
The display on the cabinet door shows solar watts coming in, battery voltage and state of charge, and what the loads are drawing. The same data is available on your phone:
- Install the VictronConnect app.
- Stand near the cabinet with the breakers on. The controller’s indicator flashes while it is discoverable.
- Connect to the charge controller or the system controller. The charge controller’s default PIN is 000000; if that fails, the PIN is printed on the device. The system controller’s PIN is on its label.
- Once the system controller is online over cellular, the same numbers appear on the remote dashboard from anywhere.
Keeping it charged
The array covers a two-to-four-camera load comfortably from spring through fall in Michigan. Winter deployments, or a full load of cameras, lights, and speakers, may need a periodic top-up.
- Watch the dashboard. It tracks charge level, solar input, and draw. Set an alert for a low-battery threshold so you plan ahead instead of reacting.
- Top up from shore power. Plug the charging cable into the cabinet’s 110 V inlet and any standard outlet. The batteries charge while the trailer keeps running.
- Or from the generator. Trailers with the onboard generator start it automatically at a low-battery voltage and stop it when the bank is full. See the Generator page.
The outlet
The outlet on the cabinet is fed by a 500 W inverter. Use it for a laptop, a phone charger, or a small tool. It is not sized for heaters, compressors, or anything with a motor larger than a drill.
If the trailer will sit unused for a long time, turn the battery breaker off. A slow drain over weeks can take the bank below where it can recover.