110Ah AGM
The energy store at the centre of Vanilla's 12V leisure system.
NIX TECH · VANILLAGIVING
GIVING
VANILLA
A BRAIN.
The next upgrade isn't another battery or another solar panel. It's about understanding exactly what the electrical system is doing, wherever Vanilla happens to be.
PROJECT: CERBO GX MK2 + VICTRON VRM · PLANNEDFROM “WHAT'S THE BATTERY DOING?”
TO ACTUAL ANSWERS.
Vanilla already has a substantial Victron-based leisure electrical system. When I am standing near the van, Bluetooth and VictronConnect let me inspect the individual smart devices. Useful—but Bluetooth does not reach from the drive to wherever I happen to be sitting with my Mac.
The plan is to install a Victron Cerbo GX MK2 and connect Vanilla to Victron Remote Monitoring, or VRM. The Cerbo will become the communications hub: collecting data from compatible equipment and sending it across Vanilla's internet connection to VRM. Once installed, I should be able to check the system from my iPhone, iPad or Mac instead of peering into a cupboard like a worried ship's engineer.
WHAT VANILLA
ALREADY HAS.
Victron SmartShunt
Measures voltage and every amp entering or leaving the battery, then calculates state of charge, consumed amp-hours and time remaining.
SmartSolar MPPT 75/15
Finds the solar panel's most productive operating point and converts that available energy into a battery-friendly charge.
Orion-Tr Smart 30A
Charges the leisure battery from the vehicle electrical system while Vanilla is moving. This older model has no VE.Direct data port.
OBSERVED THROUGH THE SMARTSHUNTBlue Smart IP65 12/10
Vanilla's Bluetooth-enabled 230V mains charger. It also has no VE.Direct connection to the Cerbo.
OBSERVED THROUGH THE SMARTSHUNTPOWER AND DATA.
DIFFERENT ROADS.
The Cerbo is a monitor and communications hub. The main charging current does not pass through it.
Solar · Alternator · EHU→Charge controllers→110Ah AGM battery→Vanilla's 12V loads
SmartShuntVE.DirectSmartSolar 75/15VE.Direct
↓CERBO GX MK2↓ Wi-FiVANILLA INTERNET → VICTRON VRM → iPHONE · iPAD · MACVANILLA — POWER STATUS.
VANILLA'S
ELECTRICAL LOGBOOK.
A percentage at one moment is useful. A history tells the story: what happened overnight, what the sun put back, what driving contributed and whether my assumptions survive contact with the evidence.
68%MIN89%AVG100%MAX
ILLUSTRATIVE DATADON'T GUESS.
MEASURE IT.
VRM history can be viewed remotely and exported in CSV or Excel formats. That opens the door to proper NIX analysis rather than relying on campsite folklore and an optimistic glance at the voltage.
01Daily and overnight consumption02Solar harvested—and the worst solar day03How often the AGM falls below 70%04How quickly driving replenishes the battery05How effective EHU charging is06The fridge's share of the load07Realistic off-grid endurance08Whether more solar would materially help09When lithium becomes worth the money
NIX VANILLA
POWER.
Once genuine VRM history exists, the demonstration cards can give way to a dedicated NixDrones dashboard—live status, today, seven days, thirty days and the whole system at a glance.
SOC · voltage · current · solar · load · last update
Solar generated · energy used · low/high SOC
SOC history · solar history · consumption
Totals · averages · endurance estimate
SmartShunt · SmartSolar · Orion · Blue Smart · Cerbo
NEXT STEPADDING
ADDING
KNOWLEDGE.
Campervan electrical upgrades are normally about adding capacity: a bigger battery, more solar or a stronger charger. This one is different. Once the Cerbo GX and VRM are running, I won't have to wonder how Vanilla's electrical system is coping. I'll have the data.
Install the Cerbo GX, connect Vanilla to VRM, and start collecting some real data.TO BE CONTINUED…