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2000w INVERTER | 200-400Ah Lithium | 200 TO 700W SOLAR Camper Wiring Diagram

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This DIY camper solar wiring diagram and parts list is perfect for ground-up electrical installs into campervans, skoolies, or expedition vehicles. This system is most suitable for systems that do not have a pre-existing house electrical system installed.

This diagram features:

  • 2000W Inverter Charger
  • 200+ Amp Hours of Battery Storage Capacity
  • 200W-700W Solar Array Capacity
  • Alternator Charging
  • Shore Power Charging/Passthrough

Not quite what you are looking for? Check out other system setups here: https://www.explorist.life/solarwiringdiagrams

History of Changes to this Page (Click to Expand)

Post Published August 10, 2020

TABLE OF CONTENTS

HOW TO USE THIS PAGE – VIDEO

This orientation video will show you how to best use this page to build your DIY Camper Solar Setup. It’s a quick watch but I think it’s pretty important.

DIY Camper Van Wiring Diagram

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE THE HI-RES PRINTABLE PDF OF THIS DIAGRAM

DIY Camper Solar Parts – Shopping List

The list below is a consolidated parts list for this entire system (Minus the solar charging leg, which is listed at the bottom of this blog post).

For the ‘Quantities’ in the below shopping list, each singular component is listed a quanty per each, wire is listed a quantity of feet, and heat shrink is listed as qty 1 = 2.25″.

For Example:

Qty 1 – Inverter Charger means you need to purchase 1 Inverter Charger

Qty 3 – 4/0 Wire means you need 3 feet of 4/0 wire. This may mean you need to buy 5ft from the product page

Qty 5 heat shrink means you need 5 pieces of 2.25″ heat shrink. This means you’ll need 5 x 2.25″ pieces of heat shrink for a total of 11.25″ of heat shrink.

ProductQtyLink
1/2" Black Heat Shrink10
1/2" Red Heat Shrink6
1/4" Black Heat Shrink6
10 AWG Ferrule6
10 AWG Triplex Wire10
100 Amp MEGA Fuse1
100Ah Battle Born Lithium Batteries4
2/0 Black Wire25
2/0 Red Wire15
2/0 x 3/8" Wire Lug2
2/0 x 5/16" Wire Lug24
2000W Victron Multiplus 12V1
3/4" Black Heat Shrink14
3/4" Red Heat Shrink12
300 Amp ANL Fuse1
300 Amp MEGA Fuse1
30A Shore Power Cord1
30A Shore Power Inlet1
50A Square D HOM AC Breaker1
6 AWG Black Wire31
6 AWG Ferrule11
6 AWG Red Wire30
6 AWG Triplex Wire10
6 AWG x 5/16" Wire Lug5
60 Amp MEGA Fuse1
60 Amp Terminal Fuse1
ANL Fuse Holder1
Lynx Adapter2
Lynx Distributor1
Master Disconnect1
Orion-Tr Smart 12/12-30A (360W) Isolated DC-DC charger1
Victron BMV-712 Battery Monitor1
WFCO AC-DC Distribution Panel1

Camper Solar Parts Detail

The section below will tell you where each of the parts from above fits into the wiring diagram. This is quite lengthy, but if you are having trouble seeing the diagram or just want more clarification that the diagram above doesn’t deliver, hopefully this will help:

Column AColumn BColumn C

Battery Bank Wiring
This section contains all of the parts necessary to wire the battery bank together. These products include the batteries as well as the related wiring parts that you will need to make the battery to battery connections.
ProductQtyLink
100Ah Battle Born Lithium Batteries4
2/0 Red Wire5
2/0 Black Wire5
2/0 x 5/16" Wire Lug12
3/4" Red Heat Shrink6
3/4" Black Heat Shrink6

Battery Bank to Busbars
This section contains all of the parts necessary to wire the battery bank to the main DC distribution busbar. The busbar itself as well as the shunt for the battery monitor and fuse mounted inside to the busbar protecting the positive wire from overcurrent can be found in this section. The busbar is essentially an extension of the battery terminals and allows you to deliver power where it needs to go and houses the fuses necessary to protect the wires leaving the busbar. The Battery monitor allows you to know how full your batteries are, know how much power you are actively gaining or losing, and see the historical data of your power usage.
ProductQtyLink
Lynx Distributor1
Victron BMV-712 Battery Monitor1
2/0 Red Wire5
2/0 Black Wire5
2/0 x 5/16" Wire Lug4
2/0 x 3/8" Wire Lug2
3/4" Red Heat Shrink4
3/4" Black Heat Shrink2
300 Amp ANL Fuse1
ANL Fuse Holder1
Lynx Adapter2
Master Disconnect1

Busbar to Inverter/Charger
This section contains the Inverter Charger and all of the parts necessary to wire the Inverter Charger to the Positive and Negative busbars. The Inverter Charger allows you to re-charge your batteries from 'shore power' and also converts the 12v DC power stored in your batteries to 120V AC power like you'd find in your standard household wall outlet.
ProductQtyLink
2000W Victron Multiplus 12V1
2/0 Red Wire5
2/0 Black Wire5
2/0 Black Wire5
2/0 x 5/16" Wire Lug6
3/4" Red Heat Shrink2
3/4" Black Heat Shrink4
300 Amp MEGA Fuse1

Busbar to B2B Charger
This section contains the battery to battery charger as well as the wiring that you need to connect the battery to battery charger to the positive and negative busbars. This will allow you to charge your house battery bank from the engine alternator.
ProductQtyLink
Orion-Tr Smart 12/12-30A (360W) Isolated DC-DC charger1
6 AWG Red Wire5
6 AWG Black Wire5
6 AWG x 5/16" Wire Lug2
6 AWG Ferrule2
1/2" Red Heat Shrink2
1/2" Black Heat Shrink2
60 Amp MEGA Fuse1

B2B Charger to Alternator
This section contains all of the wiring necessary to connect the battery to battery charger to the starting battery. This will allow you to charge your house battery bank from the engine alternator.
ProductQtyLink
6 AWG Red Wire15
6 AWG Black Wire16
6 AWG x 5/16" Wire Lug1
6 AWG Ferrule1
1/2" Red Heat Shrink2
60 Amp Terminal Fuse1

Busbar to DC Fuse Block
This section contains the DC fuse block (which is inside of the AC-DC distribution panel) as well as the wires to connect it to the main DC distribution busbars. This will allow you to deliver power to the DC Fuse block for small branch circuits such as lights, fans, usb outlets, etc..
ProductQtyLink
WFCO AC-DC Distribution Panel1
6 AWG Red Wire10
6 AWG Black Wire10
6 AWG x 5/16" Wire Lug2
6 AWG Ferrule2
1/2" Red Heat Shrink2
1/2" Black Heat Shrink2
100 Amp MEGA Fuse1

Busbar to Chassis Ground
This section includes the parts necessary to allow you to ground your negative busbar to the chassis ground. The chassis ground will be connected to the negative busbar on one side and the other side can go to a factory chassis ground or simply anywhere good metal to metal contact can be made between the wire lug and the bare metal of the body or frame of the camper.
ProductQtyLink
2/0 Black Wire5
2/0 x 5/16" Wire Lug2
3/4" Black Heat Shrink2

Shore Power to Inverter/Charger
This section includes the exterior shore power outlet and shore power cord that allows you to plug your camper into shore power as well as all of the wiring that allows you to connect the exterior shore power cord to your inverter charger. This will allow you to not only use shore power for powering your devices but also allow you to charge your batteries from shore power. Note: 10/3 w/ ground wire you will find at your local hardware store will very likely have 4 wires in it, which is unnecessary. The link for 10 AWG Triplex Wire below has 3 wires inside, which is correct for the application.
ProductQtyLink
30A Shore Power Inlet1
10 AWG Triplex Wire10
10 AWG Ferrule6
1/4" Black Heat Shrink6
30A Shore Power Cord1

Inverter Charger to AC Distribution
This section includes the wiring necessary to connect the inverter charger to the AC side of the AC-DC power distribution panel listed in an earlier section. A quick note... 6/3 stranded wire is used here because although our shore power is 30A max, which 10 gauge wire is adequate for, the PowerAssist function of the Victron Multiplus Inverter Charger can add up to 3000w of battery power to shore power in the event that more power than the shore power can provide is needed. This much power coming from the Inverter/Charger requires 6 gauge wire feeding a 50A main breaker in the AC distribution panel. Also... the 6/3 w/ ground wire you will find at your local hardware store will very likely have 4 wires in it, which is unnecessary. The link for 6 AWG Triplex Wire below has 3 wires inside, which is correct for the application.
ProductQtyLink
6 AWG Triplex Wire10
6 AWG Ferrule6
1/2" Black Heat Shrink6
50A Square D HOM AC Breaker1

Solar Charging Parts List & Wiring Diagrams

The following section provides you with several different options for solar charging. The above parts list can remain completely unchanged and the diagram above can remain mostly unchanged except for the alterations noted by the diagrams below, but whatever solar array setup you choose below for your needs, these parts will need to be added to your shopping list. These are broken up by total solar wattage. As a general rule, you want to have twice as many watts of solar as you do amp hours of batteries. So, 300Ah Batteries = 600W solar. 400Ah Batteries = 800W solar. 600Ah Batteries = 1200W of solar. This is just a rule of thumb. Not a law.

400 Watts – 4x100W Solar Panels (Click to Expand)
Column AColumn BColumn C
This section contains all of the parts necessary to wire 4x100w solar panels into your camper electrical system as shown in the diagram above and must be added to the master shopping list at the top of this blog post. There are three options for solar panels in this list and they will all work well for this particular diagram. Choose your solar panels based on their physical dimensions and which ones work with your own specific setup. The dimensions are listed on their respective product pages. This solar array is managed by the SmartSolar MPPT 100/30 and remaining products include the wires, solar disconnect breaker, solar disconnect breaker box, lugs, ferrules, heat shrink and everything else needed to make the full solar panel array to busbar assembly. This parts list does not include means to attach the solar panels to the roof as that veries GREATLY from install to install.
ProductQtyLink
100w Rich Solar Panels4
100w NewPowa Solar Panels4
100w Renogy Solar Panels4
SmartSolar MPPT 100/301
10 AWG Red Wire30
10 AWG Black Wire30
MC4 Connectors6
2-to-1 MC4 Combiner1
Roof Entry Gland1
Solar Disconnect Breaker1
Din Rail Breaker Box1
10 AWG Ferrule6
6 AWG Ferrule2
6 AWG Red Wire2
6 AWG Black Wire4
6 AWG x 5/16" Wire Lug3
6 AWG x 1/4" Wire Lug1
1/4" Red Heat Shrink3
1/4" Black Heat Shrink3
1/2" Red Heat Shrink2
1/2" Black Heat Shrink4
50 Amp MEGA Fuse1
600 Watts – 6x100W Solar Panels (Click to Expand)
Column AColumn BColumn C
This section contains all of the parts necessary to wire 6x100w solar panels into your camper electrical system as shown in the diagram above and must be added to the master shopping list at the top of this blog post. There are three options for solar panels in this list and they will all work well for this particular diagram. Choose your solar panels based on their physical dimensions and which ones work with your own specific setup. The dimensions are listed on their respective product pages. This solar array is managed by the Victron SmartSolar MPPT 100|50 and remaining products include the wires, solar disconnect breaker, solar disconnect breaker box, lugs, ferrules, heat shrink and everything else needed to make the full solar panel array to busbar assembly. This parts list does not include means to attach the solar panels to the roof as that veries GREATLY from install to install.
ProductQtyLink
100w Rich Solar Panels4
100w NewPowa Solar Panels4
100w Renogy Solar Panels4
Victron SmartSolar MPPT 100|501
10 AWG Red Wire30
10 AWG Black Wire30
MC4 Connectors8
2-to-1 MC4 Combiner1
Roof Entry Gland1
Solar Disconnect Breaker1
Din Rail Breaker Box1
10 AWG Ferrule6
6 AWG Ferrule2
6 AWG Red Wire2
6 AWG Black Wire4
6 AWG x 5/16" Wire Lug3
6 AWG x 1/4" Wire Lug1
1/4" Red Heat Shrink3
1/4" Black Heat Shrink3
1/2" Red Heat Shrink2
1/2" Black Heat Shrink4
80 Amp MEGA Fuse1
600 Watts – 3x200W Solar Panels (Click to Expand)
Column AColumn BColumn C
This section contains all of the parts necessary to wire 3x200w solar panels into your camper electrical system as shown in the diagram above and must be added to the master shopping list at the top of this blog post. There are two options for solar panels in this list and they will all work well for this particular diagram. Choose your solar panels based on their physical dimensions and which ones work with your own specific setup. The dimensions are listed on their respective product pages. This solar array is managed by the Victron SmartSolar MPPT 100|50 and remaining products include the wires, solar disconnect breaker, solar disconnect breaker box, lugs, ferrules, heat shrink and everything else needed to make the full solar panel array to busbar assembly. This parts list does not include means to attach the solar panels to the roof as that veries GREATLY from install to install.
ProductQtyLink
200w Rich Solar Panels3
200w NewPowa Solar Panels3
Victron SmartSolar MPPT 100|501
10 AWG Red Wire30
10 AWG Black Wire30
MC4 Connectors4
Roof Entry Gland1
Solar Disconnect Breaker1
Din Rail Breaker Box1
10 AWG Ferrule6
6 AWG Ferrule2
6 AWG Red Wire2
6 AWG Black Wire4
6 AWG x 5/16" Wire Lug3
6 AWG x 1/4" Wire Lug1
1/4" Red Heat Shrink3
1/4" Black Heat Shrink3
1/2" Red Heat Shrink2
1/2" Black Heat Shrink4
80 Amp MEGA Fuse1

Order of Operations for DIY Camper Solar Install

This list is a rough guideline of what order things need to be connected for systems using this wiring diagram. THERE IS MORE TO KNOW about this process, though, in the user manual for each component. READ THE USER MANUAL FOR EACH COMPONENT as this ‘order of operations’ does NOT supersede anything in the user manual.

  • Arrange all parts & components where they will be mounted
  • Mount & secure all components to the wall/enclosure as necessary (EXCEPT Lynx Distributor)
  • Wire battery bank together
  • Assemble Lynx Distributor, master disconnect switch & shunt assembly
  • Mount Lynx Distributor to wall/enclosure
  • Verify Main switch is in the “OFF” position
  • Wire Positive wire from Lynx Distributor to Main fuse
  • Wire Positive Wire from Main fuse to Battery Bank
  • Wire Negative Wire from Shunt to Battery Bank
  • Connect negative wires from Lynx Distributor to Inverter/Charger, Charge Controller & 12V Fuse Block
  • Install fuses inside of Lynx Distributor
  • Connect Positive Wires from Lynx Distributor to Inverter/Charger, Charge Controller & 12V Fuse Block
  • Connect Positive Wire from Lynx Distributor to B1 Terminal on Shunt
  • Verify dual-pole disconnect switch for solar array is ‘off’
  • Connect Charge Controller to Dual Pole Solar Disconnect
  • Connect wires going to solar array to dual pole disconnect
  • Cover Solar Panels with Cardboard
  • Connect solar array together (Order does not particularly matter)
  • Remove Cardboard from Solar Panels
  • Verify proper solar array voltage at dual pole solar disconnect
  • Remove ‘wire bridge’ on Victron Orion DC DC Charger
  • Connect positive & negative wire from Orion to Starting Battery pos & neg (as per user manual)
  • Adjust Orion Output Voltage Setting as appropriate in Victron Connect app
  • Connect 10/3 wire from shore power inlet to Inverter/Charger
  • Connect 6/3 wire from Inverter/Charger to AC Breaker Box
  • Verify all 120V breakers in breaker box are ‘off’.
  • Connect AC Branch Circuits to AC Breaker Box if not already connected
  • Connect DC Branch Circuits to 12V Fuse Block if not already connected
  • Connect RJ-11 cable & BMV-712 Monitor Gauge to Shunt
  • Verify proper voltage between main fuse & shunt (Approximately 12V-14V)
  • TRIPLE CHECK THAT ALL WIRES ARE CONNECTED, POS (+) TO POS (+) & NEG (-) TO NEG (-) (except series wired solar panels) AND CONNECTED TO THEIR PROPER PLACES IN THE COMPONENTS AS PER THEIR USER MANUAL
  • Turn on Master Disconnect Switch
  • Turn on Dual Pole Solar Disconnect
  • Replace wire bridge in Orion
  • Turn Inverter/Charger ‘On’.
  • Turn on Main AC Breaker in Breaker box & Branch Circuit breakers
  • Configure system charging through the parameters as per user manual of each component


Stuart

Saturday 24th of September 2022

Hi Nate In the diagram for 600 W solar S/P configuration. Is 10AWG the correct guage to use on the 2 wires coming from the branch connectors to the breaker as I thought voltage would be increased. Cheers

Stuart

Mike Goodman

Sunday 18th of September 2022

Hi Nate,

Absolutely fabulous diagrams and instruction. I purchased the diagram in 2020 and have been using it with the only modification being the positive and negative bus bars (you changed to the Victron as I was doing this instead of the Victron Lynx distributor unit) since May of 2021 for more the 25,000 miles. It works absolutely perfectly when boondocking (no shore power).

I'm having one problem that I can't puzzle out.

When I connect to shore power (30A) I set the inverter to charger only. The only way I get power is with the battery switch switched off. When there is a voltage drop from shore power (when, for example, a class A turns on its three air conditioners), the voltage drops and the system shuts down for 30 seconds to a minute. I've tried keeping the inverter on when connected to shore power, but that doesn't solve the problem as it is even more sensitive to voltage fluctuation.

This may be unrelated, but I don't understand how the battery gets charging power with the battery switch turned off. I'm not sure it does. My supposition is that power can't flow both directions.

I've read that a power autoformer could solve this problem, but I'd rather not go that route as we are not on shore power all the time.

Thanks again, Mike

Rodrigo

Thursday 25th of August 2022

I have a 4x200w panels w/ 2x200ah lithium batteries. Panels in series parallel and batteries in series creating a 24v system. How should I upgrade it? Adding 2x200w panels, don't know how to connect them to the existing system. All-in-one system that can handle upgrade. What upgrade would y advise or how to connect. I truly appreciate your help

Brando

Wednesday 24th of August 2022

This wiring diagram enables power from the Orion to feedback through the lynx distributor and potentially kill someone servicing the system thinking the master switch has cut power to the inverter and DC system. Even with the master switch in the off position all someone would have to do is connect a charger to the starter battery or start the engine to trigger the Orion to start charging the house batteries through the Lynx distributor which in return would energize the entire house DC system and inverter if left in the on position.

Richard Baxter

Thursday 4th of August 2022

Nate, Question from the 22nd still "pending". I've ordered 144 Sprinter for maybe November delivery. Looking to get a head start on some aspects of the build, including electrical system.

Thanks, Richard