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Posted on Last updated: Categories Wiring Diagrams

By: Author Nate Yarbrough

3000w INVERTER | 400-600Ah | 400 TO 1200W SOLAR -CAMPER SOLAR KIT

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3000w INVERTER | 400-600Ah | 400 TO 1200W SOLAR -CAMPER SOLAR KIT

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:

  • 3000W Inverter Charger
  • 400+ Amp Hours of Battery Storage Capacity
  • 400W-1200W 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

TABLE OF CONTENTS

History of Changes to this Page (Click to Expand)

Changes Made July 17th, 2020: Changed main DC Distribution busbars to be the Victron Lynx Distributor system instead of the EXPLORIST.life busbar. The EXPLORIST.life busbar is still available to be a DIY solution but I simply could not keep up with the demand for making these. Building busbars was taking up so much time I was having to neglect producing more videos and blog posts, which is what EXPLORIST.life is really about. The Victron Lynx Distributor is an all in one DC distribution unit that houses the fuses, positive and negative busbars needed to take the power from your battery bank to your individual main components. This product is an EXTREMELY elegant solution I think you will be very happy with. I also added an inline fuse and fuse holder between the battery bank and Victron Lynx as well as an inline switch. If you have any questions, as always, leave them in the comments below.

Changes made to diagram July 8, 2020: Changed equipment case ground wires to daisy chain back to the negative busbar instead of each having their own individual runs all the way back to the negative busbar. This results in less wire used, less clutter, and more free space at the negative busbar. I also removed the 300 amp terminal block at the house battery in favor of a 400 amp ANL fuse attached to the busbar. The 300 amp terminal block is adequate but I have heard of isolated events of this fuse blowing prematurely. When a 3000w Inverter is running at full capacity, it could be pulling near 250 amps. At surge capacity and heavy DC loads from around the camper, it’s possible the 300 amp terminal fuse could blow under normal, safe operation. If you are reading this and already have a 300 amp terminal fuse attached to the house battery bank; you do not need to replace it UNLESS it starts blowing prematurely. Finally, the 50A terminal fuse attached to the house battery bank protecting the wire going to the battery to battery charger was replaced with a 60A terminal fuse as I could not find a 50A terminal fuse in stock. If you have a 50A terminal fuse in that location, that’s completely fine and you need to make no changes.

Changes made to the parts lists July 8, 2020: A complete audit of all of the parts on this page was performed. Supply chain issues took a toll on this page recently and left many of my links incorrect. I have found a way to keep up with my links in a much easier way I have been doing in the past which means the links on this page should be MUCH more accurate going forward. Also, I added MULTIPLE different solar wiring examples to the bottom of this page so you can choose which solar configuration suits your own needs rather than providing a crash course in solar array design as that was proving to be too complex and therefore leaving the ‘done for you’ nature of this blog post lacking.

This page was originally published February 27, 2020

Thanks for your patience with these changes. I’m constantly trying to find better ways to teach this stuff and these parts lists and diagrams will be continuously optimized over time. -Nate

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
100 Amp MEGA Fuse1
100Ah Battle Born Lithium Batteries6
3/4" Black Heat Shrink18
3/4" Red Heat Shrink16
30 Amp Shore Power Cord1
30 Amp Shore Power Outlet1
3000W Victron Multiplus 12V1
4/0 Black Wire25
4/0 Red Wire15
4/0 x 3/8" Wire Lug2
4/0 x 5/16" Wire Lug32
400 Amp ANL Fuse1
400 Amp MEGA Fuse1
50A Square D HOM AC Breaker1
6 AWG Black Wire30
6 AWG Ferrule11
6 AWG Red Wire30
6 AWG x 5/16" Wire Lug5
60 Amp MEGA Fuse1
60 Amp Terminal Fuse1
Heavy Duty ANL Fuse Holder1
Lynx Adapter2
Master Disconnect1
Victron BMV-712 Battery Monitor1
Victron Lynx Distributor1
Victron Orion Smart 12|12 - 30A1
WFCO AC-DC Distribution Panel1
#N/A
#N/A

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 Batteries6
4/0 Red Wire5
4/0 Black Wire5
4/0 x 5/16" Wire Lug20
3/4" Red Heat Shrink10
3/4" Black Heat Shrink10

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
Victron Lynx Distributor1
Victron BMV-712 Battery Monitor1
4/0 Red Wire5
4/0 Black Wire5
4/0 x 5/16" Wire Lug4
4/0 x 3/8" Wire Lug2
3/4" Red Heat Shrink4
3/4" Black Heat Shrink2
400 Amp ANL Fuse1
Heavy Duty 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
3000W Victron Multiplus 12V1
4/0 Red Wire5
4/0 Black Wire5
4/0 Black Wire5
4/0 x 5/16" Wire Lug6
3/4" Red Heat Shrink2
3/4" Black Heat Shrink4
400 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
Victron Orion Smart 12|12 - 30A1
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 Wire15
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
4/0 Black Wire5
4/0 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
30 Amp Shore Power Outlet1
10 AWG Triplex Wire10
10 AWG Ferrule6
1/4" Black Heat Shrink6
30 Amp 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 – 12V Battery Bank (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 Victron 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
Victron SmartSolar MPPT 100|301
10 AWG Red Wire30
10 AWG Black Wire30
MC4 Connectors6
2-to-1 MC4 Combiner1
Roof Entry Gland1
63A 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- 12V Battery Bank (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
63A 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- 12V Battery Bank (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
63A 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
800 Watts – 4x200W Solar Panels- 12V Battery Bank (Click to Expand)
Column AColumn BColumn C
This section contains all of the parts necessary to wire 4x200w 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 150|85 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 Panels4
200w NewPowa Solar Panels4
Victron SmartSolar MPPT 150|851
10 AWG Red Wire30
10 AWG Black Wire30
MC4 Connectors4
Roof Entry Gland1
63A Solar Disconnect Breaker1
Din Rail Breaker Box1
10 AWG Ferrule6
2 AWG Ferrule2
2 AWG Red Wire2
2 AWG Black Wire4
2 AWG x 5/16" Wire Lug3
2 AWG x 1/4" Wire Lug1
1/4" Red Heat Shrink3
1/4" Black Heat Shrink3
3/4" Red Heat Shrink2
3/4" Black Heat Shrink4
100 Amp MEGA Fuse1
1000 Watts – 5x200W Solar Panels- 12V Battery Bank (Click to Expand)
Column AColumn BColumn C
This section contains all of the parts necessary to wire 5x200w 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 150|100 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 Panels5
200w NewPowa Solar Panels5
Victron SmartSolar MPPT 150|1001
10 AWG Red Wire30
10 AWG Black Wire30
MC4 Connectors6
Roof Entry Gland1
63A Solar Disconnect Breaker1
Din Rail Breaker Box1
10 AWG Ferrule6
2 AWG Ferrule2
2 AWG Red Wire2
2 AWG Black Wire4
2 AWG x 5/16" Wire Lug3
2 AWG x 1/4" Wire Lug1
1/4" Red Heat Shrink3
1/4" Black Heat Shrink3
3/4" Red Heat Shrink2
3/4" Black Heat Shrink4
150 Amp MEGA Fuse1

1200 Watts – 4x300W Solar Panels- 12V Battery Bank (Click to Expand)
Column AColumn BColumn C
This section contains all of the parts necessary to wire 4x300w 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 150|100 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
300w Renogy Solar Panels4
Victron SmartSolar MPPT 150|1001
10 AWG Red Wire30
10 AWG Black Wire30
MC4 Connectors7
2-to-1 MC4 Combiner1
Roof Entry Gland1
63A Solar Disconnect Breaker1
Din Rail Breaker Box1
10 AWG Ferrule6
2 AWG Ferrule2
2 AWG Red Wire2
2 AWG Black Wire4
2 AWG x 5/16" Wire Lug3
2 AWG x 1/4" Wire Lug1
1/4" Red Heat Shrink3
1/4" Black Heat Shrink3
3/4" Red Heat Shrink2
3/4" Black Heat Shrink4
150 Amp MEGA Fuse1
15A MC4 Fuse2

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

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