Finishing off the wiring was a big milestone in the build for a couple reasons. Firstly, it meant that I had finalized the number, type, and locations of electrical peripherals (USB ports & Lights) in the van. Secondly, it meant that I was committing to a rough van layout, as the USB ports were going to be mounted inside cabinetry. I’ll let the videos below do most of the deeper dive into the design of the system.
Notes on selecting wiring:
Chief amongst my concerns when planning this out was making sure that the wires would be able to handle the load I was placing on them. As I researched this, I found out that there were a ton of variables involved in determining what gauge of wire to purchase, such as:
- Whether the wire would be behind insulation.
- Whether the wire would be bundled with other wires.
- The length of the wire.
- The average duration that a load would be placed on the wire.
- The startup current for the peripheral (which could be higher than the steady state draw).
Because I had no experience with wiring 12V systems, I decided to overrate everything and went with 12 AWG marine grade wire and plastic split loom to house it and prevent abrasion. This was definitely overkill and more pricey than it needed to be, but I’m confident that I won’t have any issues with overheating wiring in the future.