2021 Tab 400 Battery and Inverter box pics

rhyno

Could one of you current 2021 400 owners post pics of the battery and inverter compartments? I'm pre-ordering my Victron BMV-712 while we wait for our TAB and want to get an idea of how I need to wire it into the system.

I found this pic in the forum but I'm looking for more of an overhead shot of then two bins if anyone happens to have one.

pthomas745

Here is a thread with other threads inside it that might have what you are looking for.  (You may have already found them, however!)

https://tab-rv.vanillacommunity.com/discussion/11666/installing-victron-bmv-712-t-b-400-2019

rhyno

Thanks @pthomas745 but I had looked through previous posts and cannot find better overhead pics of the battery and inverter compartments specific to the 2021 Tab 400. The best pic I could find so far is in my post above. 

Denny16

You only really have one option, the BMV 712 uses a Shunt, which needs to be close to the battery, and you may have space in the back compartment by the inverter or the adjacent to the battery distribution box (nüCamp keeps moving this around), which connects to the battery.  You can disconnect the black battery cable from this junction box and connect it to the shunt.  Then connect the shunt to the distribution box, basically putting the shunt between the battery negative/black connection and the distribution box.

 You will need a cable, same wire gauge as battery wire, to go from the shunt to the distribution box where the battery black wire was connected. 

As nüCamp makes minor tweaks in mid production, the battery connection arrangement on an early 2021 TaB 400 might be different from what you may get. 
Cheers

Boomerb77

Here is my final install pic.

Edited to resize photo.

rhyno

thanks @Boomerb77 - that's exactly what I was looking for!

kbdigitiqe

@Boomerb77 do you have a link for the extra negative cable you bought? Pls and thx

bergger

If you have an auto parts store nearby go get any standard negative 4AWG or 2AEG car battery cable.  They all sell them.  You just need to know what length you need based on where you put the shunt but it should not need to be too long.  I think I got a 4 foot cable when I did mine and picked it up at AutoZone.

ColoradoSun

I installed the BMV-712 shunt in the battery compartment on the back wall to the right of the batteries (passenger side). It can be done but i think the location in the compartment with the inverter would be easier (as shown by Boomerb77). Either way it is a tight spot and drilling a simple hole is difficult.

dlb

I mounted my BMV-712 on the back wall of the inverter compartment and have the display mounted on the back wall of the storage compartment where I can see it when I open the outside hatch.  The surge protector and monitor are mounted there as well.  It is an easy place to check when you set up camp and once all is well the battery/solar can be easily monitored from my phone.

rhyno

Finished the BMV-712 installation this evening. Easy peasy. 

ColoradoSun

Nice work. Where did you place the display unit?

rhyno

@ColoradoSun Thank you!

I placed the cable bundle for the display inside the small compartment to the left that contains the distribution block. There is an area that it fits into nicely where it is out of the way of everything. I have the display loose for now inside the storage compartment. I did not want to mount the display permanently just yet until I see how reliable the bluetooth connectivity is. TBH I doubt I will use the display and probably should have just bought the standalone smartshunt.

NorCalMike

Are those small gage red wires connected to a battery monitor or what?

rhyno

@NorCalMike the small red wires are for the shunt's power (L) and midpoint monitoring (R).

Denny16

Nice job @rhyno but you should have put a rubber grommet or wire gland in the new hole you drilled for the red and black wires.  You have lost your air seal on the battery box.  At a minimum, I would add some electrical tape to the red wires where they pass through the box, to prevent chafing on the edges of the box hole (which are sharp).
cheers

rhyno

Good tip @Denny16. I'll get that taken care of. 

kbdigitiqe

@rhyno those are the stock AGM batteries yes?

rhyno

@kbdigitiqe yes stock Harris 224Ah AGMs. 

kmulh

@Boomerb77 What screws did you use to mount the shunt? I'm not sure what's in the compartment on the other side and don't want to go through anything vital with a drill or self tapping screw. 

Denny16

Rhyno’s install is on the back,of,the Inverter area.  That is a void space where the Alde rear convectors are located.  You have at least 4-6 inches inside this spot.  I would just use (and did) #10 or #8, 3/4” stainless sheet metal screws with a oval or flat head.  Just drill a pilot hole about 3/8th inches deep.  You can use masking tape to make a flag on the drill bit to judge the depth.
cheers

TomCanada

@Denny16 I think the photo @kmulh was referring to showed the shunt installed on the side of the inverter box not the back.  

4ncar

FYI : the blue tooth transmitter of the 712 shunt is located in the dial. If you can place the dial close to the front of the trailer, you may be able to access the BT monitor from the cab of your tv. Those of us with the 3 way fridge will find this useful as you will be able to see if you tv is keeping up with the draw that the fridge has while in 12v mode.

Denny16

TomCanada said:

@Denny16 I think the photo @kmulh was referring to showed the shunt installed on the side of the inverter box not the back.  

The plywood is 1/2-inch, and the shunt base around 1/4 inch, so again, 5/8ths to 3/4 inch screws should work.  The inside panel has the battery distribution block, which is square and centered in the space.  Boomerb77 mounted his towards the back,of this area, so I do not think there is anything but air behind this spot, could be some wires in there, so again do not drill all the way through.
cheers

ColoradoSun

So far I have found the Victron app and Bluetooth connection to the Victron BMV712 device to be very reliable and easy to use. In my case the display unit is temporaily in the battery compartment and I have been able to link to it from the cab of the truck and even from inside our house.

ChrisFix

In case anyone is interested, here is an alternative location to install a Battery Monitor Shunt (Victron SmartShunt 500 in my case) in a 2021 400.
I installed mine to the battery distribution box in the small compartment between the outside storage bin and the inverter/battery box/under-bed storage area.
This leaves the battery box unmolested and doesn't require any holes to be drilled. 
I did it primarily to leave all the room in the battery box (which is where I was going to initially install it) for a potential upgrade to two 100AH lithium batteries, which will take up all the battery box space.

The Smartshunt 500 has tons of reviews about bad bluetooth range, but mine works great - anywhere within the 400 has strong reception, and around the outside of 400 except for directly in front of it.
Very happy with the functionality and ease of installation. The only thing needed besides the Victron SmartShunt 500 was a 24" 4 AWG battery cable from Advance Auto ($10, stranded copper) to connect the load side of the shunt back to the distribution box. 

CJax

Nice @ChrisFix! Kudos.

BlueYonder

Here’s where I put ours. Requires new 24” 4 AWG battery cable

Viajero

Hi folks. Our 2022 400 arrives in Feb. Four questions. 

1 Where is the catastrophic fuse for that inverter. 

2. What receptacles are supplied by the inverter. I know one beside the bed. How about the microwave or bathroom.

3. Is the charge line from the 7 pin connector of the tow vehicle a decent size gauge in the trailer?  Our back up battery is the tow vehicles (Tesla) 82 KWH traction battery via the cars 12 volt system. We would only do that in a pinch but voltage drop between the car and the dual 6 volt AGM’s is a concern. I am thinking of using a renogy 9 amp dc to dc charger so a decent voltage is applied to the 6 volts. If it’s too small a gauge wire I would just run a thicker line to the tongue. 

4. What kind of quality are the stock Harris batteries?  

Thanks in advance. Great forum. 

John

Denny16

The Inverter fuse is inside the divider between the battery compartment and the outside storage compartment ( shown in ChrisFix post above, first photo.  Here is the view inside this small divider compartment, fuse is circled in blue, and goes to inverter, shown by red arrow:

Cheers 

pthomas745

These pictures are great....but I can't see the Gloso circuit breaker and the associated battery fuses.  If someone could point in their general direction, that would be great.

And: where is the wiring for the solar controller?  A quick description of where the solar controller is located might be useful when using these pictures for electrical reference, too.