Blog Articles > Mercedes Sapphire vehicle upgrade

Wed, Oct 22nd 2014

Overview
Throughout the past few weeks we've been working on a multi faceted project, behold the Mercedes Sprinter conversion panel van created by conversion specialists Devon Sapphire. Our client had a specific list of requirements for their vehicle, they regularly use their vehicle for social and domestic purposes, so they wanted us to upgrade the vehicles internal power supply and to install various products to aid in everyday usage making their motorhome a home away from home.

 

 Products Installed

  • Sterling Pro Quasi 1800 Inverter - Sterling VSR Voltage Sensitive Relay
  • Dometic Tec 29 Generator conversion - Dometic Freshjet 1600
  • Solar Panel 
  • Waeco perfectview RVS 530 camera system
  • Pioneer CD/Satellite Navigation - 2x Leisure Batteries
  • Speaker+Amp + Subwoofer


Air Conditioning
For the Dometic Freshjet air con to be installed correctly, before installation began our engineers realised the roof of the Mercedes had a ribbed roof, this feature is common throughout models of the sprinter panel van models. The roof didn’t have an existing aperture so before installation could commence an aperture was cut and packed using a plastic packing board to create an even surface this was an important element to the installation as a flat surface is required to install an air con unit correctly; this ensures a tight seal around the internal fixture of the Dometic air con unit. Mercedes Sprinters commonly have ribbed roofs, the ribbed feature provides a strengthened roof to help maintain the density of the panel van, this ensures the roof is strengthened and strong throughout with no drop in structure strength.

 

Power
Our customer does a lot of off grid camping so having a system capable of powering the extensive load of multiple products ton board the vehicle, we needed to select a high quality inverter which is purpose built and capable to power the appliances on board. Our customer camps off grid and requires off-grid power The Dometic Tec 29 lpg generator which was converted from petrol to Lpg, the tec 29 is an ideal generator in comparison to other generators on the market .


The Dometic Tec 29 will act as the main power source within the vehicle offering a 230 volt power hook whilst charging the 2 leisure batteries onboard, with the power required to charge various electronic appliances the Tec 29 generator with its in-built pure sine wave 230 volt sine wave output is a recommended power source suitable for charging sensitive electronic appliances such as microwaves, electric toothbrushes and fancy laptops.


Features:                                                                                                        

  • Pure 230-volt sine wave output voltage (±1% accuracy)
  • Suitable for sensitive electronic appliances Low fuel consumption
  • Output can be doubled by using two units in parallel                          
  • 12-volt output for battery charging (10 amps max)
  • Robust design in stainless steel cabinet
  • Easy operation with illuminated multi-information display
  • High operating safety with integrated alarm functions
  • Remote control


Pro Con VSR Voltage Sensitive Relay
The Sterling relay effectively works as a power management system to ensure the power been used to power the appliances on board isn't coming directly from the vehicles main battery supply. This works by the relay monitoring the input voltage to the device from external sources such as the starter battery, battery bank or generator) in this case the Dometic Tec 29 is the main power source connected; once the relay exceeds 13.3V the systems internal processor makes the assumption that the alternator / battery charger is active therefore automatically engaging the relay to connect the main battery to the auxiliary battery bank and charge the auxiliary battery. This enables the relay to work seamlessly without the operator having to choose which power source is received. This addition was ideal with meeting the customers requirements with offering both a internal and power hookup which transfers into shore power which effectively saves on the consumption of fuel.


Sterling Pro Quasi 1800 Inverter

The VSR relay in combination with the sterling inverter essentially offers power input to the Dometic Freshjet air con unit as well as other electrical devices whilst on the move. Due to the customer having various devices with different power inputs, the quasi was ideal to cope The pro quasi inverter provides a pure 230 volt AC voltage output allowing highly sensitive products to be charged with no hassle.


Leisure batteries
The leisure batteries where added to meet the demands of the 12 volt appliances on board the vehicle. The two leisure batteries where added to effectively deal with the power consumption distributed between the appliances inside the vehicle. Leisure batteries are more ideal to use in comparison to standard vehicle batteries, due to been purpose built to supply a much lower current over a long period of time to enable your vehicle lights and on board appliances to function correctly without any issues, this is what s known as deep cycle.

 

 

Vehicle safety features
For added vehicle safety we where asked to install a reversing camera which can be integrated into their cd stereo / satellite navigation system, the combined system gives the customer ease of use with extra features whilst driving. The Waco cam 30CK is a colour camera with both normal and mirrored picture function, the cam 30CK is an ideal option suited for panel vans without a suitable mounting surface at the rear of the vehicle with its outrigger mounting stands proud of the rear doors.

Waeco Cam 30

Features:

  • Real-view or mirrored picture function
  • Sturdy, water-proof aluminium housing
  • Wide-angle lens with large picture angle (120° diagonal)
  • IR LEDS for night vision
  • Integrated microphone
  • Electronic brightness adjustment
  • LDR controlled IR LEDs
  • Heated lens for removing lens mist

 

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