Rosalina is the tour bus and full-time home for a young family as they traverse Oz to grace towns, events and festivals with professional singer, Virjilla’s beautiful voice. In between, they love to visit National Parks and Station Stays, an enviable lifestyle for many, no doubt!
Not so enviable were the problems with the existing AGM off grid system, which limited the family's opportunities, particularly at places like festivals where mains power can be scarce.
So in April this year we had the privilege of meeting Virjilla, Colin and young Willow (a ‘Keep Australia Beautiful’ Legend, I might add) when they rolled in to the big smoke with their 2005 Mitsubishi Rosa Tour Bus, Rosalina.
Paul’s inspection revealed a poorly installed system, featuring significantly undersized solar, fridge and switch panel wiring. The installer also had the courtesy to drill a 25mm hole to run solar cables through the roof, without sealing of any type! Sheer luck prevented any water damage!
To keep the family off grid with some comforts of home, such as air conditioning, fans, turbo vent, TV, chargers for phones, tablet, laptop, mini drone and tools, a NutriBullet for breaky, microwave, slow cooker, air fryer and fridge – that’s pretty comfy! – we treated Rosalina to:
A Custom 280Ah RVLSA Battery Pack with custom Battery Control Unit (BCU)
A Victron Multiplus 12/2000VA, which is a 2000VA Inverter and 240V, 80A Charger with AC transfer switch for seamless switching between battery and mains power.
A Victron VE.Bus Smart Battery Sense with a Bluetooth upgrade for connection to the Multiplus, and which also transmits accurate battery voltage and temperature to the Multiplus and all solar controllers. This enables synchronised charging, which means the chargers charge the battery as if they were one large charger.
A Victron BMV712 Battery Monitor, linked to our Battery management System (BMS) to switch the inverter output and the bus’s output power off, if the battery reaches low voltage or low state of charge. Once the battery voltage and/or state of charge is increased to a set level, they are automatically switch back on.
A Victron SmartSolar Bluetooth 100/50 MPPT Solar Controller linked to three 200W Solar Panels and a 100/30 to two 200W Solar panels. Total Roof Solar = 1000W
Our RVLSA DC Charger linked to a Victron SmartSolar Bluetooth 100/30 MPPT Solar Controller. We also installed a 50A Anderson plug on the side of the bus for external solar input, allowing for up to an additional 500W's from portable solar panels.
Victron’s GolbalLink 520, for remote monitoring of the system.
One of the key factors in maintaining and operating off-grid systems, is having insight into it. Using Victron's GlobalLink 520, ourselves and our clients can connect via the 4G LTE-M network to all VE.Direct enabled devices (such as the Battery Meter and Solar Controllers etc.) so we can see what’s happening with Rosalina's system, wherever she is. This is done be simply logging in to Victron's Remote Management (VRM) Portal. For more information, visit: https://www.victronenergy.com/panel-systems-remote-monitoring/vrm FYI, the GobalLink 520 has no monthly fees or subscriptions, for the first five years!
Having given Rosalina a new lease on life, the family hit the road for fresh adventures! Oh, but not before gifting us with a Virjilla Joyce Unicorn Stubby holders – because Unicorns ARE real!
You can follow the family & Rosalina's adventures around Australia on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/virjillajoyce
For a customised off-grid solution to suit you and how you travel, contact us.