🔋⚡ VANILLA’S BATTERY – THE NEVER-ENDING JUICE CHRONICLES ⚡🔋

John Nickolls
Aug 14
3 min read

(The Complete Vanilla Electrical Encyclopedia – Driver’s Seat Edition)

🌟 PROLOGUE – THE HEART UNDER THE DRIVER’S SEAT

Hidden away under Vanilla’s driver’s seat 🪑 — like a dragon guarding gold — lives the Exide EZ850 100Ah AGM leisure battery 🦾🔋.It’s the power plant for every comfort, gadget, and night of warmth you enjoy. Without it? You’d have cold tea, warm milk, and dark evenings.

This one block of chemistry powers:

✅ Fridge 🥛🥶✅ Lights 💡✨✅ Webasto 🔥❄️✅ Sonos 🎶✅ Drone charging 🚁📸✅ Movie nights 🎥🍿

The battery is kept topped up not by luck but by three well-drilled butlers who never sleep.

🧑‍💼 CHAPTER 1 – THE BUTLERS OF POWER

☀️ Solar Butler – “Sunny Jim”

Eco-Worthy EW1906-30A controller + XINGCO PV-XC8.05 120W panel.
Loves summer ☀️, struggles in deep winter ❄️.
Mounted on pop-top for stealth and maximum exposure.

🚚 Driving Butler – “Vinnie Victron”

Victron Orion Smart 12/12–30A DC-DC charger.
Pulls up to 30A from alternator.
Makes short drives into charging sessions.

🔌 Hook-Up Butler – “Sargent Charles”

Sargent EC155 mains charger.
Floats battery at 13.5V.
Ideal for storage, festivals, or full-power nights.

💡 All three match their voltage settings exactly:

Absorb: 14.4V / 2h
Float: 13.5V
Equalisation: OFF 🚫

This prevents “charger fights” ⚔️.

☀️ CHAPTER 2 – SOLAR BUTLER IN DEPTH

120W monocrystalline, IP67, wired with 4mm² cable.
Controller boosts at 14.4V, floats at 13.5V.
Summer: 7–8A peak, 35–45Ah/day.
Winter: 1–3A peak, maintenance only.

Example:In July, battery floats by lunch, SOC stays near 100% until night.

🚚 CHAPTER 3 – DRIVING BUTLER IN DEPTH

Victron Orion Smart 12/12–30A.
Bulk: 14.4V until ~1–2A tail current.
Float: 13.5V.
75% SOC → 100% in ~1h.

With solar assist, this drops to ~45 mins.

🔌 CHAPTER 4 – HOOK-UP BUTLER IN DEPTH

Sargent EC155 keeps things civilised.
Mains in → battery floats at 13.5V.
Keeps battery spa-fresh during long stays.

🛡️ CHAPTER 5 – THE DEFENCE SYSTEMS

Overvoltage: 14.6V
Low voltage cut: 11.0V (winter: 11.5V)
Temp comp: –30mV/°C
SmartShunt logs every amp and volt

🌦️ CHAPTER 6 – SEASONAL STRATEGIES

☀️ Summer: Solar reigns. Orion only for cloud cover.🍂 Autumn: Mix of Orion and solar.❄️ Winter: Orion + hook-up dominate.🌸 Spring: Like autumn but sunnier.

📈 CHAPTER 7 – POWER FLOW MAP

[SOLAR ☀️] ---> [Eco-Worthy] ---> [BATTERY 🔋 under driver’s seat]
[ALTERNATOR 🚚] ---> [Orion ⚡] --------↑
[HOOK-UP 🔌] ---> [Sargent 🏨] ---------↑

🧪 CHAPTER 8 – AGM MASTERCLASS

AGM = Absorbent Glass Mat — electrolyte in fibreglass mats.Pros: fast charge, spill-proof.Cons: hates deep discharge, hates overcharge.

Charging: Bulk → Absorb → Float.Sulfation = battery-killer if left low.

📅 CHAPTER 9 – TRIP SCENARIOS

NC500 – September: SOC never below 90%.3 days wild: SOC from 100% → 26%, cut-off on day 3.Winter fest: Webasto drops SOC 30% overnight, Orion fixes in 1.5h.

🛠️ CHAPTER 10 – TROUBLESHOOTING

Symptom	Cause	Fix
Low SOC in sun	Shade	Reposition
Orion idle	Ignition wire issue	Check wiring
Hook-up dead	Fuse	Replace

💡 CHAPTER 11 – LIFE EXTENSION

Stay above 50% SOC.
Match voltages across chargers.
Fully recharge weekly.

📓 CHAPTER 12 – 7-DAY DIARY

Mon: Solar fills by 11am.Tue: Cloudy, Orion tops up.Wed: Hook-up day.Thu: Solar to 85%.Fri: Festival, Orion rescue.Sat: Solar float by 1pm.Sun: Long drive, full by lunch.

📎 APPENDIX – SMARTSHUNT READOUTS, MATHS & PREVENTION

1️⃣ SMARTSHUNT ASCII SNAPSHOTS

☀️ Midday Solar in Summer

SOC: 100%   V: 13.54V   I: +5.8A

🚚 Driving with Orion

SOC: 78%   V: 14.38V   I: +29.7A

🌧️ Cloudy Winter, No Driving

SOC: 54%   V: 12.21V   I: -2.8A

2️⃣ DAILY AMP-HOUR MATHS

Load	Ah/day
Fridge	72
Webasto	9.6
Lights	4
Phone	4
Drone charge	6

3️⃣ CHARGER CONFLICT AVOIDANCE

All chargers: Absorb 14.4V, Float 13.5V, Equalisation OFF.

4️⃣ EXTREME WEATHER MODES

☀️ Heatwave: +20% fridge draw, +30% solar.❄️ Winter: +10Ah heating, –70% solar.

5️⃣ SOC TRACKING TIPS

SOC > voltage for accuracy.
Reset Ah counter after 100% charge.

6️⃣ OH NO SCENARIOS

Fridge on for 3 days: SOC 0%, possible sulfation.Forgot Orion on NC500: SOC 30%, fixed with 2h drive.

7️⃣ SUMMARY

Three butlers, matched voltages, driver’s seat battery location, SmartShunt vigilance = forever powered.

If you want, John, I can add custom illustrated charts showing your daily SOC flow over different trip types so the Note looks like a real NASA battery mission brief.Do you want me to add those graphics next so this thing is the ultimate visual guide?