Rocksea - EarthCruiser CORE Total Composites Build

[Bluvan]

Hi, a couple of thoughts from hauling bikes in tight spaces

• pedals off which it looks like you are already on top of
• loosen the stem pinch bolts and just rotate the bars
• secure using a direct fork mount sized for your hub / axle config
• use just a quick strap to secure the rear - we tried the van trays but just could not make them work

Some thoughts from when we were considering a core / tc rig

• mechanical bed lift
• bikes on a slide / tray with access from outside - the slide makes a nice outside table when not in bike use

Very interested in watching this come together. All the best on the build!!

PM on the way with a couple of questions for you.

Dan

 

[awheeler]

Had a good visit a couple weeks ago with the folks at Earthcruiser. Dialed in a few last chassis specs and got to take our stock Isuzu for a quick test ride. Production looks pretty backed up so no idea yet on when our rig will make it in. But it was good seeing that all the panels for the box made it in safely.

Just about all of the build supplies have made it in and are proudly displayed in the garage. The walk-on solar panels look really nice and I can't wait to get all the Mastervolt stuff wired up.

Coosa composite panels for the interior should be showing up any day. Plan to start building a few interior components once they arrive.

I'm attaching a sketch of our recirc shower system. I've added various ball valves to allow for easy draining and to run off city water if available. The 3 different images show the different water flow options for the system.

Also got in our 16 280Ah Lithium cells that I am now just starting to top balance. More on those later.

 

[Err]

Following along with great interest. We’re mountain bikers and snowboarders as well along with a bit of surfing and Moto. Currently traveling in a DIY Sprinter and have been thinking about a Core build for a while now. Will be following closely.

Like many, I’ve build a variety of inside bike hauling setups, including using those one-up trays. Currently, using a sliding tray with a fork mount up front and nothing holding the rear wheels down. It’s surprisingly simple and effective even over many miles of rough road driving.

 

[Alloy]

Had a good visit a couple weeks ago with the folks at Earthcruiser. Dialed in a few last chassis specs and got to take our stock Isuzu for a quick test ride. Production looks pretty backed up so no idea yet on when our rig will make it in. But it was good seeing that all the panels for the box made it in safely.

Just about all of the build supplies have made it in and are proudly displayed in the garage. The walk-on solar panels look really nice and I can't wait to get all the Mastervolt stuff wired up.

Coosa composite panels for the interior should be showing up any day. Plan to start building a few interior components once they arrive.

I'm attaching a sketch of our recirc shower system. I've added various ball valves to allow for easy draining and to run off city water if available. The 3 different images show the different water flow options for the system.

Also got in our 16 280Ah Lithium cells that I am now just starting to top balance. More on those later.

Pumps/lines/tank/filters will have fecal matter in them. Won't surprise me if this grows through the whole system. Hope you've a way to sanitize the system.

 

[awheeler]

Pumps/lines/tank/filters will have fecal matter in them. Won't surprise me if this grows through the whole system. Hope you've a way to sanitize the system.

That’s occurred to me as well. I may bump the filter set to the start of the system.


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[Alloy]

That’s occurred to me as well. I may bump the filter set to the start of the system.


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Moving the filter won't solve the problem.

The system needs to be sanitized to control the bad stuff but sanitation if not done right away it may produce stuff that is worse than the bad stuff.

 

[awheeler]

I think moving the filter will at least expose less of the plumbing to dirty water. And yes obviously we will run a little bleach through the system on occasion. Our current recirc shower has served us very well.


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[68camaro]

Awheeler, this looks like great build and will be helpful to many. Would you consider sharing your budget, build costs and time invested? I think this would be very helpful for those looking to do build themselves.

 

[awheeler]

Awheeler, this looks like great build and will be helpful to many. Would you consider sharing your budget, build costs and time invested? I think this would be very helpful for those looking to do build themselves.

Yes of course, I’m happy to share that. I’m keeping record of all the costs and can get that on a spreadsheet once I’m a bit further on the build.


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[awheeler]

Walk on solar panels just arrived! And yes they are actually designed to be walked on. They look like a flexible panel but are fairly rigid and can handle only a 5% bend. They are about 1/4" thick and the 175 watt panel weighs just under 17lbs. They have nice pebbled finish to both sides to help with cooling and traction. So far they look great and I did a quick video on them if you're interested...Walk On Solar Panels

I've got six of them and will be wiring them up parallel for around 35 volts and 39 amps going to charge controller

The panels are from Custom Marine Products

 

[FJ SD]

Will be following this build! Gotta love a couple with matching Yeti's.... Im excited to see what you do with the Coosa. We purchase a lot of product from Boat Outfitters, who sell a ton of that stuff. Only seen it on transoms before so Im intrigued by your application.

Keep us up to date on the Czone setup. While I'm happy with the Victron components for vans, I think larger builds can benefit greatly from Czone -- but learning the Czone/Mastervolt ecosystem is daunting to say the least.

 

[ripperj]

With regards to solar . The research I did said series/parallel was a good way to go. By putting some panels in series, you raise the voltage , but lower the current. This way you can have smaller conductor size. Big wire is expensive, heavy, and a bit harder to run out out of sight(a new build could have dedicated electrical conduits )



The parallel part is good for shading issues(reduced output if one panel has a shadow on it)
You might not need any panels in parallel if you use two or more solar controllers

Just a thought


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[awheeler]

Thanks for the feedback. I'm definitely going back and forth with the solar wiring. I raised the series vs parallel question on some solar forums because I thought that as the light got low I might not make enough voltage for my 24v system. Most folks didn't think that would be an issue and said that once the voltage dropped below the charging threshold there would be basically zero amps for charging so the voltage is not the limiting factor. But having some smaller gauge wire would be nice.

Coosa bluewater20 1/2 panels arrived a couple days ago and so far they look to be a good fit. I built a simple kitchen galley with them today. They cut very easy with every tool I've thrown at them. The dust is pretty gnarly and you'll get the fiberglass itch for sure. Epoxied all joints and used pocket screws to hold things together. I then added a little fiberglass to each inside corner since those won't be visible. Feels pretty sturdy and I still have the front drawer cross pieces to add which should help.

When mounting this to the box I plan to use some aluminum angle in several places to glue and secure it to the box. So far I think it will make for a sturdy galley.

The next challenge is how to fasten the drawer hardware. Screws alone I don't think will do it. Plan to use some adhesive along with the screws. Going to order a few different products and test them out.

The box and chassis got delayed another month so looking more like an October build.

 

[awheeler]

Also getting our DIY Lithium all charged up. I was trying to do a top balance with my little 3amp charger which was literally going to take FOREVER. Decided to give them a charge up to about 80% with an automotive charger and then top them off with the smaller charger. Looks to be working well.

Going with the Overkill BMS and will also be building in a heating pad as we spend a lot of time in the cold.

These are EVE 280Ah cells from Amy on Alibaba. She was great to work with and answered all my questions. Took almost two months to get them but they came well packaged so far look great. I paid $2,200 delivered for the 16 cells. 14,000 watts(1,100Ah @ 12v)

We are currently running battleborn batteries right now which we love but in the past I built some Lithium sets that are still going strong. Couldn't pass up on the money and space savings that these DIY offer.

 

[DeAusten]

Also following along! Congrats on your build.

When you did your research on Mastervolt and CZone, how did you determine whether or not you could go with a custom Lithium bank? Mastervolt batteries are incredibly expensive, but I'm worried the other Mastervolt components won't play nicely with non-mastervolt batteries. Being able to go with another brand of battery would be huge as Mastervolt lithium batteries are about 3/4X the going rate.

Also getting our DIY Lithium all charged up. I was trying to do a top balance with my little 3amp charger which was literally going to take FOREVER. Decided to give them a charge up to about 80% with an automotive charger and then top them off with the smaller charger. Looks to be working well.

Going with the Overkill BMS and will also be building in a heating pad as we spend a lot of time in the cold.

These are EVE 280Ah cells from Amy on Alibaba. She was great to work with and answered all my questions. Took almost two months to get them but they came well packaged so far look great. I paid $2,200 delivered for the 16 cells. 14,000 watts(1,100Ah @ 12v)

We are currently running battleborn batteries right now which we love but in the past I built some Lithium sets that are still going strong. Couldn't pass up on the money and space savings that these DIY offer.
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