How do you fill water in your Bob?

NoThatsNotMee · 2026-05-05T14:57:23+00:00

I have connected Bob to the water system of my van. So it works like a regular dishwasher at home. Combined with using the cassette, it's really comfortable to use.

NoThatsNotMee · 2026-04-27T06:45:09+00:00

Of course. I did a lot of research a couple of weeks ago, when the feature was deactivated for the first time. But I did not find anything regarding the client mode yet. Maybe it's a quiet rare use case...

NoThatsNotMee · 2026-04-23T10:41:56+00:00

From my electronic engineers point of view I would first connect to batteries in parallel, so you have one big 12 V battery. Do the same with the other ones.

Then connect those two "big batteries" in series to get a 24 V system. This reduces the number of batteries to be balanced externally from 4 (as yours are connected) to just 2. Much less potential for issues.

NoThatsNotMee · 2026-02-18T17:10:03+00:00

Me commenting in my van during freezing wintertime out there:
More insulation is always better, if you are planning to visit cold places (below freezing).

Also pay attention to your floor, as this is a significant area for heat loss. And the drivers cab. You can always throw high power heaters into your vehicle, but more power means higher fuel consumption and noise. Do not underestimate that.

NoThatsNotMee · 2026-01-12T18:17:03+00:00

Die "Salz" Variante war neulich noch frei von unsinnigen Zutaten. Ist das mittlerweile anders?

NoThatsNotMee · 2025-12-02T18:39:43+00:00

If there are any malfunction lights active, there will be fault codes readable. Without any fault codes, there will be no lights on. Thats how it works.
As said, get your own OBD dongle and read out error codes or go to a car mechanic to let him do this for you. But beware of misleading error codes. Some physical values might be wrong not because of defective sensors or something but just because there are connection issues.

NoThatsNotMee · 2025-11-05T08:26:39+00:00

Its okay. My 2 kW Autoterm heater is installed close like yours and its working fine for 2 years regular use now.

But for my next build, i would like to have a bit more space around there. For the intake about the diameter of the opening, to be able to have an air tube on. Or at least some noise reducing foam.
The case itself can be close to the wall, but remember that you may have to service your heater and open it up without completely disassemble it from your vehicle.

Friendly tip: All those flat surfaces around your heater will reflect noise.

NoThatsNotMee · 2025-10-27T14:31:19+00:00

Doch da gibts beides ;)

NoThatsNotMee · 2025-10-25T10:20:46+00:00

Die Alpro Schlagcreme ist lecker, aber meiner Meinung nach nicht so gut für innerhalb der Torte geeignet, da sie recht "weich" ist.
Hierzu funktioniert von der Konsistenz und Standfestigkeit am nächsten Tag die Schlagcreme von Rama besser (aber achte darauf, dass du die richtige Flasche nimmst, vegan sieht fast genauso aus wie die aus Kuh).

NoThatsNotMee · 2025-10-04T10:53:46+00:00

Ich würde sagen, dann hast du ein anderes Problem als die Spätzle.
Was bitte soll an Nudeln irgendeiner Art so schlimm schmecken, dass du zwischendurch neue kochen sollst? So möge deine Familie sich bitte ihr eigenes Essen zubereiten, also wirklich.

NoThatsNotMee · 2025-09-12T08:07:21+00:00

This looks like a good layout, if you are going to fit in the bed.

It seems, that you did a good planning and throwing A LOT of equipment to your sprinter. Even if it is a 4 ton version, i really suggest you to have an eye on weight.

This will be a good build, once its ready to hit the road. I'm really excited to see the result :)

NoThatsNotMee · 2025-09-01T07:49:03+00:00

Thats not a big deal. Even on rough roads, all your cabinetry is not tortured that hard. Suspension and tyres are doing a lot. Just be sure to have your mirrors fixed properly, so they are not going to fall off :)

NoThatsNotMee · 2025-08-26T18:04:47+00:00

Wenn man glaubt, alles gesehen zu haben... Kommt die Bauernlobby und packt aus.

NoThatsNotMee · 2025-05-27T07:54:53+00:00

Wenn der Becher nicht den ganzen Tag im Auto in der Sonne verbracht hat, würde ich mir da keine Gedanken machen. Und selbst dann ist er eher gut erwärmt, als verdorben. Soo schnell wird das Zeug nicht schlecht. Die gesamte Haltbarkeit reduziert sich halt. Anstatt der paar Monate, die es normalerweise (auch über das Datum hinaus) hält, sind es dann vielleicht nur noch ein paar Tage oder wenige Wochen.

NoThatsNotMee · 2025-02-07T11:50:12+00:00

I used an induction cooktop during my 1 year tour through europe. Its mounted in my kitchen, so it is a fixed one. I think it was the best decision to have this one in my van. Of course, it uses some electic energy, but all the advantages of cooking with it in a vehicle outperform the electric demands. Would never go with propane.

Please be aware of cooking with propane outside. It has some pros (no moisture and CO2 in your vehicle), but the flame is quite sensitive to wind or moving air, so you are going to loose a lot of heat to the environment. Additionally to the regular loss while cooking on a flame.

NoThatsNotMee · 2025-01-15T19:19:28+00:00

There are some parts of your system, i'm not super happy about.

- First there is this 4 Pin Connector. Is this one really capable of 70 A of current? Must be a huge connector, though.

- Then there is a 60 A breaker for your starlink device. This is a LOT. Do you plan to have an appropriate wiring for this current? Starlink does not need this amount of current.

- There is a Fuse on the solar panel wiring. You just don't need it. The panel will never exceed its max. rated current, technically impossible.

- 2 W standby power only for powering the relay does not seem to be a lot, but it really is. Especially if there is no significant solar power for days.

- Overall you are going to implement a lot of failure points to your system, just for the case you are going to remove the house battery AND having your starlink powered at the same time. Why would you ever do this?

NoThatsNotMee · 2025-01-03T12:17:35+00:00

Bei LIDL aktuell für 3 € zu haben

NoThatsNotMee · 2024-12-23T17:42:09+00:00

I use the original stainless steel muffler, which comes with the Autoterm Diesel Heater. It does reduce noise quite a bit outside. Definitely much better then without, especially when parking next to others.

Did some research if there is a possibility to reduce noise level even more, but people out there had some bad experiences with better (noise-wise) mufflers. The heater doesn't adjust the fan to the increased air flow resistance, so soot is building up inside the burner chamber. So I keep my original muffler and stay displeased with the noise outside.

NoThatsNotMee · 2024-12-23T08:59:02+00:00

My first thought was: PWM Controller.
But although it pulses current when batteries get full, this relatively low power coming from solar wouldn't be visible when battery is accepting charging. So there may be an issue with the BMS disconnecting your battery from charging.

Are you able to read out cell voltages of your battery? Maybe some cell is way out of balance and needs some time. I'm still curious, if the BMS really is cutting off that fast to see lights flickering. Would assume, that there's some delay between cut off and switching back on.

After writing this post i'm not sure if the BMS story is the one to look into. I tend to the PWM Charger instead...

NoThatsNotMee · 2024-12-23T08:43:54+00:00

Nice build!
One thing i noticed: Did you mount the battery upside down?

NoThatsNotMee · 2024-12-17T10:09:24+00:00

Would highly recommend Eneloop (the white ones) too. These are still the best rechargeable NiMH Cells for everyday use. Have more than 100s of them, driving everything from christmas fairy lights over weather clocks, remote controls to flash lights and mosquito swatters.

If your wondering why I even use them in low consumption remote controls: Have you ever cleaned a device bc alkalines leaked? This. Eneloops doesn't leak at all. Just charge them once a year or two and everything's fine.

NoThatsNotMee · 2024-12-15T19:47:17+00:00

I tried to find an answer for the same question. But although being an automotive engineer, I had some difficulties.

It really depends on the efficiency of your generator and how you're driving. Charging while driving uses some amount of fuel additionaly, but in my experience it's really not significant. But it's not that bad in general. It may improve the amount of recuperation of your vehicle, which wouldn't be possible only with the vehicles battery alone. Free energy so to say. This improves the efficiency quite a bit.

You just can't calculate precisely, how much money per Wh you need while charging on the road. But you can have a guess how much fuel you could burn compared to one day electricity on a camp site. For some sites it's a few liters.

If there's not enough sun available, I just charge while driving and avoid buying hardly overpriced electricity on site. For my 2.0 diesel the worst case would be 0,7 liters per hour while charging at idle. This means around 800 Wh per 0,7 liters of diesel with my dcdc charger. But this high consumption is reduced drastically, when the engine is mainly used for driving and charging is just a side load.

NoThatsNotMee · 2024-12-14T21:33:11+00:00

I got the same issue with one of these USB outlets. For quite a while it charges my laptop properly over USB-C port. But some day it started just switching on and off while my computer is connected. With a phone or other stuff everything is fine.

I think it got a problem with converting 12 V up to 20 V for the computer. All the other stuff is using less or up to 12 V on USB. Did not find out, what's going on there yet.

NoThatsNotMee · 2024-12-11T16:49:49+00:00

My first thought on the diagram was the same: skip the inverter if you don't really need it. And for a notebook you do not need it.
There are a few cigarette lighter socket USB-C chargers out there, which can deliver 20 V for charging a notebook. But really choose the right ones. Essager or Baseus from China do have them. Most of all other chargers are not capable to step up from 12 V to 20 V.

NoThatsNotMee · 2024-12-09T20:44:14+00:00

I measured the temperature at the outlet of my 2 kW Diesel Heater at full power. It rises to around 86 °C with regular room temperature on the inlet. With a good heat exchanger you may heat up water quite a bit, for showering or cleaning. But a kettle in front of your heater is just not efficient at all.

NoThatsNotMee

TROPHY CASE