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Relay switch panel - any good ones?

7K views 24 replies 8 participants last post by  gregoryx 
#1 · (Edited)
I kept trying to figure out how I am going to balance the need to switch some 12V stuff on/off against the fuse panel setup I have now and a circuit breaker setup I'm planning to implement.

Turns out the off-road folks have made these into a switched relay KIT thing on Amazon. But they're not attractive and subtle the way marine stuff would be.
 
#2 ·
Lots of options for marine electronics panels. I searched for marine 12 volt switch panels then for RV 12 volt switch panels and got quite a few options.
 
#3 ·
Thanks, @Muvybuf. I'm actually not too bad at searching. But there's a big difference between "switch panel" and "relay switch panel." Sure, I could use a switch panel and build all the wiring to a handful of relays... but it would be really great to buy it with all those connections complete.

I tried to paste a photo of one into the first post but it's not working right.... 🤔
 
#6 ·
Howdy,
I just installed one of these recently. They work awesome. Solves a ton of problems in one shot. You need to be a little smart about how you use the outputs (usually just a bunch of ready to crimp ends) but cool AF 10/10 will use again..
 
#8 ·
My ideal setup would be similar to VanDoIt’s.
Circuit component Electrical wiring Audio equipment Hardware programmer Electronic component

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Screen grabs from this tour:


A very expensive option:

sPod BantamX

If anyone knows how to pull that off for less than $900 I’m all ears!
 
#10 ·
Loving this. Keep 'em coming!

My ideal setup would be similar to VanDoIt’s.
...

A very expensive option:

sPod BantamX

If anyone knows how to pull that off for less than $900 I’m all ears!
The look of the BantamX is quite similar to some of the $200 units on Amazon. Maybe that IS the way to go. Simple and inexpensive. 🤔


I think you may already have found this based on a previous comment but I'm going to use this 6 relay box:

Amazon.com: 12V Auto Waterproof Fuse Relay Box Block Kit [6 Bosch Style Relay Holder] [6 ATC/ATO Fuse Holder] [Relays & Fuses Included] Universal Relay Block Box for 12V Automotive Vehicles Cars Marine Boat Jeep : Automotive

Plus a rocker switch panel (there are hundreds of options, here's one):
Amazon.com: Nilight-90111F 6 Gang Aluminum Rocker Switch Panel Toggle Dash 5 Pin ON/Off Pre-Wired Rocker Switch Blue Backlit Switch for Automotive Car Marine Boat RV,2 Years Warranty : Automotive

So that's somewhat clean and straightforward and about $60 plus the cost of wire.

For controlling the relays, I'm going to get a little more fancy and use @tngw1500se's Idea to control relays with push button momentary switches and a microcontroller as discussed here: WIRING: If I had it to do over again.....

It gives you some added flexibility such as being able to control a load from different switches (e.g. a light switch by the door and the bed controls the same light) and I can also add temperature (or other sensors) to use it to control loads like battery warmers, tank heaters, etc.
The downside to this approach is obviously complexity 🤣 But I've often tried to wade into the world of Arduino and this gives me a practical reason to do it, and thgw1500se already wrote a lot of the code for me (it's in the thread I linked above) so that's a big head start.
I suspect the thread from @tngw1500se helped nudge me in this direction; though I don't want that level of effort or complexity. But the relay thing in general will solve the accessible switches problem for me.

I hadn't searched for a fuse/relay box /without/ switches. That looks super good as well. Then I could just more attractive buttons, as you suggest. Okay... liking that. 🤔

The current contender is this thing: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08J6W4TJG/

Product Portable communications device Communication Device Gadget Font
 
#9 ·
I think you may already have found this based on a previous comment but I'm going to use this 6 relay box:

Amazon.com: 12V Auto Waterproof Fuse Relay Box Block Kit [6 Bosch Style Relay Holder] [6 ATC/ATO Fuse Holder] [Relays & Fuses Included] Universal Relay Block Box for 12V Automotive Vehicles Cars Marine Boat Jeep : Automotive

Plus a rocker switch panel (there are hundreds of options, here's one):
Amazon.com: Nilight-90111F 6 Gang Aluminum Rocker Switch Panel Toggle Dash 5 Pin ON/Off Pre-Wired Rocker Switch Blue Backlit Switch for Automotive Car Marine Boat RV,2 Years Warranty : Automotive

So that's somewhat clean and straightforward and about $60 plus the cost of wire.

For controlling the relays, I'm going to get a little more fancy and use @tngw1500se's Idea to control relays with push button momentary switches and a microcontroller as discussed here: WIRING: If I had it to do over again.....

It gives you some added flexibility such as being able to control a load from different switches (e.g. a light switch by the door and the bed controls the same light) and I can also add temperature (or other sensors) to use it to control loads like battery warmers, tank heaters, etc.
The downside to this approach is obviously complexity 🤣 But I've often tried to wade into the world of Arduino and this gives me a practical reason to do it, and thgw1500se already wrote a lot of the code for me (it's in the thread I linked above) so that's a big head start.
 
#12 ·
Not necessarily cheap, but I’ll put in a plug for a friend’s product, which may not have sufficient capacity without daisy chaining a few units together and/or external relays. It has no dedicated controller; instead uses Bluetooth connectivity to a smartphone app (Apple iOS or Android, fully certified and on the respective app sites) for monitor and control. Also has some cool integration with the phone’s GPS for speed, elevation, headings etc and a temp sensor and displays source voltage as well as current draw on each circuit. Can be programmed to switch circuits on or off or variable (PWM) outputs based on time of day, sunset/sunrise, temperature, voltage (ie battery protection) etc. also programmable circuit breaker settings.
I have no involvement with the company and don’t actually use it in my van (I have a RedArc Manager30) though I have an older generation on my motorcycle.
 
#14 ·
Might be of interest:
...
So cool. I'm always torn: I have enjoyed putting time into stuff like that years ago... but I'm not sure I want to do that now. 🤔

I'm kinda liking the one @Dman linked. Looks like the "off the shelf" setup similar to what you guys are building, @tngw1500se and @Pajarojo . Oh, man... so many options! 😁
 
#15 ·
I'm finding that the hardest thing with these arduino projects (once somebody else does most of the legwork and posts a video for you) is just figuring out how to package it and get it installed permanently. So the cables, the cases, etc are what are really the challenge (so far)
 
#16 ·
I used a pistol case. They're plastic with latches and make a little "cabinet" when mounted on the wall. Since they're plastic, you don't have to worry about a wire shorting to the box either. It would be easy to get a fuse box, relay board and a esp board in the case. I just cut a thin piece of plywood to fit inside to mount everything to. Sometimes you can find a buddy who has one for free. I also mounted a LED in mine on a switch so it lights up inside.
 
#19 ·
Well, now y'all have me looking at more expensive stuff. The idea of a Bluetooth (or otherwise tablet) controlled switch setup is quite appealing. That seems even more promising than the other button setups.

@Dman, that Neutrino stuff looks nice. That got me searching for more stuff like that.

Now I'm even considering the pretty-package of this unit from Garmin. Or this unit from Trigger.

I've got a tablet in the rig now for music and Victron and Torque Pro and Dometic and whatever else. Maybe this BT approach brings that tablet to front-and-center and I don't need another device. 🤔

Or maybe it's worth going the DIY route that @tngw1500se has setup?

It's only money, right? 😏
 
#21 ·
.........Now I'm even considering the pretty-package of this unit from Garmin. Or this unit from Trigger.
............
The more I see you guys looking at these 500 buck units, the more I want to go down in the shop and tinker with building one. LOL! An esp32 is about 10 bucks. The relay board is 10 and a fusebox would be about the same. I could deck a system out for less than 100.
 
#20 ·
Back and forth... decided to go with the inexpensive one for now. Had to remind myself of one of the guiding premises: keep things simple and reliable. Tablets and Bluetooth don't help that. Will report back how this one works: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08SQWXGVZ/
 
#25 ·
It is up and running. Man, that took a LOT more time than I expected.

To replace the old fuse panel, I needed to disconnect every wire and cable (and label them) and then re-cut the mount plate that it was on. Once I re-cut it and centered things the way I thought would look best, I realized I had stretched the 1/0 cables from the batteries to the 200A breaker to their limit in the first install. And now they wouldn't reach the bit more I needed. Sigh. Re-build those cables.

Then noticed some connections that were loose on other wires and/or cables. Ugh. Oh, yeah... ran out of the right connectors and did a "temporary" setup on them (aka "terrible version of permanent") and forgot about that. Okay... re-terminate most of the cables. Re-terminate a bunch of the wires since their heads didn't fit right. Get it all connected on the new panel. Moment of truth. It worked first try. I love it when that happens.

Then had to get the switch control side mounted somewhere user-friendly. Sigh. Yeah... I've been ignoring this. So might as well do it right. Disassembled the cabinet above the fridge and added a new panel section and mounted the Cerbo touchscreen, heater control, relay control, and tablet. Since the don't all have a clean flush-mount option, I did them all surface-mount. Came out pretty good - at least by my "function over form" mindset.

Clearly some work to do: labels aren't complete on the fuse/relay panel or the fuse panel. Labels on the relay control board are just temporary. Need to figure out how to make them look good AND to dim the lights down a lot. And still mounting and routing everything behind the UI panel.

Relay board works great for $110 so far.

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