Posted by Jacob the J in TJ Shack
During one of our early camping trips we ran into many issues with our existing solar and power setup. Whatever can go wrong did go wrong! Our inverter went out and even our 12 Volt connections were dead in the water. No, not literally in water! Something had to change. I spent hours researching on the internet and watched many YouTube videos. I decided on the EGON DC Hub with the RedArc Manager30 solution. We did away with the AGM battery and opted for 2 x 100 Amp hour lithium batteries instead.
I made a simple schematic of what existing and new connections would need to be made. I removed most of the existing wiring and replaced it with marine grade wire appropriately gauged to reduce voltage loss.
I followed the instructions closely on how to connect the Manager30 to the EGON DC HUB. I made sure to check these connection multiple times. I did not want to blow up anything during this install. That would have been a major disaster!
The EGON DC hub was a relatively new product, with little customer ratings. The website at the time seemed a little unprofessional. Nonetheless, the guys behind the product have been around for a long time. They seem to have great knowledge in their product. The HUB appeared simple enough and did not have moving parts. Hence, I was willing to take the risk and order it for my solution. Now, a few years later, I can confidently say this is a great product. I have had no issues with this setup. I ordered the EGON hub from Australia as it was not available yet in the US. What I like about it is all my wiring will be in a central location. Home-runs to one location, like the breaker box in a house. Circuits with issues would have a red LED light up to easily spot. Which would make it easier to troubleshoot and manage.
WOW, how lucky I get! The EGON Hub fit perfectly in the space where the original Inverter existed. I used the metal front from the old inverted. It has the plastic flip down cover. I cut an opening big enough to face mount the EGON Hub. AWESOME!
I added several new circuits. These are for a compressor, extra USB ports, and 12 Volt outlets. They also include a diesel heater, ham radio, and exterior lighting connections. All with home runs to the EGON HUB which protects it with fuses for all runs.
The RedArc Manager30 is a battery management system that charges and maintains auxiliary batteries. It is connected to the EGON DC Hub. Through the EGON Hub Manager30 receives power from the truck’s alternator and solar connections. Manager30 also allows for shore power connection to keep things charged, when connected to 120 Volts. The Lithium batteries are connected to the EGON DC Hub. The original install of Manager30 had an LCD display to readout system information. We replaced the LCD model in 2024 with a newer LED version from RedArc. This newer version also supports a Bluetooth connection to a phone app.
Everything in the camper runs on 12 Volt. Fridges, furnace blower, fans, lights, water and air pumps. cell signal booster, router, Starlink power injector, diesel heater, and the computer. We have a small 400 Watt inverter. It was used for the Starlink router before we converted Starlink to 12 Volt. I wired a few extra 120 Volt outlets in the camper. This is useful if we are connected to shore power. It allows us to plug in bigger appliances like an induction cooker or A/C.
The batteries and Manager30 are located behind the driver seat. The batteries are strapped down to a mount attached to the truck floor. We built a small table to cover up the batteries. This allows us to store our drone and camera bags on top behind the seat.
When it was time to turn the Manager30 on nerves were certainly noticeable. It was scary. I double checked everything! The equipment is not cheap. Although, I think I can do anything! The past has proven me wrong on a few occasions. There is no available “on” switch for the Manager30. When the current flows it starts to do its thing. With the circuits all connected and the setup on the Manager30 completed all worked as intended.
One extra complaint that drove this upgrade was a power consuming 25 year old 3 way fridge. It would drain the house battery in no time. Running on propane wasn’t very reliable. I opted for a very small Dometic CRX50 compressor fridge. We have added a second ICECO fridge/freezer since that install. It took the place of the console between the driver and passenger seat. Besides freezing our meats it makes for a great dog pillow and arm rest.
The addition of the ICECO setup as a freezer allows us to stay out longer in remote locations.
Our time camping for extended periods has shown us a lot. We can run both fridges and Starlink without having to worry about draining the batteries. In all fairness we prefer to camp in cool but sunny locations. It is convenient to charge from the Bronco’s alternator while driving during multiple days of cloudy weather.
We have been very pleased with this upgrade to the camper. It has proven to be very reliable. Truly zero issues from the EGON DC Hub or the Manager30.
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