Electrical System Configuration Plans

Now that the cabinets are 'built,' I can start planning the electrical.  I'm only putting in a 12 volt system, but I am going to put in a power port so that if we are in a spot that has power, we can easily trickle charge the battery and have access to a 120 volt outlet.  I'll be going with the simplest power system possible; basically a port which is connected to a power strip.

I have been thinking a lot about where to put the fuse panel/power center and think I've finally come up with a couple of solutions.  I'm not sure which I'll go with, but I'm going to work with both a bit and decide which will work best for me.

There is a magnificent blog by the creator of the Little Swiss Teardrop Trailer.  He has documented his complete build in clear and vivid photographs.

I came across his power center many months ago when I was planning.  One way to do the power center is the idea of the slide out in my build.  Here is an image of his power center:

He has both a 12 volt and 120 volt system.  He needs it; he lives in Texas!  He uses the 120 volt to power his air conditioner.

What I like about the pull out concept is that I could put the battery and control panel in a similar configuration.   Here is an image of the pull out without the electrical power center. 

The one reason I would not use this system is that my cabinet is really tight.  The battery is pretty wide and quite heavy.  I might be able to create a 'tray' to pull out the battery and then have the power center behind the battery.  If I put the pull 'slides' on the bottom of the tray, I buy a little more 'room' in the compartment.

Another solution is to put the 'control panel' on the inside wall to the left of the cooler tray.  There is about 1 1/2 inches between the wall and the cooler.  If I were to cut out the opening for the control panel into the sidewall, there would be plenty of room between the cooler and the box.  Plus, I don't really need to 'see' the switches.  They are there only for if a fuse blows and I'll know it has blown because it won't work.

I'm leaning toward putting the panel in the wall at this point.  This will also leave some additional room in the compartment for the AC power port/strip.  I'll end up putting a DC 12 volt power port next to the panel; possibly a 120 volt outlet too.  Just in case.  This will also make it easier for me to 'charge up' the battery when I have shore power or when I'm at home.  Then I won't have to pull out the battery each time I'm home.