Electrical Drifter Control Panel - Complete Install

skippy

Well-Known Member
Jun 21, 2010
935
793
93
Butler/Perth WA
When I get home @achjimmy i will send you a pick of mine if ya like. I too couldn't believe in this day and age that there is a unreliable glass fuse in there as well, things are built to a price though.
That's one of the next mods to take the glass fuse out because there pain when ya off road with all of the bumping around
 
Last edited:

relgate

Superstar
Staff member
Feb 2, 2012
2,946
1,902
113
Sydney, NSW
Happy if someone can advise. Not sure our drifter is wired up correctly? It seems to work okay. But see the pic below of the battery and shunt. They have the 2nd battery neg on the drifter side of the shunt, I would have thought it should have been just parreled to battery one? One of the other two wires is the solar in I presume, no idea what the other is should it be 12v from the tug? Presuming these stay drifter side of shunt ?

It's a total dogs breakfast and will be tidied up ASAP. I love how the state of the art drifter panel still uses a glass fuse !

View attachment 27412
I'm no expert but mine looks pretty much the same as yours
20141014_180226.jpg
 

achjimmy

Well-Known Member
Jan 24, 2011
3,031
3,401
113
Thanks Skip. It certainly looks like your 2nd battery is hooked to the "battery" side of the shunt?
 
  • Like
Reactions: skippy

skippy

Well-Known Member
Jun 21, 2010
935
793
93
Butler/Perth WA
:DI hoped it helped ya because it takes me 10 minutes to take the cover off and fold the bed out so I can access the batteries. :bounce:

Mine from factory was wired up wrong and did not work. I believe I had one of the first drifter panels and no one could help us out at first. Our dealer over here got a solar Tec out to fix the problem and yes the wiring was all over the place. Since the wires have been placed correctly it been ok. That glass fuse is a pain though because once it gets disconnected the drifter resets and you lose the calibration of the batteries which can be a bit of a pain. Now that the van is out of warrantee that's one of the first jobs to replace that glass fuse with a blade one.

Yeh that's right both batteries are hooked up to the same side of the shunt mate.
 
  • Like
Reactions: cruza driver

bigman0510

Well-Known Member
Apr 9, 2011
1,754
1,019
113
44
Moranbah, Queensland, Australia
moranbahweather.com
I would say @bigman0510 will beat me too it @achjimmy
I am in wait a while country over here 3 hours behind the East Coast so I am assuming he will make it home before I do;)

You still beat me to it!!

I know that I have wired mine in parallel, so both negatives together and both positives together. They both drain from the same point, so it makes sense to do it that way. Quite happy to be proven wrong but I would like to see your methods...lol
 
  • Like
Reactions: skippy

skippy

Well-Known Member
Jun 21, 2010
935
793
93
Butler/Perth WA
Yes got 2 batteries. Have no idea if it is working as it should but drifter seems OK
Have you tried calibrating the drifter as to work out how much time/Amp's you have left in the battery Relgate?

I was told buy the Solar Tec from the dealer that both batteries negatives have to be on one side of the shut other wise you get false reading. Yours appears to be different though. I would have thought if there in parallel it wouldn't matter but he insisted that they both go straight to one side of the shunt.
 

dagree

Well-Known Member
Mar 3, 2012
7,033
9,150
113
65
Perth. WA
Apparently it does but I cant see how either.

Can't see the difference either.... Only thing I can think of is maybe an issue with the equivalent of voltage drop due to cable size in a positive cable situation?

But in saying that the positive cables are connected the same?
 
  • Like
Reactions: skippy