Manky Monkey Motors

Hi all,
Looking for some advise. I have been very lucky to have inherited the above trailer from a very good friend who recently passed away.

Linky thingy  http://squob.com/travel_trailers/knaus-yat-somewhere-to-stash-the-v-rod/

It has a mains power input with an on board fuseboard and 12v transformer. Some of the lighting is 240v but most is 12v with the water pump and bog flush is 12v too. Lyndon, the previous owner, only used it once a year for his stall at the Bulieau (I think that's how you spell it) jumble where he ran a genny to power everything. I go to airfield sites and some racetracks where there is no power and I don't want to run a genny all night. I want to fit a leisure battery but retain the 240v input option. The trailer is nicely made and finished so I want to utilise the existing 12v wiring where I can. Most caravans have the 12v leasure battery option as standard but this does not. I don't need the battery charged from the car as I will only use it to power the bog, the sink, possibly the fridge light (the cold bit can be run on gas) and a night light so power consumption will be minimal. It would be nice if the battery could be charged utilising the existing 240v input but I cannot find a wiring diagram to tell me what bits of kit I need.
The mains feed goes into a fusebox with a built in 12v transformer and has multiple 12v outlets of which 2 are spare. I don't think I can simply wire in a battery to pick up the 12v outlets because the voltage will be passing back up the transformer so I assume I need some sort of relay and a regulator. The 12v outlets are spade connections and are integral with the board. There is 1 high amp 12v outlet to run the fridge and the others are for the 12v lights and the bog and sink.
Any ideas as to how I can achieve this without a full rewire? I am quite good at wiring stuff but I am not familiar with caravan 240v/12v charging/auto switching circuits.
I have the manuals but they are in German. I can make some sense of it but, like the French, the Germans have a different word for everthing ;D
Any help gratefully received.

link thingy == no - worky  ::)

http://squob.com/travel_trailers/knaus-yat-somewhere-to-stash-the-v-rod/

That's a cool trailer. Might be worth having a word with Phunkie Hiboy. He's recently restored a Portafold caravan, including rewiring it.

our caravan has 2 seperate systems,can you not just split it where the transformer is,use the 12 as required from the lesure battery and use the mains to charge it whin required. you can buy a panel for a caravan but would think they a expensive but maybe you could get a secondhand one

that's a nice bit of kit good luck with it by the way

like this

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/PMS3-H-POWER-MANAGEMENT-CHARGER-CONTROL-PANEL-12V-MAINS-240V-camper-caravan-zig-/130867271057?pt=UK_Campervan_Caravan_Accessories&hash=item1e784c1591 (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/PMS3-H-POWER-MANAGEMENT-CHARGER-CONTROL-PANEL-12V-MAINS-240V-camper-caravan-zig-/130867271057?pt=UK_Campervan_Caravan_Accessories&hash=item1e784c1591)

aahhh, i,v seen one or two of them about , same maker as tabbert caravans , which also went out of production ,,but i think another caravan maker bought the rights to them ,
dslam it sounds like the control panel you have maybe a ,zig, unit ,, if so it will have a place on it for battery connection somewhere and should automatically charge the battery when hooked up to the 240v supply ,,i,ll see if i,v saved any destruction books ,can you get a photo of said unit ?

Thanks for the help so far. I will get a photo up after the weekend as we are away in it. Sort of test run if you like.

Here are some piccies if the electrickery box in no particular order;

The main body

the in out button???

The label above the PSU in foreignese

I think that's a declaration of war isn't it?

I bloody hope not!!



Here is the last one. The makers label.

Ahh, now that's definitely the washing instructions for a pair of underpants. Extra large if I'm not mistaken.

Yes but look what is in them!! You is jealous now aint ya?

That really is it. All the pictures. If anyone out there can diceminate anything useful from them and help out. I can do elektrickery but only if I understand what and why. Thanks.

Counts me out then. Good luck Siree.

Thanks Mr Manky sir.

OK, I have done some more thinking (ouch) I took the junction box apart under the trailer and looked again at the fuse box/transformer thing inside the trailer. Cast into the plastic on the 12v ports on the fusebox it says 'Eingang 12v' and 'Ausgang 12v'. I think that means input 12v & output 12v. I put an oscillator (A bit of kit I use at work to sent a beep down a pr of wires which can be heard and 'homed' in upon with an associated probe) on the eingang or input pr and it traces to an unused pr in the main car to van connection cable. I presume this would be used to feed 12v to the van directly from the car battery if you utilised the second plug setup I have seen on the back of tow cars.
So if my thinking is correct, bear with me here as I know this is boring the hell out of you all, all I need to do is connect a 12v leisure battery to this pr and hey presto we have power where before there was none.
Is there anyone out there who thinks I have it right or will I have to buy a £200 power controller thing.
Bear in mind that I do not want to power the van from the car just a big leisure battery under the van for a weekend at a race track increasing my carbon footprint ;D

I haven't got a clue, but I'm fascinated to find out now!