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Hardware - Panel Prototype

Guides​

The prototype panel is divided into three blocks mounted on the main panel:

  • the Power Box
  • The Integration Box
  • and the IoT Box

That allows independent work on each block to simplify the construction of the Smart Van Box. Specifically, the Integration and IoT blocks come with a dedicated case that can be easily mounted and dismounted from the main panel. In contrast, the devices in the Power block are individually fixed to the main panel.

Before starting, it is advisable to review the device list from the Hardware Requirements. After that, understand how and where to position the Smart Van Box inside your van. Finally, proceed with the assembly guides, adapting them to your needs.

To complete the construction of your Smart Van Box, you need to install the object's software on the Raspberry Pi in the IoT block. There are two methods: the first method provides the complete OS image: JOD Smart Van image, to be flashed onto the Raspberry Pi's SD card; while the second method allows you to download and run JOD Smart Van on an existing system.

Now, all that's left is to mount the main panel onto your vehicle and connect external devices such as the service battery, solar panel, and other services. Once everything is connected, switch on the switches in the following order: 1st service battery, 2nd vehicle battery, and 3rd solar panels

Once your Smart Van Box is powered on, you can launch the SV Mobile App from your smart phone and initiate the first configuration procedure.

Assembly hardware​

The prototype's main panel contains the Power blocks devices plus the IoT and Integration blocks cases. The main panel is the base of the Smart Van Box and it's the first thing to build.

As previously suggested, the main panel shape and sizes can be changed according to your needs. The only requirement is to have enough space to accommodate all devices and to allow the passage of the cables.

The panel prototype, as other Smart Van Boxes, must be connected to some external device, such as a batteries, solar panels and other camper's services at your discretion ( see External HW and Devices requirements).

  1. Shape Your Panel:
    Check the list of devices from the Power block to add to the main panel and decide on their placement. Also, find a location for the cases of the Integration and IoT blocks. You can find an example in the Main Panel shape and sizes diagram.
    Always remember some simple rules: there should be sufficient air circulation; if present, the inverter should be positioned as close as possible to the fuses, and the service battery (external) should be placed as close as possible to the main panel.
  2. Place Power devices on the panel:
    Arrange all Power block devices on the panel in their final positions. Feel free to take inspiration from the Power block's wiring diagram or arrange them to best fit your van. This will help you to determine the length of the cables and the shape of the conduits.
  3. Prepare Power cables:
    Cut the cables of the appropriate size using conduits (order matters). Then, solder the terminals or lugs according to where the cable needs to be connected.
    Check cable's sizes

    Always use cables of the right size according to your system's power.
    Additionally, ensure robust connections as damaged cables or poorly made terminals could lead to short circuits or fires.

  4. Fix and Connect Power devices:
    Secure the Power block's devices on the panel using screws. Then, bend the cables to give them the desired shape and connect them to the devices.
  5. Assemble Integration block:
    Ensure that the dimensions of your devices match the 3D model of the Integration block case and proceed with printing. In case your devices differ from those specified in the BOMs Integration Box, you can customize the Blender file of the 3D model.
    After 3D printing the case, place the devices in their slots and proceed with the wiring following the Integration Box wiring diagram.
    When installing fuses, remember to use fuses with the correct power rating according to the service you will connect to the corresponding service's port.
  6. Assemble the IoT block:
    Like for the Integration block, ensure that the dimensions of your IoT devices match the 3D model of the IoT block case and proceed with printing. To edit the model, you can use the IoT block Case (Blender) file.
    For cabling the IoT block, it use a ribbon cable to connect the Raspberry Pi to all devices with a 40-PIN header and also a small custom PCB board. All other devices within the IoT block are interconnected and connected to the Raspberry Pi using the ports on the custom PCB board.
  • The IoT block requires a small PCB made from a perfboard and wires and connectors. This board houses the ports to connect the other devices in the block to the ribbon cable and thus to the Raspberry Pi. Although this board involves soldering a PCB, don't worry, it's perfect for practice. With a few components, its cost is very low, but remember to order a few extra pieces. You can find the electrical scheme of the board and the Raspberry and Boards Pin-outs in the resources section.
  1. Finish assembling the main panel:
    Position and connect the two Integration and IoT blocks to the main panel, then link them together.
    The Integration block receives its power directly from the solar charger in the Power block; its outputs are connected to the camper's services (such as lights, fans, fridge, etc.). Finally, its communication port is connected to the IoT block.
    The IoT block uses an uncontrolled output from the Integration block as a 12V power source. For communication with the Power block, a Serial to USB cable is used, connected to the Solar Charger and the USB port of the Raspberry Pi. Lastly, the external sensors of the IoT block are connected through their respective communication ports.

Install Software​

A. Flash the SD Card​

  1. Download JOD Smart Van Image:
    Ensure you have downloaded the latest JOD Smart Van image from the official page and store it on your computer.
  2. Prepare SD Card:
    Insert the SD card into your computer and use a tool like RPi Imager, Etcher or Rufus to flash the JOD Smart Van image onto the SD card. Make sure to select the correct drive and confirm the process.
  3. Customize the JOD Smart Van: (optional)
    Once the flashing process is complete, you can mount the SD card partitions from your computer and customize the JOD Smart Van configuration files. Configs files are located in the root partition of the SD card into the /opt/jod_smart_van folder.
  4. Insert SD Card into Raspberry Pi:
    Once the flashing process is complete, safely eject the SD card from your computer and insert it into the Raspberry Pi.
  5. Power Up Raspberry Pi:
    After ensuring that you have connected the power supply of the IoT box to the corresponding output of the Integration box, you can power up the Raspberry Pi using the switch located on the UPS Pack_V3.
    Alternatively, you have the option to charge the UPS Pack_V3 battery and directly power your Raspberry Pi with it.
  6. Connect the SV Mobile App:
    A few moments after powering up, launch the SV Mobile App on your smartphone and open the 'first setup' function for your Smart Van Box. Wait for the new Smart Van Box to be detected (via the emitted WiFi network), then follow the guided setup procedure.
note

Always refer to the official JOD Smart Van and SV Mobile App documentation for detailed instructions and troubleshooting tips during the flashing and connection process.*

B. Download and install​

Here are the manual installation steps for the JOD Smart Van software on the Raspberry Pi. These steps are useful if you want to install the software on an existing system. Make sure that the Raspberry Pi is configured to allows an SSH connection.

  1. Connect to your Raspberry Pi using SSH:
    Use a tool like PuTTY or the terminal to connect to your Raspberry Pi using SSH. Then, navigate to the desired installation directory on your Raspberry Pi.
$ ssh pi@<Raspberry_Pi_IP_Address>
rpi$ mkdir -p /opt/jod_smart_van
rpi$ cd /opt/jod_smart_van

Ensure that you replace <Raspberry_Pi_IP_Address> with the actual IP address of your Raspberry Pi, and to have the necessary credentials to log in. 2. Configure RaspberryPi communication ports:
Enable the communication ports by adding the following line to the /boot/config.txt file, then reboot.

rpi$ sudo nano /boot/config.txt
rpi$ sudo reboot
enable_uart=1
... missing lines, check the JOD Smart Van Image repository as reference
  1. Download JOD Smart Van:
    Using wget, download the latest JOD Smart Van release from the official and extract it. GitHub repository. 
    rpi$ wget https://github.com/Smart-Van-2-0/com.robypomper.smartvan.jod_smart_van/releases/download/0.1.0/JOD_Smart_Van-0.1.0.tar.xz
    rpi$ tar -xf JOD_Smart_Van-0.1.0.tar.xz
  2. Run the JOD Smart Van daemon:
    After changing directory to the JOD Smart Van folder, you can run the JOS Smart Van as a background daemon or a command line application (useful for debugging purpose). 
    rpi$ cd JOD_Smart_Van-0.1.0
    rpi$ bash start.sh TRUE     # run it as a command line application
    rpi$ bash start.sh          # run it as a background daemon
    rpi$ bash stop.sh           # halt the background daemon
    The JOD Smart Van can be installed as a system service and executed at startup. To do so, you can use the provided installation script. 
    rpi$ sudo bash install.sh