FAQ

A small selection of answers to your questions. There are certainly still many things and details that are unclear, we will regularly revise this page to provide more information. But please feel free to write to us with your thoughts and suggestions at any time!

BY PI

Everything about the OpenSource project

Who is VAN PI intended for?

The VAN PI project is aimed at developers, hobbyists and technically inclined people who like to try out new things and develop together with a community. However, you shouldn't be afraid of the installation even if you don't have a lot of PC knowledge. The setup is supported by instructions and videos and is therefore also possible for the normal "hobbyist".

What is the difference between the HAT and the relay board?

The relay board can be seen as an extension of the Hat. You could also call it the big sibling. The basic functions (water tanks, temperature sensors, display and measurement hunt) are available in both, only the relay board has the option of connecting 4 instead of 2 water tanks and has been expanded by 8 relays. The relay board also has several expansion slots.

Where can I find the user manual?

You can find our quickstarts and user manuals here

How many and which water tank sensors can I use?

With the VAN PI HAT you can connect 2 water tank sensors and 4 with the VAN PI Relayboard. Resistance sensors or capacitive sensors can be used. Calibration is then carried out in the web interface.

Which battery systems do you support?

We support the most common Lifepo4 battery management systems. These include Daly, JBD, Liontron. These can be integrated either via USB, Bluetooth or serial interface. The Ve.Direct shunts from Victron can also be integrated. These monitoring systems are independent systems that communicate with our system.

If you don't have one of these systems installed, or the data from the systems is too inaccurate, you can use our VanPi Shunt. This is connected to the hat or relay board via an RJ11 cable and records all data directly via the Raspberry Pi.

What is the function of the measuring shunt and what are the differences in the amps?

A measuring shunt is used to measure the current. In this case, you do not measure the current directly, but rather a defined voltage drop across the shunt at a certain current.

The different shunt sizes are designed for the maximum current. If you have a small system and your current will not exceed 100A, the smallest shunt is sufficient. Exceeding 100A for a short time does not pose any danger. It will just make the measurement less accurate. However, if you have a larger electrical system and cook with electricity, for example, you will have to dimension the shunt accordingly.

Can I dim LEDs?

With our VAN PI Dimmy you can dim 6x LEDs (up to 3A) or control a fan (1x10A). The board is connected to the system via WLAN and uses a widely used Wemos D1. You can find detailed instructions and information on this in the MakersArea.

How can I assign the temperature sensors connected in parallel?

In the web interface, under Config -> Sensors, you will find a tab called "get temp sensors". This will retrieve the temperature sensors for 1 minute in 5 second intervals. You can now assign the different sensors by changing the temperature. For example, hold one in your hand or pour cold water into a tank.

How do I customize the display? Can I program it myself?

Our display receives regular updates. However, the firmware we developed is not open source and cannot be installed on other displays.

A Nextion HMI file is available for makers in the MakerArea. This allows you to build your own user interface for Nextion displays. The circuit diagram for the adapter board can be found in the documentation.

Is there a possibility of remote access?

There are many different ways to achieve remote access. With our IOT Bridge, we have hardware that covers almost the entire world and with which you can control and query the basic parameters of the system.

Furthermore, there are tutorials in the MakersArea on how you can integrate Telegram, for example, to communicate directly with your system via the messenger.

If you want to have your entire dashboard on your phone, you can also use Remote-Red. There is also a tutorial available for this.

Which heaters are supported?

There are many different ways to achieve remote access. With our IOT Bridge, we have hardware that covers almost the entire world and with which you can control and query the basic parameters of the system.

Furthermore, there are tutorials in the MakersArea on how you can integrate Telegram, for example, to communicate directly with your system via the messenger.

If you want to have your entire dashboard on your phone, you can also use Remote-Red. There is also a tutorial available for this.

How many temperature sensors can be connected?

Basically, you can use up to 4 temperature sensors without any problems. It is important that digital temperature sensors (DS18B20) are required for this. The sensors are then placed in the same slot - the assignment and differentiation then takes place in the web interface. If you want to use more sensors, there is a potentiometer on the relay board with which you can change the pull-up calibration in order to use up to 10 sensors. (Note the cable lengths)

Is there any other hardware besides the Raspberry PI that can be used?

At the moment we only support Raspberry PI hardware. You can use everything from the Pi3, Pi4 and Zero2. Tests with other Pi compatible systems are running.

Where can I find the 3D files for the housings?

We provide you with the 3D files free of charge so that you can easily print the cases yourself with one of the commercially available 3D printers - or, if necessary, adapt them to your ideas. We have created a profile on Thingiverse for this purpose - simply search for "pekaway" or directly via this link: https://www.thingiverse.com/pekaway/designs

Do I need a voltage converter or chargers?

Highly efficient buck converters are installed on the hat and the relay board. This means you can connect the VanPi system directly to your 12V system and do not need a USB-C adapter or anything similar.

Can I connect my solar controller?

We currently only support the Ve.Direct capable solar controllers from Victron. Other systems from Eactive, Eepever etc. are in the planning stages. If you use our shunt or a compatible battery management system, you can see your charging current to the battery even without a direct connection to the solar controller.

How many USB devices can be recognized?

Four USB devices can be recognized by default. Of course, there is always the option of adding even more devices to our open source software with Node-RED and adapting it to your situation and needs.

How can I update the system?

Under Downloads you will always find the latest version in the various folders. There you will always find the current SD image.

You can also update the system via an existing Internet connection or USB. To do this, simply open the update page in the web interface under the Config tab.

For all developers and makers you can also find everything on our GITLAB .

I'm having problems setting it up, where can I find help?

We have a troubleshooting corner here . You can also ask a question in our FORUM . The community will be happy to help you!

Team & Vision

For all of you who have wondered who is behind VAN PI & Pekaway, here is a brief insight into our team and our philosophy.

Who are we?

VAN PI & Pekaway is colorful, practical and versatile. We are a young team of passionate people who enjoy working with software, electronics and 3D printing. We love the concept and flexibility of open source & our goal is to improve the lives of all travelers through disruptive products

What is the vision?

We want to create more transparency with our community-based systems. At the same time, we see this as an opportunity to become independent of IT giants and other socially irresponsible monopolies and thus create added value for society. The goal is to improve everyone's life through disruptive products.

With the VAN PI series, we are introducing our first system and want to break through technical boundaries in the vanlife boom and give the DIY van community an open system with which they can develop more individually. However, VAN PI is only the beginning of the journey. We want to take you into our technical cosmos, bring you closer to the open source world, show you further areas of application and analyze, among other things, technical and related social problems - for this we will regularly provide you with blog posts, podcasts and new videos!