California 6.1 Electrical Overview

[LandT]

Hi
As a retried electrical engineer, thought I'd take the time to try and understand the California's electrical systems.
I found some of the posts were sometimes misleading, probably applying to older California's?
I did some electrical tests around our (24 plate) T 6.1 ocean, as well as downloading a 2,000 page set of VW wiring diagrams.
I have drawn up a Wiring Overview (attached below) and would welcome comments.

Here are a few measured observations

• The engine battery is charged when connected to EHU (external power through A11 onboard charger)
• Almost all the leisure electrical equipment is controlled by the "computer" J608 special control unit / E153 (unlike older models)
• The inverter is a full sine wave 300W (450W peak) according to VW SSP 705
• I attach a screen shot of the leisure battery voltage during a short trip. It shows that the relay between the leisure batteries & engine battery can open and close while driving. It also shows that the leisure batteries can be a part of the engine's smart alternator system by providing current to reduce fuel consumption. This needs to be overridden (max power on the control panel) on the way to a camping trip to make sure the leisure batteries are fully charged.
• All the 12v sockets in the cab & rear are powered by the leisure batteries (but not the 2x USB C outlets beside the gear lever)
• The water pump and fridge are powered & controlled from J608 (Special Control Unit) not via separate fuses as in older Californias.

All the best
Tim

 

[Roger Boeken]

I started similar project few days ago.. You beat me to it.
At first glance I see no errors. Great job !

 

[Alexlex85]

Id double check this but I've read that t6.1 wont charge the starter battery whilst on hook up.
Also not sure if your leisure batteries will ever reach 100% from driving only because itof something to do with smart charging/ eco nonsense/start stop setup?

 

[LandT]

Id double check this but I've read that t6.1 wont charge the starter battery whilst on hook up.
Also not sure if your leisure batteries will ever reach 100% from driving only because itof something to do with smart charging/ eco nonsense/start stop setup?

I have tested with a volt meter on the engine battery and I can confirm the engine battery starts charging as soon as EHU is connected.

 

[Roger Boeken]

Id double check this but I've read that t6.1 wont charge the starter battery whilst on hook up.
Also not sure if your leisure batteries will ever reach 100% from driving only because itof something to do with smart charging/ eco nonsense/start stop setup?

They do charge 100% if you activate “max charge” on the control panel while driving.

 

[Betsycalifornia]

Hi
As a retried electrical engineer, thought I'd take the time to try and understand the California's electrical systems.
I found some of the posts were sometimes misleading, probably applying to older California's?
I did some electrical tests around our (24 plate) T 6.1 ocean, as well as downloading a 2,000 page set of VW wiring diagrams.
I have drawn up a Wiring Overview (attached below) and would welcome comments.

Here are a few measured observations

• The engine battery is charged when connected to EHU (external power through A11 onboard charger)
• Almost all the leisure electrical equipment is controlled by the "computer" J608 special control unit / E153 (unlike older models)
• The inverter is a full sine wave 300W (450W peak) according to VW SSP 705
• I attach a screen shot of the leisure battery voltage during a short trip. It shows that the relay between the leisure batteries & engine battery can open and close while driving. It also shows that the leisure batteries can be a part of the engine's smart alternator system by providing current to reduce fuel consumption. This needs to be overridden (max power on the control panel) on the way to a camping trip to make sure the leisure batteries are fully charged.
• All the 12v sockets in the cab & rear are powered by the leisure batteries (but not the 2x USB C outlets beside the gear lever)
• The water pump and fridge are powered & controlled from J608 (Special Control Unit) not via separate fuses as in older Californias.

All the best
Tim

View attachment 146988

Nice job, as you’ve asked for comments, would labelling the “2nd battery relay” be clearer to some as either split charge relay or leisure batteries relay?. Noting that the two batteries act as one so there’s nothing incorrect as it is.

 

[Roger Boeken]

Hi
As a retried electrical engineer, thought I'd take the time to try and understand the California's electrical systems.
I found some of the posts were sometimes misleading, probably applying to older California's?
I did some electrical tests around our (24 plate) T 6.1 ocean, as well as downloading a 2,000 page set of VW wiring diagrams.
I have drawn up a Wiring Overview (attached below) and would welcome comments.

Here are a few measured observations

• The engine battery is charged when connected to EHU (external power through A11 onboard charger)
• Almost all the leisure electrical equipment is controlled by the "computer" J608 special control unit / E153 (unlike older models)
• The inverter is a full sine wave 300W (450W peak) according to VW SSP 705
• I attach a screen shot of the leisure battery voltage during a short trip. It shows that the relay between the leisure batteries & engine battery can open and close while driving. It also shows that the leisure batteries can be a part of the engine's smart alternator system by providing current to reduce fuel consumption. This needs to be overridden (max power on the control panel) on the way to a camping trip to make sure the leisure batteries are fully charged.
• All the 12v sockets in the cab & rear are powered by the leisure batteries (but not the 2x USB C outlets beside the gear lever)
• The water pump and fridge are powered & controlled from J608 (Special Control Unit) not via separate fuses as in older Californias.

All the best
Tim

missing info :the fuse between alternator and battery A =SA1 225 A I believe

 

[Ruddster]

Thanks for the write up - is this part

• All the 12v sockets in the cab & rear are powered by the leisure batteries (but not the 2x USB C outlets beside the gear lever)

the same for a Cali Beach as it is for the Ocean?

 

[LandT]

missing info :the fuse between alternator and battery A =SA1 225 A I believe

View attachment 147026

View attachment 147027

Good point.

 

[Adeline]

Hi,

Thanks a lot for this. Even I (an absolute dunce at all this techy stuff), sort of understands it.

Just a coupe of questions though:
- one of the diagrams shows battery voltage on one side and solar power on the other. Are you describing a case where there a solar panels feeding power into the leisure batteries?
- and then, you state “leisure batteries can be part of the engine’s smart alternator system by providing current to reduce fuel consumption”. Assuming that what you mean by fuel is petrol or diesel, can you explain how fuel consumption can be reduced by electrical current?

Apologies if these questions seem very naive.
Thanks!

 

[LandT]

Hi,

Thanks a lot for this. Even I (an absolute dunce at all this techy stuff), sort of understands it.

Just a coupe of questions though:
- one of the diagrams shows battery voltage on one side and solar power on the other. Are you describing a case where there a solar panels feeding power into the leisure batteries?
- and then, you state “leisure batteries can be part of the engine’s smart alternator system by providing current to reduce fuel consumption”. Assuming that what you mean by fuel is petrol or diesel, can you explain how fuel consumption can be reduced by electrical current?

Apologies if these questions seem very naive.
Thanks!

Hi
The two leisure batteries are always connected to each other (behave like a large single battery). They connect to the engine battery (& alternator) via a relay controlled by the computers. When the relay is closed all the battery are as one. When the engine is off, the relay is normally open and the leisure batteries are disconnected from the engine side.
However when the engine is running the relay is normally closed. The alternator is not always charging as it’s a smart alternator. The idea is a form of regenerative braking. When braking or decelerating the alternator works hard and charges nearly 15v and many amps. When accelerating, the alternator stops charging (no load on the engine) helping fuel economy. If the relay between the leisure batteries & engine battery is closed, the leisure battery is charging the engine battery and engine components (lights, navigation systems, ecu, wipers etc).
You can see this from the voltage graph, where the relay is closed and the smart alternator is off pulling the leisure side down to 12.3v occasionally.
I hope this helps, but there are a lot of articles on the internet about how smart alternators reduce fuel consumption.
Tim

 

[MrB999]

I have a 2023 t6.1 California Beach, 300w inverter under the driver seat. Thank you for this post, I have spent days probably looking in the wrong place to establish if the inverter is pure sine wave or not.

I have a heated blanket I have been using in another van off a 300w inverter.. after I popped the controller using a non sine wave one.

I have not plugged it in yet..

Is it really a pure sine wave one?

 

[Roger Boeken]

I have a 2023 t6.1 California Beach, 300w inverter under the driver seat. Thank you for this post, I have spent days probably looking in the wrong place to establish if the inverter is pure sine wave or not.

I have a heated blanket I have been using in another van off a 300w inverter.. after I popped the controller using a non sine wave one.

I have not plugged it in yet..

Is it really a pure sine wave one?

Sine or not, don’t think is good idea to plug in 300W device , battery will discharge very quickly. You have only single leisure battery. However possible to use when on EHU not using inverter.

 

[MrB999]

Sine or not, don’t think is good idea to plug in 300W device , battery will discharge very quickly. You have only single leisure battery. However possible to use when on EHU not using inverter.

The blanket is 120w max.. and I never need that hot.. Generally only needed off grid occasionally. Inverter needs to be pure sine wave or the controller will just malfunction.

 

[Adeline]

Hi
The two leisure batteries are always connected to each other (behave like a large single battery). They connect to the engine battery (& alternator) via a relay controlled by the computers. When the relay is closed all the battery are as one. When the engine is off, the relay is normally open and the leisure batteries are disconnected from the engine side.
However when the engine is running the relay is normally closed. The alternator is not always charging as it’s a smart alternator. The idea is a form of regenerative braking. When braking or decelerating the alternator works hard and charges nearly 15v and many amps. When accelerating, the alternator stops charging (no load on the engine) helping fuel economy. If the relay between the leisure batteries & engine battery is closed, the leisure battery is charging the engine battery and engine components (lights, navigation systems, ecu, wipers etc).
You can see this from the voltage graph, where the relay is closed and the smart alternator is off pulling the leisure side down to 12.3v occasionally.
I hope this helps, but there are a lot of articles on the internet about how smart alternators reduce fuel consumption.
Tim

Thanks! And off to the internet with me …

 

[arklife]

Hi @LandT. Thanks for preparing and sharing this - absolute gold.

 

[jaydisc]

The blanket is 120w max.. and I never need that hot.. Generally only needed off grid occasionally. Inverter needs to be pure sine wave or the controller will just malfunction.

I tested one of my smaller EcoFlow power stations after reducing its AC input power to 80W, and it still refused to charge. EcoFlow power stations absolutely require a pure sine wave inverter. Far from a scientific test… just another data point. (2024 T6.1)

 

[MrB999]

I tested one of my smaller EcoFlow power stations after reducing its AC input power to 80W, and it still refused to charge. EcoFlow power stations absolutely require a pure sine wave inverter. Far from a scientific test… just another data point. (2024 T6.1)

Thank you, I am going around in circles.. sine wave or not LOL..

 

[Oceandrive2023]

Hi
As a retried electrical engineer, thought I'd take the time to try and understand the California's electrical systems.
I found some of the posts were sometimes misleading, probably applying to older California's?
I did some electrical tests around our (24 plate) T 6.1 ocean, as well as downloading a 2,000 page set of VW wiring diagrams.
I have drawn up a Wiring Overview (attached below) and would welcome comments.

Here are a few measured observations

• The engine battery is charged when connected to EHU (external power through A11 onboard charger)
• Almost all the leisure electrical equipment is controlled by the "computer" J608 special control unit / E153 (unlike older models)
• The inverter is a full sine wave 300W (450W peak) according to VW SSP 705
• I attach a screen shot of the leisure battery voltage during a short trip. It shows that the relay between the leisure batteries & engine battery can open and close while driving. It also shows that the leisure batteries can be a part of the engine's smart alternator system by providing current to reduce fuel consumption. This needs to be overridden (max power on the control panel) on the way to a camping trip to make sure the leisure batteries are fully charged.
• All the 12v sockets in the cab & rear are powered by the leisure batteries (but not the 2x USB C outlets beside the gear lever)
• The water pump and fridge are powered & controlled from J608 (Special Control Unit) not via separate fuses as in older Californias.

All the best
Tim

View attachment 146988

Hi
As a retried electrical engineer, thought I'd take the time to try and understand the California's electrical systems.
I found some of the posts were sometimes misleading, probably applying to older California's?
I did some electrical tests around our (24 plate) T 6.1 ocean, as well as downloading a 2,000 page set of VW wiring diagrams.
I have drawn up a Wiring Overview (attached below) and would welcome comments.

Here are a few measured observations

• The engine battery is charged when connected to EHU (external power through A11 onboard charger)
• Almost all the leisure electrical equipment is controlled by the "computer" J608 special control unit / E153 (unlike older models)
• The inverter is a full sine wave 300W (450W peak) according to VW SSP 705
• I attach a screen shot of the leisure battery voltage during a short trip. It shows that the relay between the leisure batteries & engine battery can open and close while driving. It also shows that the leisure batteries can be a part of the engine's smart alternator system by providing current to reduce fuel consumption. This needs to be overridden (max power on the control panel) on the way to a camping trip to make sure the leisure batteries are fully charged.
• All the 12v sockets in the cab & rear are powered by the leisure batteries (but not the 2x USB C outlets beside the gear lever)
• The water pump and fridge are powered & controlled from J608 (Special Control Unit) not via separate fuses as in older Californias.

All the best
Tim

View attachment 146988

Thanks for this Tim ! It clarifies things for those of us who are not experts !
James

 

[Roger Boeken]

VW self-study program SSP 705 page 36 :
The DC/AC converter with socket, 12 V – 230 V U13
The DC/AC converter with a 230 volt protective contact socket makes it possible to operate electrical appliances in the vehicle with standard household voltage.
The DC/AC converter transforms the on-board voltage from 12 volts to an alternating voltage of 230 volts. This means the socket can also be used for charging notebooks and rechargeable batteries of electric tools. The output signal shape is a “pure sine wave” that is identical to the signal shape of the domestic supply system.
The DC/AC converter has a continuous power output of 300 watts. A power of 450 watts is possible for a short time.
I uploaded SSP 705 in resources.
SSP 708 already in resources : https://vwcaliforniaclub.com/resources/service-training-ssp-708-the-california-6-1.237/

 

[dspuk]

Id double check this but I've read that t6.1 wont charge the starter battery whilst on hook up.
Also not sure if your leisure batteries will ever reach 100% from driving only because itof something to do with smart charging/ eco nonsense/start stop setup?

I don’t know if this has been answered elsewhere here and CBA checking but it has been discussed long and hard on here and agreed and understood that the 6.1 trickle charges the leisure on EHU. Be good to know for once and all if it’s a trickle or full charge @LandT?

@WelshGas did a poll years ago that confirmed it. Some say that T6’s don’t, but our 6.1 does (and probably the 6’s, they just didn't realise). Given I had a flat starter battery in France and charged it via the EHU so I could get going again it’s clearly connected, or maybe Harry Potter magic...

The 100% is true, unless you select max power, as the OP says. It’s not "eco nonsense” or any of the other things mentioned - as far as I have read it’s to do with extending the life of your batteries.

 

[Roger Boeken]

I don’t know if this has been answered elsewhere here and CBA checking but it has been discussed long and hard on here and agreed and understood that the 6.1 trickle charges the leisure on EHU. Be good to know for once and all if it’s a trickle or full charge @LandT?

@WelshGas did a poll years ago that confirmed it. Some say that T6’s don’t, but our 6.1 does (and probably the 6’s, they just didn't realise). Given I had a flat starter battery in France and charged it via the EHU so I could get going again it’s clearly connected, or maybe Harry Potter magic...

The 100% is true, unless you select max power, as the OP says. It’s not "eco nonsense” or any of the other things mentioned - as far as I have read it’s to do with extending the life of your batteries.

SSP 708 05/2020 page 84 :
The on-board charger unit A11
The on-board charger A11 detects if the vehicle is supplied with external power when the engine is switched off. The A11 then applies a voltage signal to a multifunction input of the J608.

The energy management of the control unit for special vehicles J608 now causes the charging relay for second battery J713 to close. This means that the additional batteries A1 and A24, and the starter battery A, are charged together by the A11. It is possible that due to charge transfer effects, current flows from the additional batteries into the starter battery for a short time, which can be seen by a discharge current in the current display in the E153.

If the charge level of the additional batteries A1 and A24 is very low, the charging relay is not closed. Now only the additional batteries are charged until their charge level is sufficient. However, if the starting capacity of the starter battery is no longer sufficient, the charging relay is closed immediately.

The on-board charger charges with a defined characteristic curve (IUoU). Initially, charging takes place up to a voltage of 14.8 volts.

This is followed by trickle charging at 13.6 volts. The maximum charging current is 15 A.

If the car is charged using external power, the yellow warning light in the E153 will illuminate.

 

[DGB99]

Have you any thoughts on this issue / thread?>

I have a 2023 Ocean with 300W solar installed to charge the leisure batteries and then a power pack via the MPPT load connection.

The system has worked flawlessly, including over a recent 3 week Wild Atlantic Way (when I was of course driving every day).

I am now at Fidden Farm on Mull where I have been parked since Saturday. Solar has been keeping the leisure batteries at close to 100% each day but after 3 days the tap stopped working on my return from a walk. I assumed this was a blown fuse but checked all 5A fuses under the passenger seat, no issues.

I then noticed that the fridge had turned off; I switched it back on but it went off again after a few seconds. I also could not start the heater.

My Ocean has a full electric door which I have used quite a bit as I have a dog. I then noticed the engine battery was low (11.? V) so started the engine. After 2/3 minutes I turned it off. The tap, fridge and heater immediately worked and have done so until this evening when I had to idle the engine for another couple of minutes. All well again.

I understand that the door use is discharging the engine battery but why does this impact on the tap, fridge and heater which are powered by the leisure batteries which are close to 100% (currently 12.70V). What am I missing?

 

[dspuk]

SSP 708 05/2020 page 84 :
The on-board charger unit A11
The on-board charger A11 detects if the vehicle is supplied with external power when the engine is switched off. The A11 then applies a voltage signal to a multifunction input of the J608.

The energy management of the control unit for special vehicles J608 now causes the charging relay for second battery J713 to close. This means that the additional batteries A1 and A24, and the starter battery A, are charged together by the A11. It is possible that due to charge transfer effects, current flows from the additional batteries into the starter battery for a short time, which can be seen by a discharge current in the current display in the E153.

If the charge level of the additional batteries A1 and A24 is very low, the charging relay is not closed. Now only the additional batteries are charged until their charge level is sufficient. However, if the starting capacity of the starter battery is no longer sufficient, the charging relay is closed immediately.

The on-board charger charges with a defined characteristic curve (IUoU). Initially, charging takes place up to a voltage of 14.8 volts.

This is followed by trickle charging at 13.6 volts. The maximum charging current is 15 A.

If the car is charged using external power, the yellow warning light in the E153 will illuminate.
View attachment 147636

Yeah, it’s the Amps I’m looking for into the Starter (A), my (current) MPPT only does 1A and I was wondering if EHU trickled at 1A or higher to get to the 14.8. Look like you response says it will charge “up to 15A” and then back down to a lower A to trickle at 13.6, which may be 1A, or may be more.

Sounded like the OP would be able to use his background to check all these at the right points.

I guess I could as well with my multimeter.

 

[vbk1975]

I don’t know if this has been answered elsewhere here and CBA checking but it has been discussed long and hard on here and agreed and understood that the 6.1 trickle charges the leisure on EHU. Be good to know for once and all if it’s a trickle or full charge @LandT?

@WelshGas did a poll years ago that confirmed it. Some say that T6’s don’t, but our 6.1 does (and probably the 6’s, they just didn't realise). Given I had a flat starter battery in France and charged it via the EHU so I could get going again it’s clearly connected, or maybe Harry Potter magic...

The 100% is true, unless you select max power, as the OP says. It’s not "eco nonsense” or any of the other things mentioned - as far as I have read it’s to do with extending the life of your batteries.

The 80% SOC is absolutely driven by emissions, the various formal emissions drive cycles (WLTP for most markets) that the emissions are measured over benefit significantly from the target only being 80%, it reduces the amount of time the alternator is operating during the cycle also in the most efficient battery absorption zone. The 80% allows enough head room to allow regenerative charging when you lift off. Both of these reduce measured CO2 and overall fuel consumption.