auriot

Trailer monitor · do-it-yourself build

A warm trailer when you get there

Start your trailer's diesel heater from your phone. See where your trailer is, and how its battery and solar are doing.

Build one What it does

What it does

A small box in the trailer talks over the cell network. Your phone can be anywhere.

Heater screen: heater running, inside 35 F, outside 5 F, thermostat keeps 45 F, with Update and Stop buttons.

Heater

Warm when you get there

Start, stop and set your diesel heater from your phone. Pick a level, or set a temperature and the box holds it. Set how long it runs.

Start it from the lunch stop or the drive up. The trailer is warm when you arrive.

It stops by itself if it gets too hot inside, the battery runs low, a probe is lost, or the heater faults.

Home screen: battery 87 percent and charging, solar 131 watts, inside 35 F, outside 5 F, heater running, and the trailer on a map, not moved.

Home

Everything on one screen

Battery, solar, inside and outside temperature, the heater, cell signal and a map. The page shows MOVED if the trailer leaves its spot.

One look tells you the trailer is where you left it, and all is well.

Power screen: battery state of charge 87 percent, 12.91 volts, 6.2 amps.

Power

Battery and solar

Charge, volts and amps. Solar watts and each day's harvest. Laid out the way Victron's own app shows them.

Know your battery is fine before you leave home.

Needs Victron parts. Without them, the heater's own battery reading shows instead.

Pictures show made-up numbers.

HistoryBattery low and high each hour, inside and outside temperature, solar each day, heater run time each day.
Live while you lookUpdates every 30 seconds while the page is open.
Works like an appAdd the page to your phone's home screen. No app store.
Your own copyYou run your own copy of the phone page. Nobody else holds your keys.

What it costs

  • The boxMonitor One, roof antenna, 1-Wire board, cable and 2 temperature probes. $337.68 on one DigiKey list.
  • HeaterA VEVOR 8 kW diesel heater. It must be the Bluetooth version.
  • Victron partsSolar charger, battery monitor, battery cut-off. Only if you want them.
  • Each monthFree Particle plan and a free web host. No monthly fee.

Pick your parts

  • BaseLocation, cell signal, temperature inside the box.
  • TempTemperature probes inside and outside the trailer (about $25).
  • HeaterStart and stop a diesel heater from your phone. Needs Temp.
  • SolarReads a Victron SmartSolar charger.
  • Battery monitorReads a Victron SmartShunt.
  • Battery cut-offReads a Victron BatteryProtect.

12 volt systems only.

Build one

  1. Buy the parts

    Every part, with links and prices, the free accounts you need, and the data sheets.

    Parts list

  2. Build it

    11 jobs, one task at a time. Jobs 1 to 6 at a desk: build the box and set it up on Particle. Jobs 7 to 11 in the trailer: mount it, power it, then load the program and connect your phone.

    Build steps

Need to see where a wire goes? Open the wiring diagram any time.

Read this first

Not checked yet

A test build on a new unit comes first. Until then, steps can change.

Free and open source. No warranty and no support.

You agree to the terms once, when you open the parts list or the build steps.