How to fill out our customer layout form, Google sheets version on your laptop/desktop.
In order to accurately capture what each individual conversion might require we've come up with the latest version of our customer layout form. This is an interactive Google sheets document that allows you to enter what components you want where the dimensions of the van and then it will give you a rough idea of what components you're going to need.
We use this alongside our website to allow you to see what you'll need for your conversion and how much it will cost. Then once you're happy with this, you can send it through to us. We will then check it all matches up and start processing your order.
Video
This video gives you a brief overview. for more detailed advice, see the walkthrough below.
How to - customer layout form v4.1
Step 1a Open a customer layout form and click the "make a copy button" Customer layout form. (by clicking the text to the left).
Step 2 - In the top left, it will say "Customer layout form with battery calculator V4.2(1)" Add your name to the front of this, so we know who's form it is..
Step 3 - Also, Fill out your name in cell W7, your vehicle make, model and wheelbase in cell T9 and the four-digit year that the vehicle was registered in cell T10. Select cell X10 and pick whether you have a smart alternator fitted to your vehicle, with the Yes, no or not sure. (If you're not sure you can use this test to see. What is a smart alternator and have I got one?)
Step 4 - You will be presented with a sample layout for a side conversion in a transporter. This is simply to display how the form might look when it's filled out. To begin your own custom layout highlight the cells as below and press the "delete" key on your keyboard, this gives you a blank layout.
Tip: To highlight the cells start in the top leftmost cell, hold down the left click on your mouse and drag it down to the bottom right cell, then let go of the left click button.
Now you have a blank form, you're free to fill out what you need to be wired in and where.
Step 5 - decide what you need to be wired in and where. We have some sample layouts for inspiration here.
Step 6 - Fill out your layout within the vehicle rectangle on the left-hand side of the form, the codes that are okay to enter are listed in column U.
 |  |
Tip: When filling out the layout, all variations of our control panel come with 2 x USB ports and a 12V socket built in, so unless you want extras you don't need to put these in next to the control panel.
Tip: The dimmer switch has a built in ON OFF switch, so there's no need to pair it with a light switch. The dimmer switch is also not suitable to go with the touch sensitive LEDs.
Tip: If you want a mains hook up system, you will need to include, the consumer unit (CU), inlet socket (IN) and at least one double socket (2G1) in the layout.
Step 7 - Now you've filled out your layout, head over to the table on the right, this will give you a count of how many of each component are in the diagram. For some items, here is where you have the option to select whether you'd like us to supply the component with the kit or just provide you with a wiring loom to the component, labelled up and ready for you to join into the system.
Note: If you select supply component and buy items like the LED lights and USBs, the wiring looms will come with the correct connectors to plug straight into your component, if you select wire only, we will just label the end of the wire and leave it for you to connect to your chosen item.
You can select your chosen option by using the little drop-down arrow next to each component. If you click in the square, the drop-down arrow will appear.
You also have the choice of a few different variations of some components, like the control panel style or whether your sockets are single or double. You will see these items have a thick black outline, once you click in the box, a drop-down menu will appear, simply select your option there.
There are a few dropdowns at the bottom of this table for extras that you can add to the system, the first is a gas bonding kit, this is a regulatory requirement if you have both mains power from a hook up or an inverter AND fixed metal gas pipes. It's a simple bonding cable and clamp that will allow you to keep your system up to the current regulations. More information here.
The second is a carbon offset for the kit, if you'd like us to offset your kit using certified renewable power and reforesting projects so we can all enjoy the outdoors for many years to come, then mark this as "yes please". It really is appreciated. See our environmental page here.
The next option is a sticker compliance pack, we've put together all of the regulatory notices that need to be displayed in a camper in order for the installation to be compliant to the latest standards. If you select yes here, we will quote you for the relevant stickers. They're pretty inexpensive, so it's a worthwhile thing to do if you can.
Finally is a low voltage disconnect option. Simply, this will stop your battery from over-draining which can cause damage to the inside of the battery and in the worst cases, the battery cannot be used again and must be replaced. Battery manufacturers also won't warrant batteries that have prematurely failed due to over-discharge. So this can be a good idea to have. More information here.
Step 8 - Having now filled out all of the above, if you look to the left, below the layout schematic, (V4.2 onwards) there is now a box for marking which switch you want to control which item. (marked in the red box below).
Items such as fridges, diesel heaters, USBs, 12V sockets and reading lights don't require an external switch, so they won't appear in this list.
When selecting the switches, simply click into the square in the "Item to switch" column, this will bring up the drop-down arrow in the corner, it will then show a list of items that are currently present in your layout. These are the things you can allocate to the switches.
You cannot have the same item on multiple switches, this will highlight in RED if it's been selected twice, please then remove the allocation to the switch you no longer require.
The "Extra switches" space will be auto-filled in when you add switches into your layout form above, you can then select the item you wish to control from this switch as we did before with the control panel switches.
Please ensure you have selected all of the items you wish to switch, if they are not all covered, our team will allocate them when we make your system.
Step 9 - The final part to see on the layout page is the recommendations table, this auto-populates with what the calculator believes you will need, based on your input above. (this is only a rough guide as there's a lot of variation between vehicles, but it's usually pretty accurate, a member of our team will check it all over for you to make sure you have the right bits once you've shared the form with us.).
At this stage, if you wish, you can email it to us by clicking the "share" button on the top right-hand side and sharing it to info@rayneautomotive.co.uk and we will provide a quotation, usually within 1 working day. If you'd prefer, use the steps below to check out the items on our website, just search for the item as it's listed in the "What items" table inside the layout form.
The basic wiring kits column will show whether you have entered 12V conversion items, mains components, solar panels and or inverters and link you to the relevant items, this way you can see images, get dimensions and more information on what we have to offer here.
All of the items can be found in the full wiring kits page, that's where you can check out the items in question.
The attributes column is the variation of the full wiring kit we recommend so once you look at the full wiring kits, you will see a few drop-down items, these are the attributes, you can select split charge type etc here, (again don't worry we'll put this on your quote for you).
The last column is the add ons, these can be found at the bottom of the full wiring kits page.
Once you've worked out what you want, please email the layout over to us (info@rayneautomotive.co.uk and we will send you a quote and get everything underway for you.
Step 10 (optional) - Solar and batteries.
If you have a mains hook up system and are plugged in to an external power source, then your battery will be charging and you don't really need to worry about the battery bank size or solar power. However if you'd like to run without a mains plug in for a night or two or even a couple of weeks. Then the below calculator might just be for you!
The next step is an optional one, but it's great to now see where your power is going to be used and what size batteries you would need to run it. It also helps you see what impact different sized solar arrays might have on your battery bank.
To access the calculator (only available in the Microsoft Excel version) click the "battery and solar calculator button at the bottom of the window.
This takes you through to the calculator.
Step 11 - filling out the calculator
Within the calculator, there are some pre-populated common items and their power consumption. Just fill out the duration (in hours per day) column and the quantity of that component you will be using. The columns are circled in red in the below image.
Tip: There are also spaces to add your own items in each category, just add the item and it's power consumption in Watts (W).
We've filled out some typical uses for the standard Transporter layout we've been working with here and at the bottom of the list it gives us our estimated power consumption per day, again circled in red.
Step 12 - Charging your battery
Now we know what you would like to run, the next few options are for how you'd like to charge your battery off-grid.
Solar. This is where you can add solar charging into the equation, the calculator estimates, based on data we've gathered how much power will go into your battery on an average day. If the blue cell for winter charging is marked as "no" then this will take an average of solar yield from March-September. If winter mode is turned on, by changing the blue cell to "yes" then it will give you the estimated average yield per day for November-January, which will, of course, be much lower due to shorter days and less sunshine.
You can adjust the wattage of your panels in the orange box to see how much power you might get for different configurations.
The next method of charging that most people use is a split charger or a battery to battery charger. Here you have the option to select whether you'd like to include this into your calculations. Do this by clicking into the box in row 66 and changing it to "yes".
20A is the average yield of a conventional voltage sensing split charge system per hour. We would only recommend changing this if you have a battery to battery charger, then you can change it to the charge rating on the battery to battery charger.
Step 13 - The results
The last thing you need to enter is the number of days you would like to be off-grid without plugging into the mains.
Once you have entered all of your data, you will be given the power results and a recommendation for batteries.
The recommended batteries are linked and you can then add that to your quote. You can always have a larger battery bank than recommended to give you a bit more flexibility.
The battery graphic shows what percentages of the recommended batteries are being used in the above data, so it shows how much more power you could take before you would need to upgrade your battery bank.
Step 14 - Submitting your information.
As for step 8 above, simply save your file with the data in, then please email it to us at info@rayneautomotive.co.uk we will then review the form to make sure everything is compatible and get things moving from there.
Thank you for reading, we look forward to seeing your plans.