Reddit mentions of Principles of Electricity & Electronics for the Automotive Technician

I wanna do that stuff too. Not unrealistic at all, you can do a lot with 500w of solar and alternator charging. You could get 400ah of costco golf cart batteries, or two 8D batteries on craigslist. Or lithium if you have 3 grand.

As for the computer, even with a DC-DC PSU, a desktop pc just aint happening without a generator or a real long van chock full of non-stealthed panels. Even very efficient dc-dc desktop PSU's draw around 50 amps dc, too much. A gaming laptop can draw around 180w, or 7.5a-15 amps dc.
https://www.reddit.com/r/vandwellers/comments/5sblkq/gaming_laptop_plan_dcdc_90w_charger_75amps_dc_14/


For the solar panels I went with the renogy eclipse 100w panels for stealth, but if you don't care about stealth check out http://hurriedyear.com/2016/12/20/i-replaced-the-solar-panels/ for 1000w on a 158" sprinter. The panels are longer than the width of the van so it's not stealth but it does maximize power.

For a charge controller yeah you can scale it if you start with a powerful MPPT that can handle the maximum amperage you will eventually upgrade to, I got the victron 100/50 MPPT but that's only good for 500w, see the hurried year blog for 1000w. But I've only got one solar panel for now, later I'll at more in series, so yeah it's scalable. For more than 500W I'd need a second CC.

"how do I wire a system that has multiple and varied charging inputs "

Well you have an isolator or ACR for the alternator, you have a charge controller going straight to the battery for the solar and or wind, and you have an inverter charger for shore or generator power (That's one method).

I recommend starting with a solid understanding of DC electricity, wire gauge, fusing, and solenoids/relays. Try a book at the library or a PDF for automotive technicians. https://www.amazon.com/Principles-Electricity-Electronics-Automotive-Technician/dp/1428361219


How to: van electrical:

https://gnomadhome.com/van-build-solar-electrical-wiring/
Try searching for "van wiring electrical schematic build blog"

https://www.docdroid.net/T5EsXxR/solar-setup-sprinter-pirate.pdf

Book I find real helpful is the sprinter rv conversion sourcebook. I wasn't able to find it for free but it was worth the money.