My Big Mod Day

[naganthunter]

I spent nearly the entire day installing some mods on the PU.  I took a long time to do only a few things because I'm horribly anal about wiring.  I use a soldering iron for every connection and take my time running wires in places they won't rub and short, install fuses, switches, blah, blah, blah...Anyhow, most of these mods were ideas I stole from folks here and at other PU sites - thanks to those folks!

Here they are:

First up (and the only one I didn't outright steal) is my battery monitor.  Most folks have used some nice little LED screens and stuff, mounted at the galley.  Originally, this was exactly what I was going to do until some discussions I had here.  I wired this direct to the battery, and then installed in a small cabinent that's located near the door opening.  This way I can check the PU battery whether the top is up or down without having to fuss around with the battery box.  Also, it's velcro'd in and I have another set of leads to use in the event I need to test something else



Here's the requisite fridge fan.  Rather than go with a CPU cooler I went all out (a whopping $40) and got this little one with a thermostat so the fan won't run endlessly.



I like switches, so here's my switches for the fridge fan and the 12v plug I installed inside the PU



Here's the 12v plug.  Kinda a pain in the neck to install this puppy where I wanted it.  But where there's a will, there's a way....



Indoor/outdoor thermometer.  I stole this idea from someone here...can't recall who.  Thanks to whoever you are!



Fridge alarm...seems like a good thing to have



Camping World installed my AC unit with this really ugly blue cord hanging out.  I think this looked like crap, and don't understand why they'd leave it like this when it was so easy to fix and make nice looking??  Is this how they always install AC on PU's??

BEFORE:



AFTER: (the curtains that go along the side of the PU roof will cover the rest of this wire



The last photo I have is one of those LED puck lights installed in one of the cabinents.  I put these in nearly every dark cab in the PU



I also fitted up my new Popup Gizmos Bunk End covers (sorry, no photos).
Those things work nicely.

Remaining projects: (That I've ID'd so far)
- Refletix Window Shades (bought a roll, but ran outta time today)
- Some type of channelling system to keep the water from the AC from running where ever the heck it wants to
- AM/FM/IPOD system (probably use a car stereo)

the list goes on, and on....

THANKS TO EVERYONE FOR ALL OF THE WONDERFUL IDEAS I'VE STOLEN HERE!!
NH

[austinado16]

Nice work on all that!

Can you tell me more about the fridge fan and where you purchased it and the t-stat that goes with it?

The only suggestion I have is that on the fridge fan, I'd center it in front of those fins because those are what you want air moving over, and I'd make a sheetmetal (aluminum roof flashing from a hardware store or building supply) that goes from that crossmember on the camper just below the fan, inward, and then up about 1/3 of the way up those fridge fins.  Then mount the fan centered and nearly flush with the louvered upper panel.  That way, all air the fan moves must go past the fins first.

Love how that A/C cord was left.....they must hire 12 year olds.

[wavery]

Nice job on your mods. That was a good idea on placement of the multimeter. I think that I will do the same thing. Thanks for the idea.:sombraro:

I think that you will be happy with that fridge fan. Not sure that repositioning will make a huge difference. That fan should increase the movement of air enough to make a big difference. The important thing is to remove the hot air so that it doesn't build up in the upper compartment. Baffling will encourage drafting the air out....... A fan will force the air out. Doing both just increases your options.

It is easy to make a baffle and it could cut down on the amount of time that you will need to run the fan. The previous owner of our camper built a baffle out of a disposable, aluminum baking pan. I have 2 CPU fans in there but I've never had to hook them up. We tend to have a problem with freezing from time to time.

[naganthunter]

Can you tell me more about the fridge fan and where you purchased it and the t-stat that goes with it?

I got it at a place called Rick's Trailer Supply in San Clemente, CA.  I walked in and saw it on the rack.  They have an online catalog, but no listing for this fan?

Here's another, I opted not to get this one as it called for getting into the fridge's 12v system, which I'm not about to screw with - Norcold and all of the RV fridge manufacturers have had major issues w/ fires, so I'm not going to mess with ANY of the fridge components...

http://www.rvlifestyles.net/ItemPage.aspx?id=728401&subcatid=5000000014826&GroupID=2140000026626&Search=True&Magic=CZBVX0411120412687&DealerID=019000472993&GUID=e2a44bd8-d506-435e-934a-b693f32dd8d1

Nice job on your mods. That was a good idea on placement of the multimeter. I think that I will do the same thing. Thanks for the idea

Thanks - but as for the idea, you helped me reach this conclusion - so THANK YOU!!  

Baffling will encourage drafting the air out....... A fan will force the air out. Doing both just increases your options.

I think I'll try just the fan for now.  The manufacturer put a sorta-kinda baffling system in there, so we'll see how it works without me messing around with anything else....

Thanks again fellas!  As I've said before, this board rocks!!   :-()

[wavery]

I think I'll try just the fan for now.  The manufacturer put a sorta-kinda baffling system in there, so we'll see how it works without me messing around with anything else....

:-()

The manufacturers baffle should be quite adequate. It doesn't have to be very sophisticated. It just needs to encourage drafting. Some of the manufacturers just leave a big empty cavity back there that is not conducive to drafting.

Sorta like the fireplace in most homes. If they are designed wrong and don't draft properly all the smoke doesn't go up the chimney and most ends up in the house. With these fridges, all of the heat just sits in the empty cavity and builds up. Just a slight amount of air movement (drafting) makes a big difference.

[naganthunter]

OK, so I finally got off my butt and got going on starting my new mods.  Here are the components to my "entertainment" system I plan to install.

First up - the TV screen:



This is a 14.7 inch flip-down monitor with IR output for headphones.

Next up is the DVD/CD player:



The speakers:



And FINALLY, the satellite TV unit (yes, a sat tv for a pop-up)



I plan on installing this stuff in the next few weeks.  I'll post photos once done.

As an aside - I know some people do not like to have TV with them when they camp.  I understand that position, as I myself had felt that way as well.  But, now that I've got a 2 year old and a wife who's just finally warming up to the idea of camping, I've got to keep them both interested and happy so I can continue to enjoy my passion!  (and quite frankly, it's nice to catch up on movies I've missed as well!!   :-() )

[fourgonefishn]

OK, so I finally got off my butt and got going on starting my new mods.  Here are the components to my "entertainment" system I plan to install.

First up - the TV screen:



This is a 14.7 inch flip-down monitor with IR output for headphones.

Next up is the DVD/CD player:



The speakers:



And FINALLY, the satellite TV unit (yes, a sat tv for a pop-up)



I plan on installing this stuff in the next few weeks.  I'll post photos once done.

As an aside - I know some people do not like to have TV with them when they camp.  I understand that position, as I myself had felt that way as well.  But, now that I've got a 2 year old and a wife who's just finally warming up to the idea of camping, I've got to keep them both interested and happy so I can continue to enjoy my passion!  (and quite frankly, it's nice to catch up on movies I've missed as well!!   :-() )

 I'm interested on how or even where your going to go with the dish? I'm pondering ours as with the old TV's going obsolete. I like to have local news for bad weather. We alays have our portable DVD players and lots of movies for the kids and mom. I'm not really a movie buff. Would ather sit outside by fire till I fall asleep, then wake up with a stiff neck and say I guess I'll go to bed. I have a pvc pipe mounted to the underside of pop up for the old antenna, think the dish would be to heavy for that. Don't want to really haul anymore along.

[naganthunter]

I'm interested on how or even where your going to go with the dish? I'm pondering ours as with the old TV's going obsolete. I like to have local news for bad weather. We alays have our portable DVD players and lots of movies for the kids and mom. I'm not really a movie buff. Would ather sit outside by fire till I fall asleep, then wake up with a stiff neck and say I guess I'll go to bed. I have a pvc pipe mounted to the underside of pop up for the old antenna, think the dish would be to heavy for that. Don't want to really haul anymore along.

I plan on keeping it portable.  For now I'm going with a tripod mount I found at radio shack's outlet store here in Orange County for $15.  I may later go with the "carry out" dish that Camping World sells for about $100 if the setup is too time consuming on the tripod.

It seems to me that I can assure myself of good southern exposure for the dish by keeping it portable.  It's just my opinion, but it seems to me that if the dish was mounted to the camper, I'd have to set up the camper so that the dish would get good line of sight to the sky - which may not always be the best line of sight for the view.

[dmodechicky]

Where did you get the lights in the cabinets?  Are they mounted or in with sticky back?  Are they wired or the pop on kind?  If they are wired, do you have a switch for them?  I want to do this as well as a light over my shower/potty and over the kitchen.  I tried to put one up over the kitchen that has the sticky back, but it fell off onto my head while I was doing dishes.!   :yikes:   It's pretty humid in Texas so that's probably why...

DH & I are working on mods this weekend in preping for a camping trip the following weekend.  I can't wait!!  Thanks in advance for any advice.  

ETA:  Nice Mods!!  :-()

[heygirl]

I bought some similar puck lights at Wal-Mart, 3 in a pack for around $16.  They take 3 AAA batteries each and they come with velcro discs or you can hang them.  My old pup has electrical outlets but no internal lights so I thought they would be a good option to get some additional lighting inside the pup.  Now I think I need to get another set to use inside the cabinets, etc.
 
The ones I bought, click once for bright and click again to dim, very cool!

[naganthunter]

Where did you get the lights in the cabinets?  Are they mounted or in with sticky back?  Are they wired or the pop on kind?  If they are wired, do you have a switch for them?  I want to do this as well as a light over my shower/potty and over the kitchen.  I tried to put one up over the kitchen that has the sticky back, but it fell off onto my head while I was doing dishes.!   :yikes:   It's pretty humid in Texas so that's probably why...

DH & I are working on mods this weekend in preping for a camping trip the following weekend.  I can't wait!!  Thanks in advance for any advice.  

ETA:  Nice Mods!!  :-()

Thanks - the lights were puck lights that are sticky backed.  I tried one over the shower and had the same problem.  I plan on screwing one in up there after
I determine how small the screws will need to be, which will be done by pulling out one of the screws on the factory lights assemblies up there....

I have not had a chance to install these new items yet as I've been travelling all week for the last several weeks in a row.  Weekends have been R&R time.  Travel is over for a while, work will begin soon!

[springer02]

One thing you'll find on your fridge fan: This one will become noisy within two years, or at least ours did. We had what looks like the exact same kit.

But since the thermostat still works great, I just replaced the fan part then with a CPU fan and it's been great for five years since.

If I hadn't bought the kit, I don't know where I would have come up with that thermostat, so I still don't regret doing it that way.

Cheers.

[Funrover]

Very Cool!

[davem]

Someone asked where to buy one of these kits. Camping World sells one here: http://www.campingworld.com/browse/skus/index.cfm?skunum=19709&src=SRQB

I bought one of these awhile back and it wasn't too difficult to install. The fan is a little flimsy so I reinforced the area where the wires are attached to it.  The only "tapping" you have to do is to tap into a hot 12V lead (and ground) somewhere (I just tapped into the fridge 12V supply).  They also sell a solar powered fan where you don't need the thermostatic switches because the fan just runs all day off the solar panel (instead of your valuable battery power).

BTW, these are some really terrific mods. I wish I had your ambition (and energy!!)  Keep the updates coming, please.

[naganthunter]

The entertainment equipment is still sitting on top of the camper waiting to be installed.  Two weeks of miserable business travel landed me in bed for another week with the Flu.  I'm back on my feet now, and hope to get the stuff installed soon!  I have a trip April 11th to Serrano in Big Bear, CA so I have to get it done!!!   :-()