Crazy Weather

Today was an interesting day.  Mostly cloudy, warnings of lots of bad weather, but so far only a teeny bit of rain.  I got a lot done today.

I built the slide out shelf for a laptop and/or to place iPhones or other I suppose even a fan, heater or whatever.  

Once I had figured out the dimensions of the shelf and how I was going to mount it, I needed to figure out how I was going to get the 12 volt power ports into the cabin.  I decided not to put them behind the slide out shelf because it would have been really hard to get to them.  Instead, I put them to the right of the shelf.

Here is the housing for the power ports.

Drawer slides in place and open.

Pull out shelf installed.

Open.

Power ports installed.

The next big project was to get all the cables cleaned up and organized.  This is the battery strap which holds the battery in its place.  

 

My simple on/off switch for the battery.  Simply twist it to the right to turn it on; twist it to the left to turn it off.

Everything tidied up and strapped down.  I installed the fire extinguisher too.

Doors and all hardware installed.

The galley is complete.  The only thing I need to do is install the sliders on the cooler slide out tray.  Still need to fix and install the reading lights again and install all the additional insulation.  Not too much more inside work left though.

Baskets and Electrical Outlets in the Cabin

So, after some thinking and brainstorming I've possibly come up with a solution for my dilemma on the cabinets.  I need to 'hide' my wiring chase on the bottom of the shelf.  So, I'll build a very short 'false bottom' to the shelf.  On top of this, I will place baskets similar one of these:

These would have many benefits over permanent cabinets.  1). I can take them out to organize clothing, etc.  2).  They can be cleaned easily.  3).  If I ever feel the need to use the shelf as a bunk, open storage, etc. I can do so without any permanent damage to the teardrop.  4).  They should be easy to access as well.  They could be tilted easily to see what's inside thanks to the shape of the ceiling.

I'll need to decide what 'ideal' sizes would be.  As you can tell from the image, there is a slight slope  at the back of the shelf area where the ceiling comes down.

The rear measurement is about 13" from the base of the shelf to the roof.  So, I'll look for baskets that are about 13" tall.  The length is about 21" so there will be a little bit of 'open space' in the back.  I'm planning to put a small shelf in front of the electrical outlets.  I'm thinking that they would be a good place to set an iPhone, etc. to charge.  I just had another idea that might be even better.  I could make a slide out shelf that would accommodate a laptop, iPad, heater, etc.  This would solve many problems for me.  The good news is that I have an extra set of drawer slides that will work perfectly!  I really like the fold down drink holders that are often used in boats.  I would like to place one of them on each side of the door for Erica and I to put our beverages.

I can't wait for the school year to end so that I can get busy finishing up all of the projects for the interior of the teardrop.  Once I'm done, I'll be able to start polishing that old aluminum!

Cabinets or No Cabinets? That is the Question.

So, I'm finally inside the cabin doing something besides pulling wires and installing fixtures.  I'm thinking about how I want the interior to work for me.  As you can see from the picture below, the teardrop has a very sturdy shelf over the wheel wells.  Believe it or not, my nearly 5' 11 year old fits perfectly there!  This brings me to the topic of today's post: to build cabinets or not?

The shelf/cabinet area of my teardrop.

I spent the night in the teardrop for the first time this past weekend.  I found myself using the front of the shelf as a 'foot rest' while reading at one point.  Another time I used the shelf to hold my regular glass of water I go to bed with each night.  This got me thinking.  Do I really want to build cabinets above the shelf or not?  

A really good friend of mine argues for not building cabinets.  He says that one can keep suitcases, bags, etc in the tow vehicle and there is really no 'need' for lots of storage in the cabin.  Pretty much you are only going to keep additional clothing, toiletries, etc. inside the cabin.  Because you can't stand up to change, you probably are going to be using some version of a 'side screen room' or shelter to do that in.  

A fellow teardrop enthusiast, Stacie, made a great suggestion on the TNTTT forum.  She suggested that I construct wooden bins to slide into the space above the wells.  This would allow one to store things out of sight, but still retain the ability to use the space as a shelf, bunk, etc.  I think that is brilliant.  I will think that over a bit.  In order to customize them even more, one could make them 'slant' from front to back.  this would further maximize the amount of storage in each bin.  

Another member of the TNTTT forum, Becky, shared that she decided on making a shelf too.  She wished she had made her shelf bigger.  She shared that she built a small cabinet below the shelf to hide her electrical work.  This got me thinking.  I need a place to 'hide' the 12 and 120 volt outlets.  I could make a small 'cabinet' below the shelf where I could hide these.  This would retain the shelf, but would solve the problem of getting the power into the cabin.  

I'm sure others will share fantastic ideas; that is what most amazes me about the teardrop community; they are always helping one another!

Electrical Success and Beginning Insulation

It was a good weekend of work on the Carpe Diem.  I finished all of the electrical in the galley and even figured out what I had done wrong on the switch for the porch lights!

I cleaned up all the wiring an then, still not sure if this is the best idea or not, I used the hot glue gun to anchor the wires.  I would have used wire clamps, but I couldn't screw them into the aluminum because there was nothing behind it.

Jack helped me cut and fit the pieces of insulation for the ceiling and the storage shelf area.  We just used friction to hold them into place now.  I still want to figure out how I'm going to cover the insulation.

Even the ceiling is coming along.  This is a really cool view of the teardrop; you can see how it is all coming together.

The weatherstripping on the doors is not quite thick enough.  It is a little hard to see in this image, but there is tiny gap near the floor.  I got another package of the thicker stuff and will try it when I have some more time.

These 27 LED lights were on sale at Harbor Freight for $3.00.  They have the adjustable hook and a magnet on the back.  They hang from the hinge on the door and will be great for when you have to go to the restroom or the shower.

The AC power system is still not working.  I am going to try re-stripping the wires and reconnect.

I suppose, even though I was very careful in the process, that I could have switched the two ends.  Someone noticed in one of my pictures that I could have accidentally sliced the wires when I was stripping the insulation.  I'll try re-doing the wires first to see if that might be the problem.  

One thing I thought about after climbing around inside the cabin is what to do with the storage shelf area.  I had planned to build cabinets there.  Now I'm not sure.  I'll have to figure out how to arrange the 12 volt and 120 volt plugs if I don't build the cabinets.  I'll think about it a bit more this week.

First Night in the Teardrop

I took a half day yesterday; that got me home in time for a much needed nap and some time to work on the teardrop.  I successfully fixed the trailer wiring.  I'm not sure exactly what I did, but it was the front two marker lights that gave me the trouble.  I re-did the wiring and everything worked!

Because I had success with the wiring, I went ahead and put another coat of polyurethane on everything.  The countertop and all the surfaces are looking great and are super protected from moisture at this point!

One of the problems I've had is that my battery would never fully charge.  It turns out that my problem was the battery charger.  I tested it on the battery in my car, which I knew was fully charged.  I was able to salvage the inline fuse and battery clamps from the old charger and was able to use those as my main connectors from my electrical system to my battery.  

The business end of my GFCI power cord.

I spent a little more time working on the electric.  I cleaned up the wires and anchored them.  I thought I would start on the AC portion of the wiring.  I cut the ends off the GFCI extension cord and wired it up to the Marinco power inlet.  That went pretty well, but unfortunately, I can't get the GCFI portion of the system to 'reset' so that I can run power through it.  I need to do a little research to figure out what I'm doing wrong.

I decided that I would try spending the night in the teardrop.  The forecast was for a clear and cool evening.  We put the mattress in the teardrop; it still needs to be trimmed in order to fit into the area where our feet go, but for one person, it was fine.  I cranked up the Fantastic Vent, tossed in my sleeping bag and got comfortable.  After reading a few chapters of my book, I turned off the lights and drifted off to sleep.

Very comfortable.

My son came out to say goodnight to me.  I was in deep sleep when he opened the teardrop door.  He scared the daylights out of me.  I went into full freak out mode when the door to my teardrop popped open!  I think I scared him as much as he scared me!  Needless to say, I learned how the inside door locks worked after that.  Jack has some serious payback coming up!

Usually, this time of the year, I am awoken by the birds outside my window at about 3:40 in the morning.  I slept right through the birds this morning.  The fan canceled out any birds or any other noise in my backyard.  It was a pretty good night of sleep.

Black Freckles and Electrical Frustration

Yesterday was a pretty good day.  I was able to spray the undercoating to the bottom of trailer.  That was quite messy, but I'm glad that I got it applied.  Jacked up the Carpe Diem to make it easier to work under it.  I'm loving my 3 ton jack stands from Harbor Freight!

 

I ended up using two cans of the cheap stuff; one can of the expensive stuff.  Then I found a third kind of undercoating at Lowes.  It was about half the price between the cheap and the expensive stuff.  I used four cans of it.  Purchased one of the inexpensive 'spray triggers.'  That made the whole process a lot easier.

 

I was really happy to have the glasses and mask on.  However, I ended up with some serious over spray on my face.  Took a long time to clean those glasses too!

I've given up on the idea of having four LED lights the teardrop.  My plan was for them to be on each corner of the teardrop and that they would go on when I turned on the porch lights.  The LED's had teeny tiny wires and I think somehow there must have been a bad connection in one of the many connections.  I spent a couple of days pulling wires again.  I had originally used some wire that I had on hand.  It was way too thick and made it close to impossible to join with three or four pieces like I had to.  I used automotive wire and waterproof connections, but I could not get them to work properly.  I couldn't get them to work and after spending so much time on it, I just clipped the wires and moved on.  No LED's on the corners. 

I had some real problems today too with the switch I planned to use for the porch lights.  I am not sure if I've messed something up with it or if the switch is bad.  Each time I connect the switch, the fuse blows.  I'm going to have to research that a bit.

I am anxious to get the inside insulated, but I'm going to slow down and focus on the electrical; it's not only the part of the project that makes me the most anxious; it's probably the most important part.  I won't be able to easily work on it once i cover the inside with insulation and carpet.

Lastly, I trimmed the cooler tray so that I could easily use the two 12 volt outlets.  I had made the cooler tray an inch too tall and it impeded the entry of the second 12 volt outlet.

 The battery meter is still not functioning properly.  I may have to purchase a new meter if I can't figure out what's going on with the one I have presently.

Now its time to do a little research on trailer wiring and how to fix the switch.

I ended the day with touching up all the paint and tidying up the wires a bit.  Tomorrow I hope to complete the trailer wiring and figure out the switch.  If I can get those two things done, I will install the Marinco power inlet 120 volt system.

On a side note, my wife crawled into the teardrop for the first time yesterday.  She was pretty psyched.  She's been investigating the body pillows and the mattress situation for me.  We planned to use our futon mattress, but we've decided not to do that.  It seems we can find some decent alternatives relatively inexpensively.  We are researching a bit more and we'll see where we come out.  I'm glad she's taking an interest in the project.  I cannot wait for our maiden voyage; whenever that may come!

How to Read Schematics; For the Non-Electrician and More Electrical Designs

So last night I started placing the fuse panel and outlets in the galley.  I marked everything and then started fiddling with the fuse panel.  I turned it over and saw this:

And this:

And this:

 

And this:

 

I had literally no idea of how to begin connecting my wires to this.  There were only tiny solder points to 'connect' to, or so it seamed to me at first look.  My logical brain said that there is a + and a - side.  The middle must be a ground.  Then I started wondering how in the heck you connect to this when the green circuit board is covering the 'inputs.'  So, I did what I've done in the past, I decided to ask for guidance on the Teardrops and Tiny Travel Trailer Forum.   Within the hour, I had several responses from kind folks who helped me understand the PDF that is on the West Marine website:

 It turns out that the two silver screws are where the 'main' lines to the battery go; slight caveat, I will be adding a buss bar to the negative line as a ground.  The center pole on the fuse panel is actually where the + wire from each circuit's load goes.  After several, very patient, posts, I now understand that this is really pretty simple, but it looked quite complicated to me when I started.  

Once again, I am so grateful to the kindness of others on the Teardrops and Tiny Travel Trailer Forum.  Their combined wisdom helped me through a pickle!

I measured things out last night and it seems that I will be able to put a 'pass through' in the cabin where all the wires will come through.  Thankfully, and by dumb luck, this will all pass below the 'counter top' in the galley.  So, everything will be clean and obstruction free.

You can see from the image above how the main feed from the cabin will enter the cabinet.  I'll run the wires then to the fuse panel, buss bar (ground) and then over to the battery.  I sketched in the 'super simple 120 volt' circuit as well.  This is so that if we have shore power, we can plug in and 'charge up' batteries, or even run appliances directly on the 120 volt current.  I will be putting one 120 volt power outlet in the cabin too.

So far I like the way this is starting to look.  It will be a fairly 'clean' look, while balancing the need to use power when you need it.  The only conflict I can see is that the cooler will not be able to be pulled out when the power ports are being used.  I think that should be fine as generally we will have the cooler out on the ground when in 'camp.'  Having a power port right in that area would allow for a possible 12 volt cooler at some point if we decide that is what we want.  

Here is what the cabinets and electrical receptacles will look like on the inside:

 

I didn't have a good picture of the inside of the cabin.  You can see, I'll have two large cupboards connected by a small shelving section.  The shelf will be wide enough to fit an iPad for those nights when a campfire isn't possible.

I'm going to use the aluminum shelf to create a 'false' bottom for the cabinets.  By doing this, I'll be able to 'hide' the hole to the power center and disguise the electrical connections for the two 12 volt outlets and the one 120 volt outlet.  The advantage of planning ahead like this is that I am going to provide an access panel to the wiring under the cabinet in case I have to make any 'future' additions or changes.  Also, as you can see from the drawing above, there will be one switch in the center to turn on the 'porch' lights.  

After a lot of research, I decided that it is way too complicated for me to try to have the side marker lights turn on with the porch lights.  It would have been cool, but way too advanced an electrical install for me.   Super Bright LED's was just the place to find four small, cheap LED fixtures.  These four fixtures will be placed, one on each corner of the teardrop, just under the frame.  I can envision how it will look when I turn them on; it's going to be way cool!

 You can see from the images above that they are really tiny, yet very bright.  They also have the added benefit of being able to be a 'replacement' bolt.  That will make the install simple.

The 'porch lights,' which I've shared before, will be really neat when added to this system.

Again, you can see that they are quite small, but very bright.  Again, the ones I'll be using will be red to protect night vision.

I researched the "Super Simple 120 volt Power System" on the TTNT forum and found this excellent, and very simple design:

When combined, the system looks like this:

Or like this:

Mine will be essentially like the one above.  Instead of simply 'terminating' at the three plug input, I will 'daisy chain' the three boxes from the surge protected power cord.

For now, I'm pretty happy with the design.  It will allow us to connect to shore power when we have the opportunity and when we are at home this will prevent me from having to take 'out' the battery in order to charge it.