Re: Electrical Upgrade Project Reply #25 – A week ago For those who have never used it, 80/20 is the bomb. And, given how many of you are of a certain era - you just might have erector set flashbacks. We could start a whole thread on tips and tricks with the material and usage, but the short version is - it's very light, super easy to work with and incredibly strong. Knowing the weight of Victron inverters, I knew it would be used to hang that heavy beast in my installation.After gutting the battery compartment, I primed the OSB flooring underneath that extends to the storage beneath the fridge. Then, four 12x12 vinyl self-stick tiles went in place, requiring just a tiny amount of trimming. I didn't trust the self-stick goo on the bottom of them, so construction adhesive was used beneath, heat applied and a heavy roller sealed the new flooring down.The frame is pretty basic, essentially dividing the ex-battery compartment and Victron component area from the under fridge storage area. It supports the drawer rail on the inside, the inverter and a component mounting board on the other side.Most of the components are now here, but after playing about with layout - I've decided to order up a Victron Lynx for all the power distribution in the component area instead of the individual relays/fuses/bus bars I have from the old van installation. I've had mixed success with the Lynx in the past. On the plus side, they do provide for a very compact installation incorporating fuses and positive/negative busbars in a small form factor. On the con side - they force your wiring to work around them, and require fuses on circuits where you might prefer relays (solar disconnect, etc.) Individual busbars and fuses/relays can fit in very narrow areas and are far more flexible in location, even if they take up slightly more space. The ex-battery box location doesn't have those limitations, so the Lynx looks to be a good solution here. 1 Likes Liked by: Larry W
Re: Electrical Upgrade Project Reply #26 – A week ago Quote from: Will G - A week agoFor those who have never used it, 80/20 is the bomb. And, given how many of you are of a certain era - you just might have erector set flashbacks. As well as Erector Sets, 80/20 reminds me of Tinker Toys, the way you can build complex structures with a few basic shapes,80/20 strut tubing is neat stuff, the genius grandchild of Unistrut, the earlier strut system that is widely used today in almost every commercial building. https://8020.net/I wish 80/20 was available locally, it would be fun to use in many projects. It is getting so hard to buy project materials locally. In my area during the last few years, we have lost the one good hardware store, the closest auto parts store, Joanns, Fry's Electronics, the metal supply house, and a West Marine store., all places that once provided numerous parts.The local Home Depot and Lowes have limited selections of many basic materials.Unistrut too is useful for hanging or supporting heavy things and it and its supporting accessories can be purchased at most big box hardware stores. It has been one of my go-to basic building materials for over 50 years for both construction jobs or when building trucks and camper accessories, it's great for custom roof racks. Steel Unistruct is weldable with a common arc or MIG welder and is inexpensive for a very strong material.Unistrut Channel: Selecting the Right Strut for Your Application.Larry 1 Likes Liked by: Will G
Re: Electrical Upgrade Project Reply #27 – A week ago I've never used 80/20 myself, but I see that McMaster-Carr has a wide array of similar-looking struts and accessories. Perhaps some of these are compatible with 80/20? If so, McMaster ships and delivers very promptly.
Re: Electrical Upgrade Project Reply #28 – 4 days ago Secondary alternator installed today. My days of wrenching are mostly behind me, so I had a good friend/master mechanic tackle it.It was a surprisingly quick and easy job for him - less than 2 hours. I plan on wiring it up to the house bank and Wakespeed, but those are relatively trivial tasks.With respect to future difficulty in accessing things in the more crowded engine compartment - he didn't think it a major deal. The main component that it blocks is the factory alternator, but he suggested it might add 30 minutes at most to replacing that.Here's a view of it in place, shroud, fan and air filter assembly removed. Looks to be a very high quality kit.
Re: Electrical Upgrade Project Reply #29 – 2 days ago Lots of wire pulling today, nothing too exciting. A few small tips to share.I put SmartPlugs on anything that has shore power. As some of you have noticed who have done the same, doing so on the LD is a chore., And, once done it leaves a small unfinished edge around the rectangular SmartPlug as it doesn't completely cover the round Marinco 30A inlet. I had a buddy 3D print a trim piece for me. If anyone wants the STL file, let me know and I can supply it.Down in modified battery compartment, I got out the 3" hole saw for several 4/0 and 2/0 cables that need to come in. Found a cheap 3" flange on Amazon, it finished things up nicely and gave a smooth edge where the wires will come through.Lastly, I need to pull a pair of 2/0 cables from the new alternator through the lower compartment as well as a 4/0 for the new chassis ground. I ordered up an assortment of glands, and a 3/4" NPT gland fits both 2/0 and 4/0 welding cable. This will provide a weathertight entrance into the lower compartment from under the coach body. 1 Likes Liked by: Jan Forseth
Re: Electrical Upgrade Project Reply #30 – A day ago Does anyone know of a common source for ACC power in the engine compartment? I need something that comes on with the key for one of the Wakespeed connections. I'd prefer to do it under the hood instead of the cabin fuse panel if possible, as I'm already running a wire loom from the Wakespeed to the alternator.
Re: Electrical Upgrade Project Reply #31 – A day ago It's much easier to find an ACC wire under the dash and run it through a grommet in the firewall. All the wiring under the hood is wrapped and would require opening the harnesses to find a hot ACC wire, if one exists.Looking at the E-Series wiring manual for our 2003, I can't find any ACC wires under the hood; they all appear to be under the dash.Larry
Re: Electrical Upgrade Project Reply #32 – A day ago Quote from: Larry W - A day agoAll the wiring under the hood is wrapped and would require opening the harnesses to find a hot ACC wire, if one exists.Yep, fetching from inside the cab is easy - but one place I saw access in the engine bay was the large fuse/relay box, and the Wakespeed harness will go right by it. I was hoping something in there might work, but if not - poking through the firewall is not the end of the world.
Re: Electrical Upgrade Project Reply #33 – A day ago Hi Will; One place you could pull a signal from is the Fuel pump relay. If the engine isn't running, the fuel pump will be off, and you won't be trying to take charge from a non running alternator. A 30 Amp fuse (green) is in my relay / fuse box. The relay is there also. A separate wire could be connected inside the box and run through the bottom (there are some un-used sites locations). RonB
Re: Electrical Upgrade Project Reply #34 – A day ago The fuel pump is activated when the ignition switch is in the "On" position. Will wanted an ACC wire that is under the hood. I know of nothing under the hood that is powered by the ACC circuit; everything on the ACC circuit is under the dash, including its fusing. Not knowing much about the Wakespeed's needs, I would guess the fuel pump relay or even the ignition circuit could be used to turn on the Wakespeed, both have wiring access under the hood.Larry
Re: Electrical Upgrade Project Reply #35 – A day ago Quote from: Will G - A day agoDoes anyone know of a common source for ACC power in the engine compartment? I need something that comes on with the key for one of the Wakespeed connections. I'd prefer to do it under the hood instead of the cabin fuse panel if possible, as I'm already running a wire loom from the Wakespeed to the alternator.Sad that Ford no longer supplies links to its "Body Builder Layout Books" for early E-series chassis. I used them to find "extra" circuits. A 2002 should be similar to my 1996, though. If so, there may be an orange wire in a 4-pin connector under the hood that gets an ignition-switched 12V signal out of the trailer battery charge relay. That connector is likely not far from the engine compartment fuse box. Look under the hood, in the rear on the driver's side, and perhaps under the plastic "cowl," for an unused 4-pin connector.<edit>I found a copy of the relevant "Electrical Wiring" section for a 2015 E-series on line. Link is here. Download it from Ford while you can!</edit>Mark H. 3 Likes Liked by: Larry W, RonB, Karen & Liam
Re: Electrical Upgrade Project Reply #36 – 22 hours ago Quote from: Larry W - A day agoWill wanted an ACC wire that is under the hood. I know of nothing under the hood that is powered by the ACC circuit; everything on the ACC circuit is under the dash, including its fusing. Not knowing much about the Wakespeed's needs, I would guess the fuel pump relay or even the ignition circuit could be used to turn in the Wakespeed, both have wiring access under the hood.Bad/incorrect wording on my part, sorry about that. Don't need an ACC circuit, just need a switched hot. Wakespeed calls the hookup "ignition" - and I like the idea of using the fuel pump relay, as I can't see any reason to activate the Wakespeed unless the engine is running. Wiring diagram for the Wakespeed attached.Thanks for the idea, Ron - I'll search that out in the fuse/relay box and verify with Wakespeed tech support that's an acceptable option.
Re: Electrical Upgrade Project Reply #37 – 19 hours ago Quote from: Will G - 22 hours agoBad/incorrect wording on my part, sorry about that. Don't need an ACC circuit, just need a switched hot. .Well, that simplified things. There are plenty of options for an ignition hot wire under the hood.Larry
Topic: Electrical Upgrade Project (Read 1659 times)
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Topic: Electrical Upgrade Project (Read 1659 times)
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