Saturday 18 March 2017

Engine sound insulation

The engine is quite loud. So I decide to put some sound dampening material around it. This needs to be material that is specifically for use in hot environments such as engines. The dampening material is on one side covered with metal foil. The other side has some adhesive, so it can be attached to a surface.

I read that it is very important to clean all the surfaces onto which this dampening material is to be attached. If there is residue of oil, then the material will not stick properly, and parts can fall onto the engine and into the belt mechanism, which can lead to expensive repairs.

Therefore, the first action was to extensively clean all the metal surfaces around the vehicle engine.




Looks quite shiny after the cleaning!

Now the dampening material can be attached:





Sunday 12 March 2017

Indirect Lighting

This bus has on both sides at the ceiling the "luggage rack" above the (former) seats. This tray has been retrofit by the conversion in 2005, and it is very sturdy! It is made out of metal; it is quite hard to drill holes in it, and one can actually lift oneself up on it.

I am using it for an indirect light effect: I place two LED stripes, one left and one right, inside of the rack.


Gas Heater Control

The electronic control unit for the gas heater will be mounted on the left-hand wall.



Now both walls are standing:

Thursday 9 March 2017

Working at night

The day is too short, and I have to work. So the only time I can spend working on the camper is in the evening, when it is already dark.




Now the 2nd wall, the one on the left-hand side is being built. A vertical pole provides the support.


Sunday 5 March 2017

Wiring the batteries




The volt-/amp-meters are in place. The lowest instrument is connected to the vehicle 12V system. It will show how much current will flow into the leisure 12V system.


Connected and running. No current yet. The voltage is a bit on the low side... a full battery should be 12.6V.

Now the 2nd battery is connected to the display instrument. Shows a high voltage: 13.01V. The picture at the right shows the wiring at the back.


Above the three displays is the circuit breaker panel. Here most switches are on (green illumination). The top circuit breaker is defective - the switch does not stay on. I could have sent it back, but I can live with this: I do not want to go through the hazzle of a return.


Saturday 4 March 2017

Electric instrumentation and fuses


I will have a total of three batteries: the vehicle battery, and two leisure batteries. They all will be linked to the internal 12V leisure power bus, and with relays each of the batteries will be switched off independently. This will allow to charge either one or both leisure batteries from the vehicle alternator during driving.

Here are the openings for the three battery volt / amp meters:



On this wall there will also be the circuit breaker panel. I do not want to install fuses, because they would need to be replaced in case of an overload. The circuit breaker simply needs to be switched on again.