The first thing I wanted to do today was to install my digital door code lock. I picked out a site for it that looked ideal in fact a couple of sites but then found that the 8-32 bolts I was going to use were unusable due to the size of the bolt head. I needed countersunk screw type heads not hexagon heads. That was, I assure you, quite a disappointment.
Putting the door code lock to one side I looked again at my purple box. By adjusting the cigarette lighter USB charger portion I was able to slip a switch in beside and have some room to spare. That was excellent. It was not the kind of switch I desired so I hunted in my parts box. I didn’t find the switch I was after but I did find one that was suitable. As the USB charger has no LED on it, I opted for an illuminated switch - just to draw attention to the USB charger being on. It all looked quite fetching. More so after I attached my lamp fixture to the top of the box in order to make it an all-in one unit.
Looking around for cable wrap, I found I just didn’t have enough. I’d had ample a few days ago but that was before doing a shed load of wiring. Clearly as I needed cable wrap, 8-32 bolts, 8-32 stop nuts and some earth wire (white), it was time to go to the store. There were things I should have bought but didn’t such as a right-angled female spade connectors and so on as they’d not made it to my list. They didn’t even make it to my list when I had to return to the store a few hours later for floorboards for a trailer that’s being repaired.
So, having got the bits I needed, I attached the box to the wall, putting cable wrap through. Now the cable wrap was 3/8 whereas what I needed was really 1/4 but beggars can’t be choosers. Besides I’d have had to drive to Harbor Freight for the right cable wrap when Lowes (hiss, spit) was less than a quarter of the distance.
That was about as far as today allowed given that other things are happening around me that are pretty disconcerting. The two red wires are positive and the two white wires are negative. The negative will just go to the bus body. The two positive will go to the USB charger and the light but as one cable is 14 gauge and one is 16 gauge a bit further back, the 14 gauge will go to the USB charger and the 16 gauge will go to the light. Speaking of lights, I should have bought more LED bulbs.
I’ve still got the connections to make inside the box - plenty connectors to crimp into place and plenty connections to make on the back of the unit. I might have to resort to soldering some connections without having any right angle connectors.
The wiring went from the box through the wall and down the inside of the shower wall to the cabling already installed. It’s not yet completed but with a little effort tomorrow, it can be. If I get to it tomorrow I might even manage to mount my code lock keypad. That would be truly wonderful!
And finally, for all my non-USA based readers, here are two photos from the outside of a Lowes store. Just so that you know what they look like.
It’s a great big builder supplies store that has everything from palates of wood and concrete blocks to tools and garden supplies. Typically - as with most US stores - it takes up the same space as Wembley stadium. It can take 10 minutes to walk from one side to the other of the store.
Let’s see where we are with things still needing to be done...
1. Complete wiring for my purple box.
2. Install front door unlocker codepad.
3. Install lock on fuel door.
4. Install lock on battery door.
5. Replace bad breaker in console.
That’s about it. There are a couple of bits of wiring to tidy but they hardly merit having individual tasks assigned to them. The battery door and fuel door look like being tasks that’ll take a while.
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