A rainy day

Today was a rainy day - not fit weather for a duck - as they say. Having little else to do I got on with a job inside the bus this sounds simpler that it really was. The voltmeter on my USB power box in the galley had burned out. I have two voltmeters there and what would happen was that the battery voltmeter would come on when I run the USB power source. I'd run the USB power sources exensively for days at a time, powering a security camera. That had burned out the middle digit of the voltmeter so I'd got all the bits to fix it. I'd just not done anything about it yet. Having little else to do on a wet day, I went into the bus and fixed that little issue.

Needless to say it didn't go smoothly. I had elected to change out the single pole pushbutton switch at the same time. This was so that if I press the button I get readings for both battery voltage and solar voltage simulteneously. When I'm not pressing the button the voltmeter is not on - not even if the USB power supply is turned on. That'll save me from burning out a second voltmeter. While I was at it - the original meter had a blue light. The new one matches the other and is red.

The problems I had - I'd crimp a connector onto the wire and it would fall off. Some of those connectors are a bit weird. I got it all in the end save for one pair of wires. Those I use a wire nut to fasten. Not my normal repetoire. I'd looked for another pair of spade connectors and didn't find any that were insulated. I looked for a screw-down wire connector and couldn't find one. I looked for a crimp straight connector and couldn't find one. I couldn't find my insulating tape either. 

In the end I succeeded and though I still need to turn the USB sockets on before pressing the button if I want to measure battery voltage, pressing the button will show both battery and solar voltages. That's exactly what I want.

While I was in the bus, I noticed the bottom switch in this power box is broken. It works as a switch but the plastic coller that has a plastic nut which secures the switch has broken. I'll have to replace that switch. I'll have to try to get a metal replacement. These cheap plastic switches from the car parts stores just do not last. Radio Shack had way better quality switches but they went the way of the dodo.

Inside the bus - apart from this switch the only electrical thing needed to do is to put a fuse box inside the console and to remove the back door buzzer unit. 

Under the bus - which I feel safer about now - I have the brake lines to replace, the solar charger to driving battery connection to make and second solar power inputs to install front and rear (just doubling up what I have). I'd like to clean the brake pistons too but I don't know how to access them. Other than that there's the wiper mount to adjust but that needs a dry day.

Other than all this, the bus is complete though I'd still like to put bars over the windows and perhaps some more reflective tape.

I have to say, looking at the bus now that it has 295/75R22.5 tyres, the bus is now level. When it had 11R22.5 on the back and 10R22.5 on the front it was decidedly tilted.

Getting things done...

Well, the original place I'd emailed still hadn't responded and I rang them about getting tyres. They could only get 295/75R22.5 though I'd probably have been a shade better with 295/55R22.5 although the speedo would still have been out but this time, over by a hair. Now instead of being 5mph under my real speed I will likely be 2 or 3mph under. This is a relief and an improvement. It seems tyres are getting harder to find at the moment. Since my first enquiry in June the price went up a few times. The place didn't have staff to do the tyres and couldn't come out to do them. They wanted me to call them back in a couple of days. I've heard that one before! It usually ends up with me wasting my time, waiting for something that'll never happen.

So, yesterday I rang a different tyre place. This time they quoted me a price and kept to it. The workmen cleaned up their mess and did the job quickly and efficiently. It was interesting to see they used Harbor Freight air jacks. The had a bit of trouble as the ground is too soft to lift more than one wheel at a time. The total cost for 4 Ironman Hercules drive tyres and two Ironman steer tyres was $3,740 which was not at all bad. They're Vietnamese made tyres, made for Ironman from Ohio. I'm happy with the price and what was done - so far. They didn't balance any of the wheels and were taken by surprise when they found I had Dayton hubs despite my telling the shop over the phone and assuring the owner when he asked that I do not have split rims.

The only thing I have to do with the wheels now is to dispose of the old tyres. The company wanted $15 per tyre to dispose of them. That's another $90. I'm not going to pay that when I can take them to the local dump and dispose of all 6 (plus some smaller tyres) for $1.50 each. They are heavy at 60lbs but it won't be too hard to get them into the pickup! I can probably do it all in one trip.

The new tyres look pretty good. I was, quite honestly, nervous about getting under the bus to do stuff with the old tyres since thwy were 11 or 12 years old. I certainly didn't want to drive on them. Not even a short disance to the shop. 

The next thing done was to replace the crossview mirrors. This is the fourth set! The originals were so etched by dirt and dust that they were unusable. The next pair were not fisheye enough. The next pair were great but the mirroring fell off on the inside leaving large white patches. Cue the current set which arrived yesterday and were put on today. These are Mirror-Lite. I can't recall the brand on the previous pair.

Concurrent with all that I had a need for my old batteries. If you recall, a long time ago, I used a battery box made of an old ammunition can that held a 5am and a 10ah battery. That was before I upgraded to lead-acid lawnmower sized batteries before I upgraded again to lithiun. They'd been lying idle as had a couple of PWM charge controllers. Today I put both batteries on charge. I'd had one on charge yesterday and had achieved nothing.  They both could be landfill by now. I'll try to charge them and see what happens. If they can't be revived then I'll pitch them and use the box to house lithum batteries, a lithiun charge controller and various outputs. That should be useful and since I already have everything, easy.

 

Today also I completed painting the bedroom ceiling and had just a little paint left over to do a bit more to one wall. I'd only bought the paint to cover the patch I put in to cover the window that I covered also from the outside. There was enough though to do a better job on the poorly painted ceiling.

Before the fellows came to change my tyres I had to straighten the front wheels so I started the engine. In so doing I found I'd already put the wires in the battery compartment to connect to the wires under the bus which connect to the charge conroller at the front.  The next task completed will likely be to connect the wires. After that I'll likely work on the brake lines. The brake lines and the wiper pivot are the only two major jobs to complete that I know of. The brake pistons might need work too but glancing at the brake assembley there were no clear screws anywhere on the thing. 

There are minor jobs such as the wiring I just mentioned and changing out a couple of things in the USB box above the microwave but largely the bus is completed. I'd like to put a second fuse box in the console too. Bars over the remaining windows are something I'd like to do also.

 

Progress and failure

Today was a series of small things done that in themselves represented nothing major. What they were, however was a series of projects that were finally completed.

The big failure of the day was the Chinese 5W water pump. This was purchased new on eBay and took until this week for me to try it. It was purchased on December 20, 2020 at 11:56am. It arrived on December 27. Today I heated the end of my plastic tube so that it could be expanded to fit the plastic pipe on the pump. When it cooled it would not slide off so there was a pretty good seal.

Trying the pump with just my fingers, it didn't seem to produce all that much air pressure. I tried it with the inlet in water and while it would pump water if the tube was full of water and barely above the water level, it didn't have the power to pump it, even when powered directly from a battery capable of providing 14v at 60A. It seems somewhat of a disappointment.

One of the other small jobs was to put the panel back over the electrics inside the bulkhead. That went on easily enough. It was just something that had been waiting to be done for a long time. While I was at it, I fastened the top screw of the wood panel that went over the window on the right of the door. I saw no need to do away with that even though I now have steel over that window. I looked at the back door and wondered about replacing the glass in the top window that has steel on the outside with thin steel or perhaps aluminium on the inside. I knew I threw away that thin steel from the old fridges too quickly. I'd taken it off, cleaned it up and painted it about 4 years ago and threw it away last year because I couldn't see that I'd ever use it. But that's a couple of jobs done.

The last job was to remove the old vent bottom inside the cab. I replaced it with my new vent bottom that came with my new vent. That's the vent I bought 4 years ago and installed earlier this year.

The new vent cover looks pretty good. I sprayed it white although I suspect it might be stainless. Around the edges the original bare steel of the bus can be seen - the vent cover had been installed before Carpenter painted the bus. I put the old vent in the car and next time I'm in a paint store I'll try to get paint the same colour. With that I can brush paint on that's the right colour. It's not worth using a spray for that particular site.

The major jobs still to be done are tyres, brake lines and the right wiper mount. The small jobs waiting to be done are doubling up the solar inputs, replacing a couple of switches and a voltmeter inside and wiring the solar charger to keep the driving batteries topped up. The only other thing is bars over the remaining side windows to make the bus more secure. That's really about all that's left to do.

As far as the tyres are concerned, I asked if crossply tyres were available. After that I heard no more from the tyre place. I guess I'll just have to go there after Christmas. As generations have found, the only thing that really gets business done is a personal meeting. I have never had any success from online job applications nor mailed in job applications. The only way to get jobs is by meeting the guy that actually does the hiring. When you're pawned off to HR or computers or bits of paper they're just yanking your chain. It goes the other way too - several emails and no sale means they probably think I'm yanking their chain.

Ouch!

Back in June I asked a local supplier with a reputation for being inexpensive about the cost of new tyres for the bus. Back then I had a quote that looked like this....

STEERS COST $382.81 THE DRIVES COST403.10 THE TOTAL TURN KEY JOB INCLUDING SERVICE CALL MOUNTS TAX AND SCRAP DISPOSAL WILL BE $3116.90 AND TIRES ARE IN STOCK.

The other day I came to the conclusion that I really should get the tyres as soon as possible. It seems that 10R22.5 are not currently available but 275/75R22.5 are available. Now there is a difference. The 10R22.5 tyres are 3100mm outer diameter and make 519.14 revolutions per mile. The 295/75R22.5 are 3186mm outer diameter and make 505.13 revolutions per mile. Doing the mathematics it seems that there's going to be a disparity between wheel speed and speedometer reading, leading to 1mph faster than indicated travel. That is way better than the 5mph faster than indicated travel of the 11R22.5s that somebody put on before I bought the bus.

The current tyres are 11 years old and in dire need of replacement - so much so that I will not drive on them. I don't consider them remotely safe. I'm not feeling too safe going underneath to do the work required to complete the brake lines either.

The latest quote I have for tyres is based on the new size of 275/75R22.5 and is thus:

Yes you are correct a 29575225 size will bring your speedometer back close and they are in stock. a tire cost 439.95 plus tax mount bal out the door will cost a total $3345.64.... it will cost $380.00 EXTRA TO COME TO *******. AND WE HAVE MEANS TO FULLY BALANCE TIRES IN THE SHOP WITH A 6401 COATS BALANCER.

An intriguing addendum to the emails is this:

the price has changed about every 5 weeks or so since mr Biden went in office. The tires now cost me more than I was going to charge you. thay have gone up about 35% so we will need to revisit a new quote and tire if we can find them,

So the original quote all in was for 3345.64 but the new cost will be 3725. That seems to be an increase of $609 since June or 20%. This is a scary increase!

The price of aluminium!

I went to Home Depot the other day. 8' lengths of 2" x 1/8 aluminium is $30. That seems high so I'll try my usual metal supplier. Working it out carefully - if I get everything just right, I can cover all the windows that are in use on the bus with 9 pieces of 8' aluminium. At $30 each though that's $270 plus tax so not much change from $300.

Today I didn't feel like doing an awful lot so I finished the painting in the bedroom. I'd inserted plywood in the gap I'd left in the OSB cladding on the inside of the bus. That gap had been to allow access to half-windows. Well having nearly put my elbow through a window when I camped in the bus last time I'd covered the window on the inside with plywood. Outside I've rivetted aluminium over the windows that aren't used. I'd put the wood in place after painting it and had then caulked all the way around it with paintable caulk. Now I've painted and touched up a few places in the bedroom. I'll have to see how it all looks when the paint is dry. Right now it's a shade lighter but it seems to darken when it's dry.

Meanwhile, a few days ago I bought a mouse. This will work with my Raspberry Pi. Inside the Skoolie I decided many of my computing needs can be carried out on a simple $35 Raspberry Pi. To that I added a $10 bluetooth keyboard (which is a bit small), a $12 optical bluetooth mouse and a $30 Chinese screen. The big benefit is it all runs off two 5v connections. 

The people on my Raspberry Pi group were adamant the Pi would absolutely not work off a 1A 5V supply and yet here we are, running off a 1A 5V supply. The monitor is working off a 2A 5V supply. That about sums up most online groups - full of people that broadcast nonsense they read on some other online group instead of referring to facts. The fact is that - according to the Pi foundation - the Pi 3B uses 980ma maximum. At idle, it's 350ma.

So, I've got the computing requirements set up. Truth be told the Pi is part of another project in drone development. I do have another cheap laptop though whether it'll charge on the bus is unknown yet. I did try out a Chromebook but it wouldn't work without an internet connection, couldn't be used as a straight Linux laptop and then the operating system got corrupted. Needless to say, it ended its life on the rifle range as my most expensive target.

I looked into putting a solar panel on the roof, secured by magnetic tape. So far I'm having difficulty finding decent magnetic tape. That's something I could put up and take down at will. I decided against having a permanent solar connection near the roofline. Instead I'll just trail a cord down the side of the bus when needed. 

Remaining to be done - big projects...

1. Brake lines at the rear.

2. One brake line under the hood.

3. Right wiper mount.

4. Tyres

Small projects....

1. Replace access panels on the front and rear.

2. Bars over windows

3. Install fuse box in console.

4. Replace voltmeter on kitchen console.

5. Add extra solar input sockets.

Most of the work is done. The four big projects are not that big. The small projects are pretty easy projects. The fuse box will take about a day. The voltmeter will take about a day. The small jobs will all take about a day though the panels won't take but a few minutes and the bars might take several days.

The big projects - the brake lines are several days of work. The wiper mount could be a multi-day thing as I'll be fabricating. The tyres - I'd like to do myself. I know how to do it myself. I just have no experience of doing it. That I might just leave to somebody else stronger and more experienced.