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.