POD: Homebuilt foam core fiberglass skin pop-up camper build thread
- Thread starter pods8
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Its not quite no load since the roof structure is probably in the 150lb ball park and that box on top has 4gal of epoxy resin in it (~35lb) to try and simulated the solar panel weight but yeah they went faster than I expected too and that is just with 14ga wiring. Seemed to move about 3/4" per sec. Final camper roof will be a little heavier and have some drag in the seals but cool that it goes so fast none the less.
That's just a cheap project box from radio shack I quickly/sloppily mounted the switches into for now. They'll be on a cabinet face in the actual camper.
I was thinking further on killing power to the actuators also. One ideal in my head is to use a dual battery bank battery switch. Put the camper batteries on the common stud, DC distribution on stud 1, and the actuator power feeds on stud 2. That will allow it to be turned to "2" or "1+2" to power up the actuators, "1" to have the camper on w/o the actuators, and "off" will isolated the camper and actuators from the batteries with only the solar/truck charge connected to the batteries.
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riveroceanandmountain
Adventurer
very very slick! way to go.... are those switches from the same place that you ordered the actuators?
Are you thinking of shutting off the power to them when they are in the up position? sounds like a good idea if the switches are somewhere that they could be bumped.
do you have the interior build design on paper or in your mind yet? I am working on mine as I approach that point in my build.
Good work! I am doubly impressed what with the 3 little ones!
Are you thinking of shutting off the power to them when they are in the up position? sounds like a good idea if the switches are somewhere that they could be bumped.
do you have the interior build design on paper or in your mind yet? I am working on mine as I approach that point in my build.
Good work! I am doubly impressed what with the 3 little ones!
Switches are surf-n-turf DPDT from delcity, they were (and I believe still are) on an overstock sale for $1.68ea which is a great price. I'm planning to shut off the power to the switches anytime I'm not actively planning to raise/lower the roof. If one actuator goes w/o the others it could cause damage to the camper potentially (or maybe the motor would overload first and blow the fuse they highly recommend to put in place to protect the motor in that case).
I know the concept of the interior, if you refer to the first picture in the thread is my concept model. For the most part its the same: rear dinette, water tank across the front of the camper (with a cover to serve as a step into the cabover), fridge on slides to your right when you come in the door, both the sink/stove on the main counter opposite the door (that is the main visual difference from the model), storage under the cabover bed. The propane tank/heater/battery location are all fixed at this point. I haven't specifically decided on sizes of drawers/cabinet doors in the space available in the main counter cabinet yet but I've sketched the amount of room I have. I was planning on knocking out a quick cheaper 1/2" plywood interior to get the camper into action and also test the feel of the pieces/refine some designs. Then make some more refined pieces to swap out as time/ideas come along.
But main push is to get the shell structurally complete/painted/windows and fans installed.
I know the concept of the interior, if you refer to the first picture in the thread is my concept model. For the most part its the same: rear dinette, water tank across the front of the camper (with a cover to serve as a step into the cabover), fridge on slides to your right when you come in the door, both the sink/stove on the main counter opposite the door (that is the main visual difference from the model), storage under the cabover bed. The propane tank/heater/battery location are all fixed at this point. I haven't specifically decided on sizes of drawers/cabinet doors in the space available in the main counter cabinet yet but I've sketched the amount of room I have. I was planning on knocking out a quick cheaper 1/2" plywood interior to get the camper into action and also test the feel of the pieces/refine some designs. Then make some more refined pieces to swap out as time/ideas come along.
But main push is to get the shell structurally complete/painted/windows and fans installed.
yeah, i guess i didn't really mean no load, i meant no added uneven load on the roof such as racks, solar panels and fans. i did not notice the box on top. still, impressed with the action.
the deal on those switches was too good to pass up...ordered. i will definitely be adding a cutoff switch, though the chance of unintentional actuation is slim, potential consequence is huge.
have you decided on interior paint treatment?
i see you're using 2 batteries, what is the total amp hr capacity and what size panel are you using?
i'm looking forward to seeing this on your truck and in action, it's been an awesome project to follow and i've learned alot along the way.
the deal on those switches was too good to pass up...ordered. i will definitely be adding a cutoff switch, though the chance of unintentional actuation is slim, potential consequence is huge.
have you decided on interior paint treatment?
i see you're using 2 batteries, what is the total amp hr capacity and what size panel are you using?
i'm looking forward to seeing this on your truck and in action, it's been an awesome project to follow and i've learned alot along the way.
Not sure what color on the interior but I think I'll be using a 2-part water born epoxy paint in there, should be low UV exposure so it shouldn't chalk I wouldn't think.
They are 210ah 6v batteries. I have a 100watt panel but have considered adding a couple 35watters or 70watt panel to max out the 10amp controller.
LOTS of dust over the last week...
Filler skim'd on, using an epoxy/microballon mixture:
Sanded out:
Raw epoxy seal coat:
Epoxy primer:
And as of this afternoon the top white color has been completed. The sides with be light grey as previously noted (a tad lighter than the primer I think). Planning to overlap that onto the white an inch or so thus the finished wrapped white will be about 2/3 of what is seen right now and be a bit less bold, but it generally shows the idea.
Filler skim'd on, using an epoxy/microballon mixture:
Sanded out:
Raw epoxy seal coat:
Epoxy primer:
And as of this afternoon the top white color has been completed. The sides with be light grey as previously noted (a tad lighter than the primer I think). Planning to overlap that onto the white an inch or so thus the finished wrapped white will be about 2/3 of what is seen right now and be a bit less bold, but it generally shows the idea.
Overland Hadley
on a journey
The paint makes a big difference, those steps are fun to complete. Looking good!
(p.s. I like the white top at the level it is currently at.)
(p.s. I like the white top at the level it is currently at.)
riveroceanandmountain
Adventurer
WOW!
I'm using monstaliner on the whole exterior, not just to roof. Some learning points I'm finding but at 5' any of my personal critiques aren't really noticeable. Finished off the sides today. Its snowing we had the door closed (wearing OV respirators) and a heater going, no issues with application but a mistake in terms of smell seeping into the house. It wasn't bad yesterday working with the door mostly open but sealed up it soaked through. Will be venting the garage come tomorrow assuming it warms some!
