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In rain I essentially get none. On cloudy days I get some but not much.
Bob
Bob
my 2005 Astro AWD conversion
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There are two keys:
1) Knowing power conservation. I watch the weather and if I see a storm coming I make sure all my batteries are full when it hits and then I use as little as possible. That's why cooking with solar is problematic.
2) Have more solar than you need. I don't recommend calculators, I recommend buying all you can afford! Most of us will never be sorry for having too much!
Bob
1) Knowing power conservation. I watch the weather and if I see a storm coming I make sure all my batteries are full when it hits and then I use as little as possible. That's why cooking with solar is problematic.
2) Have more solar than you need. I don't recommend calculators, I recommend buying all you can afford! Most of us will never be sorry for having too much!
Bob
akrvbob said:
Well, that's why I was originally planning for about 800 watts. I figured that if I have major reductions in output during the cloudy season, having more panels could offset it somewhat. But if its nothing...adding more nothing wouldn't stop it from being nothing.
I've been wanting a swivel base for the passenger seat and when I found this: http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200487875_200487875 I decided to use it.
Let me start by saying this swivel base is NOT DoT approved. That said, I think that all of the homemade swivel bases are not DoT approved either. I could get into the politics of the nanny state, but I won't. I consider this my homemade swivel base, just that someone built it for me...
All I had to do was drill 1/2" holes in the swivel base to mount on the existing floor studs, and drill holes in the top half of the swivel base to match those on the Astro seat. I put this swivel base between the existing seat pedestal and the floor, consequently it raises the seat by about 1.5". There is not a lot of extra material around where the new holes will go but with careful drilling and using a round file to clean up the holes there is enough. You really need a drill press to do this since you want to try and drill the holes as accurately as possible. The swivel base is heavy and it has holes in it already, some of which will overlap where the new holes are going to be, but with care you can get the new holes accurately placed and still have enough metal around them. I spaced the base up on 1/2" washers because I didn't want to drastically shorten the studs that bolt the seat to the floor -- the studs interfere with the rotating part otherwise. Even so I had to grind a little off each stud. The rotating half of the base is held to the seat pedestal by four 1.5" x .5" grade 8 bolts, nuts, and washers. I also cut out the carpet under the swivel base. I think with the cargo van that was not necessary though it may be with the thicker civilian carpeting. I also put the seat belt bracket under the swivel base and I had to bend it outward to clear the rotating seat. I'll look for a replacement plastic guide for the seat belt, something that is just straight.
Here is the swivel base installed:
and:
and:
Now I have a recliner in my living room, and I can remove the swivel base and go back to the standard seat in minutes.
Let me start by saying this swivel base is NOT DoT approved. That said, I think that all of the homemade swivel bases are not DoT approved either. I could get into the politics of the nanny state, but I won't. I consider this my homemade swivel base, just that someone built it for me...
All I had to do was drill 1/2" holes in the swivel base to mount on the existing floor studs, and drill holes in the top half of the swivel base to match those on the Astro seat. I put this swivel base between the existing seat pedestal and the floor, consequently it raises the seat by about 1.5". There is not a lot of extra material around where the new holes will go but with careful drilling and using a round file to clean up the holes there is enough. You really need a drill press to do this since you want to try and drill the holes as accurately as possible. The swivel base is heavy and it has holes in it already, some of which will overlap where the new holes are going to be, but with care you can get the new holes accurately placed and still have enough metal around them. I spaced the base up on 1/2" washers because I didn't want to drastically shorten the studs that bolt the seat to the floor -- the studs interfere with the rotating part otherwise. Even so I had to grind a little off each stud. The rotating half of the base is held to the seat pedestal by four 1.5" x .5" grade 8 bolts, nuts, and washers. I also cut out the carpet under the swivel base. I think with the cargo van that was not necessary though it may be with the thicker civilian carpeting. I also put the seat belt bracket under the swivel base and I had to bend it outward to clear the rotating seat. I'll look for a replacement plastic guide for the seat belt, something that is just straight.
Here is the swivel base installed:
and:
and:
Now I have a recliner in my living room, and I can remove the swivel base and go back to the standard seat in minutes.
LeeRevell
Well-known member
I agree with that! Gotta love having an 'easy chair'. 
SweetMarie1965
Well-known member
This is a great thread! I'll be getting a van in the next few weeks, one like an Astro or Express. Your pictures have given me a place to start. Thanks so much for posting your progress! Now I'll know what to do.
Bela's Mom
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You are going to really enjoy your swivel recliner! It is nice to have a comfortable chair in the living area and most van seats are pretty comfortable. Being able to turn it around to face the interior of the van makes it even better.
I put one in a couple of years ago because my elderly father won't sleep in the bed; he sleeps in his recliner at home. When I take my parents with me camping, I put an ice chest longwise in front of it with a long cushion strapped to it and he sleeps there. Makes a comfy extra bed!
I put one in a couple of years ago because my elderly father won't sleep in the bed; he sleeps in his recliner at home. When I take my parents with me camping, I put an ice chest longwise in front of it with a long cushion strapped to it and he sleeps there. Makes a comfy extra bed!
My latest addition to my Astro is the computer and Internet access.
My computer is a Mac mini desktop model, the latest version of the 'old-style' Mac mini which can be bought for under $200 on eBay. The Mac mini has some significant advantages, very low power consumption, and many of its components are from laptops and are more rugged than those used in the usual desktop computer, perfect for a mobile computer. I have never seen my Mac's power consumption go above ~60 watts.
I presently have 2 options for Internet access, wifi to a free access point, and a prepaid Verizon Novatel 4620L mifi. The sole reason for going with Verizon was their significantly better coverage in the US south-west.
For the wifi I use an Amped A8EX 8dbi external antenna and a Sabrent NT-H802N wifi adapter. The NT-H802N is connected to the Mac mini with a USB cable. The Mac's built in wifi is turned off. These components were recommended by VanGirl in a thread here, and I think they are an excellent choice. This combination resulted in many-many more wifi access points being accessible, and at a much greater range.
If I can't connect to a free wifi access point, then I rely on the Verizon 4620L. I chose that model since it's available cheap on eBay, it can be tethered (a USB connection to the Mac rather than wifi, resulting in faster access), and it has a TS-9 jack for an external antenna.
From my initial testing the Verizon cell phone network and the 4620L seems to be faster than free wifi access, possibly for that very reason since I use it wired to my Mac rather than rely on the 4620L's wifi. But then again, you can't beat the cost of free access, even if it is a little slower...
My computer is a Mac mini desktop model, the latest version of the 'old-style' Mac mini which can be bought for under $200 on eBay. The Mac mini has some significant advantages, very low power consumption, and many of its components are from laptops and are more rugged than those used in the usual desktop computer, perfect for a mobile computer. I have never seen my Mac's power consumption go above ~60 watts.
I presently have 2 options for Internet access, wifi to a free access point, and a prepaid Verizon Novatel 4620L mifi. The sole reason for going with Verizon was their significantly better coverage in the US south-west.
For the wifi I use an Amped A8EX 8dbi external antenna and a Sabrent NT-H802N wifi adapter. The NT-H802N is connected to the Mac mini with a USB cable. The Mac's built in wifi is turned off. These components were recommended by VanGirl in a thread here, and I think they are an excellent choice. This combination resulted in many-many more wifi access points being accessible, and at a much greater range.
If I can't connect to a free wifi access point, then I rely on the Verizon 4620L. I chose that model since it's available cheap on eBay, it can be tethered (a USB connection to the Mac rather than wifi, resulting in faster access), and it has a TS-9 jack for an external antenna.
From my initial testing the Verizon cell phone network and the 4620L seems to be faster than free wifi access, possibly for that very reason since I use it wired to my Mac rather than rely on the 4620L's wifi. But then again, you can't beat the cost of free access, even if it is a little slower...
I meant to include pictures of the antenna and where I chose to mount it, in the previous message...
At the time I still had the ladder on the door and I wanted to avoid conflicting with it, and stealth was still important, so I decided to mount the antenna directly in front of the back door window glass. It would still be blocked off to the sides, but it should work ok fore and aft, and reflected wifi signals may still be picked up:
This is what it looks like from the outside:
Here is a shot of all of my computer gear, the keyboard and mouse are wireless and are the only components that get moved to the table when computing:
Overall it works very well, both wifi and Verizon. Using the wifi, the people at the rest area where I routinely over-night are amazed I can get the range that I do.
At the time I still had the ladder on the door and I wanted to avoid conflicting with it, and stealth was still important, so I decided to mount the antenna directly in front of the back door window glass. It would still be blocked off to the sides, but it should work ok fore and aft, and reflected wifi signals may still be picked up:
This is what it looks like from the outside:
Here is a shot of all of my computer gear, the keyboard and mouse are wireless and are the only components that get moved to the table when computing:
Overall it works very well, both wifi and Verizon. Using the wifi, the people at the rest area where I routinely over-night are amazed I can get the range that I do.
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Looks great! You've made yourself a cozy, wonderful and amazingly cheap home!
Bob
Bob
Bed center cushion version II:
After using my camper-converted Astro for a number of months I've decided that the bed needs a minor modification. If you'll recall, I made cushions out of foam and backed them up with a piece of 1/4" plywood. That works great for the 2 sections that double as seat cushions, but not so good for the removable center section that fits on top of the table. The problem is when I'm using the dinette table and the center cushion is removed. With the plywood backing it is very unwieldy. So what I've done is replace the plywood backing with a piece of thin flexible plastic foam -- thin so it's the right height, and flexible so it can be folded and bent to fit places a piece of plywood can't. It's a big improvement, now I can stow the center cushion almost anywhere.
After using my camper-converted Astro for a number of months I've decided that the bed needs a minor modification. If you'll recall, I made cushions out of foam and backed them up with a piece of 1/4" plywood. That works great for the 2 sections that double as seat cushions, but not so good for the removable center section that fits on top of the table. The problem is when I'm using the dinette table and the center cushion is removed. With the plywood backing it is very unwieldy. So what I've done is replace the plywood backing with a piece of thin flexible plastic foam -- thin so it's the right height, and flexible so it can be folded and bent to fit places a piece of plywood can't. It's a big improvement, now I can stow the center cushion almost anywhere.
platinum
Member
I really enjoy this thread. Great built !!!
Please keep the pics coming in if you do other upgrades.
Please keep the pics coming in if you do other upgrades.
Telcobilly
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Love what you are doing with the van. Being a techie myself, I really like your computer / Internet setup.
JosephRedBeard
New member
This is seriously everything i have wanted to do to my astro all packed in to one thread. I have been pouring over this for over an hour now and cannot wait for my astro to get out of the shop (ball joints. i hate them. i will pay for them)
Do you know if they make a roof vent like this with a fan to take air out of the vehicle?
Do you know if they make a roof vent like this with a fan to take air out of the vehicle?
