TMG's Van Thread! (Picture-heavy.)

[FALCON]

I'll be doing window covers soon myself.

How are the curtains attached? Magnets? Snaps?

 

[TMG51]

I'll be doing window covers soon myself.

How are the curtains attached? Magnets? Snaps?

Snaps. I decided that magnets would be more likely to move, and harder to attach.

My singular best piece of advice is when planning your snap locations, put the top ones at the top and put the bottom ones about 1/3rd of the way up from the bottom. This pattern keeps the fabric within the curve of the vehicle wall, and also allows you to drape the top half down without opening the curtain 100%. You can experiment to find your best fit but if you use 4 snaps don't put the bottom ones all the way down.

Also think about how your windows open. Mine can all be opened without unsnapping, for discretion at night.

 

[FALCON]

Ahh great, thanks. Are these saps that you can drill into the metal?

 

[TMG51]

I bought regular snaps at craft stores. I screwed half to the metal (predrilled the hole, #6 sheet metal screw fits well) and threw out the unused back halves of that side of the snap. Hobby Lobby had the best price on snaps I saw. I later saw snaps packaged with the screws but they were more expensive than throwing 1/4 of the regular ones away.

 

[FALCON]

Cool, thanks. I was thinking I wanted to figure out how to mount some roller shades (the kind that are on a reel and pull down like a projector screen) since they would be self-contained and I wouldn't have to store them somewhere else. But I'm not excited about the difficulty of finding or making the right sizes, modifying them to block all the light or painting one side black, etc...

 

[TMG51]

I had the same thought. I went this route. I don't store these curtains, just let 'em hang at the bottom when open.

 

[TMG51]

Alright, not quite a van mod, but almost. I bought this thing. G-Boom bluetooth boombox:

http://www.amazon.com/G-Project-Wireless-Bluetooth-Boombox-Speaker/dp/B00CKYVYI6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8

If anyone was at RTR and heard me playing music out of my van that night tending the fire, I was doing that with a much smaller bluetooth boombox. They work pretty well for what they are and I liked that little one. But that little thing saw its end that week somewhere amidst fun in the desert, and when I went to buy another, I found them discontinued. So I bought this bigger one instead. And right away I noticed something of benefit to vandwellers.


What's that there on the cord? 12v output? Mmmhmm.

So, I hacked the cord off, threw the brick away and cobbled it into the stuff behind my 'fridge.

...ran the wire in the corner where the microwave used to be.

Now this boombox lives pretty happily in this space.

The little one of these I had before was about 1/5th the size, and it was almost too loud for inside the van when up high. This thing is too loud for the van when up high, and it actually has some bass. Equalizer settings aren't bad to play with either and the ol' microwave cubby makes a nice little sound box for it. Not having to use a DC adapter to charge it is just an added perk. I've even thought about hanging the unit where it is and putting a switch on the cord and not even taking it down when I drive, but we'll see.

Oh and if you're following along at home you should pretend that I bothered to fuse that wire behind my 'fridge.

 

[TequilaSunSet]

Just found this, awesome thread... very cool!

 

[SternWake]

Sometimes, it is worth holding on to those 12v DC adapters.  Just tonight I dug one out and hooked it to a 120mm 12v computer muffin fan to help dry out my neighbor's kitchen, under their dishwasher where a hose broke and flooded the area.  This size fan was a perfect fit for under their dishwasher.

In some instances these 12v wall wart/transformers can also make for a nice float/maintainer as they are actually 13.6v unloaded, and might max out at 13.2 on a group27 flooded battery.  But do check the output voltage, it needs to be higher than 12.8v or so and be able to provide ~2 amps.  Their actual voltage unloaded can be a lot higher than when there is a load on them.

Nice looking BT speaker.  I got a Small one that sounds surprisingly good, for its size and price:

 

[flying kurbmaster]

nice van TMG haven't been following this thread, not sure why I never had a look, nice mods you have been doing. I like the bed up high

 

[BradKW]

I bought a MiniBoom a couple years ago, chosen based on highly favorable performance comparisons to units 2x to 3x in price. http://www.amazon.com/Logitech-Boombox-Smartphones-Tablets-Laptops/dp/B005PUZOYM

It really puts out amazing sound for a device no bigger than a soda can. I use it on the job often, and because I love tech gadgets, I have fun with the never ending comments by people who've never seen it to the effect "wow man, that thing kicks ***!"

A customer once had a large one, similar in size to TMG's, and I was totally impressed even listening to it from a couple rooms away. I really thought he had a nice quality home system playing. I bet that microwave cubby could be modified to enhance base?

The weakness for all these units is the Bluetooth connection. Bluetooth seems destined to vastly under-perform its range claims. But if you're able or willing to leave the streaming device next to the speaker, they make for wonderful portable music.

 

[TMG51]

Sometimes, it is worth holding on to those 12v DC adapters. Just tonight I dug one out and hooked it to a 120mm 12v computer muffin fan to help dry out my neighbor's kitchen, under their dishwasher where a hose broke and flooded the area. This size fan was a perfect fit for under their dishwasher.

In some instances these 12v wall wart/transformers can also make for a nice float/maintainer as they are actually 13.6v unloaded, and might max out at 13.2 on a group27 flooded battery. But do check the output voltage, it needs to be higher than 12.8v or so and be able to provide ~2 amps. Their actual voltage unloaded can be a lot higher than when there is a load on them.

Nice looking BT speaker. I got a Small one that sounds surprisingly good, for its size and price:

I used to hang on to those power blocks when I was still in brick and mortar. But in the van anything I'm not likely to use gets chucked with prejudice.

I bought a MiniBoom a couple years ago, chosen based on highly favorable performance comparisons to units 2x  to 3x in price.   http://www.amazon.com/Logitech-Boombox-Smartphones-Tablets-Laptops/dp/B005PUZOYM

It really puts out amazing sound for a device no bigger than a soda can. I use it on the job often, and because I love tech gadgets, I have fun with the never ending comments by people who've never seen it to the effect "wow man, that thing kicks ***!"

A customer once had a large one, similar in size to TMG's, and I was totally impressed even listening to it from a couple rooms away. I really thought he had a nice quality home system playing. I bet that microwave cubby could be modified to enhance base?

The weakness for all these units is the Bluetooth connection. Bluetooth seems destined to vastly under-perform its range claims. But if you're able or willing to leave the streaming device next to the speaker, they make for wonderful portable music.

Actually, I was surprised with this one. The range is claimed at 33' and I kind of thought "yeah, right" because my experience with my previous smaller unit was similar to yours: I'd end up leaving my phone next to the speaker to make sure the connection didn't cut out. But with this bigger unit, it actually seems true. While wiring that cord in last night I had my phone in my pocket and music playing inside and it never flickered once even while I was outside the van with cabinets and metal in between the speaker and my phone!

 

[masterplumber]

I think blue tooth connectivity is getting better, sometimes too good. I recently traded some work for an old Jeep. Driving it home with my son following in my pickup I received a call on my cell phone. I couldn't answer it as my phone was connected to my truck radio - which was a good 100' behind me cruising at 50 mph!

 

[Gideon33w]

Bluetooth has gone through many versions. Each iteration improved connectivity, fixed issues, and improved data transfer rate. The newer the version the better it will perform.

 

[TMG51]

So I decided to make use of one of my van wall outlets. I have 120v outlets throughout, but because I'm totally off-grid, they're largely uselss; I never plug into shore power and I don't run a generator. I use 12v DC and DC adapters for just about all my needs. But, occasionally I have a 120v rechargeable accessory that doesn't mate well with a DC adapter, and for that reason I carry a small 170w portable inverter. I decided to wire that inverter into one of my outlets on a switch. Here's how to do so in four easy steps.


Step one. Find some crap lying around the van.

Step two. Wire it up in your underwear.*
*Underwear optional.

Step three. Label, switch etc.

Step four. Charge small electronics.

.....aaaanywho, as it's installed, I now have the option of using that outlet (for small draw AC accessories) without bothering to set up the inverter. The inverter is wired in with some removable harnesses, if that isn't evident from the photo, so I can always simply unplug it for other use if I desire. I can also still plug the van in to shore power without interfering with anything (not that I've ever felt the need to). I used the same gauge wire as what is on the inverter, the wire is fused at the battery, and the inverter itself is fused. In short, I need only flip one switch to use that outlet for small AC electronics.

 

[TMG51]

I decided to rebuild my shower track area.


Here's how the shower was designed. This aluminum track on the ceiling matches up with the curtain.

The curtain has little hooks with rollers in it and it runs around the track like this.

The problem? This track is the lowest point in the van. I'm 5'10", so barefoot and mid afternoon I clear the track by about a finger's width. If I'm wearing shoes or if it's first thing in the morning (yes, you really are tallest first thing in the morning, when your spine has decompressed) I have to be conscious of the track and slouch slightly or else I scrape my bald head.

-----Mature content warning-----
Now most of the time slouching under this track and scraping my head is just an annoyance, but a few times it has caused damage. One time in particular I darted across my van with a bit too much bounce in my step... and it shaved off the top of my f-king head. *Don't click that if you're squeamish*
-----Mature content warning-----


Okay, back on topic. Long have I coveted the day when my scalp needn't fear that aluminum obstacle on the ceiling. I finally got tired of it and decided to come up with something different. My premise is that the curtain really doesn't need to run around a whole track, it only needs four points of contact, so long as it is kept taught and overspray can't get above the top line of the curtain. Here's what I did.

The two inside curtain points received stainless steel fender washer buttons. The fender washer is the right size for the hole in the curtain to slip through but not pull out unless done deliberately. Part of this design is not to require modification of the curtain, such that a replacement curtain will just go in place.

The next part? Two stainless steel s-biners and a little plastic hitch point on the ceiling. They're both in just the right place to keep the curtain taught and in line with where the track used to run. And although one might think any other ceiling item would create another obstacle for my head, the s-biners stay attached to the curtain and these little plastic things are lower profile, smooth, and off center from the main path, so my head never goes near them even with shoes on my feet.

So here's how the curtain runs now with the new set up (one side left off for picture). Looks the same as with the track huh? It's actually slightly more taught. It takes no more time to set up and my head now fears nothing. I consider it a marked improvement.

Anyone want some aluminum track hardware?

 

[masterplumber]

sometimes it's the little things that make a huge difference in livability. Nice job!

 

[highdesertranger]

brilliant. highdesertranger

 

[Cammalu]

Hooray for your poor old head!!!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[TMG51]

My scalp is relieved already. Now I can stand up straight first thing in the morning and let my head brush that area of the ceiling fearlessly. Gonna take a while to get rid of that instinctive haunch in that area of the van.