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Old 07-27-2018, 10:07 AM   #21
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Name: Peg
Trailer: 2016 -13' Scamp
Massachusetts
Posts: 237
I'd love to see what you've done with your Scamp. Are you anywhere near Maynard?
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Old 07-27-2018, 11:48 AM   #22
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Name: Dave
Trailer: Scamp 13 D
Massachusetts
Posts: 118
Peg - a bit south, a couple minutes off exit 3 -495.. more than welcome.....
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Old 07-27-2018, 04:09 PM   #23
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Name: Dave
Trailer: Scamp 13 D
Massachusetts
Posts: 118
Scamp Frame Grounding

In response to a PM I received am going the describe the double ground noted in a previous post. The Scamp's factory ground is just waiting to fail & grounding exterior points need to be addressed in a more robust way. It is not uncommon depending on your particular electrical schematic & battery bank draw & charging capability to see over 40 amps running through them & even medium sized inverters can draw over 100. At the front of the Scamp frame I have a "Double Ground" that receives the ground from the TV, on the port side just behind the wheel on the inside of the frame is another one that ties directly up to a main ground buss bar under the bed close to the water heater partition wall. The bolts are 1/4" stainless, the surface to ground to is sanded to bright steel, & all items bolted down are coated with dielectric grease, then the assembly gets a prime & 4 coats. The wire in the pic is a bit oversized (6ga) but have lots of rolls of Anchor marine wire from marine work over the years & have a habit of over spec as it rarely hurts. In the pic the bottom wire is the main ground, the loop of wire to the top bolt is insurance ( you're there w/ the drill in your hand & another 10 min means done & forgotten no worries)
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Old 07-27-2018, 04:44 PM   #24
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Name: Dave
Trailer: Scamp 13 D
Massachusetts
Posts: 118
Interior LED Lighting

Installed low watt LED lighting in the closets near the door - manual switched w/led light on the switch for a visible "On" if door is closed. Added a couple brass marine spots on the left and right after gutting their switches & replacing them with tiny PWM rotary switches (they can dim down low enough to run for over 60,000 hrs off our 240AH bank - a joke w/ my Son when I was setting them up...... The over the counter light was also replaced with a less bulky & less amp squandering than stock slim line marine LED. All the lights are a softer color unlike the old skool 5000K "blue" ones.
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Old 07-27-2018, 05:12 PM   #25
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Name: Dave
Trailer: Scamp 13 D
Massachusetts
Posts: 118
Exterior LED Lighting

I trashed the factory porch light, purchased a motion sensor LED model & Hacked it w/ additional LEDs & switches. On motion sensing mode it throws a horrid blue 400 lumen unearthly cast of light, on low a soft white 80 lumens, on mid same soft 480 lumens, & on high a bright white 960 lumens - way bright enough for setting up gear... .
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Old 07-27-2018, 06:05 PM   #26
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Name: Dave
Trailer: Scamp 13 D
Massachusetts
Posts: 118
Exterior LED Lighting

The chrome item above the porch light is a marine stern light receiver. I used the same slim line light used over the interior sink counter to create an articulated (via a rare earth ball magnet assembly) extendable from 2' to 4' cooking light - as we set up a folding grill, camp stove unit to the left of the door. Is around 400 lumens soft white & fairly waterproof. A plus is that it simply plugs in with no wires hanging to deal with.
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Old 07-27-2018, 06:20 PM   #27
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Name: Dave
Trailer: Scamp 13 D
Massachusetts
Posts: 118
Fire Extinguishers

I relocated a pair of water gel extinguishers next to the door using mountain bike water bottle holders. They're a quick reach from the inside & outside at that location. We also have a 4' x 4' (very small package, instantly deployed) sheet of lightweight fiberglass fabric that kills most small fires with no mess (speaking as a welder for many years). We keep the stock powder extinguisher though would only use it in Dire straights as they can sometimes do more damage than addressing a manable fire w/ alternatives. ..
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Old 07-30-2018, 03:26 PM   #28
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Name: Dave
Trailer: Scamp 13 D
Massachusetts
Posts: 118
Exterior LED Lighting

A safety add on recommended by a Trillium owner at the Spring Fling @ Chocura this spring is a 19 LED 12" x 5/8" stop/running third tail light - easier to see given our low slung tail lights in tight traffic. Also notice the tail lights on my carrier - look a little oversized designwise & had to chop them by a bit to fit the frame, though chose that Optronics model as it had the brightest backup light amperage - a plus on dark rainy nights...
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Old 07-30-2018, 03:41 PM   #29
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Name: David
Trailer: 2013 Scamp 13 S1 BB
IL
Posts: 281
Quote:
Originally Posted by ACHINBAC View Post
A safety add on recommended by a Trillium owner at the Spring Fling @ Chocura this spring is a 19 LED 12" x 5/8" stop/running third tail light - easier to see given our low slung tail lights in tight traffic. Also notice the tail lights on my carrier - look a little oversized designwise & had to chop them by a bit to fit the frame, though chose that Optronics model as it had the brightest backup light amperage - a plus on dark rainy nights...
How did you run the wiring for the 3rd brake light? Also, did you drill the fiberglass to get the wires outside? I'm thinking of using a stick on tailgate led lightbar, but I'm not sure I want to make any new holes.
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Old 07-30-2018, 04:17 PM   #30
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Name: Dave
Trailer: Scamp 13 D
Massachusetts
Posts: 118
Tow Vehicle Electrical Distribution Box

This box supplies the Scamp juice while on the road. The black unlabeled unit is a combiner - above 13volts at the TV battery it connects the alternator via a 6 ga cable to the 7 pin 12 v pinout & directly to the 12 volt circuit on the fridge (the fridge's 12 volt circuit has been disconnected from the Scamp's 12v) The oversized cable results in almost no voltage/current loss to the fridge - it chills fine on the road - it's breaker is one of the units with the yellow lever. Another circuit is a 60 amp breaker feeding 4ga cable to an Anderson plug @ the hitch - it feeds our Redarc DC DC charger which also has an MPPT solar input ( from Australia - can handle from 9 volts to 32v input & sends out the appropriate charge profile required, programmable for all types of batteries including lithium - has a 40A rating & has it's own internal combiner circuit to decide connect or disconnect if the alternator is on or off) Third circuit is for the electric brakes sent back on an 8ga line to the 7 pin trailer harness receiver. At the top of the box are 3 small LEDs to identify circuit operation (or a tripped breaker) We squeaked the box in front of the battery - not much extra room under the hood nowadays!
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Old 07-30-2018, 04:37 PM   #31
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Name: Dave
Trailer: Scamp 13 D
Massachusetts
Posts: 118
Gom- - I cut off the screw mounting tabs off the light & stuck it on w/ 3M double sided ultra foam tape (warm both surfaces before applying the tape - it is permanent). The wire is sealed w/ Life Seal a marine caulking which is very flexible & better adhesion than silicone. I soldered the light feeds to 18ga 3 wire black sheathed "antenna rotor control cable" - very small diameter. It traces around the inside window frame, dives in to the rat fur at the lower right of the frame & exits under the bed to where the light feeds for the carrier are located - is a pain to feed under the fur though managed to do it w/out too much trouble...
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Old 07-30-2018, 04:51 PM   #32
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Name: Dave
Trailer: Scamp 13 D
Massachusetts
Posts: 118
Gom- - another tip for you & others - when drilling through the shell holes larger than 1/4" I use a "stepped bit" - look it up - no shattering of the gel coat or fiberglass - works super on thin sheet metals also...
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Old 07-30-2018, 05:05 PM   #33
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Name: Dave
Trailer: Scamp 13 D
Massachusetts
Posts: 118
One more tip before I hit the Monster Garage - for fishing wires under rat fur I cut a length of steel electrical fish tape, bend the last 1/2" end of it about 5° & sharpen that end to a flat chisel - turn the bent end out towards the shell, & Jag it up & down as you push it through the insulation & it will cut it's way through as it tracks against the inside of the shell. Time consuming though only other alternative is to cut open the fur.
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Old 07-30-2018, 05:46 PM   #34
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Trailer: Sasquatch
Montana
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Yes, go as warm as possible with LEDs! LEDs are highest on the "blue-light" spectrum of any modern bulbs, and blue light is known to cause a lot of harm to the human system. The more warm LEDs have the lowest amount of blue light...for LEDs. Still bad for you but it's a good balance. Obviously incandescents draw too much, but they've got the "healthiest" light.

My LEDs are 3200K. For my personal tastes, anything else is too bright, and gives off very cold, sterile light. I like that orange glow

Great work on your Scamp.
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Old 07-31-2018, 08:39 AM   #35
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Name: Dave
Trailer: Scamp 13 D
Massachusetts
Posts: 118
LED Lighting

Zach - agree with you on the 3000k coloring. I've had good luck finding them at marine stores like West Marine - a little pricey but more robust build on them for RV use. Have had good luck too reducing their output if need be with resistors or tiny PWM units (which are more efficient - also use them to adjust fan speed) - see the pic - rated for 2 to 3 amps. & Speaking of lights, Jackie & I camped for three days a couple weeks ago at my son Alex's Marina on Boston Harbor. We tooled around the waterfront in his inflateable - never saw the Town from the outside in before.... Pic was taken from the hill in East Boston & if you zoom way in you'll see the Scamp at the tip of those sailboats - Urban Stealth Camping!!
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Old 07-31-2018, 08:48 AM   #36
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Name: David
Trailer: 2013 Scamp 13 S1 BB
IL
Posts: 281
Some great ideas, i know I will use the stepped bit tip in the next couple of days because I have an interior project coming up, i would have never thought of it! Also, i can vouch for your ground upgrade, i used to do a lot of high end car audio projects and a good, over spec'd ground always made a noticeable difference.
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Old 08-01-2018, 10:13 AM   #37
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Trailer: 1986 Boler 1300 Voyager
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ACHINBAC View Post
Next up was the Propex Heater which I Fabbed a heat exchanger for - had to pre stress the heater with the exchanger attached prior to install as these units are very sensitive to altering their intake & exhaust combustion circuit.
Great work on your build so far. What heat exchanger are you using and how did you adjust for the changes in the exhaust length?

How hot does your closet get with that heat exchanger and are you using a fan to circulate air around it?

How much space do you have between the top of the propex and the box you built for it? Also how much noise are you getting from the unit while running?

Thank you.


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Old 08-01-2018, 03:48 PM   #38
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Name: Dave
Trailer: Scamp 13 D
Massachusetts
Posts: 118
Heat Exchanger

Mark - the heat exchanger was tig welded together from 3 separate heavy duty finned aluminum heat sinks, the ends were capped w/ aluminum channel stock. The exhaust makes 2 trips through it as the input and output side has a divider in the middle of that C channel. The interior makeup air washes over it scavenging about half of the exhaust temperature (from 300° down to 150°). The pre-heated air then washes over the Propex unit (3/4" clearance on all sides) then enters on it's lower left side in the picture. After heating it exits through the white pipe (previous post pic) which was lined inside with felt wrapped w/fiberglass fabric to mitigate airflow noise & to protect the inside of the pipe from heat (after internal insulation the outside of the pipe never got above 150° even though the heated air entering the trailer is around 300°!!). There is a plywood floor that is scribed to fit over all that & has a 3/4" medium density black foam glued to it's bottom for heat insulation & sound abatement. The Propex unit is mounted on 6 - 50 durometer rubber vibration absorbing mounts. The plywood floor stays around ambient temps on it's top surface. Fairly quiet in operation though in all honesty have nothing to compare it to except our little 1500 watt ceramic portable ac heater (no louder) the Propex has a nice squirrel cage blower in it which are inherently quiet. Exhaust outside is very quiet. The heater uses about a third of a pound of propane per hr & less than 2 amps/hr 12v. The exchanger obviously makes the operation of the heater more efficient. Was it practical re: man hrs & mtl cost -???? Don't really care as simply like to mess w/ things in the Monster Garage!!! I stress tested the assembly prior to install & found the stock length of the 1" intake & exhaust lines combined with the exchanger did not affect the unit. A concern was that the pre-heated make-up air would bother the unit but it has an overheat safety sensor I have faith in - after 50+ hrs no problems so far...
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Old 08-04-2018, 07:23 AM   #39
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Name: Dave
Trailer: Scamp 13 D
Massachusetts
Posts: 118
Honda 2000 Stealth Enclosure

FedEx brought another project the other day - had been planning a sound proof box for the Honda for extended boondock trips as backup to the solar panel. On a whim checked various cooler sizes - most are the same @ 18" tall + -. This one was an odd ball 20 1/2" tall & with a little surgery will fit the Honda no problem. Saved a lot of trouble building a box & then soundproofing it. Will get proper venting / cooling via an industrial muffin fan running off the 12v output of the generator & will try to knock the exhaust down a bit with a secondary muffler assembly.... Will keep all posted on the build but might be a while.....
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Old 08-04-2018, 07:59 AM   #40
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Name: Dave
Trailer: Scamp 13 D
Massachusetts
Posts: 118
Stealth Enclosure

The fan is made by Noctua for harsh environments & is a little bigger than the one in the pic. Have a couple remote temperature probes to test how hot the generator gets in the box after I piece it all together. I enlarged the exhaust hole in the Honda cowling & welded on a 1¼" stainless stub to the muffler. From that point still working on a couple ideas to further muffle the exhaust sound.
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