| Author |
Message |
JR
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, December 05, 2005 - 10:00 pm: | |
Anyone know where I might find a takeout RV style electrical control/monitor panel? I'm after having all the guages in one nice looking location. Want Amps (and shunt), AC/DC volts, hertz, genset control, solar input??, and maybe 12V/110V breakers. Size and configuration is not too important. I have all the above now, but it looks like crap. Just analog guages in a temp panel with various switches. Planned on matching all the switches, and leave the guages..but a panel would really simplify this project. An RV salvager would be good...these panels are expensive. Sent several inquiries out, but no response. As many motorhomes as there are totalled, I'd think these things are out there. Thanks, JR |
John MC9
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, December 05, 2005 - 11:36 pm: | |
Google: RV Salvage ?
(Results 1 - 30 of about 829,000 for RV salvage.)
Most all auto junk yards are on the wire and can easily put
a call in for anything you're looking for.
It'd be 100% easier to use the entire package from a
commercially made motorhome, but along with it, will
come the usually inferior gauges and wiring. And unfortunately,
most of the panels do not have the gauges you have already
bought..... That means you'll be modifying the panel greatly.
Why not use Oak, Cherry, or other wood? Thin veneer,
laminate, or thin solid, you can drill all the holes you want,
stain it, seal it, glue it or paint it. You could even back it
with a sheet of copper, if you want to get fancy with the
grounds and bonding.. |
Gary Stadler (Boogiethecat)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, December 06, 2005 - 12:59 am: | |
A thought... most gauge sets you'd find in an RV are usually cheep junk as compared to what you could put together yourself with quality gauges from VDO or S/W, etc... Even the switches are pretty cheap on ones I've seen. RV manufacturers tend to not use the highest quality goodies.
Even if you find a nice looking panel, you'll probably find that the gauges require weird shunts and electronics to make them work, and you'll toss it and do it yourself anyway. That happened to me...
I'd think about putting the panel together yourself from scratch... Take yout time to find exactly the parts you want... use ebay as a source, also surplus center now has a myriad of cool gauges, fairly inexpensive by comparison
http://www.surpluscenter.com/sort.asp?UID=2005120523543955&catname=engines&keyword=NFGA |
Mike Eades (Mike4905)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, December 06, 2005 - 6:54 pm: | |
email Trina at RV Surplus in Elkart |
Rob King
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, December 06, 2005 - 7:23 pm: | |
Hi JR
Here are sites, some new, some salvage
http://www.bluesea.com
http://www.solarseller.com, look for iota panels
http://www.ronthebusnut.com
http://www.rvsurplussalvage.com
http://www.surpluscenter.com
http://www.westmarine.com
http://www.colawrv.com, ask for James
Should be able to find what you are looking for at one of these.
Rob
91 LeMirage
Missouri |
JR
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, December 06, 2005 - 9:48 pm: | |
Thanks, I've looked at some of those sites,and I'll check out the others. Friend has an Itasca with a seriously cool looking AC/DC load control panel. May be cheep as h#**...don't know. I've looked at the marine stuff and they ain't cheap at all. Nice Bluesea panels are $grand and better. Don't really need that. Figured if I could find a takeout (or I could take it out) with everything unbroken for about $200 or thereabouts, I'd do it. The only sender would be the AC ammeter shunt....as far as I figure that's all anyway. Everything else would monitor directly off the AC or DC source.
I really don't need any additional projects. Need to spend the money modernizing my ugly-a$$ MC9 dash.
Probably continue looking through the above links and see what jumps out at me. Thanks, JR |
NelsonThomas
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, December 07, 2005 - 12:38 am: | |
Try the major auction sites, The ebay portion of this board has a reference to what you may be looking for. Nelson |
Tim Stoecker (Zxt)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, December 07, 2005 - 9:23 am: | |
Not to blow smoke up your dress or anything, but AC ammeters have current transformers, not shunts, and only for higher currents. Shunts are for DC. |
JR
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, December 07, 2005 - 9:52 pm: | |
What does an RV style current transformer look like? I saw some LED ammeters that had little "doughnut" looking deals that you ran the hot supply through...suppose two would be require for 50A system. Are those things called transformers? I'm not familiar with whatever powers the ammeters...and I don't want direct reading ammeters. That would be a wiring nightmare in my situation.
What is considered higher current? Any reasonably priced 50A AC ammeter recomendations?
Thanks, JR |
Tim Stoecker (Zxt)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, December 08, 2005 - 9:18 am: | |
Don't know what rv style current transformers, (CT's), look like, but the "doughnut" thing sounds about right. Yes you need 2 if you want to read each leg of a 240v system. I personally use direct reading ammeters below 30A or so, which is #10 wire.
Check out the surplus sights for meters.
Make a note that analog type meters can get out of calibration if subjected to high vibration shocks. Not really a problem, just something to be aware of.
If you have a current passing through a CT, and no meter connected, you need to short them out, or you can burn them up. |
Richard Bowyer (Drivingmisslazy)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, December 08, 2005 - 3:20 pm: | |
And most CT's are rated to output 5 amps when the full rated current is passing thru the donut. I.E. with a CT rated at 100:5, the main current thru the conductor passing thru the donut would be 100 amps and the output current would be 5 amps. You can get amp meters that are rated 5 amps full scale and the actual scale would read 1 to 100 or whatever the ratio of the CT happens to be.
Richard |
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