17' Series Jasman's Expansion Plans - 2016 Outback 17.56-2

mikerezny

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Sep 11, 2016
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Hi,
instead of buying a relay etc, what about using any old 240V power supply adapter you probably have lying around plug it into a 240V socket and use the Arduino to monitor the output voltage? Does the Arduino board you used have more than one A/D convertor?

cheers
Mike
 

Jasman

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Apr 10, 2016
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New Don't add restrictors to your water lines, they will play havoc at some places that have poor pressure, just turn the tap back a little................How was Teewah Beach, crowded ???? since Mudlo is impassable unless I take Ute for a swim I haven't been over for awhile and Freshwater is way too rough.

Hey Drover, I was thinking of just adding some restrictions to the shower as sink to slow the flow.

Teewah was awesome as always but the amount of people was pretty crazy with the fresh water track very slow having to wait at times for 20+ car to pass before you could move, it was a slow trip just to get a counter lunch at the surf club - I did think it was the smoothest I have seen it for a while.
 
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Jasman

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Apr 10, 2016
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Hi,
instead of buying a relay etc, what about using any old 240V power supply adapter you probably have lying around plug it into a 240V socket and use the Arduino to monitor the output voltage? Does the Arduino board you used have more than one A/D convertor?

cheers
Mike
Hey Mike, the little board only has one analog unfortunately so I was going to use a 5v relay hooked up to a 240v USB adapter so when power is on I bring one of the I/O to ground. Alternatively, I might use a voltage divider to get things down to 3v and wire it direct to the I/O.
Jason.
 

Drover

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Nov 7, 2013
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We stayed at home, had visitors but no way I was taking them down Freshwater ...............................................
 

Jasman

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So finished her off today by incorporating a 5v relay that will be connected to a USB wall charger to detect if 240v is connected to the van and very happy to say it is working perfectly. This is what it does in summary:

1. Gets its power from 12v USB in camper
2. Connects to a local wifi connection
3. Measures voltage from the campers 12v cigarette plug
4. Detect power from 240v USB plug
5. Reports on a regular basis the 12v voltage and 240 presence via a website

Here's the finished product:

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bigcol

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out of curiosity - as I dont understand the whys or wherefores...........

how much power will it drag in usage
how long will battery last with it running
 

Jasman

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Apr 10, 2016
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out of curiosity - as I dont understand the whys or wherefores...........

how much power will it drag in usage
how long will battery last with it running

These little boards are designed for IOT (think remote light switches, thermometers etc) and draw next to nothing and I've optimised the code a bit to make it shut down things it's not using when it doesn't need them though I could definitely go further (probably 15mA would be realistic) I couldn't be bothered because at the moment it's drawing a massive 34 mA at 12v.

EDIT: Just put an hour into the code and got the wifi module to sleep properly and it dropped the current draw down to 10.5mA @12v.
 
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Jasman

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Been while since I’ve posted because I haven’t been using Expanda (bloody work) but did get a new tug.

I know everyone likes to pick on Jeeps and their owners but I just love them, so much so that my third Jeep WK2 (current shape Grand Cherokee) arrived last week, it’s a diesel Trailhawk with active safety group. The colour is Rhino clear coat and it looks amazing, shifting from navy/black to battleship grey depending on the light (see pictures below). With the blacked out detail of the Trailhawk the Jeep looks considerably more aggressive than any other I’ve seen and the photos don’t do it justice. Also, I was worried the red detailed badges might look a bit cheap but they really look awesome in the flesh against the rhino.

The cool thing about the Trailhawk is it’s “trail-rated”, a rating Jeep reserves for its vehicles that can complete the Rubicon trail unassisted. Over a standard GC the Trailhawk has standard air suspension, Goodyear Kevlar belted wrangler a/t, automatic electronic rear locking diff, underbody armour, twin rated recovery hooks and the cool badges.

Since I took the photos the front windows have been tinted and she’s booked in for the towbar and brake controller next week.

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Jasman

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@Jasman that is a nice looking ride you have there, we still love ours and would upgrade to a newer model in a heartbeat (if i didnt retire and could afford to)

@DRW, just justify it by convincing yourself you’ll be saving money in the long term with the 5yr warranty, lifetime roadside assistance and fixed price servicing. That’s what I do!