I'm taking a quick break from posting about the kitchen cabinet to give an update on a previous project. Two and a half years ago when I installed the EZ Cool insulation on the cockpit floor I wrote about maybe pulling up the flooring in the future and check how it held up. Well I just did and it's in near perfect shape.




The only flat space on the floor was where I bolt down the front seat. Otherwise it's springy wherever I checked.


At the time it was twice as expensive as Reflectix and I didn't think it was worth it but I've been proved wrong. I'm really impressed with how the EZ Cool has worked out. I'm sure having the blue diamond floor covering was an advantage. It's rigid enough to have helped spread the load.

 

Kitchen Cabinet, Post #25

With the protective box for the dump valve completed I need to figure out a way to mount it under the van. Decide to take the tank support and weld on a "outrigger" to support the dump valve box.




Also primed and painted the greywater tank.


To join the tank and the valve I took a 1-1/2" flexible connector and shortened it.


Here's the tank with the modified brace.


The valve and it's box in position. I've not yet drilled the holes in the side of box where it will bolt to the brace outrigger.


This is looking straight up


Will need to add a piece of 1-1/2" PVC to the valve's inlet threaded adapter that will slide into the flexible coupling.


Remove the box and take some measurements.


Measure and cut two lengths of PVC pipe and cement to each end of the valve. The inlet is on the left. I had originally planned to mount that 90 degree elbow on the outlet side of the valve. Instead I'm going to leave it off. The tank should drain that much quicker without it.


While I had the cement out add a 90 degree elbow to the overflow pipe.


Drill a couple of drain holes in the bottom of the box. I'll try and make it as waterproof as I can but doubt it will be 100 percent.


Think I'm done taking the tank on and off the van. Paint the tank brace and bolt it in place. Bolt the tank to the brace.


Screw the Webasto pump shield into place.


Like the previous shield it's open at the back. In the top right of the photo is the bottom of the side cargo step. The van is constructed with large rubber bumpers that go between the frame and the van body. This allows some movement between the frame and the body so I left an inch of clearance between the top of the tank and the bottom of the step.


The machine screw I added to the front of the tank is there to hold a clip which keeps the Webasto fuel line in place.


So I'm laying on my back under the van for the umpteenth time doing this work when I look towards the front and see this.


I swear that darn cat is mocking me.

continued -

 

Kitchen Cabinet, Post #26

With the protective box done it's time to finish up the electronics for the dump valve. First thing is to do something about the motor speed. Since it's interfacing with a plastic valve handle I want to slow it down. I'm afraid it might snap off the handle at full speed. I'd read about something called Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) which allows you to control the speed of a DC motor by turning the power on and off very rapidly. The amount of time the motor is turned on versus turn off is the duty cycle. The lower the duty cycle, the slower the motor.

Printed the instructions off the internet and breadboarded the circuit using a 555 timer chip to drive it.


Got it working but the circuit was of a general nature so had to do some configuring for this specific application. While doing this I started thinking. Since the motor is only making a quarter turn at a time the PWM circuit was probably overkill. Maybe I could slow it down with some resistors instead. They are dead simple to use.

Unhook all the fancy electronics and hook the motor straight up to 12 volts of battery power and start testing some resistors.


Long story short. A 1 ohm resistor reduced the speed but also the torque so much it wouldn't turn the valve. Two .1 resistors in series worked best.


Now how to control the stopping of the motor when the valve has reached it's full turn. The cradle can only turn 90 degrees before it bangs up against the frame stopping it's movement. To preserve the motor and it's gearing I want it to stop it before it hits the frame. With that aim in mind I had welded on two nuts to the outside edges of the cradle. One on each side.


Screw a bolt into the nut then add a limit switch to the side of the frame. As the cradle is closing (or opening) the valve, depending on the side, the head of the bolt approaches the button on the limit switch.


At the point where the valve is completely closed (or opened) but just before the cradle makes contact with the frame the bolt head pushes on the button breaking the motor circuit.


Using the bolt as the contact point allows me to adjust it back and forth by rotating it. For as crude looking as it is there is some real fine control. When I have it just right use a lock washer and nut to hold the bolt in position.


The previous pictures where of the closing limit switch. This is the opening limit switch.


The switches themselves came from the sofa-bed construction. Both of these switches where damaged when the little metal lever either got badly bent or the plastic tabs it pivoted on were broken. I held onto them and they work just fine in this application.


I had to grind off the remains of the two plastic tabs on the top of the switches.


How to wire it up? Stare at it for a while then get a pen and paper and sketch up a circuit. Use a diode on each limit switch to by-pass that switch if the cradle is rotating away from it.


Wire it up and give it a try. I'm proud to say that it worked right the first time. Not often so lucky.
Youtube video of the motorized valve in operation.

In the video I'm under the table powering the motor from two 6 volt batteries sitting on the floor. It's not hooked up to a switch so I'm just swapping the two motor leads from plus to minus and back again to get the valve to open and close. Don't know why the video is such poor quality. Must of hit the wrong setting on the camera.

Install the motorized valve into the freshly painted box.


You can see the side holes where the box will bolt to the tank brace. The base plate gets screwed into place only after the box is bolted to the brace.




Take both end plates off and apply generous amounts of Silicone II to all seams then screw back together. Smear silicone wherever I think it might help keep out moisture.


One job left. I forgot to see how many amps the motor pulled as it was turning the valve. I'll need to know this so I can use the correctly valued fuse for the motor circuit. Problem is that it happens so fast I had trouble getting a good reading. Had to call for some help.


As I worked the clamps on the batteries Bob would keep a close eye on the voltmeter then call back the reading after each run.


Her highest reading was 6.47 amps.

continued -

 

Kitchen Cabinet, Post #27

With the electric dump valve ready to go I next need to find a way to power it. So I've got the doghouse off and laying on my back looking around under the dash ...


...when I see this unused connector. Wonder if there is something I can use?


Get out my copy of the Ford Econoline "Electrical Vacuum And Troubleshooting Manual". The manual is for the year before my 1999 van but a feature of the Econolines is how little changed from year to year.


Look among the pages that show the different connectors. Here are some of the connectors in the dash.


The picture isn't very detailed but it does narrow it down to these three possibilities. Connectors C232, C215 and C214.


Look up the connector numbers. After some work I figured out it was connector C215. Illuminated Entry Module.


Find the page listing for that connector.


For this connector I see pin number 7 is "Power (Hot in Run)" and pin 8 is "Power (Hot at All Times)". So this means I have now found a circuit to power the electric dump valve from.


My idea is to use the dump valve while the van is running so I'll tap into the "Power (Hot in Run)" circuit. If I was to tap into the "Power (Hot at All Times)" circuit I could possible operate the dump valve by accident while the van wasn't running. Not what I had in mind.

Next check the schematic for this electrical circuit. I want to make sure nothing else is using it.


Looking back at the connector picture it lists the circuit number as "296". This photo is a closeup of circuit #296. It shows the circuit running from a shaded box at the top through connector C201 then to connector C215 then into another shaded box.


The top shaded box represents the fuse panel below the instrument panel. Notice the number "24" and the designation "5A" in the box. This means the circuit passes through fuse number "24" and the fuse should have the value of 5 Amps. The shaded box at the end of circuit 296 represents the Illuminated Entry Module but my van doesn't have one so for me the circuit just ends. Also notice how no circuits branch off anywhere between the two shaded boxes. That means nothing else is sharing the circuit so I can use it.

Now this is the first time I've used the manual like this so I want to double check I've got it right. The connector illustration shows the wire color as "(W/P)". The first letter is the solid wire color and the second letter is the stripe color. In this case that's solid White with a Purple stripe.


Double check that the wire supplying pin position #7 is white with purple stripe. It is.


Use a voltmeter to check that there is 12 volts on that pin with the ignition switch in run and zero otherwise. It is.




Final test. Locate fuse #24 and remove it then check the circuit. Here is the illustration for the instrument panel fuse box. Fuse #24 is third from the bottom on the left.


In this picture you can see a 5 amp fuse in the position marked as "24".


I removed the fuse and checked the circuit again. It was dead this time. OK, I'm convinced I got it right.

Cut the wire from the back of the connector and splice on another length of wire.


Mark the wire so I'll know what it is.




Connect this circuit and a ground wire to opposite poles of a Double Pole Double Throw (DPDT) three position (ON-OFF-ON) toggle switch.




Run two wires from the switch, under the door jam, along the edge between the cockpit and raised floor and under the side cargo step.



Add male and female disconnects to these wires and the ones from the dump valve.


Hook them together. Replace the 5 amp fuse I pulled from position #24 in the fuse panel with a 10 amp fuse. Test the valve from the toggle switch.


Open the valve, Close the valve. Open the Valve. Close the valve.


Considering all the thought, time and effort it's taken to get to this point I can guarantee that this will never get old!

When it's time to install the dump valve under the van I can run the control wires through this already provided access hole near the Webasto heater on the cargo step.


Install the greywater dump switch in the dash.


That ends my work on the kitchen cabinet for the time being. Once the cabinet is installed in place it will restrict access to the van so I'm holding off on the final install till I finish a lot of little jobs been putting off till now. Will start writing about them in subsequent posts.

Now if you'll excuse me, there's something that needs doing.

Open the valve. Close the valve. Open the valve ........

 

Is that socket good for adding remote door lock?

 

You know, I cant help but think you need to add something to this...


Buybay - Worldwide Free Shipping for Dresses, Gadgets, Electronics, Home & Garden : 2 Button Metal Wireless Remote Key Fob Keyring & 315/413 MHz Two Channels Learning Code Multifunctional Relay Module AK-J027+6802S - Sku# DTA1485000KV

 

Just ordered 2, thanks for the heads up. The sad part is, I suck at all thins electrical and have no idea how or what to use them for But they look like something I may need someday

 

Those were sorta examples, not too sure i would order from a china direct shipper :P

 

That connector receives the ground signal from the switches that sense if the door is open, and can control the courtesey lights. It has no connections to the lock system. It is a handy place to get 5 amps of power though. If you have the EVTMs, you can find lots of unused power leads on our vans. (Unless you have a chateau edition like mine, then freaking EVERYTHING is connected.)

If you have power locks already, you can find the wires you need in the passenger kick panel. On a 92-96 van, they are red and brown. Just ground them and the doors lock and unlock. If you give me the year you are interested in, i can give you very specific locations, connectors, and colors for these wires. An aftermarket system to control your locks via these wires can be found for very cheap. I also use a SPDT switch hidden on the body of my van to unlock it in case I manage to lock myself out.

http://www.amazon.com/Viper-211HV-1-.../dp/B001ANXNIW

This one is name brand and actually well made, you can get cheap Chinese ones from eBay for ~20 bucks. I have installed these bad boys in about 15 minutes, if you don't care about beeping the horn or flashing the lights. They usually have an extra channel which you can use to do neat things. I used a latching relay setupon my 95, and used the extra channel to trigger my front LED Floodlights.

 

Loving the van, but I have an observation.

Love the panel, but shouldn't you use a momentary push button for the Phasers? Wouldn't want the switch to be left on and you accidentally phaser your neighbor's car when you start up Hal. I also thought that the transporters used slide switches.

Gotta love Sci-Fi!

 

Thanks 95e150CW. That's a pretty nifty idea.

Hey Ramrunnr,
You're not the first person to make that same observation. For safety sake the Phasers are wire to the High Beam switch. Less chance for an accident that way.

 

Eh, its less then 1/2 a nights tips if things go sideways

 

my thoughts exactly, heh heh heh.

 

Thanks for the suggestions. I'm sure you'll understand me not writing in depth about it but the van's security system will be of a "custom" nature. And of course with the name HAL it might say more than just "Step away from the vehicle".

 

I was more joking about having a keychain remote for the dump valve, but now i have a better idea. I just need a pump in the greywater tank, some tubing, a motion sensor, and a few spray nozzles...