Now I've done it...

RickB · March 24, 2012, 06:33:46 PM

Thanks guys... I will mark them because I couldn't stand the ribbing I'll take from Sir Gumpalot if I make this mistake again.

RB

gumpy · March 24, 2012, 06:53:44 PM

Seriously, why does everyone think I take great pleasure in your pain?

eagle19952 · March 24, 2012, 07:54:50 PM

I did not find your battery hook-ups but these are preety clean,nice lookin coach.

I'll trade you steering wheels....

buswarrior · March 24, 2012, 08:00:48 PM

Geez, Louise, don't connect anything unless you are completely committed!!!!!!!!!!!

Who lives near you and can come over to help?

Another audio-visual project that requires funding in time and hardware that I'd like to do as a demonstration...

It would be VERY good for busnuts to have all the major battery type connections attached to a battery compartment bus bar, and then there would only be three connections dropped from the bus bar to the pair of batteries.

There isn't a one of us that isn't going to be somewhat more stunned by age than we were the last time we fooled with the cables.

Age catches up with us all. The simpler we design, the longer we can fool our children that we are still ok?

Wisdom has more to do with tricking ourselves to stay inside our diminishing capacities than it has to do with smarts.

Somebody remind me to come up with this little project and document it?

I'll surely forget.

happy coaching!
buswarrior

RickB · March 25, 2012, 06:31:54 AM

Gumpy,

It was all in fun... Please don't take it personal. You have always been a good friend and have helped me more than once figure out serious problems. I know you shake your head once in awhile when I talk about the"best deal ever" on that "just rebuilt" 8v92 down the street but I also know you'd be the first guy over here with tools if I needed help.

but seriously folks.... what was I thinking? What a rookie.

Well, I'm taking Sam's advice on how to get her back together and I'll have a fire extinguisher handy just in case.

It does seem like it would matter what post on the master switch I put the vanner on in my head though, if it's on the battery side wouldn't that mean the vanner is getting power all the time regardless of the switch? Should I put the Vanner + on the other post? Meaning it would only get power when the switch is on? and if that was backwards may that explain why the batteries were corroding so much even with the master switch off?

Gumpy, don't you and the wife need to test run those motorcycles soon? The fish are running in the stream, I've got cold Newcastle's in the fridge and a ton of wood at the fire pit to get rid of this summer. Come visit soon.

RB

gumpy · March 25, 2012, 08:59:51 AM

Quote from: RickB on March 25, 2012, 06:31:54 AM
Gumpy,

It was all in fun... Please don't take it personal. You have always been a good friend and have helped me more than once figure out serious problems. I know you shake your head once in awhile when I talk about the"best deal ever" on that "just rebuilt" 8v92 down the street but I also know you'd be the first guy over here with tools if I needed help.

I'm not saying I don't take great pleasure in your pain, I'm just wondering why everyone thinks it? It's not like I actually jump with glee!!

Quote
Gumpy, don't you and the wife need to test run those motorcycles soon? The fish are running in the stream, I've got cold Newcastle's in the fridge and a ton of wood at the fire pit to get rid of this summer. Come visit soon.

We'll have to see how things go. Teri's at church all day today. Will have to see how the weather is next weekend.
I'll be in your neighborhood the first weekend of May, probably that Friday, for the pottery tour.

As for the connections, the battery should be connected per the diagram that was already posted in this thread. Left ground post to left battery negative. Left battery positive to right battery negative. Right battery positive to battery switch.

The vanner should have 3 posts on it. Left is ground. Middle is 12v. Right is 24v. Connect the left to the left battery negative. Either end of the ground cable (battery of frame) that's convenient. Connect the center (12v) to the left battery positive, or to the right battery negative (either end of the jumper between the batteries). Connect the right (24v) to the right
battery positive (either on the battery post or on the main switch input side). Don't connect it on the output side of the main switch.

If you have a 12v feed for the coach, it can be connected in the same place as the vanner 12v, or it can be connected to the vanner 12v post.

Call if you need me to laugh at you... I mean, if you need more clarification...

craig

thomasinnv · March 25, 2012, 09:28:11 AM

Quote from: gumpy on March 25, 2012, 08:59:51 AM

If you have a 12v feed for the coach, it can be connected in the same place as the vanner 12v, or it can be connected to the vanner 12v post.

Just to clarify here, if by "coach" you are referring to the "house bank" I would not connect it this way without some means of disconnecting/switching off while parked or he runs the risk of depleting the start batteries if he runs down the house bank while parked.

If you in fact are referring to the chassis batteries, well then the issue is moot. This is why I like to call them "house" batteries and "chassis" or "start" batteries. Less confusion. People may misunderstand what is intended by "coach" batteries. JMW and YMMV.

Good Luck!

Lin · March 25, 2012, 09:35:23 AM

Am I missing something. Can't we just determine if a cable is ground or not by testing continuity/resistance?

If I remember when working, I like to spray the hot cables red or wrap some red tape at the ends.

gumpy · March 25, 2012, 10:30:25 AM

Quote from: thomasinnv on March 25, 2012, 09:28:11 AM

Just to clarify here, if by "coach" you are referring to the "house bank" I would not connect it this way without some means of disconnecting/switching off while parked or he runs the risk of depleting the start batteries if he runs down the house bank while parked.

If you in fact are referring to the chassis batteries, well then the issue is moot. This is why I like to call them "house" batteries and "chassis" or "start" batteries. Less confusion. People may misunderstand what is intended by "coach" batteries. JMW and YMMV.

Good Luck!

In his original post, he said it was his "start" batteries. That would be the coach batteries, not the house batteries.

Coach is the vehicle. House is the conversion. Most buses have a 12v feed for running lights and other 12v accessories. On a 24v system, this is typically a center tap off the coach batteries.
Unfortunately, often the headlights were rewired to use this connection; hence the need for a Vanner equalizer.

I don't disagree that a disconnect should be on the 12v feed, regardless of where it goes. However, there was no mention of that in his posting, and that's not really the point
of the thread. My comment regarding a 12v feed does not assume there is or is not a disconnect on the 12v. It also does not imply that the 12v feed is a crossover charging line to
the house bank. It merely says where the tap can be connected on the coach bank.

Oh, and BTW Rick, read the Vanner label again. I think it probably says something like "Remove the ground first. Replace the ground last."

akroyaleagle · March 25, 2012, 12:02:56 PM

Eagle 19952,

Thanks for posting those photos.

I admit I know very little about DC electric. That's why I suggested the photos. I know what a headache it is to work on wiring. I have numbered wiring, wiring diagrams, color coded ends, photos, etc and I still hate it. I also have a fair amount of age induced memory loss, not to mention near complete loss of interest.

Quite a lot of the photos in that photobucket stash are now obsolete. I am still working on a complete redo. All the big work is finished. I need to post new photos. See last sentence above.

Contact me about the steering wheel. It was replaced by a new burlwood tilt/telescopic.