Maintaining starting battery while Dry Camping.

[cmeadows]

Oliver,

Wow, you *are* serious about your AV experience! The robotic arm for the TV sounds cool but also functional.

Some of the higher-end radios are using static ram for presets that survive power disconnects. We move around too much for radio presets to be useful. Like you, we also use the USB port. When a song comes on that doesn't fit the mood, road, location or season, we press the "gong" button and advance to the next track.

On our spring break trip last year, we were listening to a ballgame on the radio. The sound was bad and we couldn't hear the announcer very well. When I pulled the speakers, there was no foam remaining in the speaker's foam-rolled suspension.

I wanted a really good sound system but for dry camping energy conservation, that meant a compromise of very efficient speakers and no external amplifier. I was very pleasantly surprised with the new speakers in both sound quality and capable quantity. The Pioneer radio we installed cost about the same as my first aftermarket radio—a Pioneer SuperTuner that I bought as a teenager. So, yes, we are again very much in our teenage mentality!

[stevek]

Well, I got radio out.
Was kind of hard to do. Would not budge with removal keys in place.
One thing I could not get a good grip.
So I took off engine cover, reached under and felt back of radio and push it out easily.

Note it has an IPOD connector.
Also if I was going to install a subwoofer, and suggestion how I would hook up?

[stevek]

One more thing...
Before I get too carried away.
Just to be on the safe side..
What other options to maintain starting battery when dry camping.

Hook up a trickle charger to inverter?
Install AMP-L-START or equivalent recommended by Mel?
I am new to all this, so give me some other options?

[cmeadows]

Steve,

Removing the doghouse to get to the back of the radio was a good idea.

If you don't use the chassis battery for anything, it should be fine without any form of charger attached while you are dry camping. After you install a switch to power your in-dash radio from the coach batteries, your chassis battery needs will likely be reduced. Just remove all chargers and accessories from the 12v dash outlets, turn off the dome lights that come on with the front doors, and limit the use of the ignition switch for anything while dry camping. About the only remaining parasitic loss on the chassis battery would be the radio presets and, as Oliver pointed out, that can be switched to the coach as well. If your radio has an off switch (yes, that sounds silly but my new radio doesn’t have a power switch) you might be able to leave your radio powered on the coach batteries indefinitely (Jensen pins #8 and #15).

Sub-woofers are the least energy efficient device in an audio system. They consume lots of power creating low sound waves and vibrations. To run a sub-woofer, you will need an amplifier, sub-woofer & enclosure, heavy wire and lots of battery power. To hook it up to your Jensen, it looks like pins #9, #10 and #20 provide the sound signals and #14 could be used as a relay trigger to turn on the amp with the radio.

[stevek]

Hi Chuck, when I pulled the radio, it had a tag on top with Wire Colors.
It listed all the speaker wire colors and where they went.
And it listed the 5 power wires as follows..

Yellow..+12 V battery
Red.....+ 12 VDC switched
Black....Ground
Blue.....12 volt out/ 100 MA
Orange/white...Illumination/ Dash light

So I cut into the RED wire? Or Yellow?

Appreciate your help..
For I know nothing.... HAHA..

[cmeadows]

Steve,

You know way more than you think!

The yellow wire is for memory presets and clock
The red wire — this is the one you want—it powers the radio
The blue wire is for antenna UP/DOWN control (unused—no need to switch)
The black is ground and grounds are common (no need to switch)
The orange/white may be tied into your headlight switch (probably can live without)

First run this test. Turn on your headlight switch and see if the radio illuminates. If it lights up, this would be the "Orange/white...Illumination/ Dash light" — see if you can operate the radio without it.

Cut the red wire. Then run this test.
With the ignition key removed, run a temporary jumper wire from a battery source 12v positive (+) to the radio and see if everything works as it should. For this test, attach a short piece of wire to the red lead going to the radio. Strip only about 1/16 inch of the insulation from the other end to barely expose the wire and then hold it on the center post of your 12v accessory outlet on the dash—the center post is 12v positive (providing that your 12v accessory outlet remains hot with the key removed—if not, find another 12v positive source without turning on the key).

If everything works as it should with just the red wire powered from a separate source, then this is the only wire that you need to switch to coach power.

Oliver mentioned another solution—to tie both the red and yellow wires together and run through the switch to eliminate the parasitic loss of the memory circuit. This is optional and depends mostly on how much battery drain you may have experienced while your coach was setting around unused. It also matters if you use the clock and memory presets—if so, leave the yellow wire intact and only switch the red.

[stevek]

Chuck.... I have not cut red wire yet to the radio yet.
Was looking for a 12 VDC source first.
My disconnect switch is located by the coach steps and door.
When I crawl underneath, I see this line running from the switch.
I used my volt meter and got a 12.5 volt reading.
What about me tapping into one of these lugs?
Negative thing it is exposed to the elements.
What is that thing? Relay? Circuit Breaker? Thanks.

[jobrien]

That "might" be the auxiliary start. Allows you to start the couch from the house batteries.

[tomzleapin]

It's a fuse. Some are self resetting. I don't know if that's the case for this one.

[cmeadows]

Steve,

It's a fuse . . . and a fine place to attach a power source for your radio. Be sure to install a 15 amp inline fuse on your new wire close to where you make the connection. You could run a short wire inside to the area under the driver's step and install the fuse there where it will be protected from the elements. To protect your new inline fuse, make the connection under the coach last after you have finished running the wire.

After you make your connection with a good quality ring terminal connector, you might want to spray-soak the external fuse and your new wire with some of this:

Lynx/Battery terminal protection spray
http://www.autozone.com/autozone/access ... 95996_0_0_

When you do cut the red wire leading to the radio, leave yourself plenty of slack on either side to make your connections.

[stevek]

Thanks.
Gotta buy a few things.
Will let you know when I get it done.

Another thing I was thinking about, why not just hard wire the Radio to the Coach Batteries?
Not that I plan on doing this.
Just curious.
Would be a lot easier for some people.

[Mike Jean Bandfield]

Another thing I was thinking about, why not just hard wire the Radio to the Coach Batteries?

It wouldn't turn off with the ignition switch which might bother some. And you'd have to decide whether to wire it in front of or behind the battery cutoff switch - maybe the presets in front and the on-off power behind?

Would be a lot easier for some people.

IMHO, radios shouldn't be this complicated.

[oliverpsmile]

Steve

In the vicinity under the house entrance (see you picture) there is one bolted connection De-energized when the battery switch is off and energized when the battery switch is ON. I used it to run my wire to the radio. Although i have cut off switch at the dash board the main switch is my back up for avoiding the drain of the house batteries.

[Tahoe]

After our first trial weekend trip we wanted to play the radio, but didn't want to drain the chassis battery. Saw this post and today in less than an hour made the conversion. First I checked the radio schematic on line, and on the 2001 you want to tap into the yellow/black wire as this is the switched source. I pulled the radio, tapped into that wire and ran 2 wires to SPDT switch I located under the dash within reach. I ran a fused wire from the fuse pictured earlier in this thread up into the wire tray by the drivers step, and the up to the switch I installed. All neat and tidy and it works perfectly. I'm going to keep the stock radio for now, but plan on upgrading the speakers next and the Kenwoods mentioned earlier look great.

[stevek]

I would be interested when you do the speaker upgrade and would like to do the same.
Maybe you could start a separate thread. Thanks.