B+ motorhomes
I just bought a Trail Lite B+ 211s with 8.1 Chevy engine. This is my fifth motorhome (others range from an old 20' Vagabond, and three Winnegagos, from 19 to 32'. This vehicle is fantastic. I am...
Forum Discussion
Yesterday's project was to install a switch so that the radio can be used with the engine off, for camping. I reported last year on my plan, but here is the summary. You might have differences in your unit.
Disconnect the chassis battery.
Remove the radio. I can provide tips if you have the Blaupunkt.
I found a factory four wire flat plug hanging loose. Originally it contained red/white, brown, black, and white wires. TL had cut the brown off right at the plug, and connected that wire to the radio's main power wire (red). The brown is only hot when the key is at IGN.
But the red/white wire in that four wire plug is hot at all times. Cut it off at the plug just like was done with the brown.
Hook up a SPDT (single pole double throw) switch as follows:
Side 1----chassis brown wire
Center----red wire to radio
Side 2----chassis red/white wire
You will have to extend the wires a foot or so to get them to a good mounting place. Mount the switch on your dash. Reconnect the battery, reprogram your radio, and you're done. You now have a radio when camping! Just remember to turn the switch back to the IGN side when you are not using it. Otherwise the radio's display and such will be draining your chassis battery. That's a good point to make, this will be drawing from your chassis battery when you use it camping. If you want to run it from the house battery, you'll have to fish a wire from your house system up to the new switch, and use it instead of the red/white chassis wire. For me, using the chassis battery was a lot easier. We have the EM start switch if the chassis battery gets run down. Hope to not do that, however.
You can get a SPDT switch like this, which mounts easily in a hole you drill.
http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2062511&filterName=Type&filterValue=SPDT
I had a different one on hand. It says 1/0 on it (on and off) which is sort of wrong technically. But for us ON means it can be used for camping, and OFF means it cannot.
Disconnect the chassis battery.
Remove the radio. I can provide tips if you have the Blaupunkt.
I found a factory four wire flat plug hanging loose. Originally it contained red/white, brown, black, and white wires. TL had cut the brown off right at the plug, and connected that wire to the radio's main power wire (red). The brown is only hot when the key is at IGN.
But the red/white wire in that four wire plug is hot at all times. Cut it off at the plug just like was done with the brown.
Hook up a SPDT (single pole double throw) switch as follows:
Side 1----chassis brown wire
Center----red wire to radio
Side 2----chassis red/white wire
You will have to extend the wires a foot or so to get them to a good mounting place. Mount the switch on your dash. Reconnect the battery, reprogram your radio, and you're done. You now have a radio when camping! Just remember to turn the switch back to the IGN side when you are not using it. Otherwise the radio's display and such will be draining your chassis battery. That's a good point to make, this will be drawing from your chassis battery when you use it camping. If you want to run it from the house battery, you'll have to fish a wire from your house system up to the new switch, and use it instead of the red/white chassis wire. For me, using the chassis battery was a lot easier. We have the EM start switch if the chassis battery gets run down. Hope to not do that, however.
You can get a SPDT switch like this, which mounts easily in a hole you drill.
http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2062511&filterName=Type&filterValue=SPDT
I had a different one on hand. It says 1/0 on it (on and off) which is sort of wrong technically. But for us ON means it can be used for camping, and OFF means it cannot.
