Overloaded dash and engine cover console with gadgets

leeper wrote:
Now you need a police/fire/ambulance monitor for calls. How does one drive all those distractions? I hope you are kidding!

They're no more of a distraction than watching the tach or speedometer.

We take our motorhome into all kinds of places where we really don't want a breakdown in any of the RV's systems. Also, we then walk around and get separated in those places ... so we need communication between us even when there's no cell phone towers (we're rockhounds).

For what it's worth ... here's a clip of another post of mine in another thread where I tell what the 2 voltmeters and 1 ammeter on the dash tell me about the coach's 12V electrical systems:

pnichols wrote:
One 4-place voltmeter is plugged into one dash 12V receptacle. This stock receptacle is always ON (even with the engine OFF). I use it to, when the engine isn't running with the RV in storage, tell me what voltage a BatteryMINDer is currently pulse-maintaining the FoMoCo starting battery at - because I have a BatteryMINDer's output plugged into another always ON dash 12V receptacle. When the engine is running and/or we're underway, this same voltmeter tells me how much voltage the alternator is putting out to the cab systems and, supposedly, also to the coach battery bank.

Another 4-place voltmeter is mounted (Velcro'd) on the dash, but is plugged into a 12V receptacle back in the coach. This voltmeter, when the RV is in storage, roughly tells me what voltage the converter has on the coach battery bank (the rig is plugged into the house 24/7 between trips). When the RV is underway this voltmeter tells me what voltage the alternator is placing on the coach battery bank. If the starting-to-coach battery bank interconnect solenoid is operating properly (closes with the ingnition switch ON) - i.e. with no contact corrosion - then both voltmeters on the dash will read just about identical. They started reading unequal during our long trip this past fall probably due to interconnect solenoid contact erosion, so when we got home I had to install our THIRD interconnect solenoid in 9 years. The last two solenoids have been $$ heavy duty BEAR continuous duty solenoids with silver alloy contacts. This tells me how much stress there is on these contacts in hour after hour of driving with a 130 amp alternator bringing up a depleted 200+ amp hour AGM 12V deep cycle battery bank over and over. This voltmeter, since it's monitoring 12V system voltage back in the coach when underway, also tells me if I've failed to turn back ON the coach battery bank after gasing up (I disconnect the coach batteries when fueling because the For fill spout is close to the refrigerator gas flame.)

The third meter Velcro'd to the dash is a 3-place ammeter with it's shunt in the main negative lead of the coach's AGM battery bank. I ran the wires for this underneath the RV along the Ford frame so as to go between the shunt and the ammeter on the dash. This meter of course shows positive (being charged) or negative (being drained) amps that are flowing into or out of the coach battery bank. It indicates coach battery bank current flow activity when underway or when camped on hookups or with one of the generators running.

To summarize .... these three meters on the dash tell me:

1) How much voltage the engine systems are getting from the alternator.

2) (approximately) What voltage is on the coach battery bank terminals at all times.

3) Whether or not the alternator/coach battery interconnect solenoid is operating and if it's contacts are in good shape.

4) Whether or not I remembered to turn back ON the coach battery connect solenoid after gassing up so that the refrigerator doesn't unthaw when we're going down the road.

5) How much current the alternator is supplying - in real time - to the coach battery bank when underway.

6) If the coach battery bank is fully charged - regardless of whether the alternator does it or the converter does it.

7) How close to full charge the coach battery bank is getting - regardless of whether the alternator is doing it or the converter is doing it.

8) How much current every 12V item in the RV draws - by watching the 3-place ammeter on the dash change as I turn ON/OFF each item.

9) The general condition of the engine alternator system.

10) How the alternator's output voltage is regulated versus air temperature. At start-up, if it's cold outside, it will output up to 14.5 volts. When traveling in scorching tempertures, I have seen it's output voltage decline to as low as 12.9-13.1 volts.

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These three meters in combination can be very powerful tools for keeping an eye on things.

leeper wrote:
"Now you need a police/fire/ambulance monitor for calls. How does one drive all those distractions? I hope you are kidding! "

You for got the biggest distraction the DW (driving instructor/navigator)

pnichols wrote:
My dash does not yet have a scanguage - but I plan on adding one soon set to transmission temperature so that I don't ever again blow the transmission like I did this past summer to the original ... with only 51K miles on it!

My cab currently has this extra stuff:

- One into two 12V receptacle expander.

- Four-place digital voltmeter to monitor engine alternator output.

- Four-place digital voltmeter to monitor voltage on the coach's 12V system ... and hence indirectly monitor the voltage on the coach batteries' terminals.

- Three-place digital ammeter to monitor current flow into and out-of the coach batteries.

- Two Cobra walkie talkies ... each with a built-in electronic compass and weather radio.

- Garmin navigator ... that also shows direction of travel, time of day, altitude, and miles to destination.

- Cab air temperature gauge.

- Driveway gate opener.

Now you need a police/fire/ambulance monitor for calls. How does one drive all those distractions? I hope you are kidding!

My dash does not yet have a scanguage - but I plan on adding one soon set to transmission temperature so that I don't ever again blow the transmission like I did this past summer to the original ... with only 51K miles on it!

My cab currently has this extra stuff:

- One into two 12V receptacle expander.

- Four-place digital voltmeter to monitor engine alternator output.

- Four-place digital voltmeter to monitor voltage on the coach's 12V system ... and hence indirectly monitor the voltage on the coach batteries' terminals.

- Three-place digital ammeter to monitor current flow into and out-of the coach batteries.

- Two Cobra walkie talkies ... each with a built-in electronic compass and weather radio.

- Garmin navigator ... that also shows direction of travel, time of day, altitude, and miles to destination.

- Cab air temperature gauge.

- Driveway gate opener.

I have no picture but there is nothing on my dash unless the wife put the map there.

leeper wrote:

pauldub wrote:
I use a shelf just above the windshield, like this one.

Ever have anything fall out while driving?

Hasn't been a big problem for me. Every once in awhile something will bounce out if the road is rough enough.

pauldub wrote:
I use a shelf just above the windshield, like this one.

Ever have anything fall out while driving?

I solved it by consolidating multiple functions into a 7" Android tablet (used Galaxy tab 4 $85 + $15 64GB SD card):
GPS (Multiple offline map apps loaded, each with various strengths: HERE, Maps.ME, Sygic, Google Maps with some pre-saved areas)
WiFi backup camera
OBD code scanner ($10 ELM327 bluetooth + Torque app)
RV Parky app. (RV CGs, dump stations, etc.)
Gas Buddy (nearby gas w/ prices)
Music library - connected to radio aux. input
Books, Games, Movies for kids when not driving
Internet plan enabled monthly before long trips, with tether enabled for laptop, phones, TV Roku, etc. Or tether to phone plan, depending on data needs.

No TPMS, but there are some smartphone/bluetooth based solutions available. I went with this cigarette lighter version instead, available for only $70 on eBay.

I'll add a picture of the mount I made for it when I get a chance.

I use a shelf just above the windshield, like this one.