Monthly Archives: April 2018
Couldn’t Get Blog to Post Tonight
Posting from My Phone
Will Try Again Tomorrow.
Great Minds . . .
And All That!
A couple of weeks ago when we got back from our RV test drive we found that our pedestal was dead.
And as I was sticking my VOM probes into the 50 amp receptacle, wiggling them around to be sure I making a good connection, it galvanized me to build up the tester that I had mentally designed a few years back.
So to refresh my memory, I sketched it out on a pad and started sourcing out some parts. Then it occurred to me that rather than reinvent the wheel, I might ought to check to see if somebody already sold one, saving me the time and effort.
I didn’t find anything commercially-made but I did come across this home-brew effort.
http://www.myrv.us/electric/Pg/tester_50amp.htm
Pretty much my same design, but I did like the box and the connector he used so I borrowed that idea, and then went all digital with it. Great minds, etc.
And here’s what I ended up with,
based on this design that I drew up.
It only took about 30 minutes to wire it up and get it put together. So the first thing I did was to take it outside to the pedestal, disconnect the coach, and hook it up.
And it worked perfectly. But in the bright sun the lights didn’t photograph very well. So I connected it up again after dark.
Much more visible on camera.
The two circuit testers check L1 and L2 for open grounds, open neutrals, reversed grounds and neutrals, etc. All of which I have encountered at campgrounds over the years.
I would have used two voltmeters but couldn’t find one narrow enough to fit two side by side. So I just swap the one back and forth as needed.
The green LED on the top left checks to see if you have real split phase 220VAC coming from the pedestal and not just two 110VAC lines coming into it. Again something I’ve seen several times over the years.
Tomorrow I’ll give you a parts list on what you need to buy if you want to duplicate mind.
I’ve also got my next two projects in the design phase and I’ll talk about them later.
Jan and I headed up to Webster about 5:30 to meet Chris, Linda, Miss Piper, and boyfriend Connor at the East Star Chinese Buffet.
Along the way we made a Valero stop for gas at $2.45/gal, a big jump in the last few weeks.
This was our first time to eat here on a Sunday, and they were really busy. And by the time we left about 7:30 they were ‘line out the door’ busy. First time I’ve ever seen this at a buffet. And this is a BIG place.
One thing I like about this place is their cold boiled shrimp, so that’s pretty much what I had, along with veggies and some other meats.
All good as usual.
Coming home we made an HEB stop to tide us over until the real shopping day tomorrow.
Also tomorrow, it’s back to work.
Thought for the Day:
Common sense is like deodorant. The people who need it most never use it.
fgdfgh
