You are truly a craftsman. Admirable work.
Another DIY Drawer Thread - One Side only
- Thread starter sonk76
- Start date
This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.
- Thread starter
- #82
Wiring Diagram
I've made modest progress on the physical build this weekend as I'm waiting for some components to arrive by mail (I want to make sure I have everything in person for final measurements before I start cutting up the front-face on the wing...)
In the meanwhile, I started drawing up the electrical wiring.
There is a feature here that are increasing the complexity a bit over my initial basic approach:
I wanted to be able to SIMULTANEOUSLY a) run all the electronics without the engine running, and b) make sure that I don't accidentally drain the battery while doing so.
To this end, I'm planning on the following:
1) Low Voltage Disconnect that will disconnect the electronics automatically if the voltage falls below a pre-set level
2) An electronic volt meter (displayed on front of the wing), that automatically turns on and displays the current voltage when ever one of the electronic devices is turned on a begins drawing power. This way I can have a sense how much more "electrical fuel" I have in the battery before it will shut off.
I also tried my best to drive as much of the logic through the ground wires to minimize number of hot-wires in the design. I was a little limited here by my inability to think of a design that would allow me to run the switch logic with negative trigger due to the LED lights that are tied into the switch design (I could have achieved the functional design but it would have resulted in the "active" red LED's not working when I turn on each switch.)
Any advice or thoughts on the plan are appreciated (btw, I do realize that the 100amp engine bay fuse is greater than the 80amp max nominal capacity of the inverter relay... I may add a separate dedicated 75amp fuse for that...)
I've made modest progress on the physical build this weekend as I'm waiting for some components to arrive by mail (I want to make sure I have everything in person for final measurements before I start cutting up the front-face on the wing...)
In the meanwhile, I started drawing up the electrical wiring.
There is a feature here that are increasing the complexity a bit over my initial basic approach:
I wanted to be able to SIMULTANEOUSLY a) run all the electronics without the engine running, and b) make sure that I don't accidentally drain the battery while doing so.
To this end, I'm planning on the following:
1) Low Voltage Disconnect that will disconnect the electronics automatically if the voltage falls below a pre-set level
2) An electronic volt meter (displayed on front of the wing), that automatically turns on and displays the current voltage when ever one of the electronic devices is turned on a begins drawing power. This way I can have a sense how much more "electrical fuel" I have in the battery before it will shut off.
I also tried my best to drive as much of the logic through the ground wires to minimize number of hot-wires in the design. I was a little limited here by my inability to think of a design that would allow me to run the switch logic with negative trigger due to the LED lights that are tied into the switch design (I could have achieved the functional design but it would have resulted in the "active" red LED's not working when I turn on each switch.)
Any advice or thoughts on the plan are appreciated (btw, I do realize that the 100amp engine bay fuse is greater than the 80amp max nominal capacity of the inverter relay... I may add a separate dedicated 75amp fuse for that...)
TrekboxX
Supporting Vendor
Maybe I missed it- are you doing a dual battery setup? If not, I wouldn't plan on too much run time with all that on a cranking battery. I use a die hard platinum marine aux battery, and the fridge only will run it down in 3 hot days of no driving or short trips. I also noticed the stock alt doesn't top off the battery well. Plan on a charger to give it the proper algorithm. Also, I'd definitely add a dedicated fuse for the inverter. Those things will burn your rig down! Other than that, I can't advise much on your diagram other than it looks pretty! I'm not the one to advise on schematics...
- Thread starter
- #84
Dual battery planned down the line, but initially will run with my single group 31 battery.
In terms of expected run time, my hope is to be able to run these for 5 to 30 min without the engine running. For anything longer I'd expect to start the engine. Basically enough time to fill up an air mattress at camp without firing up the truck or topping of a tire or two.
TrekboxX
Supporting Vendor
Ahh, gotcha. Should be no problem for such short run times. Looking good!
- Thread starter
- #86
Quick update
Progress is being made. Got my monstaliner on, and started on the electronics.
Here are a couple of preview pictures of the wing cover.
The buttons light up either with the dimmer switch or the switched 12volt outlet in the trunk--I haven't decided yet. I was thinking I could get away with the white outlet, but now I'm thinking I will have to switch it to black...
And here is a photo of the volt meter turning on in response to one of the accessories being actuated:
I look forward to wrapping up the rest of the electrical soon, and getting this in the truck and working... I Can't believe how long it is taking me to complete this!
Progress is being made. Got my monstaliner on, and started on the electronics.
Here are a couple of preview pictures of the wing cover.
The buttons light up either with the dimmer switch or the switched 12volt outlet in the trunk--I haven't decided yet. I was thinking I could get away with the white outlet, but now I'm thinking I will have to switch it to black...
And here is a photo of the volt meter turning on in response to one of the accessories being actuated:
I look forward to wrapping up the rest of the electrical soon, and getting this in the truck and working... I Can't believe how long it is taking me to complete this!
TrekboxX
Supporting Vendor
Looks absolutely awesome!
Looking forward to the finished product. Please take lot of pictures for us to see.
TrekboxX
Supporting Vendor
I was surprised as well when I did mine. I think anyone can throw together a set of drawers in a weekend. But to make it look professional and efficient- it takes time. Keep at it!
- Thread starter
- #90
Update Pics -- Getting ready for truck
Short of a few wiring clean-up jobs (want to clean-up/protect electricals, and touch up a few spots) this is starting to be ready to go into the truck. I still need to do the wiring in the truck. The idea is that the drawer is a fully self-contained unit that can be placed into the truck and just plugged in. I now just need to create the plugs on the truck side so that I can plug the drawer in.
Here are a couple of pictures as she stands today:
Front view:
Drawer open:
Hiding table top--regular front access:
Rear view, with mounted inverter and lockable "Emergency access" as discussed in the thread:
Emergency access open--you can see the table top blocking the content:
Here you can see how the emergency access allows for the table top to slide out of the way so that content can be accessed:
Inside view of the crazy wiring. The red tube in the front connects to the compressor that is not in the picture. The big red plug is the "main plug" to connect the whole drawer electrical to the truck--there will be a matching plug sitting in the truck. The uncovered wires are either temporary, or will be covered:
Here is the cool low voltage disconnect I found:
Front panel with nothing turned on:
And one more with the voltage display on as a result of turning on an accessory:
I can start to see the light at the end of the tunnel!
Short of a few wiring clean-up jobs (want to clean-up/protect electricals, and touch up a few spots) this is starting to be ready to go into the truck. I still need to do the wiring in the truck. The idea is that the drawer is a fully self-contained unit that can be placed into the truck and just plugged in. I now just need to create the plugs on the truck side so that I can plug the drawer in.
Here are a couple of pictures as she stands today:
Front view:
Drawer open:
Hiding table top--regular front access:
Rear view, with mounted inverter and lockable "Emergency access" as discussed in the thread:
Emergency access open--you can see the table top blocking the content:
Here you can see how the emergency access allows for the table top to slide out of the way so that content can be accessed:
Inside view of the crazy wiring. The red tube in the front connects to the compressor that is not in the picture. The big red plug is the "main plug" to connect the whole drawer electrical to the truck--there will be a matching plug sitting in the truck. The uncovered wires are either temporary, or will be covered:
Here is the cool low voltage disconnect I found:
Front panel with nothing turned on:
And one more with the voltage display on as a result of turning on an accessory:
I can start to see the light at the end of the tunnel!
BamaHeel
Intergalactic Champion
Soooooooooo nice. I wish I had one. Well planned and well executed.
bluecruiser
SILVER Star
That's really well thought out. Do you think the table top will rattle? Looks kind of loose or free floating. Maybe it's just the pics.
- Thread starter
- #93
I ran around it with for several days of wheeling before it was painted and had zero rattles. It is actually very snug in there. That said, I'm still considering replacing it with a synthetic material that would more readily double as a cutting board.
TrekboxX
Supporting Vendor
Now it looks really familiar! Great job. Your craftsmanship is very apparent!
I have to say that this is one of my favorite drawer builds. I wish I had your skill!
- Thread starter
- #98
The Eagle has Landed!
The drawer unit is finally in the truck and hooked up. So far I'm very pleased with how things turned out. Couple of more loose ends to tidy up, but she's ready for use in general.
Here are some pictures of the final result:
Drawer without 3rd row seat:
Drawer with 3rd row seat up:
Drawer with 3rd seat half down:
Drawer with 3rd row seat fully deployed:
Space between deployed 3rd row seat and drawer
View from in-cab for "emergency access":
Table top removal from "emergency access":
Table top deployed:
Temporary IKEA lighting:
Simple straps for opening Wing panel:
Lessons learned:
1) It takes much longer than you think
2) It takes longer than you think, even if you take into consideration #1
3) Chassis saver paint does not come off easily from your skin (your skin will come off with it)
4) Monsta Liner can be laid on very thick
5) Make sure to leave enough room in all measurements for the thickness of paint and surface liner material
6) It's much easier and faster to drill round holes than square ones
7) Materials alone can be very expensive (could have probably paid for an ARB setup with just the material cost alone)
8) Soldering thick low gauge wire is a pain (i.e., not possible with low strength torch)
9) Crimping thick low gauge wire is a pain (but can be made to work with a vise grip and some creativity)
10) Your wife may not like it when you disappear for a 100 hours to work on a "little project"
Many thanks to all again for your help and input.
The drawer unit is finally in the truck and hooked up. So far I'm very pleased with how things turned out. Couple of more loose ends to tidy up, but she's ready for use in general.
Here are some pictures of the final result:
Drawer without 3rd row seat:
Drawer with 3rd row seat up:
Drawer with 3rd seat half down:
Drawer with 3rd row seat fully deployed:
Space between deployed 3rd row seat and drawer
View from in-cab for "emergency access":
Table top removal from "emergency access":
Table top deployed:
Temporary IKEA lighting:
Simple straps for opening Wing panel:
Lessons learned:
1) It takes much longer than you think
2) It takes longer than you think, even if you take into consideration #1
3) Chassis saver paint does not come off easily from your skin (your skin will come off with it)
4) Monsta Liner can be laid on very thick
5) Make sure to leave enough room in all measurements for the thickness of paint and surface liner material
6) It's much easier and faster to drill round holes than square ones
7) Materials alone can be very expensive (could have probably paid for an ARB setup with just the material cost alone)
8) Soldering thick low gauge wire is a pain (i.e., not possible with low strength torch)
9) Crimping thick low gauge wire is a pain (but can be made to work with a vise grip and some creativity)
10) Your wife may not like it when you disappear for a 100 hours to work on a "little project"
Many thanks to all again for your help and input.
fireball
SILVER Star
That is a well planned and well executed build. You should be proud of it!
Kudos to you sir, hope it works out great for you.
Kudos to you sir, hope it works out great for you.
Wow... This system turned out incredibly well! Really impressed with everything you've done and the finished product looks better than I would've ever expected great work
great work
