"The X-Cubed" C.T.T.

[zkengle]

I might have missed it somewhere, but do you have a link to the strip lights you used?

The aluminum housings and frosted lenses came from here..... http://www.superbrightleds.com/moreinfo ... using/889/

And the RGB strips came from ebay (aka China). I get the 5050 RGB LED waterproof strips with 300LEDs/meter. Similar to this.... http://www.ebay.com/itm/5M-5050-RGB-Wat ... 3a85e4d297

You'll have to cut the RGB strips to length and then solder wires on them. The strips can be cut wherever you see the 4 contacts on the strips. Kind of tedious, but it can be done. I still have a couple strips to cut and solder, so I'll take some pictures.

 

[zkengle]

Great news tonight! Now that the roof is skinned, I could set the fan on top and actually try to get it out of the garage.... and it fit!!

Ok, so its a bit tight, but that weatherstrip is pretty flexible and won't cause any problems. And theres still quite a bit of weight to be added to the trailer.

After I puttied all the nail holes on the roof, I cut the narrow roof panels and got all but one installed before I called it a night.

Still have the front and side skins to cut, but its getting closer and closer to being ready for paint!

 

[Gunguy05]

Great news tonight! Now that the roof is skinned, I could set the fan on top and actually try to get it out of the garage.... and it fit!!

Like a glove!

You planned it that way right??

Looks great. I can wait to see thins thing rolling down the road. The design is sweet!

 

[zkengle]

Like a glove!

You planned it that way right??

Looks great. I can wait to see thins thing rolling down the road. The design is sweet!

Um... yeah.. we'll go with that.

Thanks! Picking up a new tow vehicle this week too, which will go quite nicely with this new camper

 

[Ron Dickey]

if it gets to tight just let some air out of the tires.

That trailer is very very cool looking forward to seeing it on the road.

Ron

 

[bdosborn-SMB]

Better throw some paint on the garage trim while you've got the brush out. The trailer looks very cool.

Bruce

 

[zkengle]

if it gets to tight just let some air out of the tires.

That trailer is very very cool looking forward to seeing it on the road.

Ron

Thanks Ron! Right now its as tall as it will get, so I'm good to go. It will only settle from here on out. I'm thinking that after the first trip the suspension will even be broken in at least a little bit.

Better throw some paint on the garage trim while you've got the brush out. The trailer looks very cool.

Bruce

Thanks Bruce! I told my landlord about it and she isn't to concerned at the moment. I do have some extra paint though, so maybe I'll be a nice tenant and slop a coat or two on. Heck, I've already replaced a bunch of switches and outlets in the house.

 

[Kharn]

I wouldn't touch the garage paint. With how it is peeling/cracking, I would assume it is lead-based.

 

[zkengle]

I wouldn't touch the garage paint. With how it is peeling/cracking, I would assume it is lead-based.

Unless you're eating, snorting, or licking the paint, its not going to do any harm. IF I were to tackle that project, I would certainly take precautions. This wouldn't be the first project I've ever taken on. And besides, any paint is capable of chipping and peeling if the surfaces were not prepped correctly.

 

[Kharn]

But it tastes sooo good.

 

[zkengle]

Wires and solder and switches oh my!!

Stereo and speakers are installed. Still need to run the main power and ground wires to the stereo, but otherwise its ready to rock. Stuck with the same marine head unit I used in the X-II (Sony CDXH910UI w/ ipod controls, waterproof face, wired and IR remotes) but this time I upgraded the speakers to Kicker component marine speakers, inside and out. They do have really nice sound to them, but I think I'd still like a little extra on the low-end. The little panel below the head unit that resembles swiss-cheese will be the location for all the 12VDC & USB power outlets, the 3.5mm and USB stereo aux inputs, and the switches to control the mood lighting in the galley.

You can see a small black switch just below the right speaker... its a DPST switch, which allows me to easily mute the cabin speakers. There is another switch in the galley that can shut them off independently as well. The same could have been achieved using the buttons and settings of the head unit, but this is much easier and faster.

The main wiring chase and tray.... Yes, it looks like a mess, but all the wires are color-coded to specific items. Still a lot more LED wiring to be done here.

And I started getting the PD4045 sorted out. Just testing the breakers and charger here....

 

[jbyrd-TNT]

HOLY WIRES BATMAN!!!!! LOL looks like fun

 

[Kharn]

28 days to go, you're doing good!

 

[be_a_jayhawk]

What kind of battery are you using?

 

[wisdan92]

They are interstate batteries. Group 27 deep cycle rv/marine batteries.

 

[zkengle]

Yeah.. they are group 27 Interstate Marine/RV batteries. And since Dan (wisdan92) never posts on here, I'll introduce him.

We grew up and went to college together. He helped out with the X-II, and we built he and his wife a teardrop last winter. Once again, he's been a big help getting the X-Cubed as far along as it is. A second pair of competent hands definitely makes things go faster.

He stopped over last night to lend a hand. We managed to run the rest of the wires and get the PD4045 wired up and installed. The two batteries are wired to a switch that I've had laying around since the last build, and thats hooked into the PD4045. Put some fuses in the battery leads and got some juice flowing into them from the PD4045.

Then his wife let him come over again this morning.

We got the front two skins installed and caulked the trolley-top side wall joints.

Then we had to take a break so I could go pick up my new tow vehicle!!

 

[be_a_jayhawk]

Might have to add some orange to the X-cubed paint! Nice choice on the subaru.

 

[wagondude]

Good call on removing the bumper for the hitch install rather than drilling holes in the car. I had to wait for my wife to go out of town so I could pull the bumper off her Outback. She would have had a cow If she saw me do it. Nice looking TV. And the 'Cube is coming along nicely as well.

 

[zkengle]

Might have to add some orange to the X-cubed paint! Nice choice on the subaru.

Thats what I've been thinking too. I dont have a design worked out yet, but I'm leaning towards an entirely white trolley-top and roof, with the white coming down onto the main sides, and then mixing it up with a gray/silver and black/brown. I dont want the orange on the camper to be overbearing, so I'm thinking a nice orange pinstripe at the color transitions should work well.

After a Mothers Day breakfast with the parents I came home to get back to work. My mom had genealogy research to do so she didnt mind.

I puttied and sanded the front skins and routed out the front window.

Then it started getting pretty warm in the sun and I wanted to get some primer on the roof and trolley top so I set up my canopy. This was taken towards the end of the afternoon after the shade had shifted from the camper.

I'm amazed at how cool the primered sections were, even when compared to the bare wood. That was my motivation to keep the roof and trolley top primarily white for the final design. They still need the finish coats, but I'd like to get the side skins on first. I think Dan's coming over this week some night to lend a hand with that.

 

[zkengle]

Good call on removing the bumper for the hitch install rather than drilling holes in the car. I had to wait for my wife to go out of town so I could pull the bumper off her Outback. She would have had a cow If she saw me do it. Nice looking TV. And the 'Cube is coming along nicely as well.

Thanks! Yeah, it takes a little more time to pull the bumper but it definitely makes for a cleaner install. My parents stopped over in the midst of it and were a little concerned about me ripping apart my new car.

My Dad hung around long enough to see everything go back together. Now he's talking about having me install a hitch on his Forester. He doesnt have anything to tow right now though, so I'm hoping he's thinking about getting a small camper to come along on some outings.