Thinking of doing graphic wiring diagrams...need input

[Tear Les]

Hi All,

I thought I might try and put something together for folks that think more in terms of seeing things than thinking about them abstractly or looking at a bunch of lines running around on a drawing.

I'd like to know if you think it's worth pursuing my idea and to get some feedback on what you do or don't like about it.

Here's an example of a basic DC wiring layout:



I'd also do the same for the AC side and then for the whole system and add some text for guidelines, hints and tips.

OR

Thanks...

[Juneaudave]

I give it the !!!!

In my own case...I can (with much aggravation) wade through a simple wiring diagram...but that is much easier for me to see the whole of the parts!!!!

[rbeemer]

Les,

Great diagram. Joanne did one for her desert dawg that is also very good you may want to look at that one .

To find it look through sdtripper's index for the link

[del]

Les that looks very professional, I like. Could be helpful.

del

[madjack]

Les, have you looked at this thread... http://tnttt.com/viewto ... sc&start=0
madjack

[Tear Les]

Les, have you looked at this thread... http://tnttt.com/viewto ... sc&start=0
madjack

I hadn't seen that (you know...there are a couple of posts to wade through around here! ) but they're very nice and I'm jealous of the CAD work!

I think what's different (but not better) about what I was trying to do is use photos of the actual components so folks unfamiliar with them would know at least what they look like in real life. Things like lights, and stereo and fans and such aren't an issue but it could be useful to see a breaker, or bus bar, or maxi fuse, etc? Thoughts?

I think different folks see things from different perspectives so for one person traditional schematics work great, for another Joanne's drawings would work better, and for another maybe the photo presentation would work.

I added the On-board Charger and Tow Vehicle charging to this one:



I personally like the ACR (automatic charge relay) better than a simple solenoid because it doesn't let the alternator start charging the TD battery until the Tow Vehicle starting battery is charged back up (less load on the alternator) and it will not let the TD draw the TV start battery down as it automatically kicks out when the voltage drops. It's an easy installation as it just goes between the positive terminal on the TV battery and the postitive terminal on the TD battery.

If y'all think this will be redundant I'll not add anymore; the AC side would next and then one to bring both systems together.

Lemme know...

[packerz4]

hi les,

i love your picture! i saved it so i can refer to it anytime. i'm one of them that understands the picture better than the schematics, (though those help too).

i'm guessing that a lot of the pieces you have singled out like: master switch, mini fuse, circuit breaker etc, are parts and pieces that are in that part of your drawing are the things that are in my converter thingy?



again thanks for the visual! i learn much better that way. i don't have a battery hooked up yet. i'd only want to charge it from shore power, and probably not from the tow vehicle. (afraid i'd mess up the tow vehicle wiring). i'll keep you address and when i'm ready to do that some day i'll PM you and ask for some guidance.

tk

[Tear Les]

i'm guessing that a lot of the pieces you have singled out like: master switch, mini fuse, circuit breaker etc, are parts and pieces that are in that part of your drawing are the things that are in my converter thingy?

Well, yes and no (how's that for a specific answer). I'm out of time this morning but I'll follow up this evening (I'm on the west coast) because it leads to an interesting discussion. Is the glass half full, or half empty?

[sdtripper2]

Visualization is the way many people think about a project:

Pictures are an easy way for some to see the wiring diagrams.

In this place of many helping ideas your efforts seem very appropriate,
as many new persons to the electrical arts will appreciate your Graphic
Picture Expressions. Your schematics show off well and help the novice
see plainly how a specific trailer electrical system is wrangled together,
showing specific components and products in your visually tailored circuits.


Thanks for yet one more creative way of schematic design.

[del]

Les one thing that needs to addressed with wiring is wire gage. Get the gage wrong and you spent way too much (wire to big) or worse (too small). Make sure the fuse is the week link and not the wire.

my 2cents

del

[kiacker]

Les,

Go for it dude! I say the more schematics & drawings there are here, the more builders can understand. For me, it does help to understand a concept with a simple drawing and then as I get more into it, I like to see a more detailed drawing to get all the details right. The electrical portion of the build was very intimidating to me & your schematic is helpful in that it shows me what the components look like. I ended up taking all the great electrical schematics here on the forum & developing my own electrical set-up. So far I'm real happy with that!

Thanks again for your walk thru on the trailer lights too! That really helped me out to get my tear on the road!

[sdtripper2]

Les one thing that needs to addressed with wiring is wire
gage. Get the gage wrong and you spent way too much (wire to big) or
worse (too small). Make sure the fuse is the week link and not the wire.

my 2cents

del

Good point dell....

If Les ... put in the right type & gauge wire and fuse ratings in his schematics the
informative value would gain by leaps and bounds.

As an example:
I know on my pre-made electrical installation I have 15 amp breakers and
my wire is 14 gauge, so my A/C unit will trip the circuit. So having larger
gauge wire and a 20 amp circuit would have been better for my A/C needs.

[madjack]

Les, if you wanna go forit...I say sockit tous(latin for OK) ...the more info we have, the better..............

[Dale M.]

The whole problem is these wonderful diagrams and sketched get lost over/in time...

A really good IMAGE/REFERENCE LIBRARY section would be great, sort of a "how to" picture book section... It could be accomplished by simply moving image to a specialized section and a few words describing what graphic is about.... It does not need to be open forum and receive comments, just a picture "book section". For viewing only...

Possibly a special "album" for instructional graphics only...

Dale

[angib]

Excellent plan, Les.

One thing I would ask for is to make the graphics as realistic as possible, so that those who really don't know anything about electrics can use them - some people may feel that you ought to know at least the basics to do any wiring, but personally I feel at 12 volts that isn't too vital - if smoke comes out, you did it wrong but you're not going to be injured.

As an example, I'm delighted to see that you've shown the negative side of the circuit - a while ago someone couldn't get their lights to work and it turned out they had only installed the positive side as (a) that's all their car had and (b) people only drew one line in the diagrams......

So, how about showing the actual wires running as red-black pairs and connecting individually to the negative bus block, as they would in real life.

Sorry to be picky, but if everyone thinks up one hole into which these diagrams could fall, they'll become perfect.

Andrew