Last round of Element MicroCamper pics

According to the title, this is the last round of pics... Yeah... until I get the new modifications done!

More Element MicroCamper Pics

Evidently Blogger.com is getting mad at me for uploading a ton at once. To simplify things, I'm just dumping 10 pics per post...

Enjoy.

Honda Element MicroCamper

Yes, I know I'm lazy for taking so long to get this over here, but... it's been on the EOC site long enough and I need to copy it here for safekeeping as well as to please my millions of blog followers.

The unveiling of the Element Microcamper v2.0! (Although 2.2 is almost done!)


CHARGE UP

Getting ready for a weekend expedition in Ellie with the new MicroCamper v2.0 setup first involves topping off the 135aH deep cycle battery pack through the built-in AC umbilical... Flip the "charge enable" switch on the power panel and let her drink some electric juice for an hour or so...

BASE CAMP

The Element at base camp- she made it through the offroad portion without too much dirt or damage. Perforated sheet metal grille guard worked great against small branches and stones. Throw the magnetic mount solar panel up on the roof and unload the stuff from behind the rear bench seat. Behind the seat we find an air compressor, an automotive tool kit, two mess kits, and two camping/tailgating chairs... If I'm inviting more than one person, it also contains the huge blue duffel with the "H" on it that carries the new tailgate tent.



SWEET, SWEET PHOTONS

If you're not at a campsite with power, you'll have to harness the power of the sun. An 18W solar panel is mounted on a large magnet with a rubber film underneath to protect the roof's paint. Power wires are routed through the side door or sunroof to the solar charge controller.

RECONFIGURATION

After unloading the camp chairs and putting the solar panel up, all of which take less than a minute, it's time to take a look inside at where I'll be spending my weekend. Multiple views of the interior are shown below. The rear seat is a 3-fold black microsuede bench that can fold into a reclined position or all the way down to a twin-sized bed. The countertop and storage area beside it has completely replaced the passenger rear trim panel. Directly beside the seat you can see what I refer to as the "soup drawer". Inside this storage pocket you'll find Starbucks 'via' instant coffee, chicken noodle cup-a-soup, some chili, two cans of sterno, and my trusty light-my-fire sporks and grilliput grill. If you camp and don't have the grill or sporks I mentioned, they're probably the best valued investment I've made for lightweight camping. In the shot looking forward, you can see the Rubbermaid thermoelectric fridge/organizer strapped to the passenger seat. That's been a very useful item as well. Also tucked in the back of the "soup drawer" pocket is a USB drink heater, which I find useful in getting water hot for soup or coffee using the power panel's USB output and an aluminum mess kit mug. Plugged in to one of the two accessory outlets on the panel is a heater that I've used to keep the interior warm during our unseasonably chilly florida winter this year.

CENTER CONSOLE / COOLER

I just happened to find that a certain model Coleman cooler sits perfectly between the front two seats. After upholstering a cushion for the top and riveting on a few hanging beverage holders, it made the perfect center console. It could be used as a cooler, obviously, but I like having the storage and generally keep my weekend's MRE's and two spare blankets in there. The cushion is velcroed on and removes to yield a useful flat workspace, or the lid can flip over to become a drink-holding tray.

INTERIOR SYSTEMS

The many systems crammed into the interior of this Element are what make my weekends out in the middle of nowhere so comfortable... There's a six-pack cooler built into the counter that has a strainer and drain to become a functional sink, and a large, snaking PVC tank underneath to hold 6 gallons of fresh water. A pump supplies pressure to the sprayer/faucet with enough oomph that I can pull the three foot hose all the way out and take a (quick) shower (in more temperate conditions) behind the tailgate with the sprayer held above my head. Interior lighting in the rear is comprised of an overhead light built around the sunroof trim made of 1 meter of very bright warm white LED's. The camera can't adequately capture how bright this is, but think 100W incandescent light bulb. A smaller worklight LED cluster is positioned above the sink on a flexible neck as to be easily pointed where it may be needed for detail work. A built-in inverter supplies AC power to my netbook so I can use my 3G card to stay connected to my favorite websites, and my iPhone happily charges through the USB connector. As mentioned before, the accessory outlets in the back supply up to 15A each, making a heater or other 12V appliances usable in the back.

A side pocket was added where I attempted to blend the panels from the new setup in with the existing door trim. This really worked out well and met the goal of having enough room for my toiletry bag in there... but, I also managed to get enough room in that pocket to add 2 emergency space blankets, a 12V dremel tool and bits, a can of Tuff Stuff cleaner, a tire repair kit (patches and punctures), and an additional multi-headed screwdriver. This is also usually where I slip my firearm if I'm traveling anywhere that people may be very unfriendly to an overnight camper.

ADDITIONAL AMENITIES, FUTURE PLANS

A few extras that the Element has:

Toilet paper, paper towel storage under the Honda first aid kit in the driver's side rear. Also underneath that are a bag of bungee cords, LED flashlights, glow sticks, and a collapsible shovel / pick / axe.

A midnight potty under the center console that drains outside. (Number one, boys only at the moment)

Coroplast privacy panels (rear windows) and reflective sunshades. (windshield and front windows)

Driver's side rear seat bracket panel converted into small storage area. Holds 3 regular sized bottles of Gatorade.


As for the future...
I've mentioned that I got some bad GPS directions and ended up in some offroad situations unfit for the Element. A lift kit and bull bar are absolutely necessary next. The fuel tank cage will be removed and replaced with a skid plate. A piece of rock salt dropped by a truck during Ellie's holiday snow adventure got kicked up in traffic and cracked my left fog light lens. I'll be looking for some stone guards for those, as well. I am seriously considering making a small fiberglass top that will pop up ECamper style to give standing room and extra gear space in the back while at camp.

There is currently a laptop mount in place of my stereo, and I am nearly finished with the carputer that will take its place. Touchscreen, AM/FM radio, GPS, wifi, blueooth, 3G, HD ATSC tuner, DVD/CD, etc etc...

When the Element is fully paid off and the title is in my posession, I plan to make the entire roof removable, up to the B pillar. An arduino-controlled set of solenoids and actuators will lock and unlock heavy bolts in the areas that primary structure was cut through, and lift the roof to a height that will make the entire rear of the element to have a 7 foot ceiling. Yes, I'm dead serious.

Microcamper power systems panel

I forgot that I had posted this pic on the EOC site when I finished and tested the power systems panel... Here it is, posted to the blog for posterity's sake.

Microcamper v2.0 frame completed

Hello all,

Just wanted to post some shots, as I've healed up and got around to finishing the microcamper project's hardware frame. I removed the rear passenger interior trim panel and intend to completely replace it with a sink, faucet, countertop, fold-out table, 6 gallon h2o tank, and a deep cycle RV battery. These and other systems will be controlled via a set of control panels that I am in the process of finishing up. As for now, here are a few pics of the aluminum framework that I riveted together.


This first one is from the rear with the table frame folded in, so that you can see how much space this project is (not) taking up in the back of the Element. Nevermind the mess of parts and tools... they're a necessity!

Followed by a close-up of the framework. The blue cooler serves dual purposes as a cooler (duh) and it is drained to the outside for use as a sink.

This is a shot from a little further away to get an overall look. Table frame is extended.

A view from the front. Table frame collapsed.

If anyone has any interest or questions, you can email me directly, or find me on the Element Owner's Club (http://www.elementownersclub.com)... My user name is hooptey and I'm trying to chronicle the project there as well.

Microcamper v2.0 preview

Hi, all...

I've suffered a minor setback and won't be able to complete the new microcamper design as fast as I'd like. I had a little accident and fractured my ankle, and since I live in a third story apartment, I haven't been able to get down the damn stairs to work on Ellie.

However, before I busted myself, I went to the surplus store and bought the remainder of the supplies I'll need for the project. I also got my rapid-prototyped parts out of the FDM machine at the lab. Here's a preview pic of one of the control panels:
It's in its raw green plastic form, but since then I have refinished it black with white lettering. (The same goes for the other interior controls.)

Anyway, as soon as I can get down to some plastic forming and riveting, I'll get some pics of the project build as it goes on. Thanks for everyone from EOC and otherwise who's continued interest in my camper setup gets me motivated enough to get off the couch every once in a while... even when I'm not hurt!


-Justin

Element cellular control DIY information

The poor man's OnStar... For the Element!

[E-Star]


You will need:

1) A cellphone [contracted or prepaid, your choice]

2) A wired, earbud-style handsfree headset for the cellphone

3) A 12VDC car charger for the cellphone

4) A printed circuit board [Radioshack Catalog #: 276-150]

5) A 741-style operational amplifier chip [Radioshack Catalog #: 276-007]

6) 12VDC Miniature Relay [Radioshack Catalog #: 275-233]

7) One (1) 100k ohm 1/4 watt resistor

8) One (1) 1k ohm 1/4 watt resistor

9) Several feet of thin gauge hookup wire

10) Soldering iron and Rosin core solder

11) A Multi-meter

12) A small plastic project box




STEP 1: BUILD THE AMPLIFIER CIRCUIT

This is by far the most difficult step. If you are not able to complete

this step, this project may not be for you. All it really requires is a

little bit of patience, and some basic soldering ability.

Complete the circuit as shown on the diagram. This circuit will be built

on the printed circuit board. Start your build on one end or the other so

that there will be room for adding the relay to the board.






STEP 2: ADD THE RELAY CIRCUIT

Next, we add the relay to some of the spare room on the PC board. New

connections on the diagram are shown in gray.






STEP 3: INTERFACING WITH THE CELLPHONE

Cut and strip the wires of the headset as close as possible to one of the

earbuds. If you have a mono headset, this should be easy as there is only

one choice! Use your multimeter to find which of the two wires leading to

the earbud is (+), and which is (-). You can do this by plugging the

handset in to the cellphone and checking for voltage readings as you press

keys, etc, which causes a sound signal (voltage) to be sent to the earbud

lines. If you exposed a single wire (+) surrounded by an insulating line

(-) when you cut the headset, you don't need to plug it in and test to

know the difference. Unplug the headset again and splice the (+) headset

wire you just exposed to the (+input) wire on the printed circuit. Splice

the (-) wire to the (-input) wire.



STEP 4: SPLICING THE CIRCUIT INTO YOUR ELEMENT

Carefully connect the (+power) wire on the printed circuit to a source of

constant 12V power. Connect the (-ground) wire to ground. Splice the

(-actuator) wire to the door unlock wire. This wire is located above the

left kickpanel on the driver's side, under the dash. This wire is white

with a green stripe.




STEP 5: TEST AND MOUNT

At this point, you can plug the cellphone into the headset and call the

phone. This should cause the ringtone, otherwise heard through the

earbud, to cause the amplifier to send a much higher voltage through the

relay, thereby causing the unlock wire to connect with ground and thus

unlock the door. If you have issues here, check all of your connections.

It also doesn't hurt to have your cell headset volume at maximum and a

loud but simple ringtone selected. (I use a single DING text message

tone)... If all is well, mount the bare circuit neatly into the plastic

project box and use double-sided tape to secure it under the dash or on

the firewall. Plug your phone charger in to an auxiliary outlet (that's

only on when the key is on) or go ahead and carefully disassemble (smash)

the 12VDC plug on your phone charger and wire the charger in directly.

Secure the phone under the dash or against the firewall. (I use velcro to

attach it under the dash. If you keep the phone in an area away from the

firewall or body, it will have less signal blocked by steel and get better

reception.)



IF YOU MADE IT THIS FAR... ENJOY YOUR E-STAR!