Digital Themostat (aftermarket install)

[Stan@FourWheel]

Seems like a lot of extra work just to power the thermostat ?

AA batteries are available most anywhere and last a LONG time.


Your installation does look nice though !

Good work !!


(for the average customer I would recommend getting a thermostat that will take 2 AA batteries, and off you go, quick, easy, simple, very effective). No need for making the installation any harder than it needs to be.




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used a kit to build a 12v to 3.3v step down circuit to power the thermostat from the camper battery. Basically, I installed the jumper, ignored the resistors, and replaced the included 7806 6v output chip with the new 3.3v output chip.

 

[ScottBailey]

I had a half day at work...

Seems like a lot of extra work just to power the thermostat ?

Stan, let me straighten you out: this was a fun, easy mod! Further, the engineer in me won't accept storing extra batteries when I have a 12v under the seat.

For the average camper, I think the analog unit is just fine. I like the digital thermostat and 12v mod and think it's worth $30 dollars and 3 hours. That said, I could have done digital ONLY for $20 and 15 minutes.

Now, if I had a steady hand when it comes to soldering, I could have done the whole install in an hour. Also, I took apart the thermostat, I don't think it'll take 12v directly.

This was a fun mod. Now that I know what I'm doing and if I have time, I'll further refine this with a simpler circuit. In the future, I'd totally skip the kit, use a couple capacitors and this part: LE33CZ. Pretty fun stuff.

Also, I don't know where you camp--Wal-Mart?--but batteries are NOT available where I camp.

 

[Kokopelli]

Also, I don't know where you camp--Wal-Mart?--but batteries are NOT available where I camp.

Ouch! A couple of extra AA's thrown in the back of the glove box don't take up much space and will be there when you need them. I'll opt for Stan's KISS method.

 

[davinski]

I like that thermostat mod. I can see how you would want not to have to change batteries.

Myself, however, have learned from some bad experiences. A few bad solder joints and some parasitic loads can ruin the in house battery for me. A rough road and an unexpected short and I could be out of power. It has happened to me, so i try to keep it simple Now, for the smoke alarm for example, I like having separate batteries. Especially since they last well over a year and I change them just like the ones at home. Always carry batteries, would love to be on a trip without access to them!!

I think keep it simple is always good. Always a trade off with reliability and convenience. In the end, just get out and enjoy!

dave

 

[ScottBailey]

The Individual's Responsibility...

Deleting this thread.

Stan,

I understand you are a representative of FWC and need to protect the company reputation. In your original post, you made it clear the mod was from one camper--not an FWC rep--to the WtW community. Furthermore, you modded a Six-Pac! Not even an FWC/ATC!

Every mod here is an at your own risk proposition. It is up to each individual to decide what risk, if any, is acceptable. Individual responsibility--I know! it's in short supply, today--is a characteristic that I hope and think embodies DD and this community.

This digital thermostat mod is low cost, easy to test before use. Not a major loss if it doesn't work out. Low risk. None the less, I am keeping my analog thermostat in my camper so I can swap it out if needed. (BTW, I'm also keeping spare batteries in case my 12v mod sucks!)

Maybe the right thing to do was leave the info, but add a caveat pointing to the [thread=1817]thread where KDog has a problem with his[/thread]. Maybe KDog has a faulty unit or needs a little further testing?

I'll continue testing mine. If I find it fails me, I'll post a write up, edit my entry, but I won't delete.

OK, now I gotta go edit my post so we, as a community, don't lose important terminal wiring info...

 

[craig333]

I went ahead and ordered the one with the remote. If theres a problem with it cycling too often or doing anything else weird, it will just be one thing to troubleshoot. I'm sure its fixable. Once I get mine I almost hope its trouble. That way I can fix it and post a fix for everyone else. Almost sounds like fun.

 

[leadsled9]

thermostat

Stan,

Maybe you shouldn't delete this thread. I think it was a great idea, and I'm enjoying mine.

 

[pods8]

$25

$25 from HD and a few minutes to install. This one is a programmable unit, which I didn't really care about but it was the most basic one they had, so as a nice feature it includes a clock on it. I'll most likely just use it on "hold temp" but if someone was so inclined they could set it to be warm while they got into bed then have it shutoff and kick back on before getting out of bed in the morning. I didn't alter the old wiring at all so it would take just a minute to reconnect the old one if needed. I test ran it to make sure it all fired up and it works properly. We'll likely take it out this weekend to see how it actually performs overall. It does have setting to charge the number of heat cycles per hour so I'll play around with that to see how run time/ frequency is affected.

 

[craig333]

Dang, mine doesnt have a clock.

Update: I did buy the one with a remote control. I was disappointed to find the remote control won't turn it on and off and in fact only allows you to change the temp up or down two degrees. It is nice to actually see the temp as I've been too lazy to actually go get a thermometer. Still want to get to see what the outside temp is "ugh, going back to bed till its warmer".

 

[the fisherman]

Dang, mine doesnt have a clock.

Update: I did buy the one with a remote control. I was disappointed to find the remote control won't turn it on and off and in fact only allows you to change the temp up or down two degrees. It is nice to actually see the temp as I've been too lazy to actually go get a thermometer. Still want to get to see what the outside temp is "ugh, going back to bed till its warmer".

What's with that nasty crimp in your gas line?

 

[pods8]

What's with that nasty crimp in your gas line?

Late in the day of reworking the propane lines to move the stove I had a bend go south a bit. Its not as bad as it looks, holds pressure, and all the appliances work fine so I let it go for now. Down the road here I'll be replacing the counter top to fix the knockout where the stove used to be and while I have it off and have a lot more room to work on things I'll quick bend up a new piece to replace it.

 

[pods8]

Update

An update for anyone thinking about this thermostat it does have one serious flaw in my opinion (at end). For starters its nice that is has a clock and allows you to set the temp all the way down to 40deg. It does not allow setting the "temp swing" but I was hoping the "heat cycles per hour" setting would let you set the maximum number of times it would come on an hour (ie 3 would be it would only allow it to run once every 20min and such) however it appears this is a run time limiter setting not run amount limiter which is a bummer. With all those in mind it performed as expected with one PITA exception: Under 32deg F the thermostat reads "LO" as its out of its range, not a big deal to me, HOWEVER if you have the thermostat in the "off" (ie don't heat or cool) setting and it drops down in the range even when you turn it to "heat" it won't engage and start the furnace which is flat out ridiculous if you ask me. I realize they design these for houses and such but what if there was a power outage or such and the temp dipped that low, folks would have to heat the place up enough or jumper the thermostat to get things running OR do what I did which is take the face off and stuff it in my jacket for 30sec to warm it up a tad then put it back to get things rolling.

Even though I have that trick up my sleeve I still find this ridiculous. You other guys that have differing models out there, I assume this isn't a problem? That said I'd really like to find something that allows a large user input for temperature swing but this works for now.