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Old 03-28-2019, 10:33 PM   #101
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Pretty cool!

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Old 03-29-2019, 05:59 AM   #102
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I somehow got behind on this thread... LOVE the ROY grille and the location tracker.. I built a tracker for my bus with a Raspberry Pi and a USB GPS.. I still. need to buikd a website for it that I can password protect.. I have mine batch all the data in the Pi and it is super small data so it can easily uplinked to a server using server / client cert secure comms and stuffed into a MySQL DB.. I worked on snagging the J1708 data stream so I could have engine conditions, etc as part of it.. now im learning how to snag the proprietary Navistar parameters out of the computers.. (and there is a lot of them). I wanted it open so people could track my progress but then thought friggin axe murderers might come after me so I need to build a website that has user logins and times them out.. so my friends can see me but not everyone can unless i want them to..



I dig this stuff!! Love to see how yours turns out in the end because it is really cool!!



-Christopher
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Old 05-13-2019, 05:49 PM   #103
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Back To A New Home!

So the bus has been in the shop for nearly a month now, but finally after a long hiatus it's back out of the shop with a new air brake compressor and dead battery.


To top it off, no more parking on a dead end of a street (which has digressed into neighbor & trucker arguments/fights/tows)!


I have an actual yard and shop to work on it now, and best of all it's a short walk out my side door instead of a short drive out of my neighborhood, which honestly did put a damper on things when it rained or was bad outside. Now I have a small garage to store my tools, and most importantly 110VAC outlets! No more battery powered tools (although thank you Harbor Freight for your cheap tools).




New Plans (?)




So, new plans for the bus. Originally I was going to take it on short road trips in the east coast with only a couple days boondocking capability. This was originally going to be with family that was unable to drive themselves, however medical issues have caused them to not be able to travel anymore at all (although this is largely their own decision, not by a medical professional).


This widens the possibilities for the bus, and likely means I'll be looking at a compatible transmission swap cost and weigh it against buying a slightly better bus with the same engine (DT466), better transmission, and high top at a dealership (hard to weigh estimates for potential repairs that might not be needed or may be underestimates).


Despite the flaws in design, I do love the Vista. To be honest we've had downpours over the last month, and the old bustard hasn't leaked a bit (Vistas were known for leaking apparently). And it's nothing like the buses in our small rural town, so it stands out. I've been toying with the idea of using it as a mobile office/business for IT/Security Systems, although the implementation of it's use is a bit vague (I'm guessing equipment storage, but can't use it as a workshop).


Idea is to keep the Vista for local business and buy another bus for travels. Keep the 545 slip-o-matic happy doing it's intended job of local stop-and-go driving on surface roads. Buy an activity bus for traveling OTR.




Plans


New Bus! Well, not quite yet. If I'm going to build a second bus for traveling long distances, you can be certain I'm going to use what I already have for a testbed. Assuming I actually keep this bus and use it for a mobile business/storage, that won't be for quite a while. End of the year will be the start of contemplating transmission swap vs. new bus vs. two buses.


So, in the meantime plans for the bus are still very much the RV continuation. Plumbing, HVAC, and all the other amenities. If I end up converting to mobile office I just need to remove the plumbing and furnishings, everything else stays.


Upcoming plans after I finish moving into the new house is to get basic furniture and seating in the front section, and go on a test vacation 2-4 hours away and back. Staying at a hotel, just doing long distance driving to see what else needs fixing (or just enjoy it if nothing breaks).


Also got some touch up painting to do, although I'm still wanting to do something over the white that's a bit.....less boring. Barring another paintjob/touch up, I was thinking something Star Wars / Stormtrooper themed.


Hardware - I'm going to be looking at the power system next, and trying to get at least a few house batteries in the thing. I've gotten a few people suggesting using 6v batteries and 24v inverters for safety reasons, although I'd like a bit of input from anyone here that knows about it. Originally I was just wiring 12v batteries in parallel, but am looking at 6v banks in series wired for 12v in parallel banks. I know 24v is more efficient, but I wasn't sure if it's safer than using 12v inverters. Either way, most equipment I can find will support 110VAC (home) or 12VDC (auto), but few have adapters for 24VDC.


Curious if anyone has any input for this and possible solutions.



---------------------------



Well, I think that's about it. Not much done on it and got a move coming up, but I have it back and things are back on track.



EDIT: Wanted to add I chose this wonderful little home with a large back yard - but forgot to make measurements between the many, many trees placed in the perfect places to make turning around difficult. Going to have to figure out how to not mess up the yard turning around, as backing in isn't an option until the night-time.

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Old 05-14-2019, 12:41 AM   #104
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Looks like your bus is happy in the new home.


Man, you have the fever!
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Old 05-16-2019, 02:20 AM   #105
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Quote:
Originally Posted by geminusprime View Post
Hardware - I'm going to be looking at the power system next, and trying to get at least a few house batteries in the thing. I've gotten a few people suggesting using 6v batteries and 24v inverters for safety reasons, although I'd like a bit of input from anyone here that knows about it. Originally I was just wiring 12v batteries in parallel, but am looking at 6v banks in series wired for 12v in parallel banks. I know 24v is more efficient, but I wasn't sure if it's safer than using 12v inverters. Either way, most equipment I can find will support 110VAC (home) or 12VDC (auto), but few have adapters for 24VDC.
12v and 24v are basically the same safety-wise. 24v can handle more power, 12v is easier to find things for. If you need the power and go 24v, you can find 24v-to-12v converters pretty cheap. I've found 240 watt units for less than $20. That's what I'll be doing, as I need as much power as I can get and am planning a sizable solar array.
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Old 05-16-2019, 07:06 AM   #106
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I love this bus!!! 3600 Vista's are just quirky enough to be cool as hell
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Old 05-25-2019, 04:58 PM   #107
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Well, after waiting a month and change to get it out of the shop with a new air compressor it's finally ready to go. Still has the questionable transmission, but hey, time for a long test drive. Was going to Charleston, SC to walk around the battleship (since they have parking for RV size vehicles and I have a Navy friend that would love it).

Nope!


Vandals decided to break the windshield last week, I suspect after missing twice with rocks as I found two adjacent to the bus on the drive side that seem like they were thrown. One that hit landed on the hood, somehow.
On one hand, screw them. On the other hand, living in SC for nearly my entire life I should have seen this coming from painting anything rainbow colored on my vehicle.


Only thing I had on security camera was a lawn guy coming over for an hour, and a few kids walking to/from school from a group home my landlord failed to mention was right up the road.


I'm going with the latter. Doesn't seem like a lawn mower could chuck a rock at such a high angle as there was only about 5-6 feet between the guys truck and front of the bus for his to pass through, he'd have a better chance of dinging the bumper than getting a rock that high.


So, police report filed, grille painted back to white, insurance took about a week bouncing me between glass shops that couldn't do it. Finally got a guy local that does custom glass, but it being the drivers side I can't legally drive with it cracked that bad, so another week and it should be fixed.


According to him there wasn't any data he could find as for the size, and is going to remove the cracked glass, measure it, and cut a custom piece at his shop. I'm hoping the damage isn't so bad that it breaks before he get's it back to his shop, but this is an unfortunately complicated event that I'm not looking forwards to ever happening again.


So yeah. Another delay.


Geminus will get on the road eventually. At this point I've been through so damn much with this bus and never taken it more than 20 miles from home, I love this frankenbus and gonna do my best to have some great adventures in it.
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Old 05-25-2019, 05:02 PM   #108
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Here it is just short of a day prior.

Lowes had a sale on Krylon, and I stocked up on quite a bit. Didn't use much for the grille so have plenty left, and at least I know it's actually quite easy to paint it with a rattle can.


Krylon gloss white matched the Rustoleum rolled-on gloss white, so at least I have enough for any scratches in the future.


Covered it all with clear coat enamel.

Then another coat of gloss white after the incident.

Lesson learned though.


Silver Lining: At least this happened at home where I can keep it parked for long periods, and not on the road where time parked may equal hundreds or even thousands of dollars depending on lodging/build completion.

Going to paint it either gold or gloss black after the windshield is replaced.
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Old 05-26-2019, 02:02 AM   #109
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It is the pits what happened to your bus!


We just replaced the passenger and driver windshield glass because I have a tall sitting height and the shade bar at the top gets in my line of vision. We still have the old glass ....


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Perhaps these would work?


I know they are something like 39"x27" ... but I do not have the exact measurement offhand. They are NOT square, they are wider at the top or perhaps it is the bottom. Again, I have not measured them in a long time.


FYI: We purchased the replacement glass from our Freightliner dealer for half what the local glass shops wanted. You may want to check out your local dealer for the glass.
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Old 05-26-2019, 05:04 AM   #110
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I had a bus when I lived near a "group home". They weren't kind to my bus, either.
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Old 05-31-2019, 01:07 AM   #111
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Native View Post
It is the pits what happened to your bus!


We just replaced the passenger and driver windshield glass because I have a tall sitting height and the shade bar at the top gets in my line of vision. We still have the old glass ....


Perhaps these would work?


I know they are something like 39"x27" ... but I do not have the exact measurement offhand. They are NOT square, they are wider at the top or perhaps it is the bottom. Again, I have not measured them in a long time.


FYI: We purchased the replacement glass from our Freightliner dealer for half what the local glass shops wanted. You may want to check out your local dealer for the glass.
Thanks a ton, but Progressive was pretty decent to work through once they found someone who would actually do it - safelite refused to do it, but didn't tell me or progressive - just kept skipping appointments.

$0 deductible on windshields, and turns out they count all 4 front windows as windshields (two big ones and two small ones).

I had th glass guy come take it out Wednesday and coming today to put the new one back in.



Quote:
Originally Posted by EastCoastCB View Post
I had a bus when I lived near a "group home". They weren't kind to my bus, either.
Yeah, it's my fault kind of for not expecting this and lack of researching the area. I know the fair housing act prevents realtors from saying if an area is safe/nice or bad/dangerous.

But, I worked installing and maintaining security systems for a bit, so I got some old equipments and cameras and installed them. Currently using the DVR meant for the bus with 8 channels, but the 12 channel one came yesterday so I'll be installing an additional dvr/camera system on the bus (acting independently).

I'll likely have an update to the progress on the bus today or tomorrow. Still making headway without a windshield, and having private land/a garage is sooooo much better even with the vandalism.

The bus DVR is going to have it's own internet connection and network (technically it does already, I'm using the setup for the bus in the new home until I get my office computers and network equipment moved over). Keeping the cameras but migrating the network equipment and DVR into the bus tomorrow or over the weekend. Piping some of the feeds to my public website too so users might get to witness some light vandalism live! Isn't the future amazing?
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Old 05-31-2019, 01:39 AM   #112
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I am so glad you are getting your windshield replaced ... and by your insurance for $0 deductable. What a deal! I bet you are glad you got comprehensive!
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Old 06-13-2019, 07:46 PM   #113
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360° Skoolie Camera System

Finally got the windshield replaced after 2 (3?) weeks of waiting. Man was that a long wait.

Anyways, during the meantime I installed a security system that was also doubling as the traffic monitoring system. 8 960H dome cameras and a DVR with SSD and 3 days worth of storage.

I've got the DVR working and cameras working, but still have to tie into the live feeds for the monitors going above the driver.


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Old 06-13-2019, 11:16 PM   #114
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That was a WILD ride! At first, it was too much information all at once. After a bit, I was surprised how easily I could watch. I did notice that the color in your driver side front camera is gone.


Congratulations on finally getting the winshield replaced.
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Old 06-13-2019, 11:41 PM   #115
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No matter where you are on the road, you caught it on video. Interesting set up.
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Old 06-14-2019, 03:00 AM   #116
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Cool a$$ system!!!
Link to..?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Native View Post
That was a WILD ride! At first, it was too much information all at once. After a bit, I was surprised how easily I could watch. I did notice that the color in your driver side front camera is gone.


Congratulations on finally getting the winshield replaced.
He opted for the Ansel Adams camera tasked to L front!
Can't hardly wait to get this, and cruise Yosemite!
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Old 06-27-2019, 03:45 PM   #117
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Quote:
Originally Posted by HazMatt View Post
Cool a$$ system!!!
Link to..?He opted for the Ansel Adams camera tasked to L front!
Can't hardly wait to get this, and cruise Yosemite!
Bout to drop a months worth of build logs and figured I'd answer your question in it's own post.

So, it's not a full system in a single kit, but it is using the most common ports, plugs, and protocols that it's a plug and play system aside from setting up the DVR.

I also got an assortment of BNC/Power cables of various lengths, power adapters for custom cables, and other mainly wiring things that I had on hand and a few from amazon, but any like this should work.


Plug everything in, set up the DVR (it has a wizard on first startup), and enjoy!

That's pretty much it for the local system. However, for remote monitoring and tying the streams into my network I need the last 2 things, network capability and internet. I use UnlimitedToGo which I average at 800GB a month for a flat rate $99.99 (although I've breezed past 1TB with no issues or extra fees). For networking, I use the GLI mini router which you can ssh into or use the browser interface to customize it. I use this to automatically offload data to my home wifi when in range, and use the mobile internet when on the road.


Oh! The monitors! So, this is serving two purposes - traffic aides for the driver and security monitoring. While the bus in on, I have 3 monitors above the driver replacing the big mirror. The monitors I linked have two RCA inputs - primary and secondary. When you apply 5+VDC to the monitors trigger wire, it toggles from primary to secondary view. I meant to buy momentary switches, but I honestly like the toggle style I bought by accident.

So, running normally I have the left camera viewing the left rear of the bus, center monitor viewing the rear traffic view, and right camera viewing the right rear of the bus.

When I toggle the switch the monitors switch to front left, rear bumper, and front right respectively. I based the switching for absolute direction, not relative (like in the video where the rear view is opposite the front view - left is right, right is left).

As a side note, I spent 4ish years installing security systems in dispensaries (Colorado) which are required to use cameras, and while I usually opted for 1080p cameras the Amcrest DVR was always a good choice that worked for the clients and MED in Denver. Amcrest are the cheapest DVR's that have the bare basics you'd need in a residential or commercial DVR system. Nothing extremely fancy, but enough options for pretty much anyone outside of banks, military installations, etc. They even have addressable PTZ control, meaning you could use 8 PTZ cameras with this unit over two wires linking all of them (same wires, not individual wires for each camera). FTP uploading (and SFTP) based on conditions (all the time, motion, alarm). Free DNS service if you want to link it to a domain, and Amcrest offers free P2P connection meaning you don't have to specify a direct IP but rather just the serial number of the DVR and it will automatically connect (basically their own DNS, but this does mean your DVR will "phone home" and give the Amcrest server it's IP and port whenever it restarts or gets a new IP, but only someone with the DVR's serial number can access it).
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Old 06-27-2019, 04:33 PM   #118
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Dang, brother!
When you answer a question, you REALLY answer a question!!!
I don't know if anybody else follows that, or appreciates that sweet system, but I gotta say, from the security side alone, it stomps a mud puddle in the chest of my Moultrie IR game cam. (duh)
Many thanx for the comprehensively complete reply! [emoji106]
Don't know how long it'll take to compile the budget to acquire a likewise system, but it's definitely on my, "Wanna, Gotta, Haveta" list.
Quote:
Originally Posted by geminusprime View Post
Bout to drop a months worth of build logs and figured I'd answer your question in it's own post.

So, it's not a full system in a single kit, but it is using the most common ports, plugs, and protocols that it's a plug and play system aside from setting up the DVR.

I also got an assortment of BNC/Power cables of various lengths, power adapters for custom cables, and other mainly wiring things that I had on hand and a few from amazon, but any like this should work.


Plug everything in, set up the DVR (it has a wizard on first startup), and enjoy!

That's pretty much it for the local system. However, for remote monitoring and tying the streams into my network I need the last 2 things, network capability and internet. I use UnlimitedToGo which I average at 800GB a month for a flat rate $99.99 (although I've breezed past 1TB with no issues or extra fees). For networking, I use the GLI mini router which you can ssh into or use the browser interface to customize it. I use this to automatically offload data to my home wifi when in range, and use the mobile internet when on the road.


Oh! The monitors! So, this is serving two purposes - traffic aides for the driver and security monitoring. While the bus in on, I have 3 monitors above the driver replacing the big mirror. The monitors I linked have two RCA inputs - primary and secondary. When you apply 5+VDC to the monitors trigger wire, it toggles from primary to secondary view. I meant to buy momentary switches, but I honestly like the toggle style I bought by accident.

So, running normally I have the left camera viewing the left rear of the bus, center monitor viewing the rear traffic view, and right camera viewing the right rear of the bus.

When I toggle the switch the monitors switch to front left, rear bumper, and front right respectively. I based the switching for absolute direction, not relative (like in the video where the rear view is opposite the front view - left is right, right is left).

As a side note, I spent 4ish years installing security systems in dispensaries (Colorado) which are required to use cameras, and while I usually opted for 1080p cameras the Amcrest DVR was always a good choice that worked for the clients and MED in Denver. Amcrest are the cheapest DVR's that have the bare basics you'd need in a residential or commercial DVR system. Nothing extremely fancy, but enough options for pretty much anyone outside of banks, military installations, etc. They even have addressable PTZ control, meaning you could use 8 PTZ cameras with this unit over two wires linking all of them (same wires, not individual wires for each camera). FTP uploading (and SFTP) based on conditions (all the time, motion, alarm). Free DNS service if you want to link it to a domain, and Amcrest offers free P2P connection meaning you don't have to specify a direct IP but rather just the serial number of the DVR and it will automatically connect (basically their own DNS, but this does mean your DVR will "phone home" and give the Amcrest server it's IP and port whenever it restarts or gets a new IP, but only someone with the DVR's serial number can access it).
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Old 06-28-2019, 02:52 AM   #119
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Rated Cap: 71 Passenger- 30,000 lbs.
HazMatt's got it right on ... thank you for the very indepth description of your system. Makes me want to go out and buy it all and put it in our rig. Were I only made of money .... perhaps over time.
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Old 08-10-2019, 07:16 PM   #120
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An Update

So, I haven't posted in a while and figured it was time for a small update at the very least.

The bus is still running, that expensive compressor solved the coolant and oil leaks, and so far there's not been any more vandalism to the bus. Went to Colorado to check out a few properties for sale (....vacation....). Went to Gatlinburg to do the same. The former was better than the latter.

I've taken the last month to get some relocation errands done and take some time off from school. Over the rest of the summer I did quite a bit on the bus, specifically the AC systems.

I've got two units for each of the portions of the bus. Oh yeah, I've partitioned the bus into the cab in the front and living quarters in the rear separated by an insulated wall and door. The front "cab" portion encompasses the front of the vehicle up to the first 2 windows and has a 5,000 BTU AC unit in this area. Everything else is the "living" portion and has a 8,000 BTU unit dedicated to it.

This is because it's a LOT more energy efficient to run only a 5K BTU unit while driving, and since only the front seats are being built and reinforced to surviving a crash (and have seat belts) this is the only area that should be occupied anyways.

I got a deal (website error) on a horrible Sportsman inverter generator from Walmart.com and using it for now, it's not the best but it's 2500 watts (well, actually around 1500 when it cuts out) but at just under $100 I'm not complaining. It'll run the front AC unit, which is all that's needed on the road since I intend on having shore power when stopped and only a day or two of battery backup. In the end I'll likely get the 5kW Predator from Harbor Freight.

AC units are mounted, front portion of the wall is mostly built, and I've got a 120Ah battery and 2KW inverter for the house power and 750W inverter for the security system tied to the cranking batteries.

So that's the short portion of it, I'll get some photos uploaded shortly.

EDIT: Okay, photos uploaded. Don't have too many of the more recent things like the full partition wall or the finished front AC unit, but I'll get them up too. Also, look at that nice undercarriage.

Oh! Lastly I got an offer for the bus - $700 in marijuana and a 1985 Chevy S10 that needs a new tranny from a random man that just stopped by (that I thought was either going to murder me or lowball me by his body language). I opted out, and spent the rest of the day laughing my a** off. I've had quite a few offers for the thing (For a Vista of all things), but this was by far the most terrifying and hilarious one.
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