Entry lighting

[BUSBOZO]

So, lets say you are about to turn in for the night after a barbecue booze fest. You've had quite a few and your ready to hit the sack. Upon entering the bus, what method do you use to light up the interior?

Do you have a switch on a kneel wall by the stairwell? If so, do you have to walk all the way back to the front to shut it off? I was thinking a 3 way switch setup (similar to a hallway light in your house). Can this be achieved with 12 VDC?

I was thinking of wiring some 110 volt rope lights to a switch by the stairwell and wiring another switch somewhere else in the bus. But this might be too much hassle and wiring.

What do you think?

Dan

[Jarlaxle]

3-way can be done with 12V...my B-700 has it. I don't remember how, exactly (been a while since I wired it), but I recall it was something like this: both switches (both are SPDT) are hooked to power & ground. The light is NOT hooked directly to a ground. The light only goes on with one switch in each position...both hot or both ground means no current flow.

Note: do not wire a 120V circuit this way! That could be dangerous!

[BUSBOZO]

LOL. Ok. At least I know it can be done. I will have to look into it a little more. Thanks

Wiring diagram anyone?

[baadpuppy]

I'm planning to use bistable flip flop solenoids for this purpose. These were originally used in old pinball type arcade games, and also in some soda machines, and assorted other uses.

The way these work is that there is a solenoid with a spring, and two microswitches. When actuated with a momentary voltage (a momentary push button switch for example), the solenoid "fires" and pulls down on the pin, which operates similarly to a click type ink pen. Each firing of the solenoid causes the pin to move from one side to the other, depressing one microswitch or the other. The microswitches have a normally open as well as a normally closed setting, so can be used either way.

With this setup, my circuits will have 1 source for power, controlled by the flip flop. I can put push buttons anywhere, and tie them to the solenoid on one side, and ground on the other. A fused 12V source for the other side of the solenoid, and I'm good to go. I'll be able to push a button at the door, or the driver's seat, or the living room, or the head, or the bedroom, or wherever I decide to wire it. I plan to use multi wire stranded cable to wire each control panel.

If a circuit needs more current than the controller can handle, I can easily use a relay to control the higher current circuit.

hope this helps,
jim

[SeanF]

Motion-sensing LED light, powered by rechargeable AA batteries. Some will even sense daylight and not switch on when not needed. No wiring req'd, and AA batteries will power LEDs for several weeks with intermittent use.

[the_experience03]

Where do you get such items, Baadpuppy? That sounds like something I need flopping around in my toolbox for use at a future date...

All my 120v lighting in my bus is made up of those 13 inch or whatever they are under cabinet fluorescent lights that have the switch built in. That way I can control where my light is and my power consumption. I have 4 (two per side) in my living room, one in each closet, and one for each of the 4 beds in the bunk section. The back of the bus has a $7 clearance fixture with CFL's on a switch I can reach from my bed.

[Sojakai]

Runway lights on a timer. They kick on about thirty minutes before you normally go to bed, kick off thirty afterwords, back on again in the morning if you get up in the dark. Use LED rope lights for better energy usage, or regular rope lights on a dimmer.

My father uses them on the stairs so he doesnt fall down them when feeding the cat in the morning, and not to trip up them at night.