Extensive facelift, paint, and new electronics for a 2000 Monaco Diplomat

[StellaTariche]

The bidet is easy, cheap, and an awesome upgrade. I put three of the high end ones them my home (wwwBidetKing.com) when COVID first hit, as many viruses are transmitted and shed by (wait for it…) .feces. People who have bidets will tell you they would never go back.

My RV setup not as friendly as a heated water bidet in cool/cold weather (to be sure), BUT, there is a similar model at Lowes with both hot and cold water connections.

You could tap both the hot and cold lines, put in a temperature mixing valve ($50 or so), and do it that way.  In my rig, I’d have to set up a hot water pre-cycle to make sure the hot water was already to go at the mixing valve, and I’d move the mixing valve very close to the commode. Might get around to that one day, as I want to conserve fresh water when I boondock anyway, and the hot-water pre-cycle is an easy upgrade (simple switch, 30 second relay, small inline 12v pump, and a return hot water line to the tank = no wasting water waiting for the hot water to get to the faucet/ shower/sink/bidet).

- John

Edited February 7, 2022 by StellaTariche

[Yoaks5]

On 2/6/2022 at 1:43 PM, Corkman said:

Hi Jon, what is the red "trigger" wire for, and where do you connect it to, since it is so short on each end of the extensions and there is no place to connect it to the camera?

 

The trigger wire is to hook up to your turn signals and reverse so when you turn the signal on it changes the view you see to the side your turning to better or the back of the coach better in reverse. I hooked mine up to the positive turn wires I had going into the Aladdin. I had these unhooked anyway. I still have to figure out where to pick up a wire for the reverse. If anyone has any ideas I would love to hear them.

Have my system mostly installed. Did have to move one camera and mount it on the slide (passenger side) since I was getting a not so nice picture of the end of my awning where it was located. Not sure how I'm going to handle the wire on that one since it needs to move in and out. I have a small cable drag chain on the way and will try playing with that to see if I can make it work. Also waiting on heat shrink tubing to cover the connections that are on the roof. Want to make sure these don't get water in or pull apart. 

[Guest Ray Davis]

29 minutes ago, Yoaks5 said:

 I still have to figure out where to pick up a wire for the reverse. If anyone has any ideas I would love to hear them

Back up lights?

[Rocketman3]

Great Job!

Where did you get the furniture from?

[Oregon04Windsor]

13 hours ago, StellaTariche said:

The bidet is easy, cheap, and an awesome upgrade. I put three of the high end ones them my home (wwwBidetKing.com) when COVID first hit, as many viruses are transmitted and shed by (wait for it…) .feces. People who have bidets will tell you they would never go back.

My RV setup not as friendly as a heated water bidet in cool/cold weather (to be sure), BUT, there is a similar model at Lowes with both hot and cold water connections.

That seems overly complicated.  I have a BioBidet at home and it heats the water within the unit, only requiring a cold water connection and a 110V plug.  In addition you get a heated seat which is wonderful!

[Bill C]

10 hours ago, Yoaks5 said:

The trigger wire is to hook up to your turn signals and reverse so when you turn the signal on it changes the view you see to the side your turning to better or the back of the coach better in reverse. I hooked mine up to the positive turn wires I had going into the Aladdin. I had these unhooked anyway. I still have to figure out where to pick up a wire for the reverse. If anyone has any ideas I would love to hear them.

Have my system mostly installed. Did have to move one camera and mount it on the slide (passenger side) since I was getting a not so nice picture of the end of my awning where it was located. Not sure how I'm going to handle the wire on that one since it needs to move in and out. I have a small cable drag chain on the way and will try playing with that to see if I can make it work. Also waiting on heat shrink tubing to cover the connections that are on the roof. Want to make sure these don't get water in or pull apart. 

Why is there a trigger wire on the camera side of the extension cable, there is nothing to plug in to at the camera?

I think the instructions are pretty poor and vague, are there any other instructions somewhere else?

And lastly, I saw someone say that there email support is very responsive, what email address did they use (I used info@szdalos.com)? They sure haven't bothered responding to my on line form nor my email to them.

[StellaTariche]

Hi Bill,

Let me try again from a different angle. The electronics are confusing and the documentation is odd.

The internally, the camera is sensor which can be electronically “aimed” Or shifted. Nothing actually moves in the camera. The camera sensor has a wide field of view with extra pixels, only some of which is selected by the up front CPU.

“Shifting” simply means selecting a different group of pixels to display.

The shifting is controlled by the external camera CPU.

The CPU needs a signal to tell it if and when to “shift” (again note, it does not actually move anything in the camera.  It simply selects a different group of the sensor pixels to display. Think of how a digital zoom on a phone works vs an optical zoom on a DSLR camera)

The signal to the CPU to “shift” can come from a +12V source, or from the control circuit used by the the handheld remote. No difference: if the CPU gets a control signal to “shift” what you see a different group of pixels from that that camera sensor.

Now, the red wire…

The CPU has an input (“a trigger”) for each camera. Connect +12v to that trigger wire and it will shift that camera electronically. Remove the +12v and it will un-shift. The hand held remote will do the exact same thing via a different circuit. 

You can connect any +12v signal to the CPU trigger wire (per camera) and it will shift. You don’t need to use the red wire - supply your own, tap into a +12v source (even a button on your dash connected to +12v will work) and it will still shift when you press the button.

The red wire is included in each camera wire bundle as a convenience for long installations where the trigger source is somewhere near the camera end, for instance the backup lamp at the back of the RV for the rear camera. In that case, you would provide an extra length of wire to go from the camera end of the red wire to a voltage source (center - or side backup lamp) that puts out +12v which lights up when you put the transmission in reverse when you want to shift the camera to see more of the back.   
 

Summary (in this example for using the rear backup lamp as a trigger to shift the camera): connect the camera end of the red wire to to backup lamp, and the other end of the red wire to the rear camera trigger on the CPU up front. Note: you may have to extend the camera end of the red wire to reach the backup lamp by splicing in an additional length of wire.  When you shift into reverse, the red wire will get +12v from the backup lamp, send that signal up to the CPU rear camera trigger wire, and the CPU will change (shift) the display to show more of the rear cameras.

Feel free to call or email me directly (719) 359-5170 or John@LeadFreeDesign.com (phone number corrected- apologies)

Hope that helps 

- John

 

Edited February 8, 2022 by StellaTariche
Typing at 5am

[Yoaks5]

13 hours ago, Ray Davis said:

Back up lights?

Thanks Ray! I'll look to see how close this camera is to a reverse light. I'd really like to pick up the reverse trigger in the dash where the spice computer is located. But haven't found one yet. I know the Aladdin switches the camera when in reverse but I don't know how it does it. There's no obvious wire on mine like there was for the turn signal cameras. 

[Bill C]

1 hour ago, StellaTariche said:

Hi Bill,

Let me try again from a different angle. The electronics are confusing and the documentation is odd.

The internally, the camera is sensor which can be electronically “aimed” Or shifted. Nothing actually moves in the camera. The camera sensor has a wide field of view with extra pixels, only some of which is selected by the up front CPU.

“Shifting” simply means selecting a different group of pixels to display.

The shifting is controlled by the external camera CPU.

The CPU needs a signal to tell it if and when to “shift” (again note, it does not actually move anything in the camera.  It simply selects a different group of the sensor pixels to display. Think of how a digital zoom on a phone works vs an optical zoom on a DSLR camera)

The signal to the CPU to “shift” can come from a +12V source, or from the control circuit used by the the handheld remote. No difference: if the CPU gets a control signal to “shift” what you see a different group of pixels from that that camera sensor.

Now, the red wire…

The CPU has an input (“a trigger”) for each camera. Connect +12v to that trigger wire and it will shift that camera electronically. Remove the +12v and it will un-shift. The hand held remote will do the exact same thing via a different circuit. 

You can connect any +12v signal to the CPU trigger wire (per camera) and it will shift. You don’t need to use the red wire - supply your own, tap into a +12v source (even a button on your dash connected to +12v will work) and it will still shift when you press the button.

The red wire is included in each camera wire bundle as a convenience for long installations where the trigger source is somewhere near the camera end, for instance the backup lamp at the back of the RV for the rear camera. In that case, you would provide an extra length of wire to go from the camera end of the red wire to a voltage source (center - or side backup lamp) that puts out +12v which lights up when you put the transmission in reverse when you want to shift the camera to see more of the back.   
 

Summary (in this example for using the rear backup lamp as a trigger to shift the camera): connect the camera end of the red wire to to backup lamp, and the other end of the red wire to the rear camera trigger on the CPU up front. Note: you may have to extend the camera end of the red wire to reach the backup lamp by splicing in an additional length of wire.  When you shift into reverse, the red wire will get +12v from the backup lamp, send that signal up to the CPU rear camera trigger wire, and the CPU will change (shift) the display to show more of the rear cameras.

Feel free to call or email me directly (719) 359-5170 or John@LeadFreeDesign.com (phone number corrected- apologies)

Hope that helps 

- John

 

Thanks for the explanation John, I may call you if I get stuck.

[StellaTariche]

Quote

Re: That seems overly complicated.  I have a BioBidet at home and it heats the water within the unit, only requiring a cold water connection and a 110V plug.  In addition you get a heated seat which is wonderful!

Hi T,

Oh, you are soooo right about the superior experience of a home Bidet.

And the passive one is a little more complicated. But there are a lot of engineers on the forum who think complicated is a feature, not a bug :)

I too have two BioBidet BB2000s, and one BioBidet BB1000 at home. They are great.

However, the BB1000 draws 600+ watts to heat a small (45 second) internal reservoir tank (closer to 30 seconds in actual use), takes 10 minutes to recover, and the pump and heated air dryer use an additional 250+ watts. The seat heater (if on and not in eco mode) require constant power of about 90 watts (depending on the setting).  Not feasible to run off a 12v inverter circuit unless you have a metric butt-load of lithium batteries, and or lots of solar.  Only makes sense if you are plugged in to 30A circuit.

And, you'd have to run a dedicated GFCI 15a circuit to within 3 ft of the back of the toilet. My toilet room has no 120v outlet, much less where I want it.  And just extending the 120v outlet in the bathroom would not work (overloads the existing 120v circuit). Even at home I had to run a new dedicated 120v line to keep the bathroom lights from flickering. I'm not into running new 120v circuits in crazy RV walls.

Also, a home bidet often does not fit the curved angle RV toilets behind the seat - even the passive one from Lowes was a very tight fit to mount properly. In fact, many home bidets won't fit a home one piece or curved toilet (BidetKing can help you find one that will fit most toilets if you know the make and model of the toilets)

The BB2000 is even better for home use - it provides constant heated water - at a huge power cost of 1475 watts (I put a kill-o-watt on it). On an inverter circuit (12v) you would be pulling 120 amps (including efficiency losses) for that puppy when in use, and about 40 amps when not in use. Only makes sense if you are plugged in to 50A circuit.

They are also quite pricey, even though I would never go back - about $550 after tax for the BB2000 on sale at www.BidetKing.com

I dry camp most of the time, so I needed a different solution that didn't use so much energy. 

My solution:  If you have access to hot water nearby (under the sink next to the toilet room in the 2000 Diplomat) and you have a recirculating hot water system (the mod that sends the not-yet-hot water back to the water heater so as not to waste fresh water), the setup is pretty easy with a couple of sharkbite couplers and a adjustable mixing valve, all of which are easily hidden under the sink and behind the commode. 

Took me about 45 minutes to install.

Total cost of the Lowes passive bidet (hot and cold fittings), connectors and mixing valve is less than $200, and require no extra electricity except the small 12v pump which only runs for 30 seconds a use.

The recirculating hot water saver took me about two hours and cost less than $100.  Saves a lot of fresh water and keeps the grey water tank less full.

Hope that helps.  Maybe I'll get a BioBidet with my Prevost :)

- John

[StellaTariche]

On 2/8/2022 at 3:30 AM, Corkman said:

And lastly, I saw someone say that there email support is very responsive, what email address did they use (I used info@szdalos.com)? They sure haven't bothered responding to my on line form nor my email to them.

Chinese New Year:  Ain’t nobody returning emails until that settles down (I have to contact Chinese electronic manufacturers daily. They take a “week” off - more like a month before they did out of their inbox and return emails).  Plus they have a new and improved COVID lockdown going on. It will be a while.

 

[Scotty Hutto]

3 hours ago, StellaTariche said:

Chinese New Year:  Ain’t nobody returning emails until that settles down (I have to contact Chinese electronic manufacturers daily. They take a “week” off - more like a month before they did out of their inbox and return emails).  Plus they have a new and improved COVID lockdown going on. It will be a while.

 

This ☝️

It’s also a time when many Chinese traditionally change jobs if they don’t like their current job, which adds to delays. Some companies will see 20-25% turnover. 

[Briang]

I have same dash and would love to have the skills to pull off that wood dash you made. My plastic is breaking and cracking. Need to remove and replace that big B/W monitor too. Is it one piece that you cut behind to get the bend? Moving all those gages and switches seems like a big job then just to do a cover like that. Any more pics and help would be great. 

 

Brian

[StellaTariche]

Hi Brian,

I found a few.

The trick is get a label maker and abuse it.  Label tape every wire and switch, and take many many pictures.

Clean all the contacts and wire end while you have it out.  Deoxit from amazon works best - you don't need much. Spray electrical contact cleaner in the switches. 

Run the wires to replace the headlight switch with headlight relays.  You don't want all that current running through the dash switch.

Reinforce all the cracks with small strips of plastic that will (with the correct plastic glue) adhere to the dash.  I believe it is acrylic, so hunt online for the correct reinforcements plastic and adhesive.

The trim bit came from woodcraft - a 1/4 shank with a 1/8" diameter cutting flute with a flush bottom bearing.

Use a small trim router. Go slow, use very light pressure, and keep the bit on the old dash as a template.  Comes out great.

I filled the hole from the original monitor slightly less than flush. That way, the magnetic plates on the ipad mini I use to monitor things sits in the the slight depression. Looks nicer that way.

2' x 8' veneer roll (paper backed) also came from woodcraft.

I used black "shoe heel dressing" (looks like liquid shoe polish, but more opaque) on the exposed veneer edges when done. It protects and seals the edge, and looks professional.

I use square drive brass screws with finish washers to re-mount it.  A 90 degree screw driver attachment on a clutched drill is your friend :)

Use two people to unmount, carry and remount it.  It is fragile ("it must be Italian!").  

It looks really nice when done.

- John

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 29, 2023 by StellaTariche

[StellaTariche]

By the way, another choice that can look really nice and modern is to "wrap" the dash with adhesive-backed vinyl.

My son Jackson (15 at the time) and I completely redid the interior on a project car for him.

The 2002 Mercedes CLK 430 interior was dated with cracked rosewood, so we "wrapped" it conformal carbon fiber wrap from 3M.  I also wrapped the dash and trim on a 2001 Audi A8 I restored and updated.

Wrap is much easier to work with than veneer, forms around complex curves, and looks great.  Lots of YouTube videos to help you out.

Here are some photos of the finished car interiors:

- John

Note: We also learned how stretch and hog ring the nicely finished replacement dead cow skins on new foam for new seats.

And how to shoot automotive paint. And color sand.  And rebuild transmissions. And replace suspensions.

Having three sons taught me that they will take much better care of a car they themselves repaired, restored and updated. And as the expression goes "At 18, you ain't got no dealer or mechanic money!" was true for them, so they learned how to turn a wrench, read computer codes, read wiring diagrams, and get their hands dirty. Older high end German cars are great teaching experiences too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 29, 2023 by StellaTariche

[StellaTariche]

Sincere apologies for getting carried away about car projects.

That will teach me not to post late at night.

Let me know if I should delete some / most / all if the car photos. Brutal honesty is appreciated.

- John

[VinceB]

I like the tail lights on your coach. Where did you get them and part numbers please?

[StellaTariche]

Hi Vince.  It was a while ago (and earlier in the thread- page 2).

I got the tail lights on ebay in 2016.

Search for "Tail Lights FOR 1973-1978 GMC K15/C15/C1500 Pickup Smoke Rear Brake Taillights"

This link seems to find them:  https://www.ebay.com/b/Tail-Lights-for-GMC-K15/33716/bn_1392110

They are great with LED bulbs - keeps traffic behind me well informed.

Note: You'll need two pair.

 

[VinceB]

50 minutes ago, StellaTariche said:

Hi Vince.  It was a while ago (and earlier in the thread- page 2).

I got the tail lights on ebay in 2016.

Search for "Tail Lights FOR 1973-1978 GMC K15/C15/C1500 Pickup Smoke Rear Brake Taillights"

This link seems to find them:  https://www.ebay.com/b/Tail-Lights-for-GMC-K15/33716/bn_1392110

They are great with LED bulbs - keeps traffic behind me well informed.

Note: You'll need two pair.

 

Thanks, I'll check them out.

[VinceB]

1 hour ago, StellaTariche said:

Hi Vince.  It was a while ago (and earlier in the thread- page 2).

I got the tail lights on ebay in 2016.

Search for "Tail Lights FOR 1973-1978 GMC K15/C15/C1500 Pickup Smoke Rear Brake Taillights"

This link seems to find them:  https://www.ebay.com/b/Tail-Lights-for-GMC-K15/33716/bn_1392110

They are great with LED bulbs - keeps traffic behind me well informed.

Note: You'll need two pair.

 

I'm curious. My tail lights are a split system - one unit for stop/running lights and the other for turn signals. Did you combine functions of the 2 units on each side or do you still have the split system?

[StellaTariche]

Mine were duplicates on (top and bottom the same) on each side.  I wired each upper and lower in parallel as I found them.

[JoeV67]

Hello all!

Finishing up the install of the 360 degree camera system.  The detailed instructions on this post have been very helpful.  Thank you to everyone!

I am caught up at installing the passenger side camera.  my 2005 Ambassador has the passenger side slide out.  For best installation of the camera at the half way point it needs to be installed on the slide.  John had described this situation here but don't fully understand how to accomplish this

Below are the instructions...Does anyone have any more details or pictures on how to do this?

 

Thanks!

Joe

• The side camera has to mount on the slide wall, and the slide wall moves. So, I put a 2" square of awning tape on both sides of the slide topper awning, put a brass grommet right through the tape, about 1" from the roof, sealed the grommet with superglue so the awning material won't unravel. Then you slip the camera in from the underside of the grommet/awning, through the grommet, and on to the roof. If the wire sleeve isn't the right color to match your roof, and you care, wrap it in UV resistant colored electrical tape. You'll never see it.
• Mounted the side camera on the slide wall. Make sure the camera can see the side of the coach at a the bottom.
• LEAVE enough slack under the awning for the slide to go out. Silicone the grommet so no water can get on the slide and so the cable won't slip. 

[Bill C]

Hello Joe. When I installed my passenger side 360 camera, I went through the awning cover  at the top and brought it down the side. When I went through The awning I put a grommet there so that the awning wouldn’t rip and went through the grommet with the wire. Unfortunately, I don’t have a picture at the top but here’s one showing where I am mounted my camera at the bottom.
 

Hope this helps

[Jlalpaugh]

What TV mount did you use and how did you secure it to the ceiling? Thanks in advance. 

[dennis.mcdonaugh]

Wow. That’s all I can say, just wow!  You and your boys did and incredible job.