Layout Plans

I decided I would take a permaculture style approach to the build, so I drove it for a year to get to know it before I decided on the layout.

I am married with two kids, and my goal was to have a van that worked as a camper, BOV and mobile office.

For that purpose this project will require the following:

• Four street legal seats
• Beds for four
• Shower
• Toilet
• Stove
• Heat and A/C

May current projected layout is:

• 200W of amorphous solar panels possibly expandable up to 400W
• A Lithium Ion 12V battery system based on arrays of 18650 cells
• A chest freezer converted into a fridge controlled by a 12V sensor & inverter
• A shower/sink/mudroom at the back of the van
• Twin 6' futons that convert into two bunk beds
• Kitchen sink that also doubles as a stove with a induction cook top
• Diesel coolant heater, for heat and hot water
• A window air conditioner converted to run through the floor

There are some unique choices on this list, but let me go through each and the reasoning for my choice.

Amorphous Solar Panels
There are three main types of solar panels, monocrystalline, polycrystalline and amorphous. Monos have the best power output and amorphous have the worst.  The one advantage that amorphous have is their ability to work while partially shaded.  If a mono solar panel has one whole cell in shadow then the power can drop by as much as 50%. Amorphous will only drop by the amount of shading, i.e. 10% shading = 10% power loss.  I expect most of the parking places I will be using will be partially shaded, so I'm going with amorphous so I at least get some power. Harbor Freight now sells a 100W kit for $150 on sale.  The van roof can fit 5 possible kits, but I will need space at the back for a deck and space for a fan. In any case this will not be a lot of power.

Lithium-Ion 18650 Batteries
The common battery choice is lead acid.  I will probably start out with a pair of GC2 golf cart batteries under the second row of seats, but I hope to phase them out as I switch over to arrays of 18650 lithium ion batteries run four in series to produce 12V.  Lead Acid is easier and cheaper in the short run, but a well managed array of 18650 cells will be both lighter, denser and cheaper in the long run due to their longer service life and light weight which could cut 100 lbs off my final weight or allow for enough battery power to supply my house.

120V Chest Freezer as a 12V Fridge
12V fridges are expensive, so I will be purchasing an inexpensive chest freezer and then supply power to it with an inverter with a remote switch controlled by a 12V sensor.
So to clarify, I will start with a chest freezer: LINK
This will be powered by an inverter with a remote: LINK
That remote will be controlled by a 12V sensor: LINK
The controller will replace the button on the remote on the inverter to switch the inverter on to cool the freezer, but hopefully leave it off most of the time.
The idea being that freezers are more insulated than refridgerators.  Chest freezers are the most efficient freezers because the cool air does not escape when the door is opened and inverters draw power all the time that they are running, so if we use a low power 12V controller to sense the temperature in the freezer, we can then switch on and off the inverter which supplies power to the freezer's compressor to control the temperature.  This should create a rather large efficient 2.5 cu.ft. fridge/freezer that will run on very low power and should cost about $250= $137+$105+$8.  This will also allow for inexpensive parts replacements in case of failure.

Sprinter as Camper/BOV/Mobile Office

My wife loves WDW and I love the great outdoors, so when I was looking to replace my car I found out about a new trend where people convert vans into campers and I was hooked.

As with any complicated project, this one will be a series of compromises that will hopefully end up with my idea of a perfect result. I'm going to go through the reasoning behind each of these choices so you can see why I made these decisions, even if you would have made a different choice.

So first I have to explain my situation, I am married with two kids and have a limited budget.  The goal is to end up with something that works as an economical daily driver, a good road trip vehicle and lastly a camper.

As a starting point I used to drive a 2002 Subaru Forester which got 24 mpg highway and about 15mpg city to average about 18mpg. The replacement vehicle had to be able to perform the same basic tasks: reliable transportation and legal/comfortable seating for four adults. Due to the later requirement I started looking for a LWB Sprinter with windows for two rows of seats minimum.  Lots of people cut windows into Sprinters, but that seemed to be too extensive a task for a vehicle that had to deliver me to work five days a week.  I watched the web and found my target and purchased it in August of 2016.

iPhone 4, unsafe without a case

The iPhone 4 and 4S are unsafe for use without a case.  My train of thought that brought me to this conclusion is simple and accessible so I will start by listing each of the points and then backing each of them up.  I want my reasoning to be clear to any reader, so any flaws in my argument can be found and brought to my attention for correction.  My apologies to anyone who finds my statements overly simplistic, but I wanted it accessible to a wide audience.

1. The iPhone 4 and 4S both have unguarded transmitting antennas located where they will contact the users skin.
2. This will cause high frequency electricity to pass through the user.
3. This contact will also de-tune the antenna system,
4. A de-tuned antenna will have to increase it's power output to successfully transmit.
5. This will cause prolonged irritation.
6. Prolonged irritation can cause cancer.
7. So if you have an iPhone 4 or 4S, you should get a case or at least put clear tape over the side antennas so that they are not in contact with your skin.

1. The iPhone 4 and 4S both have unguarded transmitting antennas located where they will contact the users skin. The metal bars on the sides of the 4 and 4S are antennas as discussed at length other places as "Antennagate".  "Antennagate" is discussed at length elsewhere, but for the sake of this discussion all that needs to be conveyed is that the users fingers generally touch the antennas on the side of the phone.
2. This will cause high frequency electricity to pass through the user.  Alternating current (AC) acts differently than direct current (DC).  DC only runs down what are called closed circuits like battery jumper cables, but AC circuits especially high frequency AC circuits can work even in an open circuit.  An antenna is just a wire going nowhere and they do carry current.  If a user touches a transmitting antenna, especially if the user has sweaty hands, they will become part of that circuit and have a tiny amount of current running through them.
3. This contact will also de-tune the antenna system.  Antennas are tuned systems and without going into detailed antenna theory, let me just summarize that antenna elements are designed to be fractional parts of the wavelength of the radio waves they transmit or receive.  So although there are many modifying mechanisms, longer wavelength/lower frequency antennas are longer, higher frequency antennas are generally shorter.  For example TV antennas are generally longer than cell phone antennas.  The key thing is that by touching the antenna the user effectively changes the length of the antenna and de-tunes it.  This is like taking a note that should be played on a bass instrument and playing it on a soprano instrument.  It may be possible, but it is not efficient.
4. A de-tuned antenna will have to increase it's power output to successfully transmit.  Digital cell phones work on a system sometimes called "yell loud enough to be heard".  i.e. They transmit with just enough power to talk to the closest tower.  So cell phone batteries last longer for people in good coverage areas as they don't need to use as much power to reach the local cell tower.  What this means for this discussion is when you de-tune the antenna you force the phone to use more power to make the same connection.  So for people who already live in areas of marginal cell coverage, de-tuning the antenna will cause their cell phones to transmit at their maximum levels just to make a connection.
5. This will cause prolonged irritation:  High current passing though skin will cause burns.  This is not high current, it is a tiny amount of current.  The FCC limits cell phones to less than 1W transmitted power, but here we are not dealing with transmitted power we are talking about conducted power.  Cell phone antennas are not ideal devices that can transmit all of the power they receive.  They only transmit a portion of the power they receive, so it is possible that if a good connection is made, then a measurable amount of power is conducted into the skin of the user.  So what I propose is that tiny amount of power irritates the skin.  Cell phones transmit intermittently even when not in active use to stay in contact with the towers so that they can be contacted for incoming calls and receive emails, etc., so I propose that the irritation to the skin is rather consistent.
6. Prolonged irritation can cause cancer.  Asbestos is a very inert fibrous material that become popular for insulation because it is a good insulator and very resistant to heat.  The problem with asbestos and materials like it is that its little fibers can break off become airborne and be inhaled.  Once inhaled they get stuck in a person's lungs and cause irritation.  This irritation is called "asbestosis" which can then lead to a cancer called "Malignant mesothelioma".  The reason I mention this is that the cancer is caused by the irritation from the inhaled fibers.  It is not any chemical interaction of the body with the asbestos, it is the irritation caused by the asbestos that causes the problem.  
The WHO keeps wavering on the possible dangers of cell phone radiation, but that is NOT what I am proposing here.  What I am talking about is not cell phone radiation but simple electrical conduction.  RF radiation causes damage when RF energy is transmitted and then a portion of that energy is absorbed by the body.  Electrical conduction is much more efficient and will transfer magnitudes more power.  Put a good AC voltmeter near a power cord and you may see tiny voltages measured, put them in a socket and it is a different story.  This is not really a fair comparison as house current is at a very very low frequency, so radiates very poorly, but I think it still illustrates the point, conduction is very different than radiation.  Don't tell me the FCC says it's safe, so it is safe.  They are only measuring radiated power.
7. So if you have an iPhone 4 or 4S, you should get a case or at least put clear tape over the side antennas so that they are not in contact with your skin.  The idea is to add resistance in the connection of your fingers to the phone.  Ideally this should be a thicker coating to minimize what is called capacitive conduction which can occur at the high frequencies used by cell phones.  I would believe that any case should provide adequate protection, but a passable solution is one or more layers of clear tape.

I've posted these thought on several blogs and sent them in to several people, and generally receive either no response or angry dismissals to the credibility of my arguments, so I thought I would post it here so I can see if someone can actually find a flaw in my argument.