SeeLevel Gauges Using Existing Wiring with Solar Charging LED

[jimmccreary]

SeeLevel Gauges Using Existing Wiring with Solar Charging LED

This forum has seen documentations for SeeLevel gauge installation beginning in 2005 and 2006 and much detail has been provided. See the following “nearly famous” links:

Joe-K
http://www.irv2.com/forums/f52/seelevel-guage-system-in-winnebago-14089.html

http://www.irv2.com/forums/f52/seelevel-tank-monitor-installation-in-tiffin-motorhome-39269.html

captbill
http://www.irv2.com/forums/f101/my-latest-upgrade-installed-the-seelevel-ii-48798.html

CJ7ole
http://www.irv2.com/forums/f101/seelevel-ii-in-winne-32v-59832.html

SteveG
http://www.irv2.com/forums/f101/sealevel-ii-model-709-tank-monotor-system-41211.html

Smlranger
http://www.irv2.com/forums/f101/see-level-709-sensor-for-fresh-water-tank-04-winnebago-67043.html

I have learned a great deal from these and this gave me the courage to do my own SeeLevel gauge installation. It is not my intent to repeat the links above but rather to show what additional information I could add for the forum. I have added 2 pieces of information that I could not find in previous documentations:

• how to use the existing wiring
• how to salvage the solar panel charging LED

While my coach is an 04 Winnebago, Journey 34H, I believe the following approach is valid for other coaches although the existing wiring color codes would probably be different.

Following the work of Smlranger I added 2 sensors to my fresh water (FW) tank. See photo 100. Bottom sensor was added at right by removing Styrofoam with a blunt screwdriver.
The top sensor was added from above by removing the sheet metal hiding the top access to the fresh water tank in Photo 110. My tank height was 16 in and both sensors were cut to 7.5” lengths. In Photo 120 the top sensor is mounted by aligning the bottom edge against the the mid tank horizontal molding ridge (visible in Photo 100). Likewise the top edge of the bottom sensor is aligned against the bottom edge of the molding ridge. This guarantees a 1/16 to 1/8 in gap between the top and bottom sensors. Photo 100 shows the sensors wired in parallel (blue to blue and black to black). Photo 130 shows the existing yellow sensor wire connected to the blue wires and the existing white wire connected to the black wires.

Likewise the existing yellow and white wires of the black water (BW) tank are wired to the blue and black wires of the SeeLevel sensor in Photo 140. Similarly for the gray water (GW) tank as shown in Photo 150.

Now all that remains is the work behind the “one-panel” inside the coach. On the outside of the panel are the existing tank switches for each of FW, GW, BW and LPG (propane). The one-panel is removed and now the back side of each switch is revealed. Each switch is connected to 2 terminals. One is ground (white color for my coach) and the other terminal is color-coded for each of the existing sensors. These color-coded sensor wires then go to the large red circuit board connector of the existing tank level monitor. Photo 160 shows the 4 switches and how they are connected to the large red connector. In this photo the FW switch is connected to a red wire. This goes to the red connector. Another red wire on the connector then goes to the red sensor wire for the FW tank (now connected to the SeeLevel FW sensor). A table of color codes is shown below:

Switch .........Large red connector ............Sensor wire (to seelevel sensors)
FW ......................red ........................................red
GW .....................gray ......................................gray
BW.................... brown.................................... brown
LPG .................white-green......................... white-green

Engine battery.......... black
GND ........................white

Photo 170 shows the existing tank level green circuit board. At the top edge are 2 red connectors: the large red circuit board connector, and the small red solar panel charging LED connector.

The wires from the large red connector now go to the large white connector that bundles many yellow wires together. Label the wires to the large white connector and then cut these wires from the large red connector. See Photo 180. Color codes are shown above.

Now find the small white connector of the SeeLevel hardware. Connect as shown below and in Photos 190 and 200:

Small white connector................. sensor wire color / function
Red............................................... .. black / engine battery
Blue.............................................. ........... red / FW
Blue.............................................. .........Gray / GW
Blue.............................................. ......Brown / BW

Green............................................. ... green-white / LPG

Black............................................. ........white / GND

Photo 210 shows the small white connector plugged into the SeeLevel circuit module. The final wiring bundle is shown in Photo 220 and the sensor wires can be shown going to the large existing white connector for all the existing yellow sensor wires.

The old panel is drilled to remove the old tank monitor section of the one-panel in Photo 230. In Photo 240 a piece of aluminum is cut to fit the SeeLevel module to the one-panel.

All that remains is to salvage the solar panel charging LED. In Photo 250, the LED driver is located in the top right corner of the old green circuit board. The small red connector socket is located in this section. It acan be seen that this section of the board is self-contained and not connected to anything else on the green circuit board. Therefore, this section can be cut from the green circuit board as shown in Photo 260. Photo 270 shows that when the small red connector from the solar panel is connected to the small red socket of the “LED driver board” the red charging LED will light.

Using a 12W pencil tipped soldering iron, carefully remove the LED from the LED driver board as shown in Photo 280. Use care to avoid overheating and damaging the LED since it is a 1.8V, 0.4mA device and would have to be special ordered if damaged since the LED driver circuit is specific to this LED. Two #24 wires can then be soldered to both the LED and the LED driver board as shown in Photo 290. The LED driver board is then wrapped in black tape for protection of the board and the wiring. A 5mm black polystyrene LED mounting clip is required to mount the LED. The clip is also shown in Photo 290.

By drilling the existing hole for the solar panel charging LED slightly larger, the mounting clip will then snap into the hole. I recommend a trial hole in a piece of scrap aluminum to get the correct drill size. Photo 300 shows the mounting of the LED into the new panel and how it is secured with a nylon strap to the existing wiring bundle.

All that is left is to program the SeeLevel module for 2 sensors for the FW tank and final calibration of the LPG when that tank is at its rated full level.

All circuits worked first time when powered up and tank levels seem to be accurate.

jim & debbie, 04 winnebago Journey 34h + suzuki sx4 toad

[jimmccreary]

more photos below:

[jimmccreary]

Sorry, for the long photo list. Also, I see that the photo numbers are not coming out. Hope you can figure out which photos are which.
regards,

jim & debbie, 04 winnebago Journey 34H

[mrb604]

Thank you Jim,
for such an informative post. I have been thinking about doing the same modifcation to my Sunova. I especially like the info on how to use the existing wiring and how you used the aluminum to modify the panel. I had been trying to figure how I could replace the existing tank monitor lights with the smaller see-level panel. Now I am inspired to do this before my cross country trip this summer. Thanks for the inspiration!

[jimmccreary]

thanks for the kind remarks

[JimM68]

good stuff, subscribed, will use this someday