OUTLAW Mods and Easy Fixes

[Scarab0088]

Originally Posted by Scarab0088

So don't laugh...but I have a portable 45Watt Kit from Harbor Freight. This kit allows me to work with fewer batteries when dry camping. And it was so much cheaper than built-in kits. And I can park the RV in shaded areas...with the solar out in the sun. Plus it stows when the RV is in storage.

It was the kit style sold before this one:
Solar Panel Kit - Save on this 45 Watt Solar Panel Kit

I have seen preppers use several of these kits to make a network.

Safe travels

Originally Posted by MonkeyClaw

Funny, that's the one that's been recommended to me by several people. I'm considering 2-140W panels hooked to a controller and setting up this monitor inside...

Just to make a suggestion...see my post above from 03/2014...we have had great luck with a portable solar set-up. It sets up in minutes (on the ground or rooftop) and can be stowed when not in use. Plus it was very affordable for the amount of power it produces.

Safe mods

[Bobcat12]

Originally Posted by Scarab0088

For the garage, I have the portable AirCon (suitcase on wheels) that exhausts out the rear passenger side trucker vent - but this is a different way to address the weak AirCon in the garage

Do you have any pics of your garage AC set up? We just purchased one and it recommends a window for venting. Did you have to modify the hose end for the vent?

[MonkeyClaw]

Originally Posted by Scarab0088

This is on my To-Do list. But, I do not have the 3 camera set-up so the wiring might be different for new Outlaws...

Power enters the rear camera set-up in our rig 2 ways:
-Power from the back-up light circuit on the gear selector linkage.
-Constant power from the ignition at the on monitor/display power switch.

Power for the camera comes from the monitor/display.

The mod is to add house power to the constant hot lead from the ignition for the on-monitor/display power switch. The power can come from a short lead starting at the dash radio (powered by the house system in our rig).

I plan to use a fused lead to a 2 position toggle switch to avoid any risk of back feeding power...but a diode protected lead would work too.
Attachment 75635

Safe mods

Great info! AND, I didn't realize the radio was powered by the house batteries. I thought it was the chassis.

I'll look for the lead from the monitor to the ignition. It's probably set up in the fuse box? I'll have to poke around.

[MonkeyClaw]

Originally Posted by Scarab0088

Just to make a suggestion...see my post above from 03/2014...we have had great luck with a portable solar set-up. It sets up in minutes (on the ground or rooftop) and can be stowed when not in use. Plus it was very affordable for the amount of power it produces.

Safe mods

Yes, portable is the plan. Just bigger panels

[Scarab0088]

Originally Posted by Bobcat12

Do you have any pics of your garage AC set up? We just purchased one and it recommends a window for venting. Did you have to modify the hose end for the vent?

There's really nothing to photograph. The unit looks like this (actual picture of our aircon is somewhere on this thread):



The flexible hose (warm air exit) just gets pressed into the truckers vent on the lower passenger side wall of the garage, instead of the using the sash window insert pictured. Then you plug it in to the garage outlet and viola' - very cool garage

It is noteworthy to know about and avoid the dual hose portable aircon units...see:
http://portableairconditioner.review...r-conditioner/
The trucker vents prevents a good mounting spot for the second hose.

I noticed that Dan (BpK9Miami) had a very similar unit in his Outlaw that just sold at MHSRV...only it looked to be a much bigger (higher BTU) unit than I have(?). Probably made the garage like a meat locker as desired

Safe travels

[Bobcat12]

Originally Posted by Scarab0088

There's really nothing to photograph. The unit looks like this (actual picture of our aircon is somewhere on this thread):

Attachment 75662

The flexible hose (warm air exit) just gets pressed into the truckers vent on the lower passenger side wall of the garage, instead of the using the sash window insert pictured. Then you plug it in to the garage outlet and viola' - very cool garage

It is noteworthy to know about and avoid the dual hose portable aircon units...see:
http://portableairconditioner.review...r-conditioner/
The trucker vents prevents a good mounting spot for the second hose.

I noticed that Dan (BpK9Miami) had a very similar unit in his Outlaw that just sold at MHSRV...only it looked to be a much bigger (higher BTU) unit than I have(?). Probably made the garage like a meat locker as desired

Safe travels

We will try using the vent! Hope our unit is big enough to make the garage a meat locker, the dogs will love it!

[BpK9Miami]

Originally Posted by Bobcat12

We will try using the vent! Hope our unit is big enough to make the garage a meat locker, the dogs will love it!

Mine was an LG model 13,5 BTU AC / Heater combination unit on wheels. I ran the vent out the lower rear cent when in use behind the murphybed. And yes, winter was warm, summer was meat locker cool! It was probably one of the top three mods or additions I made to the unit and never regretted anything except waiting to long to do it. 😀

[MonkeyClaw]

Any pictures of sounds bars? I'm looking at getting a sound bar for the main TV since the stock speakers on the TV are garbage (as is the TV, but I'm not replacing that right now). It will probably have a wireless subwoofer that I will put under the dinette seat with the other subwoofer as there is an outlet down there already.

I'm looking for ideas on mounting the sound bar under the TV so I want to see how everyone else has done it.

Thanks!

[DGShaffer]

I installed one of those bracket-less shelves to hold mine. We used the same one in the house so having the wires visible was a compromise

[MonkeyClaw]

Thanks Don! The newer models have a different covering on the bottom, but I may be able to mount the bar directly to the bottom part and it won't be too intrusive.

I'm also going to run an HDMI cable from the side of the main TV to the dinette. This will allow watching shows from the laptop on the TV. I have a shorter one hooked up already for this but the cable is too short so it extends across the seating area.

[DGShaffer]

By covering, do you mean the wood surround they add around the small TV? What you see there is a 42" flat screen I put in.

I went through all that for the sound bar and then with help from the guys here I learned that the thing was supposed to work with the home theater already installed in the coach. It took a while but I finally figured out what was wrong and was able to remove the sound bar and enjoy the house sound system. The first movie I watched was one of the newer Transformer movies and I swear the MH was moving.

[JeffAZ]

"and I swear the MH was moving". With your 22K chassis, maybe it was!

Sorry Don, couldn't resist.

[MonkeyClaw]

Yes, I'm talking about the wood surround and relief above and below the TV. Mine came with a 40", although a newer 42" with the thinner bezel would probably fit fine. I'll investigate mounting the sound bar there.

So far as I can tell, there's no way to play movies, TV, etc. through the coach sound system. This may have been possible in older models but I don't see how it could be done in the present set up. I don't see any output wires going from anything in the AV cabinet to the coach stereo. I wonder if they changed this at some point?

[Scarab0088]

Originally Posted by DGShaffer

...I went through all that for the sound bar and then with help from the guys here I learned that the thing was supposed to work with the home theater already installed in the coach. It took a while but I finally figured out what was wrong and was able to remove the sound bar and enjoy the house sound system. The first movie I watched was one of the newer Transformer movies and I swear the MH was moving.

Hold-on one minute!

The Holy Grail of Outlaw Mods

I never heard this story before. Please share some details

My '07 has no capability for this, but I have decided to make this happen with a set of RCA Audio L/R cables from either the DVD-Out jacks on the BOMB or the RCA-Out on the SAT Receiver(?) -> to the Aux-in on the dash stereo. The leads will run down from the front/top cabinet - through the "A" pillar channel on the passenger side - to the dash radio. Selecting the proper input on the BOMB to match the TV "should" provide the correct audio...just hope the RCA Jacks and HDMI are sync'd close enough to work.

Thanks