In our previous installment of our bus automation system, we space planned and installed most of the major components for controlling our lights as well as wired and tested the outputs for the lights. It is now time to share the input side (buttons to control the lights) as well
Bus Automation Wiring for Lights Part 1
In our previous installment on bus automation, we had figured out how we were going to dim and control our lights using the ESP32 processors and some MOSFET boards we sourced from Amazon. We couldn't really use anything "off the shelf" (designed for home use at 120V AC) because we
A Solar Day: Flagstaff, Arizona - June 2022
One of the most common questions we receive is, “How are your solar and batteries working out now that you are traveling?” They worked awesome when we were doing our build in the middle of the desert in the Phoenix area. Traveling is different though. There are many more variables
Dash to the East - Part 2: Oklahoma to Indiana
After four days of driving, we had made it to Keystone State Lake Park near Tulsa, Oklahoma. Here, we spent the workweek mostly working but making a bit of time for fun. Then, we headed back out for another weekend of driving as we inched our way to Pennsylvania. We
Bathroom - Part 5: Testing the Plumbing & Finishing Touches
Finally, we were down to the last few finishing touches in the bathroom to call it done. Before we moved on, however, we needed to test the plumbing to check for leaks and also to see how the tankless water heater and recirculation valve would work. Then, we finally were
Bathroom - Part 4: Grout and Fixtures
The time had come to grout the penny tile and install the fixtures in the shower. We chose Ardex FL grout in the color Fresh Lily. The “FL” is their flexible grout, so we are hoping it holds up really well. We got great feedback from Justin over at Gilligan
Bathroom - Part 3: Planked Walls, Wallpaper, & Shower Trim
Please excuse our long absence here. As you all know, our blog posts and YouTube videos are pretty consistently a few months behind real life. Well, about a month ago we finished the bus and hit the road. As we continue to transition into this new lifestyle, we are still
Bathroom - Part 2: Tiling the Shower with Penny Round Tiles
After installing the KerdiBoard waterproofing backer boards, we were ready to tile. We chose white penny round tiles in an effort to tile the curve of the ceiling. It was only after we chose penny tiles that we found out they are pretty tricky to cut, fit, and install. With
Installing a Convection Microwave
Although all of the cabinet doors were installed and looking good, we had one area in the cabinetry that was left unfinished. The microwave space. For this quick project, we installed our convection microwave oven, securing it so it is safe for travel. Then, we built a surrounding trim piece
Cabinet Doors & Drawer Fronts: Part 2 - Ikea Hinges, Ikea Drawers, & Hardware
Last time, we built and began installing cabinet doors and drawer fronts. Today, we share how we finished installing the rest of the doors with IKEA Utrusta hinges, installed IKEA drawers, and put the finishing touch on with all of the handles.
For the upper cabinets in the kitchen, we
Cabinet Doors & Drawer Fronts: Part 1 - Prep, Hinge Testing, A Bit of Install
While building out the interior of the bus, we had chosen to wait on adding the cabinet doors and drawer fronts until we were closer to being finished. We knew that they would very likely become damaged while the bus was still a huge construction zone. Finally, the time had
A Simple Front Dash Area
Since the day we ripped off the old tan vinyl coverings from the dashboard and entry wall, we have been welcomed into the bus by chewed-up metal and aging defrost system. Last week, we shared the new defrost system, and today we finally get to share how we covered it