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Old 12-06-2009, 07:17 PM   #5
Chuck v
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2009
Posts: 1,026
Default lighting improvements, storage improvements

Hi all,

I am a new member here, have a 2007 Tourmaster T40C which I bought this spring with about 8,500 miles on it. Been doing a few little improvements and just found this site. Lots of good information here, and I have quite a bit of reading to do...

Here are a couple of things other owners might find useful:
"Candlelight" dining: First is a simple modification that gives the desired ?mood? level of lighting we were seeking. The three lamps in the dining room fixture are normally wired in parallel and each lamp operates at the full 12 volts for which they are rated. The addition of a simple two pole toggle switch allows the choice of either the original parallel wiring or a series wiring that operates each bulb at only 4 volts. This reduces the total light output of the fixture from the original 54 watts to something on the order of 6 watts or less, and the color of the light is changed from a harsh white to a warm yellow glow. Selecting the on/off state of the fixture itself is still controlled by the existing wall switch.

The switch is a miniature unit that fits in the center of the mounting plate of the fixture as shown in the picture below. Be sure to use quality crimp connectors and good soldering techniques, as the movement and vibration of a vehicle application is a bit more demanding than normal house wiring techniques.


Here is a wiring diagram that shows the details of how the switch provides the ability to change from the series to parallel connection of the lamps. The red wire in the photo is the (+) wire in the diagram, and the blue wire is the (-) terminal.


I also just today chanced the wooden storage bin under the desk to a slightly larger plastic one that can accept 3 ring binders as the wife likes to organize all our information documents that way. The original box was attached to the cabinet door with a thin sheet of plywood, and the sides of the box were pulling loose -- so it was time to do an improvement. I got the plastic bin from Staples, their item number 128-940. Now the bin is stronger, larger and lighter than the original!

Well, I see trying to attach the photos does not work, must they be moved to a picture server to show here?? Is there another way to just place them in-line with the text?? Sorry, the pictures add a great deal to these descriptions...let me know how best to provide them.

Chuck
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2007 Tour Master T40C
Acura MDX toad

"It takes a great deal of time to recover from any improvement..."
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