Lenny's Modding the new Mini Gin Palace 2

[Northernraider]

Finally got around to sorting out the stupid central locking, it auto relocks and there is no way of disabling it. When it relocks it can be anything from 15 sec to 1 min., got around it by leaving the hab door open so the contacts aren't made until it relocks and then only the cab door locks. Not much fun when it's freezing or peeing down.

I've fitted a switch inline with the hab door solenoid on the side of the door, so now I can unlock the van flip the switch knowing the hab door will stay unlocked.

View attachment 988642

I was talking to an anglo German couple yesterday who also had an n&b Flair but a 2018 model , they'd had problems with their central locking too and it had locked them out the van . They had to call a mobile locksmith out , I couldn't quite understand him but he said the locksmith somehow got it open by fiddling with something under the van ... that was a new one on me.


I've still not tried the central locking on mine , it was disconnected when I bought it and I've not touched it. But I'm curious to see if it works or not.
But mine covers every hatch and door bar the gas locker and cassette door

 

[Lenny HB]

I was talking to an anglo German couple yesterday who also had an n&b Flair but a 2018 model , they'd had problems with their central locking too and it had locked them out the van . They had to call a mobile locksmith out , I couldn't quite understand him but he said the locksmith somehow got it open by fiddling with something under the van ... that was a new one on me.


I've still not tried the central locking on mine , it was disconnected when I bought it and I've not touched it. But I'm curious to see if it works or not.
But mine covers every hatch and door bar the gas locker and cassette door

On ours you can open the cab door with just a hab key but it's a pain getting in if the seats are swivelled.

 

[Northernraider]

On ours you can open the cab door with just a hab key but it's a pain getting in if the seats are swivelled.

Nae good if your keys are inside the van though which is what he'd done. I recommended he hide a key somewhere on the van in case it happens again

 

[Rollingwheels]

Finally got around to sorting out the stupid central locking, it auto relocks and there is no way of disabling it. When it relocks it can be anything from 15 sec to 1 min., got around it by leaving the hab door open so the contacts aren't made until it relocks and then only the cab door locks. Not much fun when it's freezing or peeing down.

I've fitted a switch inline with the hab door solenoid on the side of the door, so now I can unlock the van flip the switch knowing the hab door will stay unlocked.

View attachment 988642

We have a Le Voyageur that did the same thing, in the end it was wired wrong in the body connection block by the drivers side footwell, Phil at Pullingers talked me through it after I sent some photos to him, saved a three hour drive up there.

 

[Peavy]

Lenny HB, Is the Fiat converters manual of any help with this central locking issue? Shouldn't be the same in the Carthago vans?

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[HengistPod]

Finally got around to sorting out the stupid central locking, it auto relocks and there is no way of disabling it. When it relocks it can be anything from 15 sec to 1 min., got around it by leaving the hab door open so the contacts aren't made until it relocks and then only the cab door locks. Not much fun when it's freezing or peeing down.

I've fitted a switch inline with the hab door solenoid on the side of the door, so now I can unlock the van flip the switch knowing the hab door will stay unlocked.

View attachment 988642

Very interested in doing this. Before I start undoing and cutting (inevitably the wrong) wires, would you have a step by step idiot’s guide please?

 

[WESTY66]

How long they being doing this locking lark on carthagos? Mine never relocks Looks like I dodged a bullet

 

[Lenny HB]

Very interested in doing this. Before I start undoing and cutting (inevitably the wrong) wires, would you have a step by step idiot’s guide please?

It's very easy:-

Remove the panels on the door.

Select where you want the switch & drill the hole for it, I used a stepped cone cutter, for the small round switches it's 20mm dia.

There are only two wires going to the solenoid, cut one of them and extend both ends to the switch position, I used Wago connectors to join the wires.

I used cable ties with s/a bases to keep the cables out of the way of the mechanisms, I added superglue to the bases as the s/a often fails within a couple of years.

 

[Lenny HB]

How long they being doing this locking lark on carthagos? Mine never relocks Looks like I dodged a bullet

Would know but my mates 2018 E Line didn't do it.

 

[Lenny HB]

Lenny HB, Is the Fiat converters manual of any help with this central locking issue? Shouldn't be the same in the Carthago vans?
View attachment 989110 View attachment 989111

If it is where it is shown in that drawing it will be a nightmare to get at in an A Class.

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[Rollingwheels]

If it is where it is shown in that drawing it will be a nightmare to get at in an A Class.

Ours was a bugger they have a clear access panel from inside the gas locker, I needed as Micky Flanagan put it when he went for his prostate exam,Jeremy Beatles hands not Ray Clemence.

 

[Peavy]

If it is where it is shown in that drawing it will be a nightmare to get at in an A Class.

I agree. In a PVC is really easy. I had a peak and found out Adria uses the 6th pin from the connection (side door status signal) but I don't know what for.

 

[HengistPod]

It's very easy:-

Remove the panels on the door.

Select where you want the switch & drill the hole for it, I used a stepped cone cutter, for the small round switches it's 20mm dia.

There are only two wires going to the solenoid, cut one of them and extend both ends to the switch position, I used Wago connectors to join the wires.

I used cable ties with s/a bases to keep the cables out of the way of the mechanisms, I added superglue to the bases as the s/a often fails within a couple of years.

Thank very much. I’ll give it a go. Presumably a very low current so small csa conductor will do to extend the wires?

 

[Lenny HB]

Thank very much. I’ll give it a go. Presumably a very low current so small csa conductor will do to extend the wires?

Yes, and it only pulses for a second, I used 16/0.2 mm (0.5mm sq) that was bigger than necessary just happened to have a reel of it.

 

[Lenny HB]

Here's one I did eairler, actually did it while we were in Spain.

We always set the hot water on the timer so we have hot water when we get up.
A heating vent pipe runs along the side of of each bed and the head of the bed.
With just the hot water one the right hand bed was getting very hot.

It was just heat rising from the boiler which is under the fridge at the end of the bed so only a short pipe run from from boiler.
With the heating on it was like a sauna. Never had a German van with a hot bedroom before normally quite cool.

A crude simple easy fix.

Here is the the joint is where the pipe reduces to a smaller size before going along the side of the bed.

The fix.

A piece of aluminium foil with a few holes punched in it.
Works a treat restricts the flow now no noticeable heat with just the hot water on but allows enough warm air through to heat the bed area with the heating on.

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[Lenny HB]

No photos on this one just an update on some changes I've made to the mains wiring in the last couple of days.

When I installed the Multiplus I found the kitchen socket & the fridge were on the same circuit and I couldn't find where they were connected.
This meant every time we stopped had to switch the fridge to gas manually, otherwise when using the inverter the fridge would run from the inverter on 230v. Also too easy to drive off with the fridge on gas which is not good.

Now found out where the circuits were connected, behind a panel behind the Truma Combi impossible to get at without taking the Combi out.
So I disconnected the socket and insulated the cable and ran a new cable back to the consumer unit connecting the socket to the RCBO on the inverter output.
Then wired the original cable to the MCB that is direct from the mains input.
So the fridge can now be left on Auto.

2"nd problem I left the heater wired direct to the mains input so the heater couldn't be run off the inverter.
Now this created a bit of a problem, when on a 5 amp hook up with the input of the Multplus set to 5 amp. What happens is if you have a load plugged into a socket of say 4 amps and the heater on 1 (900 watts approx 4 amps) so we now have 4 amps feeding through the Multiplus on mains bypass plus the 4 amps for the heater direct from the mains input a total of 8 amps, so the 5 amp EHU MCB trips. Dho!
I have rewired the heater to the Multiplus output problem solved.

The fridge only takes approx 0.75 amps on mains, so when on EHU I'll set Multiplus input to 1 amp less than the rated supply current to avoid any problems.

 

[daimlermg]

Now found out where the circuits were connected, behind a panel behind the Truma Combi impossible to get at without taking the Combi out

How did you get the wood frontage off from in front of the Truma Comdi.? I have given it a tentative tug but was too nervous to pull hard on it. it feels like there are some retainers halfway up the panel on both sides, not the usual Velcro.

 

[MichaelT]

How did you get the wood frontage off from in front of the Truma Comdi.? I have given it a tentative tug but was too nervous to pull hard on it. it feels like there are some retainers halfway up the panel on both sides, not the usual Velcro.

On my 143 it's 2 sets of spring clips and the bottom sits in a recess so tug from the top.

 

[AdrianChen]

On our boats stuff like fridge, heating, washing machine, etc all came off the second output from the combi so only powered when on ehu. At the moment on the van I have all but an old cbe charger running through the multis main output, and the charger off the second, but might refine that.....

 

[Lenny HB]

How did you get the wood frontage off from in front of the Truma Comdi.? I have given it a tentative tug but was too nervous to pull hard on it. it feels like there are some retainers halfway up the panel on both sides, not the usual Velcro.

Just a sharp tug, no recess at the bottom on mine. Had it fall off on rough tracks but that may have been me not clipping it on properly.

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[daimlermg]

Thanks feeling a bit braver I’ve been out and pulled this off. All good now thanks

 

[AdrianChen]

Much left on your list Lenny?

 

[Minxy]

Much left on your list Lenny?

It'll be Alexa controllers next!

 

[Lenny HB]

Much left on your list Lenny?

Quite a lot, was going to wire the original B2B just to the fridge but Carthago wiring
So I'm now going to reinstall it with a switch inline with the D+ so when I need extra charging I can turn it on.

I have a Raspberry Pi with touch screen running Venus OS to fit but the company that does the UART to USB hubs is out of stock at the moment.

Hoping to set up the fridge to run from 12v when plenty of battery power and solar, using the programmable relay in the BMV712 and a timer to switch the S+ on the fridge.

Electric waste valve.

Service camera.

Front cameras.

I'm sure there are loads of other things to do but can't remember.

 

[AdrianChen]

Quite a lot, was going to wire the original B2B just to the fridge but Carthago wiring
So I'm now going to reinstall it with a switch inline with the D+ so when I need extra charging I can turn it on.

I have a Raspberry Pi with touch screen running Venus OS to fit but the company that does the UART to USB hubs is out of stock at the moment.

Hoping to set up the fridge to run from 12v when plenty of battery power and solar, using the programmable relay in the BMV712 and a timer to switch the S+ on the fridge.

Electric waste valve.

Service camera.

Front cameras.

I'm sure there are loads of other things to do but can't remember.

I like the fridge ideas, at the moment I cheat and leave mine on 240v through the inverter, so loose a bit of efficiency, but I decided not to add my old 30amp Orion since I was concerned about the total of 80amps coming off the alternator - perhaps I shouldn't have worried. But it would be nice to improve the efficiency and use 12v.

Would like cameras on my grey and black outlets, so look forward to seeing that bit, and the front camera - its the one thing I find difficult to judge when I'm in a tight spot, so end up doing more 10 point turns than needed.

I need to make a New Years Resolution to get on with some of this stuff.......

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[pandas]

Quite a lot, was going to wire the original B2B just to the fridge but Carthago wiring
So I'm now going to reinstall it with a switch inline with the D+ so when I need extra charging I can turn it on.

I have a Raspberry Pi with touch screen running Venus OS to fit but the company that does the UART to USB hubs is out of stock at the moment.

Hoping to set up the fridge to run from 12v when plenty of battery power and solar, using the programmable relay in the BMV712 and a timer to switch the S+ on the fridge.

Electric waste valve.

Service camera.

Front cameras.

I'm sure there are loads of other things to do but can't remember.

I personally wouldn't bother with an electric waste valve and camera, ours went wrong and have been told it is quite a common fault - happy with manual replacement but it does mean you have to go outside! Have you commissioned your semi air yet? We used Rosmia in Bolney years ago and they were pretty good and local. Ops sorry you are probably doing it yourself.

 

[Lenny HB]

I like the fridge ideas, at the moment I cheat and leave mine on 240v through the inverter, so loose a bit of efficiency, but I decided not to add my old 30amp Orion since I was concerned about the total of 80amps coming off the alternator - perhaps I shouldn't have worried. But it would be nice to improve the efficiency and use 12v.

Your alternator will be 160 or 170 amp, with the basic chassis pack (can't buy without) includes uprated alternator.

 

[Lenny HB]

I personally wouldn't bother with an electric waste valve and camera, ours went wrong and have been told it is quite a common fault - happy with manual replacement but it does mean you have to go outside! Have you commissioned your semi air yet? We used Rosmia in Bolney years ago and they were pretty good and local. Ops sorry you are probably doing it yourself.

Had an electric waste on the last van as standard and cost me 10 quid to fit a camera, no problems in 7 years.
If you could see the crap arrangement Carthago use for the waste tap you would know why I want to change it.

 

[AdrianChen]

Your alternator will be 160 or 170 amp, with the basic chassis pack (can't buy without) includes uprated alternator.

Mmm, when I put the upgraded cable in from the front to the back (for the Orion XS), I will have a 16mm one spare.....

 

[Lenny HB]

It'll be Alexa controllers next!

And why not.

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