Welcome to the second entry in August’s Medium Mod Contest. One Medium Mod will be published in every Email Alert in August. At the end of the month, we’ll hold a reader vote to determine August’s winner. Click here for information about the 2020 Mod Contest, including how to enter.
Charles Coushaine, Punta Gorda, Florida
Upgrading A Keyless-Entry Electric RV Lock: No More Batteries!
2001 Ford F350
2012 Chalet DS116RB
I upgraded my keyless-entry electric RV door lock so that it will never need batteries again.
Instead of replacing four AA batteries every six months, I decided to hardwire a 12-volt to 6-volt inverter into the lock to power it from my house RV batteries. Constantly throwing away this many batteries is not a green way to live.
For this mod, I took out the battery contacts in my wireless RV door lock and soldered on a length of 18-2 wire. Then I carefully drilled a hole through the middle of my RV door so the wire could easily pass through toward the hinge.
The wire runs down the corner of the door jam and exits under the metal threshold plate on my inside doorsteps.
It is then run into my camper’s basement where it is connected to the 12-volt to 6-volt inverter, and then to the 12-volt power of my camper. The bulk of this work is running the wire through the camper so that the door does not pinch the wire.
To watch the entire installation, watch the video below:
This mod has been spectacular! The lock functions perfectly (both using the key fob and keypad) and will not require replacement batteries ever again!
My three large Group 27 AGM camper batteries coupled with my 300-watts of solar power will never even notice the minuscule power this lock requires. We are thrilled with this upgrade, and it represents one tiny step toward a greener world.
It took me eight hours to complete this modification and cost me $35. In my opinion, the skill level of this modification is medium.
Disclaimer: The modifications above are submitted by Truck Camper Magazine readers. It is your responsibility to make sure that any do-it-yourself modification project you undertake is safe, effective, and legal for your situation.
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If you’d like to enter a modification you’ve done on your truck camper, click here. You can enter as many mods as you want, at any time. Good luck mod makers!
