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Old 06-26-2015, 12:28 AM   #1
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Drop it like it's hot! ***12v Drops***

All right all you intelligent people out there, hopefully you can help me out once again. I'm not getting the inverter, it's too expensive and I don't use a hair dryer. So I'm adding some more 12v plugs in my rig. I also asked ETI to put some in the upper cabinets in case I want to put some lights in there. They said they don't put plugs in cabinets, they just do drops. Should I put the drops in? How many? Also, how many extra plugs should I put in the rig? Where should I put them? I think I have three right now, 2 being the usb combo plugs.

thanks!
e
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Old 06-26-2015, 12:45 AM   #2
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Some think that one can not have too many drops or 12V plugs. You should asked yourself how many appliances do you want to run (or charge up) and how many at the same time. (I have two 12V outlets, one at each end of the trailer and have only used one of them.) Again, with the 12V drops...these are for lights in the upper cabinets. Do you need a light in each cabinet? Only you can answer that question. I have only one "dark" upper cabinet and I threw a puck light in there. Good enough for me.

It's all about how you expect to use your trailer. Some folks are minimalists and some folks like to have every convenience. There are no wrong choices.
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Old 06-26-2015, 12:49 AM   #3
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Originally Posted by KarenH View Post
Some think that one can not have too many drops or 12V plugs. You should asked yourself how many appliances do you want to run (or charge up) and how many at the same time. (I have two 12V outlets, one at each end of the trailer and have only used one of them.) Again, with the 12V drops...these are for lights in the upper cabinets. Do you need a light in each cabinet? Only you can answer that question. I have only one "dark" upper cabinet and I threw a puck light in there. Good enough for me.

It's all about how you expect to use your trailer. Some folks are minimalists and some folks like to have every convenience. There are no wrong choices.
What else could I use the drops for? This is why I'm asking. I have no experience camping in a trailer. I don't know what I need or want yet.
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Old 06-26-2015, 12:57 AM   #4
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Here's a pic of a puck light in an upper cabinet...no 12V drop needed for me. Some folks choose 12V lights with auto-switches that go on when the door is opened.

Edited: I should have said "choose to install 12V lights" as ETI does not do that; the 12V drops provide the connection for the buyer to install them.
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Old 06-26-2015, 01:01 AM   #5
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I added a 12V drop on each side with cabinets, mainly for lighting futures. Also one under the bed for light in the storage area, and one on each side for a 12V compressor to reach the tires.
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Old 06-26-2015, 01:09 AM   #6
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The drops would be to power a light you may install later, or maybe an audio system.
Like Karen, I have a couple battery powered LED puck lights. One is in the fridge, on the door, and I think I'll remove it tomorrow, since it only occupies space. I've never held the door open long enough to turn it on. Besides, the beer is in the bottom right.
I have another in the cupboard where we keep spices, peanut butter, coffee filters etc. I don't normally have the patience to turn it on and then find what I'm looking for. Rummaging around seems to work most of the time.
The puck light I use the most is just inside the bathroom door at about shoulder level. I open the door and grab the door frame and my hand naturally falls on that puck light. In the middle of the night, half asleep it helps me find the switch for the main light in the bath.
I'd love to have lights in the cupboards that turn on when you open the door, but I've no plans to install them.
If it's not too costly to have the drops wired, it might be worth it to you.
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Old 06-26-2015, 01:12 AM   #7
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Think eti charged me $25/drop
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Old 06-26-2015, 01:14 AM   #8
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Think eti charged me $25/drop
That's two dozen beer.
Priorities please.
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Old 06-26-2015, 01:20 AM   #9
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$20 for 3-5 puck lights.
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Old 06-26-2015, 02:13 AM   #10
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The drops have come in handy for powering my Sleek cradle and some lighting. If you don't foresee a need for power in that cabinet in the future, don't add the drop. If so, having Escape add the drop is much easier than adding it later.
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Old 06-26-2015, 02:36 AM   #11
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Quote:
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That's two dozen beer.
Priorities please.
You must drink the cheap stuff
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Old 06-26-2015, 06:11 AM   #12
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What trailer are you getting? it would help if you change your settings to reflect it. You could get specific info on what cabinets need lighting if we knew.

On my 5.0TA we find 2 12v outlets inside enough. 1 near the table, one near a convenient spot for charging phones and such. Unconventionally we have one outside too.

12 volt lighting drops. While I did not order any, I ran wire from existing lights to 2 of our cabinets that needed such, the rest are fine without. In our case it is the cabinet between the door and loft, the other being the closet. For the closet I added lights above and below the shelf.
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Old 06-26-2015, 07:08 AM   #13
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To me, part of the fun part in modifying your trailer is making it "yours" versus having something everyone else has but not necessarily what you want. Trying to figure out how to add a 12v light or outlet is not that hard as most locations have one nearby that is easily accessible. If not nearby, then that is where the fun begins. Unless you have used a similar model and know, "I want something right here" then I would wait and then decide later. Adding a lot of needless wires for "just in case" scenario, is expensive.
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Old 06-26-2015, 07:41 AM   #14
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Combo Plug

Quote:
2 being the usb combo plugs
The combo plug we are discussing is a combination 110 outlet and two usb connections. I do not have these outlets but would expect they need to have two sets of wires running to them, the standard household 110 volt and the 12 volt used throughout the Escape trailer. Correct me if I am wrong.

I have some question about the value of these USB combo plugs. The advantage of these plugs is they eliminate the need for the adapter, just plug in the usb cable and you are set to go.

Here is the dilemma, some usb devices want to charge at different rates. Lets take Apple products for an example since they are common. The Apple products take different adapters and use different current. See the table below. I would expect that a combo plug would be using the lowest or safest current rate, unless it is intelligent or auto sensing. I use a 12 volt adapter made by Powergen that is dual port for Apple and Non Apple devices and auto sensing. It charges at the fastest rate the device allows.

There is not risk of damage with a combo plug, it is just you may be charging an iPad at the slowest rate. My iPad seems to take a long long time to charge, even using the Apple supplied adapter. I would not want to make it slower.

Can anyone comment on what the model and specifications of the ETI provided combo plug might be?
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Apple Charge Rates.JPG   12 volt charger.jpg  
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Old 06-26-2015, 08:19 AM   #15
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Originally Posted by padlin View Post
What trailer are you getting? it would help if you change your settings to reflect it. You could get specific info on what cabinets need lighting if we knew.

On my 5.0TA we find 2 12v outlets inside enough. 1 near the table, one near a convenient spot for charging phones and such. Unconventionally we have one outside too.

12 volt lighting drops. While I did not order any, I ran wire from existing lights to 2 of our cabinets that needed such, the rest are fine without. In our case it is the cabinet between the door and loft, the other being the closet. For the closet I added lights above and below the shelf.

I have a 19 footer on order
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Old 06-26-2015, 08:45 AM   #16
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I believe the combo plug ETI installs is the 12v round and 2 USB 12v plugs, there are combo 120v and USB plugs but I did not think ETI uses them as they require a deeper electrical box. As far as draw, I sopped trying to figure out the 2.1 vs the 1.0 USB and just plug in and leave until fully charged, one just takes longer than the other.
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Old 06-26-2015, 09:08 AM   #17
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Back to puck lights. We recently installed a puck light in our bath that is motion activated. Bought it at IKEA for under $10. So far it's working well and is perfect for those late night visits.
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Old 06-26-2015, 09:22 AM   #18
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Couple of points. Combo 120v/USB only need the 120v connection, they have the converter built in for the USB voltage.

USB voltage is 5v

I've been emailing with Crystal about 12v outlets and drops. The lighting wiring is 16G and the drops come off those.

The 12v outlets installed use 14G wire. They will not do 12v drops with 14G.

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Old 06-26-2015, 05:36 PM   #19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by erikcampbell View Post
What else could I use the drops for? This is why I'm asking. I have no experience camping in a trailer. I don't know what I need or want yet.
We tapped into one of the light fixtures in the bed area to add a 12 volt outlet to plug in two CPAP machines...
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Old 06-26-2015, 05:36 PM   #20
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We are told that ETI only has USBs with the 12Vs. We have added some of those.
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