Jon's Escape 21 Modifications

[Vermilye]

Some of you have found my Escape 17 modification page useful, so I'm leaving it up even though I no longer have the trailer.

I have started a new page for the 21. I expect I will be adding to it.

[matt]

Thank you Jon. I appreciate you sharing those mods as well as your build photos that I just saw for the first time today. I hope you don't mind if I steal some of your ideas/modifications.
Merry Christmas.

[Vermilye]

Originally Posted by matt

Thank you Jon. I appreciate you sharing those mods as well as your build photos that I just saw for the first time today. I hope you don't mind if I steal some of your ideas/modifications.
Merry Christmas.

Borrow away! (Hate to call it stealing). You can see them at Quartzsite at the February rally...

[matt]

I wish I could go to Quartzite. It's only 4 hours from my house but I won't have my new Escape until May 24. We will be at the Escape Rally in May.

[Red Dog]

Jon, thanks for the links to your mods. I am interested in the Tri-Metric meter. Can you verify if this is the correct shunt you used on your rig?



Fred M.

[Greg A]

Originally Posted by matt

I wish I could go to Quartzite. It's only 4 hours from my house but I won't have my new Escape until May 24. We will be at the Escape Rally in May.

Hey Matt,
You don’t need your Trailer to come to Quartzsite. We’ve had many come in tents, sleep in their trucks, etc over the years. All are welcome in any shape or form.

[currinh]

Originally Posted by Red Dog

Jon, thanks for the links to your mods. I am interested in the Tri-Metric meter. Can you verify if this is the correct shunt you used on your rig?

Fred M.

Fred: I used a lower current shunt in our '19 with the Trimetric. I think I used a 100A shunt rather than the 500A. Better resolution and 100A should cover everything in an Escape. There is a setting in the Trimetric for the lower current shunt.

Hope this helps.

[Vermilye]

Originally Posted by currinh

Fred: I used a lower current shunt in our '19 with the Trimetric. I think I used a 100A shunt rather than the 500A. Better resolution and 100A should cover everything in an Escape. There is a setting in the Trimetric for the lower current shunt.

Hope this helps.

You can use either the 100 amp or 500 amp shunt (during the set up you choose the shunt size). I chose the 500 amp because the microwave draws 95 amps, which is close to the 100 amp limit. I haven't felt limited by the lower resolution.

[Red Dog]

Originally Posted by Vermilye

You can use either the 100 amp or 500 amp shunt (during the set up you choose the shunt size). I chose the 500 amp because the microwave draws 95 amps, which is close to the 100 amp limit. I haven't felt limited by the lower resolution.

Thanks currinh and Jon for your responses. Looks like I have to do more research on “lower/higher resolution”. I am not sure what that is all about, but it is fun learning!


Fred M.

[Vermilye]

Originally Posted by Red Dog

Thanks currinh and Jon for your responses. Looks like I have to do more research on “lower/higher resolution”. I am not sure what that is all about, but it is fun learning!


Fred M.

Here is the shunt info from the on line technical manual. Note the suggested amperage limit for the 100 amp shunt is 70 amps (less than the microwave draws).

"A shunt (an accurate, very low resistance power resistor) must be wired into your battery system as described in section B of these instructions, shown on the wiring diagram page 8. The “amps” shown on the meter measures whatever current passes through this shunt—so it must be wired in series with the wire which carries the current to be measured. The shunt is almost always installed between the negative terminal of the battery and all the loads and charging sources (see Figure 1 on page 7.) It is located near the batteries, since the high current carrying wires must be kept short.

The TriMetric meter measures the current ("amps") by measuring the very small voltage drop across this shunt. The voltage drop across the shunt is very small—with the 500A/50mV shunt it is equivalent to only a 2 foot additional length of 0000 gauge cable in series with your main wiring.

TriMetric maximum current capability: The TriMetric meter itself will measure current (amps) properly up to 999 amps with a 500A/50 mV shunt. With the 100A/100 mV shunt the meter measurements will be OK up to 300 amps. However, at these currents the shunt is going to get too hot. The typical 500A/50mV shunt will be OK up to 420 amps. The typical 100A/100A shunt will be OK up to 70 amps maximum. These are charging or discharging amps values, NOT amp hour numbers.

MORE SHUNT INFORMATION
There are two choices of shunt, depending on your system size: the 500A/50mV or 100A/100mV size. Most systems
will use the 500 amp-50 mV shunt. This gives an “ampere” resolution as low as 0.1 amp and will read to a steady 430 amps before the shunt overheats. For smaller systems (with 12V systems with inverter 800 watts or less) you could use a 100A/100mV shunt It has the advantage that you can read currents as low as 0.01 amp, however has the 70 amp maximum amp limitation noted above. The correct shunt must be programmed as described in section C2 on page 6

Technical note: It is only the shunt ratio between amps to mV. which is important to the meter--so, for example, a 200 amp- 200 mV. shunt can, from the meter's point of view, be considered equivalent to the 100 amp-100 mV shunt. The implication, when a shunt is rated at "100 amps-100 mV." is that it may safely carry up to 100 amps maximum--however in many cases so- called "100 amp" shunts will not carry this much without overheating. For more information see application note on the Bogart Engineering web site under SUPPORT/APPLICATION NOTES entitled: Shunt Info."

[currinh]

Originally Posted by Vermilye

You can use either the 100 amp or 500 amp shunt (during the set up you choose the shunt size). I chose the 500 amp because the microwave draws 95 amps, which is close to the 100 amp limit. I haven't felt limited by the lower resolution.

Jon: You're right, either can be used without much difference. I'd go for the 100A if it doesn't push the limits. Are you using an inverter from the battery bank to run the microwave? If you are running high current appliances from the batteries the 500A may make sense. We don't have an inverter and the highest current loads are the furnace blower and water pump. These don't come close to 70A.

The shunt only measures current into and out of the batteries. Think about what you're using battery power for and decide from that. I don't think there would be any high current loads unless an inverter is involved? What are the current limits of an inverter?

My story and I'm sticking to it, until convinced otherwise. :-)

Thanks.

[MyronL]

Jon, excuse this brief shunt to the outside of your thread line but... since I think you are very familiar with the area... I have a quick question for you:

Come late January will be going to San Diego (and hope to loop back to the Quartzsite Rally) but, I can't find any info on camping grounds off I-8 from Yuma, AZ to El Centro, CA. Is there anything along this route you could recommend for a quick overnight?

Thanks. Merry Christmas!

[Mary F]

Wow, Myron. Nice pic of the Santa Fe plaza!

[MyronL]

Thanks much, Mary. (Was hoping for snow.)

[Tin]

Originally Posted by MyronL

Jon, excuse this brief shunt to the outside of your thread line but... since I think you are very familiar with the area... I have a quick question for you:

Come late January will be going to San Diego (and hope to loop back to the Quartzsite Rally) but, I can't find any info on camping grounds off I-8 from Yuma, AZ to El Centro, CA. Is there anything along this route you could recommend for a quick overnight?

Thanks. Merry Christmas!

Hi Myron,
If you are just looking to park free for the night, Quechan Casino has a dirt lot in the back you can stay for the night free. further west there is Dune buggy Flats, Midway campground I think BLM land ? May need permit, but.. if your just staying the night Well you know. Just before Holtville there is BLM Hot Springs LTVA. Hope this helps there are some RV parks scattered about if you need hook ups, and litterly hundreds of places you can just boondock if you are familiar with the area. Good luck and happy camping.
Tin.

[MyronL]

Once I get to Yuma I now can choose from four of your suggestions, as time and road fatigue allows. Thanks, Tin, that's a big help, just what I needed.

[Red Dog]

Back to the shunt topic...
After reading through the posted info, I think I should use the 500 Amp shunt because I have the 1500 Watt inverter.

Thanks again for helping me think this through.


Fred M.

[Ron in BC]

Originally Posted by Red Dog

Back to the shunt topic...
After reading through the posted info, I think I should use the 500 Amp shunt because I have the 1500 Watt inverter.

Thanks again for helping me think this through.


Fred M.

I've always used 100 amp shunts in boats and trailers with 1500 watt, and even in my Scamp, a 3000 watt inverter, without any problem. My largest load at any one time is my microwave.

Ron

[Chotch]

Thinking about the fence post ladder carrier and curious as to how you connected to frame.

[Vermilye]

Originally Posted by Chotch

Thinking about the fence post ladder carrier and curious as to how you connected to frame.

There are a number of ways. In my case I machine screwed a piece of 2"X2X to the frame of the trailer, then lag bolted (with fender washers to spread out the weight) the 5" tube to the 2'X2". You need a short handled socket wrench to fit inside the tube...