Hello folks, we are developing MXIO: asmall module to use CherryMX type mechanical keyboard switches for use in cars.

We had great feedback in the Miata sub, and someone told us people building campers might also be interested.

The basic idea of MXIO is a PCB that translates the keyboard-switch input and output into 12 volt input and output. There’s a small dipswitch on the board so that you can switch between momentary or not. The keyboard switches are hot swappable, so you would be able to use any keyboard switch you want, though we think some might be more suitable than others. Kailh Box Navy is on top of our shortlist at the moment because of the force required to push it, and the click bar.

We are building it as a modular system. Each MXIO module is for a single button. You can configure them however you want. A single (and very lonely) button, or a huge panel. We will provide some housings, but also the dimensions and an STL so that people can create housings, casing, or whatever they need.

Although the first prototype works, there is still work to be done. For now I was hoping to get some feedback from you guys.

What are you using now, and what do you like or dislike about it?

Would something like this be useful in your build? What would you control with it

What would we need to change or demonstrate before you’d consider using it? Things like power consumption when idle, moisture resistance, mounting depth, clear on/off indication or something we haven’t thought of.

Would love to hear your thoughts.

So I didn't quite plan out my solar connections properly and now looking at it, I have two female positive connectors and two male connectors. I was planning on just getting an extension mc4 cable but they typically come with a male and female end on both the positive and negative wires. What can I do here?

Turned out great.

I used scrap baltic birch 1/2" birch ply measured to fit the upper drawer area. I cut out the eva foam so that i had a 1cm border around the wood panel. The foam decking itself is sticky backed and it applys to the wood panel easily. I used a tablesaw to cut the foam sqaurly with the panel edging.

I used shoe dye on the cuts. Then pressed hot beeswax into the pours of the wood. I polished the edges with a scrsp piece of terrycloth until the edge is uniformly buffed.

I used another scrap piece of terrycloth to clean the wax off the foam face and back of panel.

The drill bit rounds off the mounting points front and back.

Also, i was half thinking of getting a water bag with handles. I'm sure they make one. So it can double as backup emergency water source, and i guess i could do most of the exercises i'm currently doing.

Not US so a big chain gym membership isn't really an option.

Loved my RUTX50, but since the series is being discontinued I'm looking for a solid replacement. I still have a few years of support left, but want to plan ahead.

Upload speed and reliable connectivity are crucial since I upload video content on the road. What are you guys using?

Thank you for sharing. Have many great trips ahead!

It stopped working last night, ignition failure, after 1.2 years of usage. Had to sleep inside blanket.

Already ordered another 2 diesel heater for $74 each, but it won’t be here for couple days.

I don’t want to sleep cold tonight, so I decide to open it for cleaning maybe I can revive it after cleaning up, nothing to lose i fail. I don’t have any parts, I basically followed this video, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1dvAC4aRcTw.

4 nuts on the mount plate

unplug a 3 pin and a 4 pin from the circuit board

1+1+4+4 Allen key bolts

12mm wrench for the glow plug

Cleaned soot with oven cleaner. Especially the hole in P16, which has the filter inside, I think it was clogged like the YouTube video mentioned.

The second gasket is burnt, I used Permatex red gasket sealant to seal it. It will dissolve in diesel but I don‘t have a choice I don’t want to sleep without heater again tonight.

After putting everything together, it worked. Took about 4 hours for a first timer

Sorry if this is under the wrong flair I don’t really understand this

What’s up I’m currently 15 and have been very recently introduced to vanlife through my sad doomscrolling. I absolutely love nature and ever since I found out about this possible life style, I havnt wanted anything else. I do live in Florida so I’m a new driver with a permit but I want to start setting this up so I can live on the road. I’m a pretty smart not to toot my own horn but taking plenty of hard classes. I only ever had one thing I wanted to do but I am unable to do it due to colorblindness(I can still drive it’s not that bad) now I’ve seen people use anywhere from a ford cab with a back top to someone who renovated a 26ft box truck. I’m very hands on and not sure where to start in my current predicament. I have a small job making about 1k a month but I plan on starting up some kind of manual labor thing for my own thing for some money. Any tips or suggestions for what to do are AMAZING.

Yes, I've also posted this in another subreddit but it won't let me just shared it here so here it goes..

I've been wanting to live and travel in a van for yeeeaaars.. it was a money thing and then a not being able to find a van that wasn't stupid expensive after the prices shot up due to the popularity. I've spent that time doing research day after day and I've finally settled on my perfect build.

Today is the day.. I found a van yesterday that needs some work but it's only going to make this van feel more like ✨️*mine✨️.* I got them down almost $4k from their asking price. The bank was closed yesterday for Indigenous People's/ Columbus Day and I was devastated but it's open today and I'm heading in to either collect cash or a check as soon as they open to finally make my dreams come true and buy/build my first ever home.

I have two dogs who I take on regular road trips to camp/hike in the mountains in my teeny tiny car with a seat extender. They love and always look forward to our trips. I can't wait! I think they will adjust easily since we'll be outside most days staying active anyway. Don't worry, if they don't adjust well, I will only be using my van for short trips and will put traveling full- time on the back burner until I will be alone again. I will not force them into something they're not comfortable with but I'm sure they're going to love it.

I've been sick with excitement/ nervousness since seeing the van yesterday. Please, any encouragement or tips will be greatly appreciated. I'm confident in my building but still super nervous about electrical/ solar panels.

Thank you for taking the time to read! I hope you all either get to or are having the best time living your dreams, too! 🩷

I know a lot of us respect and recommend Will Prowse for battery and solar info. He and a partner just launched a new review website.

It's takes a lot of the info from his videos and combines it with official data sheets, manuals, warranties, price history, and only allows confirmed purchasers to review products. So no shill reviews and reviews can't get deleted/hidden. It also tracks manufacturers and distributors so they can't hide behind switching brand names.

I think one of the most useful features for a lot us is they have a search option to sort solar panels by dimensions and output. I know I spent weeks trying to find panels with the perfect dimensions to efficiently fill my roof and even longer trying find a replacement a few years later after I broke one.

It is brand new, so not many reviews yet, but does have the data for a large number of products.

*adding that in the release video he says it does work with AI, but it is locally hosted. They also get affiliate compensation on some purchases, but no ads.

I can't for the life of me find out how to put this into priming mode online and my heater came without a manual. (LF-Bros ES5.0 5KW 12V Parking Diesel Heater if that matters. I think the controller is a T2). I have a tiny little air bubble in the line. This happened last year, but I'm unable to contact the person that fixed it. I tried to squeeze the line and push it through but my fingers are not strong and I'm worried any tool would rip the hose. I've tried cold starting it to run the line probably 20 times and the air bubble won't move. I've determined I need to put it into priming mode, but every manual says to press the power and "time" button. There's no such button 😭

We’ve had our new build van for about 2.5 years and the webasto evo40 heater stopped working. The original builders are saying this isn’t covered by warranty and standard for 600 hours of run time.

They quoted $1600 to fix it. ($600 parts, $1000 labor). We’ve had a lot of issues with their work so I feel like this is probably a rip off. Curious if anyone can confirm or knows of a good van maintenance shop on the front range in Colorado.

I’m currently designing my van build for a Peugeot Boxer L3H2 (Diesel). For some context I want to be able to take it on skiing trips in Europe, so want it fully winterised with an interior shower/drying room.

I was originally planning to mount a 16kg underslung LPG tank and connect that up to a gas Truma Combi Boiler. The gas would also be used for the hob.

Now I’m considering getting a diesel Truma Combi and ditching gas altogether. I’ve already planned to include 600ah of self heating lithium batteries which should be sufficient to run an induction hob and my other appliances for a while. I will be able to charge these with solar/battery to battery/shore power.

Does anyone have any advice on the pros/cons of each option? Thanks in advance!

Been working on my Chevy express build out and I’ve been stressed about building shelving. I was at pull a part last week to get some roof racks and came across a half converted Chevy express with custom made shelving already curved to fit the walls. The cashier at pull a part said “this isn’t usually what people get here, I don’t know what to ring it up as!”

I got these shelves and some roof racks in decent condition for $80! I have to replace a few pieces of the wood, sand and finish everything, but I just saved myself so much time and effort.

I also just wonder where these shelves have been! If they ever got to travel, was the van retired or was the project scrapped? It came out of a gray 2006(?) Chevy express with custom made circle windows in the back!

Time to give these shelves a second life.

SO comfy for laying against things that might not be comfortable. I have 2 other normal pillows I use as well.
Thrifted for $8!

Anyone install the velit gasoline heater and how was your experience? We have a ram promaster with the gasoline top access point. We also like that it fits under the passenger seat since we don’t have a lot of room. Our van is mostly built and lived in already which is why fitting extra stuff is difficult.

We are wanting to know if issues are common with the gasoline velit heater?

We don’t want to have to deal with diesel since our vehicle is gas and we don’t have a lot of options for storing the extra diesel. - we can make it work but would prefer just using the fuel we have.

I have looked at YouTube but was hoping to learn more from what others have to say about their heating setups and experiences.

I’m losing my goddamn mind.

Been living in my van for several months now and there has been this horrible sometimes subtle and sometimes more obvious musty sweet nutty smell in a specific area of the van, but I cannot for the life of me track it down. Every time I try to localize where it’s coming from, the smell just goes away and all I can smell is what I’m actively smelling (cushions, trash bin, bathroom, etc.). I’m losing my mind, it makes me feel so horrible. I feel so hopeless about finding and eliminating it because I CANT FIND IT. WHAT THE FUCK IS IT.

I am hopeful it is not a dead rodent because I have a dog and I think she would be interested in a rodent? I fear it’s mold. I have spent a good amount of time in the PNW and humidity levels have been higher than they should have been, though I always have a window open and roof fan running.

I can’t afford the time or money of a van tear down, but I also can’t keep living like this. I don’t have a home to go back to to do a deep clean or minor tear down, this van is what I have for now.

I just really needed to vent. Maybe someone else is struggling with this or has struggled? It’s making me go crazy.

edit: Thank you so much everyone for your comments. I really hope I can find the source of this smell.

I don’t think it’s the gray tank because I have a P-Trap, but it’s a good place to start. I really could be doing a better job of airing out my mattress but I also am 60% sure it’s not that, I do air it out occasionally. It’s modular so not one big piece which I think helps. I also have waterproof mattress covers over it which I think would prevent human sweat etc from dropping down into it? It also doesn’t smell bad :/. That’s the hardest thing about this. I can’t locate the smell. It just disappears any time I start smelling specific things.

The ozone machine suggestion isnt my favorite but it may be my only option if I can’t do a full unpacking and deep clean. I need to do more research on it.

second edit: Okay, not loving ozone as an option. Sounds like those who have used it have had good results but I think the research on its benefits isn’t very strong and it seems to come with more risks than are worth it for me - ozone affects all materials and based on some research on its use with new carpets to get rid of that smell, it increases the number of volatile organic compounds than there were before, trading one problem for another. Not even including the risk to humans and pets (I know you’re supposed to use it when you’re not in the van but at that point you’re using really high concentrations of ozone and potentially damaging other parts of the van). I am an over thinker so this is just a personal choice! If it comes down to it I think I’ll get an endoscope if absolutely necessary to inspect behind walls etc and then proceed from there. UGH! https://www.epa.gov/indoor-air-quality-iaq/ozone-generators-are-sold-air-cleaners

Thanks again everyone. For those who also have this sickening smell plaguing them, GOOD LUCK.

Been fantasizing about getting a white stealth camper van for ages. But alas the ultimate form of freedom is too expensive for me. But part of the dream is being able to play my Retroid Pocket 6 handheld which can play pretty much every video game ever made anywhere. Problem is that a scorching hot van wouldnt be too good for the longevity of my mobile tech.

So I was wondering if you guys came up with any tips, tricks, and modifications for vans to keep em as cool as possible while unattended during the hottest of summers. Something beyond just parking it in the shade.

Edit: Answered. Conclusion: technically possible but not likely to work well as a default setup for several reasons.

My 230Ah LiTime LiFePo battery, which was supposed to be an exciting upgrade, died after just over a year and cannot be revived. I'm going back to my old deep cycle 88Ah sealed lead acid for the house battery. It's hooked up to the alternator with a solenoid + DC-DC charger. It has a cigarette lighter port wired up to it (via the usual sort of mini-fuse box).

I also have an Anker Solix C2000 power station, which can be charged by being plugged into a 12v cigarette lighter port. Typically, that would be plugged into the 12v plug running off the starter battery in the front of the van, but I'd like both to be in back under the bed.

Can anyone see any reason why I shouldn't be able to daisy chain them, i.e. use the alternator to charge the sealed lead acid as usual and then the 12v port from the SLA to charge the power station? Anyone tried this?

Thanks!

Living in PNW and building out our van. What measures do we need to take to avoid mold and moisture, or is it somewhat unavoidable? Part of the reason we want to be in the van more is because of unexplainable chronic health issues and already suspect mold playing a role. We always feel better when camping or traveling

We will be doing roof fans, thinking about proper insulation, considering if vapor barriers are good or bad, ventilate under mattress, monitor humidity

Whats everyone's experience with this especially those in rainy areas like the pnw and anything you have to add

I'd like to go down to Mexico for three months in January and I'm wondering what it's like when you have a dog (which tends to limit your activity options) and want to do more than just beach camp.

I've found a lot of posts from folks talking about Mexico vanliving, but they've mostly been from dog-less vandwellers, and the few folks that did it with dogs only seemed to be beach camping (at least, based on the photos they posted).

Is there more to it, or is that mostly all there is for us be-dogged folks? I'd really like to immerse myself in the culture and people as much as possible, which tends to be difficult when you're hidden away in a beach camp spot, and would love to hear about what life is like down there for gringos with dingoes.

Thanks!

I feel like I always see people with surfboards or paddle boards hanging off the side of their rig, or bicycles that live on the back. For those of you who do this, have you had any close calls with people trying to steal your stuff? Do you take it inside the van when you sleep or when you are just otherwise not around your van for the day?

I stripped the screw holes out and I’m trying to come up with ways to make this repair. So far, it’s been epoxy a small piece of aluminum behind to hole and go with a slightly longer screw or go with an M4-5 rivenut.

My arctic tern airplus fan stopped opening and closing on its own and emits a high pitched squeal unless I close it manually. Fan works fine. When opening using the knob it seems the effort has gone up recently. I installed it in May, only used it a maybe 20-30 times. I pulled the cover plate, nothing is amiss. Any ideas on what could be wrong?
I didn’t impact anything, the van sits 5 days a week.

Anyone know how to contact arctictern for parts or service info? Any help is appreciated, I have a trip next week