I worked with Ray Ray to add lights inside scout troop 1914’s trailer today. We wanted the lights to work even if the tire vehicle was disconnected. We also wanted to ‘scout proof’ it in a few ways.
- Minimize the chance of draining the battery
- If the battery is drained, protect the tow vehicle from supplying excessive current to dead battery
Started by welding a frame for new battery to the front of the trailer. Taped holes so I could use bolts without backer nuts.
The battery box has enough room for added terminal block, fuse block, and 12v to 12v battery charger. The terminal block will make troubleshooting wiring issues easier. The fuse block prevents a failure in one circuit from disabling everything. The battery charger prevents the tow vehicle from being overloaded attempting to charge a dead battery. I added professional printed shrink wrap wire labels to help the next guy who has to work on this.
Inside the trailer are new led lights. The light switch is a mechanical 15 minute timer. This prevents the lights being left on and draining the battery.
We also added a 12 hr mechanical timer switch that powers a USB charger. This will be used to charge our tire inflator or cell phones. The usb outlet also displays the battery voltage so we can monitor the charge state.
