in good shape, isolde - part 2

This is a continuation of the previous post - in good shape, isolde - part 1.

i found a storage space for the front table top - though you have to protect the plastic laminate from being scratched by the metal seat belt and bench hinge hardware

signs of spring

The DC refrigerator that I recently installed in Isolde is illuminated by a purple color LED bulb. It is such an eyesore and is very poor illumination. I wonder if the purple light has some effect in deterring bacteria. I want a normal light.

My first attempt was to solder in a warm white LED bulb that i have laying around. It turned out all these Chins made LED bulbs are defective by design. The bulb self-destructs due to overheating because the heat generated by the LEDs as they are potted in optically clear silicone compound.

defective by design China made LED bulb

the original LED bulb is actually very nice, if not for the purple light

I recently purchased a spool of this warm white LED light strip. You can cut out any length with increments of 3 LEDs for your application. The back side has pressure sensitive adhesive to facilitate mounting. While it says "3M" the pressure sensitive adhesive tape is clearly counterfeit as you can tell by the poor quality of the printed legends. The quality of the adhesive is very poor, so under no circumstance I would trust them. I would use 3M VHB tape.

fake 3M pressure sensitive adhesive backing

 the 3-meter strip cost only a few dollars shipped

instead of using the connectors for making connection i found soldering the wires is batter and cost nothing

i prefer the soldering method over these connectors you can buy; which ever method you decide to use, it is very important to protect with a properly sized fuse

they are plenty bright

3 LED draws 57mA at 12V

I examine if there is a way to utilize a 3-LED strip of the strip light but I concluded the hazard of potential electrical short is too high should the adhesive fail to secure the strip.

Instead I turn to another LED light harness that I have. It has clear heat shrink tubing protecting the exposed contacts.

i bought a bunch of these a few years ago in Bangkok's electronic streets

a bit of careful trimming of the excess clear heat shrink tubing I was able to shoehorn the bulb into the light fixture

 it draws only 30mA and puts out adequate warm white light

before - tacky disco theme

after

I have been perfecting a pan seared mahi mahi dish lately as it is so delicious, and easy to prepare. Inspired by Japanese's sensitivity and appreciation by the change of seasons, I remember to take advantage of the plum blossoms 梅花

i use the salamander to put a brown surface on the fish and finish cooking the gulf prawns

seasoning the season

i took advantage of Gowesty's leap year sale and stock up some Westfalia decals and Comet VIP Plus water pump that both Isolde and Brunnhilde use

Next I set out to tackle the conversion of an obsolete GPS mount into a smartphone mount utilizing RAM mounting system. I am doing the conversion as the old GPS mounting base is cemented to Isolde's metal surface of the dash. I do not want to unnecessarily risk the paint failure by attempting the removal. Instead I modified the base of the GPS and take advantage of the snap-in locking latch. Thus turning lemon into lemonade.

the snap in base on Isolde's dash is secured with very high quality pressure sensitive adhesive

here are some parts of the RAM mount system; also shown is another Garmin GPS latching base with friction bottom and lead weight inside

the challenge is to securely attach the RAM's 1" ball to the slide-in plastic plate

there was a bit of challenge to find two screws with very low profile head so they don't interfere with the latching base

here a standard RAM arm with double ball ends is attached to the base just for testing

still more mahi mahi and prawns