I did not have a lot of success with the Mopeka sensors--in fact I removed them and went with manual gauges built into the tanks. Inspired by ncitro I dug out the sensors and hard-wired them to the camper. What a difference! Why are the sensors working better now? The difference (IMO) is the steady supply of 3V.
I've had the sensors hard-wired for a few months so I figured it was time to post what I've done.
In the sensors I fashioned "batteries" out of rubber propane covers. (No kidding--it's what I had and it worked so I could go back to batteries if the effort failed.) The wires are routed so they contact the Mopeka battery slot. If this Rube Goldberg configuration causes an issue I'll solder the wires to the Mopeka boards (the right way to do it). I dabbed a bit of silicone sealant around the wires where they enter the Mopeka sensor.
I used a Gerbing Heated Gear wire I had saved from another (motorcycle) project to wire the output of the transformer to the sensors.
Under the trailer it looks as shown in the pictures below. The transformer is held in place by 3M VHB tape (good stuff!). The wires to the sensors and back to the breaker is protected by a sleeve that is further protected by heat shrink. It shouldn't have any issue with chafing!
So thanks, Neil, for your inspiration. I now am a fan again of Mopeka sensors. (Mopeka needs to make a version a non-crazy owner can easily hard wire to their camper.)
As always, if anyone has any questions fire away.
Howard
P.S. I've updated my Master Electrical Diagram and included these sensors accordingly. See https://gdrvowners.com/forum/operati...lts-f-350-mods
Here is the applicable section for the Mopeka:
I've had the sensors hard-wired for a few months so I figured it was time to post what I've done.
In the sensors I fashioned "batteries" out of rubber propane covers. (No kidding--it's what I had and it worked so I could go back to batteries if the effort failed.) The wires are routed so they contact the Mopeka battery slot. If this Rube Goldberg configuration causes an issue I'll solder the wires to the Mopeka boards (the right way to do it). I dabbed a bit of silicone sealant around the wires where they enter the Mopeka sensor.
I used a Gerbing Heated Gear wire I had saved from another (motorcycle) project to wire the output of the transformer to the sensors.
Under the trailer it looks as shown in the pictures below. The transformer is held in place by 3M VHB tape (good stuff!). The wires to the sensors and back to the breaker is protected by a sleeve that is further protected by heat shrink. It shouldn't have any issue with chafing!
So thanks, Neil, for your inspiration. I now am a fan again of Mopeka sensors. (Mopeka needs to make a version a non-crazy owner can easily hard wire to their camper.)
As always, if anyone has any questions fire away.
Howard
P.S. I've updated my Master Electrical Diagram and included these sensors accordingly. See https://gdrvowners.com/forum/operati...lts-f-350-mods
Here is the applicable section for the Mopeka:
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