Kent

[Wandermoose]

Looking for suggestions for control panel that is well built and highly functional. 68 airstream remodel

[ALUMINUMINUM]

I'll bump this thread, hopefully you'll get more response

"Control Panel" is a bit of a misnomer. The only "control" the user has is turning on the panel light, or water-pump, perhaps setting the analog clock... "Systems Monitor" would have been a more accurate name, but it does not monitor any system accurately.

There is no magical replacement for this absurd, inept device. Most people love and cherish the POS, and go to great lengths to restore its facade and suffer its inadequacy. Others realize its futility and discard it. Attempting to incorporate it into a modernized electrical system will be complex and frustrating.


If you are restoring your trailer as a museum piece, "Airstream Central Control" is absolutely necessary. If you want a modern electrical system, get the whole thing out of your way asap. By today's methods and standards, there is nothing at all useful inside it. It's heavy and wastes space. It's archaic and obsolete. A frivolous novelty, “conversation piece” at best… Your call...

1968 is probably the worst electrical system in Airstream's history, and the “Central Control” is the cherry on top..

You need to know so much more about your battery than a horizontal analog needle wavering from green, yellow and red.

1968 tank monitors?? good luck …

"CAR BATTERY LOW" a 50yro electro-mechanical device that can ruin your TV battery.

You should have checked polarity and voltage before you plugged in... Too late now!

That 300 ohm flatwire television outlet is a great place to plug in what?


There is no point in me going on… It's all just crazy...

[uncle_bob]

Hi

Assuming you take the "pull it out and replace it" route:

Start from what you will want to monitor / control and what you will have wired up in your version of the trailer. Some go with 12V and lead acid batteries, others go with a stack of fancy lithiums. Solar, generator, shore power ... there are a *lot* of zigs and zags. Sometimes one of the twists will make the control and monitoring decision for you. The good news is that reliability and flexibility of this sort of thing has improved a lot since 1968 ...

Bob

[64airstream]

WanderMoose,

I gotta agree, useful, no. A conversation piece, yes. My story goes something like; 1968, remember the space race? All that new technology being developed, this (Control Panel) may have been Airstream's attempt to capture that and put it in their customer's hands. The moral of the story is; look where technology is today, we are truly living in an amazing time, can I offer you a cold drink?

We did do a small modification to the fresh water tank level indicator. Pushing the button back lights the fresh tank below the sofa and allows you to see the actual tank level. Our '68 project is documented here, if interested. Post # 17 shows the level indicator. https://www.airforums.com/forums/f39...er-155180.html

Enjoy the project,

Roy and Marie

[uncle_bob]

Hi

If you *really* like to tinker, there is a crazy option. Get a single board computer and wire it up as a monitor / control unit. Interface it to the existing display. Lots of fun with a C compiler ...Probably not for everybody though

Bob