Friday, April 11, 2014, Control Panel Makeover, Kanarraville, UT


We are still in Kanarraville, UT, at the Red Ledge RV Park. I can't say why it was today, but it was finally time to organize the controls in the overhead cabinet. Ever since the new inverter/charger was installed, there has been an unmounted control panel and dangling wires in the cabinet above the dining table. In an effort to give everything a finished touch, American Coach hid the wires pretty well. We had to completely clear the cabinets on each side of the control cabinet. That allowed removal of the side panels in each of those cabinets. It was the only way to access and remove all 14 of the 2 inch long screws they had used to install the one-inch thick panel that held the original controls (it is under the table in the picture below.)

David was clearly in his element! 


Once the coach was a total mess, I had to take a moment to develop a plan for mounting the extra control along with the originals. As luck would have it, all of the control panels just fit edge to edge across the span of the cabinet. That meant I could replace the solid panel with rails and simplify everything. Of course, a workshop and power tools would have been nice, but this job was simple enough for a picnic table, some clamps, and hand tools. 

 I should have taken a before picture of the jumbled mess that was this cabinet, but I didn't.


Three of the four panels were the same standard size and the fourth was exactly 1/4 inch shorter.  After the addition of a 1/4 inch strip, the last control panel fit nicely. We secured the wires out of sight and the job was nearly complete. 


Several years ago, I had to have this little automatic LED light bar from IKEA. I didn't know where I would use it, but I was sure it would be perfect someday. Stranger still is remembering it and finding it again after all these years, but there is no doubt this cabinet is where it was meant to be!

A handy IKEA light that turns on when you open the cabinet is the finishing touch.

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