Turning a M185 into a Mobile Networking Center

[SudoSeth]

My good friend John and I have been working on converting my Deuce and a half into a mobile networking center. We've been upgrading the electrical system in the box section, installing Cat5e networking cable, 120v power jacks, and a bunch of other stuff. I've been taking some video of the work and I thought you guys might enjoy seeing the progress we've made so far. The video is kinda long, at around 10 minutes, but it's a compilation of two days of solid work. I hope you enjoy it

 

[fuzzytoaster]

That...is awesome. What are you planning on doing with it? I've got a ton of ideas if I had it!

 

[tsstout]

So... 185 and w/w are kinda contradictory... Did you add the winch?? I thought that's what distiguished the 109 from the 185....

Anyway... fun video.... thanks...

What is the mission of this network truck?? How are you getting connectivity to routers?? Are you able to support power for the PCs as well as the network stuff on those 2 batteries?? You have an inverter... What did you go with?? What charges the batteries??

Sorry so curious... I have a retired radio truck myself.... Just brainstorming your projects....

Terry

 

[SudoSeth]

I plan on using it mostly for recreational things. Stuff like tailgating, throwing LAN parties, camping, etc. It's also great for acting as a backup power generator for my house.

 

[SudoSeth]

So... 185 and w/w are kinda contradictory... Did you add the winch?? I thought that's what distiguished the 109 from the 185....

Yeah, when I first saw the truck I thought the same thing you did. When I picked it up from GL it had the winch on it, even though the plate on the dash clearly says that it is a M185A3. I'm not really complaining though

I actually have six deep cycle batteries on the shelves, each of which is 115AH@12v. The bank can either be charged by shore power or by the truck's alternator, thanks to a battery bank isolator that we added to the engine bay. I wrote some more about this on my blog.

I haven't had the time to install a router yet, but once I have the time it will be a Linux based router, as I have some cool plans for stuff to do with the networking. In the meantime I've got a 24 port switch and an Ethernet cable coming out of the house and into a jack located on the passenger side of the box (the box that was installed early in the video).

 

[tsstout]

Yeah I wouldn't complain either... Nice accessory.... Especially if your truck likes creeks as much as mine

I was wondering about the connectivity... I've been curious about wireless solutions, or even satellite/dish equipment.... I know insurance companies have trucks that have remote connect for doing claims in disaster areas, but they guard that stuff like it's gold... They wouldn't even let me look at the stuff.... I haven't really seen commercially available stuff that could handle much load... is why I'm so curious...

I need a smaller load capacity, but need it to connect to, and function off grid....

I'll bet as a gaming truck, it will rock!!

 

[SudoSeth]

I have a satellite system Wild Blue that I'm going to be playing around with, but I'm not too optimistic about it. It's an older system that is designed for being mounted on the roof of a house, not something that needs to be moved around. I've seen a few systems that were designed for RVs, but they will most likely end up costing more than I paid for the Deuce itself.

Once I have a Linux router setup I plan to have a couple of WiFi cards configured for accessing other networks. I'm going with a custom built router instead of something by Cisco so that I can have more flexibility. I want it to be able to change settings on a dime, between connected via an Ethernet cable and being a dumb switch, to NATing, to whatever else I may need at the time.

It's first run as a gaming truck will be this Friday, with 6 players in the truck and 6 other players in a room in my house. I'm hoping it will all go smoothly

 

[tsstout]

I hear ya... That's the show stopper for me too... I need it to be cost effective.... ****, I already have more in the truck than it cost.... and that's just getting her bright and tight..... toys are gonna kill me...

have fun this weekend..... blast the 6 in the house for me.... nothin better than virutal blood shed.... it cleans up so nicely

keep us posted... we all like these kind of things... especially with pics/vids

 

[fuzzytoaster]

Sounds like a good plan. Mabey to pay for all the time and effort you could rent it out for small gaming parties. Nothing catches your attention more than having the party come to you on a silver or OD platter haha! Not to mention players may feel more into the game when "commanding" their troops out of the back of a real MV. I know im getting excited just prospecting about it!

My issue would be how to secure everything (monitors especially) during transit. Are you going to just bolt down flat screens to the table? What about locking up the rear to keep people out. I'd be paranoid that someone would get idea to clear out the back or try to drive off with it all. (If they get that far. I trust my "Equalizer" over any steel chain.)

 

[OPCOM]

Good work doing something high tech with the body there.

I am a bit surprised that you did not clean out the leaves/critter nest in the cable corner and also clean and repaint the van body interior before adding the gear especially since the truck itself is rather clean. Or are you going for the post-apocalyptic decor? i would have at least clear coated it. I found my own communications rig alot easier and more pleasant to work with after a thorough scrubbing out and repaining.

Since you have selcted batteries that outgas, beware the buildup of hydrogen in the shelter. if you outgas heavily and a breaker trips inside the shelter, it could be damaged.

Please post more images as the project continues.

 

[SudoSeth]

I am a bit surprised that you did not clean out the leaves/critter nest in the cable corner and also clean and repaint the van body interior before adding the gear especially since the truck itself is rather clean. Or are you going for the post-apocalyptic decor? i would have at least clear coated it. I found my own communications rig alot easier and more pleasant to work with after a thorough scrubbing out and repaining.

My reasoning behind not cleaning everything up before we started adding gear was that we were going to be making a mess anyway, so this way we only had to clean everything up once. I'll be painting the truck once the raceway arrive and are installed, so that everything has one uniform color. I'll also be moving some of the shelves/benches around and I'll be replacing the wood that is rotting at that time. Thanks for reminding me about the batteries. I'll be adding a project fan to where the batteries are stored in order to vent the gas out.

 

[OPCOM]

BTW is that UPS 24V? I have seen those in 24v and 48V (and the dreaded "15 costly little batteries in series" abominations). I gave up a 48V 3KW one, always looking for 24V. Well having built one of these kind of hevaily integrated things over 3-4years, I am really interesting in watching you build yours. I am about to strip and sell mine, and start another. You know, the canvas gets full.

 

[SudoSeth]

Yep, it's a APC 1250. It has an output of 900W and runs on 24 volts. The built in charger isn't really powerful enough to charge the batteries after use, so when I need to charge them I connect all the batteries in parallel and use a 40A 12v charger. I have the bank wired so that that only involves throwing one breaker and connecting one cable. Down the road I'll be swapping out the APC for a pure sine wave inverter/charger combo unit, but this setup works well enough for now.

 

[SudoSeth]

A handful of my friends had the same spring break that I did so we decided to spend a good chunk of the break working on my truck. We've pulled out and replaced the floor boards that were rotten out, sealed all of the leaks that we could find, cleaned and started painting the walls inside the box, and worked on the electrical systems. We also changed the oil, filters, and belts.


After we finish with installing the new floor we'll be putting some of the workbenches back in, getting a futon/bunk-bed combo (or something similar), and setting the battery/inverter system back up. If you have any questions, please feel free to let me know and I'll be happy to answer them. Below are some before, during, and after pics of the work. We haven't finished painting, but we've made a good start.


I'll post updates to this thread, but you can also follow the progress on my blog for the truck.

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MO_C_p5DNIY[/media]

 

[pyrogod117]

Not bad. I've been working on computers for 10+ years now so it's quite interesting. I've had the idea in the back of my head to turn a 185 or a 109 into a mobile bedroom/communications center. But then I saw an M820 and thought maybe that would be better but I'm not sure. I work for Fire/EMS so I'd wire up all the radios for everything, as well as shore power and networking equipment and all. Only problem is I want a deuce with a cargo bed to drive around as a toy and could never decide what to get...

How is the box when you're moving? Does the stuff get rocked around a lot? And how is the non-existent insulation? Does it get really hot/cold in there?

 

[SudoSeth]

The box holds together well while traveling. I use bungee cords to secure things that are on the shelves. Things that stay on the desks are secured with Velcro straps. At some point I might get some braces for the server rack, but it seems to be secure enough for the time being. I don't frequently take it off road, if I did I would have to secure things better.

The (lack) of insulation is mildly irritating, but you work around it. With the windows open and a fan or two running it's comfortable enough in the summer. During the winter I like to keep it plugged in to shore power and run an electric heater while in some warm clothes.

If I had to start over with this project again I might decide to go with a M35a2 and a radio box (so that it could be removed if I needed to haul gravel or something), but I'm very happy with my M185a3.

 

[pyrogod117]

What do you mean radio box? I'm fairly new to all of this.

 

[SudoSeth]

The pictures bellow are of a civilian camper box, but it shows the concept. You can slide/lift them onto the bed of a truck when you need them and take them off when you don't.

Source for the Pictures

 

[pyrogod117]

Assuming you have a wrecker or know someone that does?

 

[SudoSeth]

Yeah, basically. It be kind of a pain to install/uninstall on a regular basis, but I imagine it's nice just to know that you can.