Some van painting

I painted the interior of the back and side doors of the van. I've since installed the timber panels in their respective locations. Looks pretty tidy.

Pix' was a big help.

Van floors mostly installed.

video on youtube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7nwCvA0bc8

New PC build

I've been running the same beast PC since 2008. That's thirteen years on the same PC. Un-heard-of. It's been an absolute monster. I built an absolutely incredible machine on the X58 chipset and I've never regretted it. It's never even broken a sweat under the most intensive gaming or activity.

...then the other day I needed to do something that was estimated at eight days to complete...so like my cars, I bought a new one the next day. (ps: the task takes less than 6hrs on this new machine)

Currently there are no modern equivalents to the X58 which was a hybrid server/desktop, so I've chosen the Z590 chipset and dropped in a freshly released (2 weeks ago) i7-11700(k) processor. If you check the specs, you'll see it's indistinguishable from the i9-11900 which is the top of the range.

The primary boot and OS drive is a Western Dig' Black 1-Terrabyte M.2 SN750. The games drive is a Western Dig' Blue 1-Terrabyte M.2 SN550. I also have a regular 1TB platter drive for storage (photos/files) that transfers from machine to machine. The M.2-SSD's hold nothing of value so I can always reinstall the OS on a whim. This has been a boon for keeping the X58 in peak condition for years. I reinstall the OS and anything I care about every 6-8months.

This install took SEVEN AND A HALF MINUTES from unconfigured disks to full windows bootup. The final boot speed into Windows is under 7 seconds after the bios POSTS. My old system took ~15mins to install on the current W10 itteration. Windows install has come a LONG way. It was taking much longer on the same machine on W8+ and until recently on W10.

Processor heatsinks have come a long way. This monster (image below) is not even warm to the touch at 40%+ core load for 6hrs straight. Such a win. My X58 constantly overheated during monster tasks, it would throttle, and I'd perform aeration rituals. This new thing is great.

The only piece of old hardware here is my GTX960 vid card. It still has what it takes to do everything including the Vive. Properly setup hardware > expensive hardware.

Some budget brand 8gig ram sticks sit in all 4 slots on the new motherboard. It's 3600 spec so despite being cheap...should be premium silicone and run at the required 3200 bus speeds just fine. I can bump to premium grade stuff and 64gig later if I need to.

The end

Just some van stuff

Some misc van build images...completely out of order as usual. You'll work it out. Mostly just fiddly trim finishing touches.

Got a fancy hot water system for the shower tent. You can look up the brand/model from the image if you're keen. Includes a kitchen sink faucet that attaches to the packing tub which converts to a sink with draining boards on the side...pretty cool.

Kitchen table USB and battery check

I've installed a small RV power kit gizmo right above the kitchen table. It has a voltmeter, dedicated 2amp and 1amp USB, and 12V socket. I installed the push-button separately as I didn't need/want the voltage display on 24/7.

The ports aim straight down to the table, so any charging devices have their cords neatly against the wall. They drop about 20cm to the table. The port is out of the way of the table when it folds against the wall.

Wall panel pigeon holes

Small pigeon hole pockets are available along the wall on the bed-head side of the van. I'm going to install two with lights and 12V power sockets, and possibly three more above the kitchen table wall. The test box is installed in the smallest available spot, all remaining cavities are larger. You should be able to work out what's going on from the pictures.

I went looking for Pixel and found her through the window on the wrong side... She hasn't escaped for over a year. Usually it's a result of an exciting bird chase that ends up somewhere high. I moved the van-ramps to a new location after finding her attempting another escape 5mins later...

The 20mm x 1mm polycarb strips across the top of the fence have been flawless for keeping the cat in. The only failures have been opportunities to bypass them. (like the van ramps resting against the kayak enclosure that connects to the roof today)

The box is doweled in with twelve x3mm dowels...aka kebab sticks. I've yet to sand down and clean up the front face after doweling. It'll be cleaner afterwards...