Hi everyone, I'm looking for nice way to route the cable from panel mounted on the roof of a front hinged westfalia roof to somewhere inside the van (either under the rock and roll bed or inside the spare wheel well). My plan so far is: Sleeve on the pop top fabric Hole through the roof to get between the roof and the headliner. And then I'm stuck, because I don't have a wardrobe to hide the mess... So my questions are: How did you route the cables nicely from the roof to your controller? What is the route used to wire the Westy interior lights? That might be the best route to follow. Cheers,
this is what I did came through the roof with a cable gland stick on with silkaflex... but then as your panel is going on the hinged bit that won't help you. Once inside I ran between the two panels of the roof and exited at the rear to the controller as positioned. I think there are some suitable holes to be able to cable tie your cable neatly in the roof void.
The cable gland is at the top left of the panel? I might be able to get to the same place with only minimal cable showing. Out from the sleeve on the outside of the pop top fabric, then under the rack. What is that roof void your talking about? Is the roof made of 2 panels with a gap in between them?
Yes the cable gland is at the front left of the panel (situated within the roof rack recess). Mine is a US import bus and there is a void space at the rear - effectively there is the roof panel, then the void then another steel panel and below this the ply interior/roof liner. It's pretty obvious and I think it was the space that the sunroof would have gone into. If you don't have a US bus then yours may well be different, I can take more pictures if you want to see any more.
I need to check if I have a similar style of void in the roof on an English westy... But you said it was obvious and I don't remember anything obvious when I was looking up there... I can still do under the rack to the rear corner. Then usz the same method as you.
http://thelatebay.com/index.php?threads/discrete-cable-routing.64392/#post-1181732 Have a look at the photo I posted, half way down the listing I didn't have any cupboards in the back to hide a cable in.
I just used the easy route through the rear vents into the engine compartment then through a couple of holes into the spare wheel well. Not pretty or particularly discrete though.
Some advice please about cable routing options. My solar panel is going on the front luggage tray over the cab. I'm pondering how to get the two 4mm² cables into the headliner area. I'm happy with the internal route back to the wardrobe, it is more about how to get the cable from the outside in! The options as I see them are:- a) hole through cab roof with a couple of glands. Neat and tidy and unseen as underneath my tray, but it involves drilling a couple of holes in my cab roof...not a difficult job but are there better options? b) go through the poptop material at the base near where it is attached and use a rivet ring to strengthen the area. However, not sure how movement of putting the poptop up and down will impact and I worry it might lead to a bigger tear in the material and water ingress. c) cable underneath the poptop roof fixing bar. Very easy to do but leaves a gap that would need to be sealed. Least damage but possibly least elegant and possible rain ingress. I've attached a photo of the last option to show the gap (cable is 4mm²). The advantage this has is I could try it and if it does not work, change later with no damage. So, what do you guys think is the best option. Thanks
Be careful where you drill the holes if you're going through the roof under the front carrier. If your seal is good, that carrier can get standing water settling under it in a heavy down pour. But that does seem an elegant solution because you can then route the cables behind the removable trim at the side of the roof opening inside. C) is hideous btw. You can see if it works by mocking it up before you install it
run it along the roof on the outisde of the canvas, then drill a hole in the rear roof and seal with your chosen grommet,etc. make sure the hole you drill is under the cover of the poptop roof when its open that way when it rains its still under the cover of the roof. thus virtually never exposing it to rain
I'm tending towards a gland through the roof underneath the front luggage tray. It will also be protected there from the elements and the cable will be inside. My tray is solid, unlike the style shown above, so it offers a good level of protection.
Cable tie saddles are something I use regularly at work when doing heating wiring they come with an adhesive pad but I use mechanical fixings too as I don’t trust the adhesive to last that long. Suppose you could use a blob of CT1 or similar to give them some longevity. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
