Unique level indicator

Nice one Harry, but like many digital indicators it gives you no indication of rate of change when you are adjusting, just that its not level. With a bubble spirit level you get an idea of how much alteration is needed.

Andrew

We always used one of these.

on 31/05/2015, Andrew Mawson supposed :

Not entirely true. It bounces between the contacts, so you get a clue from the period of on, of the two opposing LED's. The period becomes equal once level is attained.

Not nearly as accurate, or as easy to use, especially whilst towing the van onto levelling ramps.

Bit of an overkill?

I'm no longer for a caravanner but, for many years, I had one of those triangular devices - with 2 spirit levels at right angles - fixed to the hitch.

I got side to side levelling sorted first, by towing the van onto a long multi-stepped ramp on the low side - until SWMBO said "stop". Then I unhitched and adjusted the front to back level with the jockey wheel. All very quick!

As far as calibration was concerned (which only needed doing once) I found a setup where most of the internal bits that were supposed to be horizontal *were* horizontal, using a long spirit level, *then* checked that the sink etc. drained ok, *then* stuck the 2-way level on the hitch with some setting mastic stuff which enabled me to tweek it to read level in both directions.

Roger Mills wrote on 31/05/2015 :

I used those for many years and found their accuracy to be fairly pathetic, besides SWMBO was never able to make any sense of bubbles in levels, but now she is disabled anyway - so it is a matter now of setting up on my own, as I have done for a number of years now, with this gadget.

I only need to calibrate it the once, to the level which works best and allows the drains, particularly for the shower to work as designed. There after, I hit exactly the same version of level everytime. Yes it is far more accurate than strictly needed, but better too great a level of accuracy than too little. Now if it is lit I know that side or end is too high. If its anywhere near level, it bounces between opposing contacts, with the high side lit for longer than the low. When it is level, it lights up equally as it bounces.

The gap is tiny, only about a thou, which makes it very sensitive to any disturbance.

It really is something which needs to be tried, to see how effective it is and how accurately it can reproduce a level. A simple idea which I have never seen used before.

Harry,

The next step is four hydraulic rams driven by your sensor for automatic levelling :) Years back I was impressed by the auto jacking feature fitted to Austin Princess Limousines. Really only intended for wheel changing it was a handy feature. Electro-hydraulic apparently.

Andrew

It happens that Andrew Mawson formulated :

Yes I remember them, but they had them back in the 1930's. That would be an unnecessary step too far for me.

I devised this idea in my head back in the 1970's, using 12v lamps, but became determined to build one just a few years ago. I was astounded by the results it produced, so I went on to develop a better, smaller MKII version. Try the maths, with a 6" plum-bob drop and say a one thou gap at the contacts.

Does that sensitivity cause problems if you are setting up in any sort of breeze?

G.Harman

None what so ever. A bit of vibration or motion is actually helpful in keeping the bob weight bouncing, the weight will still bias itself more towards the low side contact. So longer contact is still made with that low side contact. Its the on versus off period, which provides indication of how far it needs adjusting to get it level.

Actually, the contact outputs are crossed over. The contact on say the low sided left, puts on the right side LED. It seemed more sensible to have a light on, for the higher end or side.

As said, it would make for a great way to get anything which needs to be frequently moved, back to a perfect level rapidly after being moved.

Nearly ten years ago, with the impending arrival of my new van, I looked around the accessory showroom for a new level to replace the Lambilevel that had been on the old one for 26 years.

Looks like time has gone backwards. Instead of a big bold level which can be read from the driving seat (very handy when pulling up a ramp) everything on offer was more like a standard spirit level that you can only read close up.

Anyway, I prized them off the old van, and with a bit of cleaning and new adhesive pads, I have every confidence they will be good for as long as I need them.

Chris

Chris J Dixon has brought this to us :

This overcomes all of those issues, a nice clear, easy to read display, which mounts or hangs anywhere you like in an instant and you can see it through the cars interior mirror.

Nothing quite like it for visibility at all. Some of the commercial ones you put on the floor of the van, needing a second person to watch it and guide the driver. There is another electronic version, which has to be installed low on the front of the van, invisible from the driving seat and not nearly so bright and certainly far less accurate.

Then some suggest using an Iphone as a level, which suffers from not always being in the same spot, so vary ideas of level and again needs someone in close proximity to watch it. Nothing in a caravan agrees with the rest of a the van for level, not the floor, the tables, the sink or the shower base. Its a matter of finding out which version of level works best for everything and once found, you want to be able to quickly go back to it precisely.

This is a calibrate once, then accurately find the same version of level everytime for years.

The only difficult bits to source/make being the brass bob weight and the suspension wire, plus the need to make those accurately. Everything else is easy.

Harry you get a lot of flak on here and I can never see why.

I'm not a caravaner but I do appreciate someone who takes the effort to follow through on an idea and then share it.

So as Brendan Behan once said. " F*ck the begrudgers". There is always some useless p***k who couldn't find his arse in the dark with his two hands ready to do you down

F*ck Him.

Ignore him.

Wrong harry..

Whoops Sorry

I'm not a caravanner but I very much admire your device.

I have a suggestion. At the moment, as soon as the weight touches one of the contacts, it would tend to roll onto one of the cross pair, giving the impression that the other axis was not level. Secondly, after doing your levelling, two of the lights will be on, so if the level shifts in those directions you wouldn't know about it.

I suggest you open up the gaps so that when level, none of the four lights are on. If the level later shifts, the light in that direction will warn you. Also I think it would be easier to aim for all lights off when levelling rather than aiming for 1:1 mark space ratio.