The Roving Home World Tour - "Thank You, Taiwan!"

Determined to keep this blog pure and true, I have refrained from posting general nonsense about my stay, here in Taiwan.  However, not too long after my arrival, I suspected that something or someone must have seen to it that I spend time here before sealing up the walls of my van.  This place rocks!

Wandering through the markets of Taichung, the city I've called home since November, I have feasted my eyes on the most wonderful and amazing gadgetry and gizmos for 12volt systems.  First of all, LED is king on this island, with fluorescent tailing at a close "second."  

This market is a long alley loaded with vendors of anything and everything you can imagine in the world of tools and hardware.

There's the spring guy, yes, just springs.  There's the wire guy, the tool guy, the pulleys and chain shop, "Nuts And Bolts Are Us," and my favorite, the chicken lady, where you can choose your live bird and bring it home ready to cook.  By the way, I wouldn't recommend watching the process of slaughtering a chicken, for if you're not inclined already, you may turn to the ways of a vegetarian.

My Bounty

This is a momentary switch.  When activated, it will either close the circuit or open it, depending upon how you wire the screws on the back side.  I searched for something like this, back home, to no avail.  The Internet had slim pickings as well, but low and behold, the market is full of these babies.  They're great for sliding doors and cabinets.  

Once that spring is depressed, the switch will react.  

Another variation

And, it just goes on.  I'll be placing these behind every cabinet door in The Roving Home - energy efficient task lighting at it's best.  

When I open a cabinet, a light inside will pop on.  No need for flipping switches in the dark, and energy conservation will be as tight as possible.  

Now, on to the electronics district!  

You're looking at four shelves of electronic meters.  I've never seen such a gathering!

These stores carry every electrical switch imaginable.  

I found these for around 50 cents a piece.  Back home, if I were lucky enough to track these down, they'd be about 3 bucks.  Believe it or not, these aren't readily available at Radio Shack or Frys or Auto Zone in the staggering quantities you can find, here - bins of them in aisle after aisle within the stores.  All this stuff is designed for use in the high tech consumer toys they make here. 

Now, if you remember way back during the infancy of my grand van-building scheme, I manufactured a wall sconce out of LED ribbon, some wood and plexiglass.

Once again, I tried to find some nice architectural supports that would hold that plexiglass away from the wood with a finished look.  I've seen exactly what I want, featured in glass signage in building lobbies, all over the place.  But to find those little chrome supports is like finding a needle in a haystack.  And, I couldn't get them online, either.  They're some kind of coveted item that only designers get access to.    So, I had to use threaded bolts and some dumb looking dome hex caps from Home Depot that you see in the corners of the light fixture, pictured above. 

Badda bing!

Picked them up in four different sizes, just in case!

And now, the moment you've all been waiting for...

One of the greatest challenges of this whole thing, for me, has been the selection and proper installation of lighting fixtures.  Illumination can make or break any architectural creation, no matter how big or small, because it sets the mood and the comfort level, especially in an environment that's going to be dark most of the time.  I need the lighting to be right!  

So, after much testing and hoopla surrounding my previous lighting selection, I'm proud to say that none of that is going to work!  

Yep, I'm ditching, all of my previously purchased ceiling fixtures.  I'll probably be offering them for sale, deeply discounted, very soon.  

None of it will suit my purpose as well as what I've found, right off the shelf, at Home Depot, Taiwan.  I almost wept when I saw it.  My translator couldn't care less, so I was on my own, standing there in the middle of a store with people who can't understand a word I was saying.  But, then again, none of what I was saying would be discernible to an English speaker because my words were smothered beneath sobs of joy.  

I proudly introduce to you the 12 volt, 5 watt, pivoting eye, recessed ceiling light fixture complete with a frosted lens that focuses the beam while offering a nice tapered "fall off" of light at a most pleasing color temperature of 3000k, and has a structural depth of a conveniently compact 1.5 inches !!!!  Yes, there is a God, ladies and gentlemen!

I could pinch myself!  

As a matter of fact, these fixtures might just be too bright.  Imagine that.

Excuse me?  Never fear!  Look at what Taiwan has to offer in a 12 volt LED dimmer switch!  

Just over six bucks!  Ridiculous.  Bought eight of those, too.  

The fun will be over in June, when The Roving Home assembly line kicks back into gear.  My girl and I have made the laundry list of travel locales several pages long, already.  Sheesh, I'm going to have to get crackin' fast so we can have a proper summer vacation!