2014 RAM 1500 Carputer + Off-Grid Mesh + Home RAG

Complete Master Build Document — June 2026 (rev. 3.44)

**Deliverables — dropzone /carputer/: a multi-page website at site/index.html (sidebar nav, one page per section, every wire diagram on its own page with pan/zoom) — auto-rebuilt on every doc/diagram commit** via the post-commit hook (build_site.py) — plus the raw .md and the individual diagram PDFs (full-wiring-1..7, full-wiring-ALL, the switch/media sheets).

⚑ ARCHITECTURE OVERRIDE (rev. 3 — current decision)

The carputer brain is the Dell OptiPlex 5080 Micro (i7-10700T, 16GB DDR4 as-bought → 32GB recommended, 256GB NVMe), installed IN THE TRUCK 24/7. It is the boss: orchestrator, local LLM (Ollama, small models), voice (whisper.cpp + Piper), RAG, CAN, Flask/WebSocket UI, and the local-vs-Fireworks router. Heavy LLM reasoning offloads to the Fireworks API (cloud), not to local big-GPU hardware.

The HP Z440 is SHELVED / out of scope. Wherever this document says "Z440," read it as the OptiPlex 5080 for the carputer role, or ignore it. The Z440 is not part of the current build and is not to be planned around.
No big local GPU. The OptiPlex is CPU-only. Small local models (1–4B) run on it; anything heavier goes to Fireworks.
Cameras, Phase 1: recorded + live-viewed on the OptiPlex only while it is awake. There is no 24/7 parked recording in Phase 1. While parked, the OptiPlex hibernates (~2–5W on 5VSB for WOL) and the ESP32 layer detects what it can (motion/door/vibration/blinker) and wakes the OptiPlex via WOL on an alert.
Pi 5 + Hailo-8L is a ~1-year-out upgrade. When added, it becomes the always-on camera appliance (record + restream + detection), closing the parked-recording gap; the OptiPlex then stops touching video and is a pure brain.

Everything below predates this decision; this banner takes precedence on any conflict.

⚡ POWER ARCHITECTURE (rev. 3 — 12V, settled)

System voltage: 12V. Settled. EPEVER TracerAN is 12V/24V-only (no 48V) — confirmed. The 48V golf-cart bank is unused for this build.

Charging: 400W solar → EPEVER 30A MPPT, + 40A 12V→12V DC-DC charger (alternator, ignition-sensed, isolates the starting battery). DC-DC is the one missing purchase.
Battery banks (all 12V, paralleled):
Core capacity: FEENCE 100Ah (owned) + a capacity-add. rev 3.7: reconsidering "+2nd 100Ah" → a single large 12V LiFePO4 (300-440Ah); rev 3.37 SIZED UP to ~7 kWh overland (2× ~300Ah or 1× 560Ah) — better $/kWh, fewer parts (see §5.8 for current candidates + the buy-now-2026 rationale). ⚠️ Mount a big pack COOL (cab/bed), NOT under-hood — engine-bay heat shortens LiFePO4 life, and no cheap LiFePO4 charges below 0°C (BMS blocks it — plan for PNW/BC winters).
Overland/bed bank (later, REMOVABLE): quick-disconnect (Anderson SB), own fuse + disconnect, for extended dry camping. A single large pack can fill much of this role too — tradeoff is one-big-unit (better $/kWh, single point of failure) vs distributed (redundant, the removable concept).
Load reality (Z440 gone): Phase-1 awake load ≈ 100–120W (OptiPlex ~80W via 12V→19V DC converter + ESP32 + CAN + a few cams). Parked: S3 suspend ~1-3W, S4 hibernate ~0.5-2W, deep-storage 0W (ESP32 hard-cut). One 100Ah + 400W solar rides parked for days. The big banks are for overland house power, not for feeding the carputer.
OptiPlex power path (rev 3.5 — DECIDED): run the OptiPlex on a 12V→19V DC-DC converter (~$73), NOT the inverter. An 800W inverter idles at ~6-20W with no load — that idle would swamp the S3/S4 sleep savings (a 1-3W S3 becomes ~10-23W). A DC converter idles ~0.5-2W, so the sleep ladder's numbers are real. Side effect: nothing else needs 120V AC → the OptiPlex no longer depends on the inverter.
Inverter: WZRELB 800W/1600W pure sine — now out of the OptiPlex power path; kept only as general camp/tool AC if wanted.

Base Vehicle: 2014 RAM 1500 Crew Cab — 5.7L Hemi (rebuilt: FRP Hellfire 2.0 VVT cam, PAC 1275X springs, Vararam intake, 87-octane tune), ZF 8HP70 transmission (rebuilt), 4WD, 3.92 gears, MDS deleted

Drive profiles / mode switching — findings (rev 3.42): researched whether the truck can do switchable perf/tow/economy drive modes.

❌ No live tune-switching on a gas RAM. HP Tuners SOTF (Switch on the Fly) is diesel-only (GM Duramax L5P/L5D, Dodge Cummins CM2350/CM2450, Ford 6.0 PowerStroke) — not offered for any gas Chrysler/Dodge/RAM. No gas programmer switches tunes while driving; the factory "Drive Mode selector" experience needs a diesel or a newer drive-mode truck.
✅ Switchable = flash-between only. Store custom econ/tow/perf tunes (the tuner), re-flash the one you want (key-cycle, ~5–15 min, engine off); MPVI3 flashes standalone, no laptop. 2014 needs NO PCM unlock (that's a 2015+ requirement) — the easy year.
Is frequent flashing bad? Flash-memory wear = non-issue (thousands-of-writes rated). Real downsides: (1) each flash has a small brick risk if voltage sags / it's interrupted → always flash with a battery maintainer on, engine off; risk is cumulative with flash count. (2) Each flash resets trans/fuel adaptives → relearn restarts (this is why the gear-hunting eased over ~600 mi) → constant flashing = the trans never settles. (3) Slow. No per-flash cost (HP Tuners licenses the VIN; re-flashing the licensed truck is free/unlimited). → Verdict: occasional flashing (tow tune for a towing weekend) is fine + intended; daily mode-flipping is impractical/ill-advised.
Live levers that DO exist: factory Tow/Haul (trans behavior, live) + optional Pedal Commander (throttle feel, live — the only true live "mode"). Handheld canned-tune programmers (Diablo/Edge/Underground/Livernois) are out — their tunes aren't built for the Hellfire cam.
Carputer role: profile dashboard + reminders ("flash the tow tune before hooking up") + swap the dash per context + drive the Pedal Commander mode + read Tow/Haul/throttle/AFR. It cannot switch tunes (nothing can, live, on a gas RAM).
Recommended setup: one strong daily tune + a dedicated tow tune (flash for tow trips) + Tow/Haul + optional Pedal Commander for live throttle feel.

Sections

Wire Diagrams

Each opens on its own page with pan/zoom (mouse-wheel or pinch to zoom, drag to pan, or the buttons).

rev 3.44 · auto-rebuilt from the master build doc on every commit.