About
The lab exists to answer questions a bench test cannot.
CapnCoil is a mobile field-testing platform and RV head unit: a working van, real instrumentation, and a willingness to run products for a whole season instead of a few controlled hours.
What This Is
A field-testing platform, not a lifestyle project.
CapnCoil exists because most product evaluation happens in conditions that are nothing like the conditions the product will actually meet. Short tests in controlled environments reliably miss moisture, vibration, condensation, power management, daily use, and maintenance problems.
So the approach here is the opposite. The van is developed through a Canadian winter — snow load, freezing temperatures, short daylight, wet gear, and repeated daily use — and the head unit is documented in detail because a testing platform should be inspectable by the people whose products it is used on.
What comes out of that is evaluation notes, operating feedback, seasonal results, and practical improvement suggestions, written for the team that has to act on them.
Start Here
Three pages worth reading.
The Van
The Transit build: off-grid power, thermal envelope, moisture control, and the fabrication that makes a working winter platform possible.
Field Testing
How the evaluation actually runs: scope, install, operate, document, report — and what a useful finding looks like.
The Head Unit
A purpose-built RV head unit for Ubuntu laptops, with touchscreen support, eight camera slots, and system monitoring built in.
Looking at something that needs real-world validation?
Product evaluation, field validation, and technical partnerships are arranged through the form above. This site documents the platform itself.