1996 Itasca Sunrise 31rq F53 Project Power Converter

[FrankenHome]

Hey Everybody! I got a Progressive Dynamics PD4600 in the mail today. It's Christmas in August 


In my previous post I had the power converter on my list of things that didn't work in my 96 Itasca Sunrise. What I didn't share is that I didn't know that the power converter wasn't working until about two weeks ago. As I said, this is my first RV and when I bought it 2 years ago I knew absolutely nothing about RV systems. I had know idea that the original MagneTek Model 6345 power converter was bad and that the battery charger system had failed. The PO pointed out that he had a solar panel installed to keep the house batteries charged while it sits in the storage lot. I'm thinking at the time that it's a nice bonus!

Not giving the power system any further thought, I did notice that the 12 volt ceiling lights would get really hot and melt the lenses if left on too long (maybe an hour or so) and that the porch light lens was melted. I also remember that when I dropped the ceiling lights to remove the ceiling material I found burn marks on wood panel above the bulbs. When we got back from our road trip to KC and Branson, MO two weeks ago I decided to check into the electrical system and see what was going on. I found the trouble shooting check list on the Parallax website and learned about the filtered and unfiltered 12 volt circuits. As it turns out, I had almost 16 volts going to the 12 volt devices that were powered from the converter and about 13.6 volts from the house batteries. What didn't click at the time was that the 13.6 volts was coming from the solar panel not the system battery charger. The battery charger on the converter wasn't working at all.

My plan is to toss the original MagneTek, install the PD4600, add a switch to the solar panel battery tender so that I can turn it on when stored and off when using the generator or external power. I also got a 30 amp surge protector that detects ground and polarity faults and the remote pendant. So what I hope to have when I'm done are ceiling lights that don't overheat and house batteries that are being recharged correctly. I'll follow up after I install the unit. I wanted to do it tonight but it's just way too HOT around here. I'll install everything this weekend.

Best regards,
John

[Rickf1985]

Is there a separate charge controller for the solar power? That is needed to run the solar for charging. You should not have to ever turn off the solar.

[FrankenHome]

Rick,


Could be but I don't know. I'll certainly check. It would be nice if I could leave the solar power connected and let the system automatically manage battery charging. I'll let you know what i found out.


Quick Edit...I just checked Progressive Dynamics FAQs. Here's number 13.


13. Can I connect a solar panel to my batteries without harming the Converter/Charger?[/size]Yes, adding a solar panel will not adversely affect our Converter/Chargers.

So I should be good to go as is! Thanks.[/size]

John [/font]

[DaveVA78Chieftain]

13.6VDC from the solar panel is to high for a trickle charge.  13.6VDC is the level the older linear chargers (e.g the original Magnetec 6345) put out when the RV was in storage.  That 13.6VDC voltage level in storage situations results in boiling the battery dry.
Your new and modern PD4600 4 stage converter only puts out 13.2VDC in storage mode (trickle charge).  The 13.6VDC Normal mode kicks in when you start using 12VDC loads.

So, if the solar panel is putting out 13.6VDC in daylight when your rig is stored, then you may boil your batteries dry.  There are modern solar panel controllers available that allow you to adjust the output to a lower voltage.

[Rickf1985]

You still need a charge controller, solar panels are wired in series and can put out fairly high voltages. And with no regulation at all so there has to be something in the line to monitor the batteries to keep from overcharging them, exactly like an AC charger. You can hook up the solar to the batteries with the new charger but after the charge controller that should be there.

[Rickf1985]

Beat me!

[joanfenn]

Ha I wish

[FrankenHome]

Thanks for the "Quick" responses! The RV has sat for 3 months at a time on the solar panel and the battery water levels barely dropped in the cells. Must be a controller some where. I'll find it.



John

[BrianB]

I changed all my interior lights to LED. They don't get hot like the incandescent.

I used these and they work great. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00ZZO0448/ No problems with them on my 10,000 mile trip this summer. We boondocked at a lot of places without shore power and no generator and had no problems with coach batteries draining.

[FrankenHome]

Time for an update. I pulled out the original power converter today installed the PD upgrade. The first pic is what you start with. To get this out, you should first tag all your DC wires and write down the wire number with the fuse size. Then remove the bolts holding the board and tilt it out to disconnect the red and white wires from the back side. With this complete, remove the four screws that hold the complete the complete unit in the opening and pull it forward and tilt to get to the two screws holding the bracket with all the wire bundles attached. Completely remove these screws.


See Part 2

[Rickf1985]

Part 2? ?

Whoever did the AC wiring in that box took exceptional care in their routing! You very seldom see an RV with wiring that neat.

[FrankenHome]

Thanks Rick. I couldn't help but notice that too. I decided to leave the bracket as is because of it.


Part 2


Next you need to disconnect the wiring to AC side. Remove the white neutral from the bar and the black hot wire from whatever breaker it's attached to then do the same for the DC wires. With all the wires to the converter disconnected you should be able to pull the old converter completely out of the frame. Next completely remove the DC circuit board. The PD converter kit comes with a new DC fuse board. Install and bolt the new converter in place.

[Rickf1985]

That is the same setup I put in my slide in and it works quite well. The old one had that big transformer right on the floor and sure enough it burned a big spot on the floor!

[FrankenHome]

Way too close for comfort! I think I just got lucky and that didn't have bigger issues with this one. By-the-way, I may have lost my last post. If so, I'll do it again shortly.

[FrankenHome]

Final steps and this part is a little tricky. The heavy gauge 12 volt positive black wire and the 12 volt negative green wire that you removed from the front of the old DC fuse panel need to be connected to terminals on the top of the new DC fuse panel. To do this you may need to pull the complete panel back out, tilt it forward and free up the wires. In the picture I previously posted of the back of the complete unit, you can see the black and green wires going through the back side of the box in the lower right. I suggest that you get all of the heavy gauge wiring connected before you do anything else. I also highly recommend that you hold the terminal block for each wire with a pair of pliers while you tighten the screw so you don't break the circuit board. Also make sure that wires can't get cut on any sharp edges. The metal bracket that the fuse panel attaches to has a very sharp edge that is just waiting to cut through the insulation on wire.


If you've done everything right it should look something like the last picture. I fired it up and it's all good!


Next...LED ceiling lights....as soon as they get here from Amazon.


Everyone take care an enjoy the rest of your weekend!


John

[FrankenHome]

Here's what it should look like when you're done.