No Univolt, no battery YIKES!

[soldiermedic]

My 68's P/O conveniently threw out the univolt since he said it didn't work. There is also NO Battery. So how does the power work? He has a battery charger he got at Walmart....plugs it into the external power outlet, ties those lead s to the battery terminal leads and plugs into the house.

There are several open wires under my lav sink where I assume the Univolt was originally. I cannot see how this setup is efficient since the lights get very dim when all are on. What are my options here? Without the univolt front panel I really can't get intellipower.

Any help would be really nice.

Thanks,

SM

[Condoluminum]

I'll let some of the other vintage unit owners talk about installation, but if you use searchtab above for intellipower, you'll see a number of messages on topic of replacement power supply/chargers.. Intellipower is a common model used to replace Univolts.. Since all the lighting and appliances require 12 V power, using abattery charger is a "sub-optimal" solution, and shouldn't be taken on the road... Sounds like you may discover other interesting and creative fixes made by your PO (Prior Owner..)

And, you will need a battery as a reservoir of electricity to avoid dimming experience... Many opinions about them as well, though consensus is at least "Deep Cycle" type, and maybe gel cell or glass mat if you don't enjoy maintaining batteries...

[soldiermedic]

How many volts would this battery charger be supplying? I need a new multimeter!

[Condoluminum]

Most chargers use floating voltage to bring battery to full charge and then quit providing more charge power to battery... More interesting question regards Ampere load, since portable battery chargers are often rated at 20 Amps or less, and load from all the lighting in the trailer plus appliances could approach significant portion of that... Battery is usually rated to deliver 500 + amperes for one hour, depending on size... Physical sizes desribed by "Group Number"... Common RV batteries are Group 24 or 27..

[3Ms75Argosy]

you don't need the front panel off the Univolt - just get a 12v fuse block (available at any autoparts store) - I got a 6 fuse model. The power lines of the IP go from the IP to the battery and the power block. Do a search on Intellipower, I posted a diagram of my setup. Granted, it's an Argosy, but all the same principals apply.
The IP just plugs into the 120v system from a three prong plug.
Marc

[soldiermedic]

I can get that fuse panel, but all of the wires are pretty much just "Hanging around" if you know what I mean. The wiring diagrap in my owner manual isnt specific enough to tell me where they all belong. Just a pain in the butt if ya know what I mean (I can't imagine anyone on this forum saying they haven't had a pain with their A/S).

SM

[CanoeStream]

68 Overlander (Randy) is a good resource. See his business links at http://www.airforums.com/forum...verlander.html

You really wouldn't have wanted a Univolt as old as this anyway!