12 volt, Magnetek & Control Panel Questions

[timkim]

Hello All, We purchased a 72 Tradewind last October and last week we moved it near to where we are located and are now starting to work on it. We're real happy to be able to really assess the situation. I have been reading this forum since we purchased the AS and I really appreciate everyone's willingness to help each other out, and now I need some help/info/advice. I have a few issues: 12 volt, Magnetek, and Control Panel.

While hitching it up to tow it home I found the 12 volt did not work, even when connected to the TV. I checked the battery, which is new, and it had a full charge. We towed it home. When we got there the 12v worked while hooked up to the TV. Today we went to work on it and when we started there was no 12 v, but after I had poked around for a while it worked all by itself w/o the TV. All I did was unplug and re plug in the converter and pull some fuses to check them and basically move wires to look at what was what.
Does anyone have any ideas about why the intermittant 12v

During the assessment I found the original Univolt has been replaced with a Magnetek 7445, and the fuse panel has also been updated, it has blade fuses. This was all done by the PO in 1991. It all looks good but
... the connections to the Control Panel are not hooked up, but the red and black wires are there with little push on connecters on the ends, like maybe they were hooked up in the past and just weren't included when the univolt was replaced; the gray wire for the power on light is also there but not hooked up, and I can't even tell if there is a power on light.

I think I can tell where to hook up the Control Panel, but do I really need it? Do I need the ammeter and the voltmeter in the CP? Can I replace the panel with a more technologically up to date metering and read out system?

I don't know anything about the Magnetek and can't find any info on it. Does anyone else out there have one, or know where I can get info? I am wondering what kind of a job it does and if it is what I really want and if I need to think about upgrading.

I'll appreciate any help I can get.

[thecatsandi]

Originally Posted by timkim

Hello All, We purchased a 72 Tradewind last October and last week we moved it near to where we are located and are now starting to work on it. We're real happy to be able to really assess the situation. I have been reading this forum since we purchased the AS and I really appreciate everyone's willingness to help each other out, and now I need some help/info/advice. I have a few issues: 12 volt, Magnetek, and Control Panel.


I'll appreciate any help I can get.

Welcome,
Fuses can go bad at the ends. Just removing and re-installing them can make them work again. The rivets that held the fuse holders could be lose as well.

[jayray5]

Making sure you have a good ground----un hooking and rehooking the ground works wonders. Look at the schematic before just hooking up the control panel or you may fry it. Pull the indicator light ( rear panel above shore power cable and look at the color of the wire going to it. You never know what a PO did so just trace it all down. Put 12v to the same color wire and see if the indicator light lights up. If it doesn't, put a meter or test light on it to make sure it is not the bulb. If it lights up you can put it on the output side of the converter--may or may not have a separate spade connector output.
Trial and error takes some time. Good Luck!

[timkim]

Thank you both, Thecatsandi & Jayray5. I did do a little connection tightening today and will do more next weekend including cleaning and checking for good connections. I'm just not so sure about how useful the control panel is for me, regardless though, I will eventually have to at least make sure ther is power to it and that right wires are in the right places.
Tim