What is a Univolt? :-)

[aircooled4]

I know WHAT a univolt is, I know what they do, and i have a very good idea of HOW they do it. Can someone possibly tell me how a Univolt is different than say, and Astron RS20, 20amp power supply? They seem to me to function exactly the same and serve the same purpose...

[TG Twinkie]

Ok. Here's an educated guess. The Univolt is more like a battery charger than a power supply. Especially if the power supply is a regulated type. The power supply puts out a constant and fixed voltage up to it's rated capacity. Whereas a battery charger (at least a good one) will vary the voltage depending on the state of the battery being charged.
In my opinion the Univolt is a crude battery charger and is noted for cooking batteries.
The modern converters used in RV's are intelligent to a point. As the converter sees the state of the battery change it adjusts itself accordingly. Whereas a power supply does not have that capability. Typically regulated power supplies are used where a fixed voltage level is required, in electronic circuits for example.
A power supply would not be a good choice for charging a battery.

[aircooled4]

Thanks that kind of explains it...We're restoring a 67 Safari...Today i removed the univolt and was wondering how it was different than a power supply and different than a battery charger...

[vswingfield]

Originally Posted by aircooled4

Thanks that kind of explains it...We're restoring a 67 Safari...Today i removed the univolt and was wondering how it was different than a power supply and different than a battery charger...

After removing the one in my Trade Wind, I would say that a Univolt is more suited to marine use.

It would make a better boat anchor.

[Alumaholic]

I believe much of the weight is copper.
You may want to recycle.
I didn't think of this until I used my old ones for boat anchors. Oops.

[68 Overlander]

Originally Posted by aircooled4

They seem to me to function exactly the same and serve the same purpose...

That couldn't be more true.

[barts]

I believe a Univolt is actually a ferroresonant transformer.

They are old-school technology, but are generally quite robust and resistant to variations in input voltage, power spikes, etc.

They make a fair amount of noise humming; I'm going to use my old one as a 30A battery charger in the garage.

- Bart