Converter charger replacement crew

[davejay]

Hey
I just took out my converter charger unit. I got no idea if it works correctly. I'm going to replace it anyway.
So it is a triad trad. Unit 12 volt 50 amp total max.
Is this thing original. It buzzes. When the coach unplugged I have no interior power.
So. What should I buy that is current state of the art technology.
I'm an electrical dunce.
Thanks in advance DJ

[Waipio Rim]

I bought a Powermax Boondocker from bestconverter.com nine years ago and it works great. I just told them what I had and asked for a recommendation, they had good feedback from others here and I am no better at electronics than you.

[PeterH-350LE]

Originally Posted by davejay

Hey
I just took out my converter charger unit. I got no idea if it works correctly. I'm going to replace it anyway.
So it is a triad trad. Unit 12 volt 50 amp total max.
Is this thing original. It buzzes. When the coach unplugged I have no interior power.
So. What should I buy that is current state of the art technology.
I'm an electrical dunce.
Thanks in advance DJ

Good move to get rid of the old univolt. Most of them will fry your batteries. I have always used the 60amp progressive dynamic with an external charge wizard that lets you over ride the three stage auto setting if needed. https://www.amazon.com/Progressive-D...53278941&psc=1


you still should have 12v power from the 2 coach batteries when unplugged.

[davejay]

Hey
I wa as considering both of your suggestions. I think I'm going to go with the progressive. What is and what does the charge wizard do. Is it part of the unit. Also. You know that fuse block that is right in front of the charger. It's got resetable fuses. Should I be looking at updating that thing. If so. With what.
I feel like an idiot asking for help. I can take this coach apart. Do a complete computer alignment I got a hunter truck bus car aligner. But I get stuck when it comes to the electronics of this coach. So any help is most appreciated. Dj

[BayouBiker]

The charge Wizard is a digital charge controller installed standard in some of the converters and optional in others. There is an optional external interface that indicates mode and also lets you override the mode as Peter indicated. I have one, it is a fairly decent converter for wet cell and AGM batteries. They also make a unit compatible with LiPO4 batteries as well.

You may want to at least consider a converter with a battery temperature sensor and ability to adjust the charge profile based on temperature.

the power distribution center is fine unless you are having issues with the breakers tripping. The resetting thermal breakers are a nice feature.

[PeterH-350LE]

One draw back with the new converter will be that you loose your AC indicator light in your monitor panel. The signal for that light comes from the old univolt. It usually is a brown wire. you can "fake" the signal by feeding that wire from a 9v power supply plugged into an 110V outlet.

[martin300662]

Just to 'toss a hand-grenade' into the discussion, on modern motorhomes, there has been a movement away from alternator based charging systems for the leisure batteries to DC-DC chargers (so the leisure batteries receive a charge when the voltage on the coach battery high enough to charge them.

Accepting the biggest driver is modern smart alternators that back-down the output voltage to prevent over charging the coach battery (but inadvertently cause the leisure battery to not get charged). But having just installed a CTEK DC-DC charger in my "micro-camper" I am considering the same for Peanut - anyone else tried one? seems this an an inverter for 110v supply/charging could be an option?

[PeterH-350LE]

Progressive Dynamics=Excellent customer service
I currently have 2 units (PD9260C), one in the trailer the other in the MH. I also have digital voltmeters to monitor the system. When I went to the trailer and turned on the light, the voltage jumped from 13.2 to 16.9 !!
I called Customer service and they are shipping out a new unit immediately. I told them that I purchased it in the beginning of 2019 and they had no problem replacing it for free!

[bobmiller1]

Might want to check your batteries in the trailer.....Regards, Bob

[PeterH-350LE]

Originally Posted by bobmiller1

Might want to check your batteries in the trailer.....Regards, Bob

If you mean to check if they got boiled, no. I am a voltage monitoring freak (AC as well as DC), first thing I always do is look at the voltage upon entering. I caught this one right away.