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StirCrazy
Kamloops, BC, Canada
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Joined: 07/16/2003
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by the looks of that old converter, you should be thinking of upgrading it anyways and if it is causing issues its a good time to do it. THIS one is a direct swap for just the converter section. If you want to do what I did you could get a whole new power centre and get the modern filtered DC and such but they are not always the same size as the old Magnetek and you pretty much have to rewire everything. you could look at the PD4645, or PD4655 depending if you want a bit higher output for charging or not.
Steve
2014 F350 6.7 Platinum
2016 Cougar 330RBK
1991 Slumberqueen WS100
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mkirsch
Rochester, NY
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Joined: 04/09/2004
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sapperb wrote:Thank you for the reply. I was wondering what the converter/charger looks like. Was it included in one of my pictures? Thank you again,
Bruce
Follow the wires.
The wire from the converter breaker leads to the converter, which is the bottom section of your electrical panel that contains the transformer, and has the red white and blue wires leading out and up to the row of automotive fuses on the top right.
Putting 10-ply tires on half ton trucks since aught-four.
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sapperb
Barstow
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Joined: 12/22/2020
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mkirsch wrote:sapperb wrote:Thank you for the reply. I was wondering what the converter/charger looks like. Was it included in one of my pictures? Thank you again,
Bruce
Follow the wires.
The wire from the converter breaker leads to the converter, which is the bottom section of your electrical panel that contains the transformer, and has the red white and blue wires leading out and up to the row of automotive fuses on the top right.
mkirsch,
Thank you so much for the information. I am going to try to get to it this weekend.
Bruce
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sapperb
Barstow
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StirCrazy wrote:by the looks of that old converter, you should be thinking of upgrading it anyways and if it is causing issues its a good time to do it. THIS one is a direct swap for just the converter section. If you want to do what I did you could get a whole new power centre and get the modern filtered DC and such but they are not always the same size as the old Magnetek and you pretty much have to rewire everything. you could look at the PD4645, or PD4655 depending if you want a bit higher output for charging or not.
Steve
StirCrazy,
Thank you. If you said re-wire everything, that is way above my skill level. I have been talking to my buddy that does all my electrical on my vehicles. He has a crazy busy schedule, but he will come an look at it.
Bruce
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mbloof
Beaverton, OR
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Joined: 11/27/2014
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sapperb wrote:opnspaces wrote:sapperb wrote:Ok good evening, everyone. I was able to do some more research on it today. Ok I plugged it into a non-GFI outlet I flipped up all the breakers in the camper. Everything worked for about 30 seconds, then I heard a click, and everything went off. It never threw a breaker in the camper; it threw the breaker in my main fuse panel in my house (where it was plugged into). So, I flipped down all the breakers in the camper and hit the breaker back on in my house. So now I went and turned on the breakers in the camper one by one and it clicked again when I flipped up the breaker to the converter. So would this mean my converter is bad and causing this? I have to accept the fact that this converter may be as old as the camper, 22 years old. The converter should be located in the fuse panel of the camper? Again thank you everyone who is helping me.
Bruce
Most likely the converter, or it could be the charger. Many times they are in the same box but separate. It could also be something else on the same circuit. Unplug all electricity, take a photo of the fuse locations and pull all the fuses. Then see if you can open the front of the converter/charger. If so undo the wires from the breaker to the charger only. Now put the fuses back in and carefully plug in shore power, flip on the offending breaker and see what happens. If no tripping you have a bad charger. If it trips there is a short in the breaker panel or some other device like the microwave or whatever is also on that same circuit.
Here are some pictures
![[image]](https://i.imgur.com/xSCRplZl.jpg)
I had a 2001 Elkhorn 8S and yep - that looks like the factory panel and converter/charger.
However I'm at odds remembering how the thing was wired as there is a breaker for:
1. Converter/charger
2. Air Conditioning
3. Microwave
4. General
5. Main
Stock the items that can draw AC power are: the fridge, converter/charger, air conditioning(if installed), microwave (if installed). Stock your water heater is GAS only.
So the question would be if ANYTHING is getting power with the "main" breaker off.
Obviously SOMETHING is causing the house breaker (and the 'Main' one in the camper) to trip.
I'd assume that your doing what I used to do before a trip, plug in the camper to pre-cool the fridge/freezer and top off the battery.
BTW: WARNING! THAT model converter/charger is known for boiling batteries and wreaking them. There are drop-in replacements (or used to be) that have multistage charging.
Personally I'd try to isolate by shutting everything off and all breakers and just turn on the "main" breaker and see what happens.
A DVM, trouble light or probe will be useful to see where you have power. Since the goal is to charge the battery and/or pre-cool the fridge, if the "main" breaker does not trip with all the other breakers off, next turn on the converter/charger breaker with the main and see what happens.
Then do each breaker one at a time paired with the main and see which ones can be on with the main without tripping.
- Mark0.
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StirCrazy
Kamloops, BC, Canada
Senior Member
Joined: 07/16/2003
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sapperb wrote:StirCrazy wrote:by the looks of that old converter, you should be thinking of upgrading it anyways and if it is causing issues its a good time to do it. THIS one is a direct swap for just the converter section. If you want to do what I did you could get a whole new power centre and get the modern filtered DC and such but they are not always the same size as the old Magnetek and you pretty much have to rewire everything. you could look at the PD4645, or PD4655 depending if you want a bit higher output for charging or not.
Steve
StirCrazy,
Thank you. If you said re-wire everything, that is way above my skill level. I have been talking to my buddy that does all my electrical on my vehicles. He has a crazy busy schedule, but he will come an look at it.
Bruce
ya I did the second option in my 1991 camper, and it was a bit of a pain... had to make the hole bigger, make new supports, transfer all the 12V circuits over, make a new ground bar and on and on... wasn't hard, just long and tedious. If all you're doing is the converter section, it's fast and easy, undo the 120V supply to it, and the 12V output. couple screws and it pulls out. hook the new one up and slide it in.
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sapperb
Barstow
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Joined: 12/22/2020
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StirCrazy wrote:sapperb wrote:StirCrazy wrote:by the looks of that old converter, you should be thinking of upgrading it anyways and if it is causing issues its a good time to do it. THIS one is a direct swap for just the converter section. If you want to do what I did you could get a whole new power centre and get the modern filtered DC and such but they are not always the same size as the old Magnetek and you pretty much have to rewire everything. you could look at the PD4645, or PD4655 depending if you want a bit higher output for charging or not.
Steve
StirCrazy,
Thank you. If you said re-wire everything, that is way above my skill level. I have been talking to my buddy that does all my electrical on my vehicles. He has a crazy busy schedule, but he will come an look at it.
Bruce
ya I did the second option in my 1991 camper, and it was a bit of a pain... had to make the hole bigger, make new supports, transfer all the 12V circuits over, make a new ground bar and on and on... wasn't hard, just long and tedious. If all you're doing is the converter section, it's fast and easy, undo the 120V supply to it, and the 12V output. couple screws and it pulls out. hook the new one up and slide it in.
Ok thank you. Question. I am going to do as was suggested. So if I disconnect the breaker to the converter/charger and put shore power to it, to confirm that it is the issue, with the rest of my system be ok running shore power through it without a converter/charger?
Thank you
Bruce
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StirCrazy
Kamloops, BC, Canada
Senior Member
Joined: 07/16/2003
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sapperb wrote:StirCrazy wrote:sapperb wrote:StirCrazy wrote:by the looks of that old converter, you should be thinking of upgrading it anyways and if it is causing issues its a good time to do it. THIS one is a direct swap for just the converter section. If you want to do what I did you could get a whole new power centre and get the modern filtered DC and such but they are not always the same size as the old Magnetek and you pretty much have to rewire everything. you could look at the PD4645, or PD4655 depending if you want a bit higher output for charging or not.
Steve
StirCrazy,
Thank you. If you said re-wire everything, that is way above my skill level. I have been talking to my buddy that does all my electrical on my vehicles. He has a crazy busy schedule, but he will come an look at it.
Bruce
ya I did the second option in my 1991 camper, and it was a bit of a pain... had to make the hole bigger, make new supports, transfer all the 12V circuits over, make a new ground bar and on and on... wasn't hard, just long and tedious. If all you're doing is the converter section, it's fast and easy, undo the 120V supply to it, and the 12V output. couple screws and it pulls out. hook the new one up and slide it in.
Ok thank you. Question. I am going to do as was suggested. So if I disconnect the breaker to the converter/charger and put shore power to it, to confirm that it is the issue, with the rest of my system be ok running shore power through it without a converter/charger?
Thank you
Bruce
ya that might work, won't have any 12V power aside from what the battery will do itself so keep in mind depending how your battery is you 12V may or may not work of sort of work.
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greenno
Clairemont Cal.
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Joined: 04/12/2018
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OP I have a perfectly good Charger Converter Progressive Dynamics PD9245C that I removed from my 2019 AF990 camper when I changed over to Lithium Battery’s and it’s just sitting in my garage.
If that would work for you let me know it’s yours for just the shipping cost from San Diego.
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Grit dog
Black Diamond, WA
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Joined: 05/06/2013
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greenno wrote:OP I have a perfectly good Charger Converter Progressive Dynamics PD9245C that I removed from my 2019 AF990 camper when I changed over to Lithium Battery’s and it’s just sitting in my garage.
If that would work for you let me know it’s yours for just the shipping cost from San Diego.
That’s a heck of an offer and the perfect application for his camper. Good on ya!
2016 Ram 2500, MotorOps.ca EFIlive tuned, 5” turbo back, 6" lift on 37s
2017 Heartland Torque T29 - Sold.
Couple of Arctic Fox TCs - Sold
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