Power center

[white nick]

I have a 78' Chinook. Is the original electrical component that it came within the cabin called the power center? inverter? converter? It seems to be able to do both. The reason I ask is because i am looking to update or replace it, and I need to know what I should be looking for if anything.

[WME]

Techno babble 101... 12v stuff= lights, water pump, stove fan, any powered roof vents, updated propane heaters.

Converter=converts 110v AC to 12v DC to power all the 12v stuff in an RV when its plugged into shore power. When its not plugged into shore power all the 12v DC stuff runs off the battery

Inverter= Inverts 12v DC in to 110v AC to power microwaves, run a tv and dvd. Note an inverter can draw 100 amps from your 12v battery to run a small microwave. It is very unlikely that a 1978 RV would have an inverter.

However P/Os have done stranger things to old Toy MHs.

[Odyssey 4x4]

Yes and you have your charger that charges your 12v when plugged into shore but if your chinook has the original charger, it’s most definitely outdated.  The old chargers would constantly charge and “cook” the batteries to death.  New chargers are “smart” and drop to a trickle voltage once the battery is fully charged.   

[neubie]

A popular brand is progressive dynamics. Unless you are restoring to vintage standards and using vintage technology -- bulbs and all, the lowest power rating is more than adequate. The load center is one part of the electric circuit, its main spec is the 12V current that passes through it. You should estimate your load if expected to be unusual. The furnace fan is likely to be top user, unless there is a 12V only fridge.

Your specific existing power panel has a 110V to 12V convertor thats just a step down transformer. There is 1 110V breaker and 2 12V fuses. There is no invertor, that 110V socket provides shore power only.

You can simplify your renovation effort by buying a loadcenter that is plug and play, like the progressive dynamics inteli power series. Or, you could wire up parts separately ( this means wiring 120V AC to code), and use parts from marine grade suppliers like Blue sea, and removable battery charger from NOCO and so on. Old 12V electrics had their own integrated switches in each bulb/device. New ones, depending upon what you use, may benefit from a switch panel. 

 

Edited September 21, 2018 by neubie

[Maineah]

The old converters were rated towards the 12 DC stuff they were poor battery chargers the modern converters do both if the battery is up to snuff they weight there output to the coach power when the battery charge is low they weight it first to the battery they are more than adequate to take of both. It is one of the better upgrades to an old RV. There is some hokis pokis with the old converters they disconnected the battery from the coach when they were plugged in that would have to be overcome other wise the new converter would not charge the battery or if directly connected to the battery it would not power the lights etc. It is a simple fix but you need to know a bit about how it all works. You do not need to replace your dc panel it can be used just as it is. Many older converters were fastened directly to the load center with a AC connection on the back and it could be removed and the same connection could be used to power the new converter/charger.