NWdude Posted July 4, 2019 Share Posted July 4, 2019 Does anyone have experience with replacing this specific converter? It’s in an 83 dolphin. The fuse box is connected to it with the wires that run the outlets on the left side and the right side has a copper ground wire and 2 other wires connecting to the converter. I’m assuming these are the pos and neg wires? I want to replace this with a progressive dynamics converter but it just doesn’t look compatible with the way this one is set up. But I’m not sure, I have very little electrical experience when it comes to rv’s. Any replies are appreciated, thank you. See attached pics Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fred heath Posted July 4, 2019 Share Posted July 4, 2019 (edited) It’s pretty simple. 120v AC in, 12v DC out. As long as your new converter will fit into the existing space just follow the instructions included with your new converter. Somewhere your old converter should show a wiring diagram that identifies the connections (maybe on the bottom?). I suspect the bare copper wire is for “bonding” purposes. It appears that you only have 2 wire Romex w/o ground supplying the converter. Hard to tell from the picture. Edited July 4, 2019 by fred heath Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maineah Posted July 4, 2019 Share Posted July 4, 2019 OK is this the only thing? (charger etc) The one pictured states it's not suitable for battery charging meaning it basically lights the lights. So what you will need is wiring from the new device to the battery somewhere the old wiring must match up to the lighting 12 volt circuit that will need to integrated with the new charger wiring (fused as needed) It kind of looks like the free wires on the old box are probably 12 v DC. The new converter will do both jobs. They can all go to one point on the DC + and - such as a ring terminals on the battery connection. The existing 120 wiring can be connected to the new unit per the instructions. It kind of looks like the the load center is floating that will need to be corrected and the city power cord properly secured. The new converter should have a plain sight grounding post that needs to be attached to the bare or green wire in the new converter. All grounds in a RV both DC and AC are frame connected If there is no ground wire in the Romx (probably is) the frame ground that is connected to the old unit will suffice. The white wire in an RV is not a ground (unlike a house wire) and should not be connected to any ground only green or bear wires are grounds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NWdude Posted July 5, 2019 Author Share Posted July 5, 2019 I appreciate your reply but I’m still a little confused. So this converter does NOT charge the battery, it just runs everything when plugged into shore power. Are you saying I would have to add a new converter on top of this one in order to charge the coach battery? It might be difficult to wire one up considering my house battery is located under the hood, but I will make it work if that’s what I need to do. I have no idea how I would connect this converter to one that charges the battery. This kinda sucks, I feel like my converter is different than everyone else’s and it doesn't even do the job that it is supposed to. This converter is connected to all the outlets and the two circuit breakers so I’m assuming it runs all the interior lights and outlets but how do I charge the battery if this converter isn’t capable of charging it? I wish I could switch to solar but I live in the nw and it’s rarely sunny here and when camping at state parks, it’s usually under tree cover. i wonder if I switched to solar, if I could still charge my batteries with a generator if needed? Man I hate electrical lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NWdude Posted July 5, 2019 Author Share Posted July 5, 2019 If anyone wants more pictures, I can provide them just ask what you want to see and I’ll take some! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maineah Posted July 6, 2019 Share Posted July 6, 2019 4 hours ago, NWdude said: I appreciate your reply but I’m still a little confused. So this converter does NOT charge the battery, it just runs everything when plugged into shore power. Are you saying I would have to add a new converter on top of this one in order to charge the coach battery? It might be difficult to wire one up considering my house battery is located under the hood, but I will make it work if that’s what I need to do. I have no idea how I would connect this converter to one that charges the battery. This kinda sucks, I feel like my converter is different than everyone else’s and it doesn't even do the job that it is supposed to. This converter is connected to all the outlets and the two circuit breakers so I’m assuming it runs all the interior lights and outlets but how do I charge the battery if this converter isn’t capable of charging it? I wish I could switch to solar but I live in the nw and it’s rarely sunny here and when camping at state parks, it’s usually under tree cover. i wonder if I switched to solar, if I could still charge my batteries with a generator if needed? Man I hate electrical lol No your new converter is light years beyond what you had it charges the battery and lights the lights. It does not run the outlets the only way they work is if you are plugged in. If your battery is under the hood there is wiring that comes to the back to a fuse panel the new converter is simply wired to the fuse panel with a + and - The wire that powered the old one is 120 volts that you will need to connect to the new converter. The beauty of a modern converter it is a single point connection this allows the converter to run the light when plugged and charge the battery once you unplug the battery then powers the lights. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NWdude Posted July 9, 2019 Author Share Posted July 9, 2019 So I have a couple more pictures and after opening the converter, I have more questions. I’ve fount the pos and neg wires that would go into the new converter, but there are also wires running from this old converter to a breaker box. I know the progressive Dynamics converter doesn’t have connections for these wires. ( the wire set is the same as what you would wire an electrical outlet with. Would I just remove this wires when I install the new converter? Or route them somewhere else? I attached a couple more pictures Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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