John Palmer
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Hi, From a vintage trailer guy located in Santa Ana, CA. It's good to see lots of activity here.
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Post by John Palmer on Jan 25, 2015 17:51:34 GMT -8
I'm feeling a lot better about what I am preparing to undertake! This is such a great resource. Ann… the 4045 unit you are considering is the same one I am. Vikx is correct, that a converter is not much use if you are off grid often. It's really the battery management 'Charge Wizard' in the 4045 that will help your battery survive longer both when you are hooked up to shore power or any charging source… and also when you are parked at home. Their certainly are other ways to manage your battery with "smart" type chargers that you attach directly to your battery (as well as solar kits that come with their own charge managers), but this is a nice integrated solution and takes your mind off managing the battery and you'll probably get more life out of them for sure. Good luck. Why would you want to spend almost $180 to basically get nothing more than a 12V battery maintainer?
All you need is a 2.5MA size generic brand battery maintainer, they cost about $38 at any good local electronics store. The name brand maintainer sold as a Battery Tender JR. is 2.5MA and they sell for about $65, available everywhere.
Do not buy the cheap Harbor Freight Tools .25MA, you want the 2.5MA size.
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chametzoo
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Post by chametzoo on Jan 26, 2015 7:57:52 GMT -8
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John Palmer
Senior Member
Hi, From a vintage trailer guy located in Santa Ana, CA. It's good to see lots of activity here.
Posts: 1,629
Likes: 576
Currently Offline
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Post by John Palmer on Jan 26, 2015 9:18:46 GMT -8
If she dry camps "most of the time" without 110V shore power, it's "a complete waste of money" in a small trailer!
You can wire the trailer with a under $40 smart charger and accomplish the same end result.
Save your money, and buy a couple of Margarita's, and enjoy life.
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chametzoo
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Post by chametzoo on Jan 26, 2015 12:20:36 GMT -8
...Their certainly are other ways to manage your battery with "smart" type chargers that you attach directly to your battery (as well as solar kits that come with their own charge managers)… May be time for one of those Margaritas right now! I don't disagree with you John… I'm not selling the PD 4045. I think Ann heard me when I wrote the above, a few posts back. She'll make the right decision to meet her needs.
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annbclay
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Post by annbclay on Jan 26, 2015 13:48:22 GMT -8
Yeah, a margarita or 3 would be welcome right now!
You guys have really helped, I guess one reason I thought about the all in one was simplicity. One thing to wire and mount and do all my work but being the cheap girl I am I'm pretty likely to go the individual route and put the savings toward some good solar.
i bought Vikx book and am glad I did, I can see it will be a big help as well. However in the epic words of Arnold... "I'll be back"
with many any more requests for insight. thanks!
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wolvenwood
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Post by wolvenwood on May 1, 2015 11:12:46 GMT -8
We are in the process of installing this unit in our Trotwood. It's an easy install but a bit confusing as their instructions are almost useless. Biggest issue is they don't tell you, you need to run a power wire from the 1st 15 amp breaker to the place on the inside case of the converter where the 12v black wire is. Also don't forget to ground your 120 ground bar to the frame and also ground the neg. battery post to ground. Use dual pole breakers and you'll have 7 line 120 and it comes with 12 wires for individual 12v lines. Good luck! Just got this for the NuWa. Thanks for posting the ground and converter power info. I may be a dummy, but I am confused about the return legs for the 12v lines. Where to they hook to?
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lesliemac
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Post by lesliemac on Jul 29, 2015 6:13:15 GMT -8
Hello we just took the lid off my transformer yesterday cause my lights were acting strange . sometimes working and sometimes not... anyways, a small tube like things... d......? was burnt out and cause black smoke marks on the box. not good... this Di....? i forget the name is responsible to charge the battery while the trailer is plugged into power. A nice feature ...it is a 1968 so my helper does not think I can get one of these ? or possibly.? does anyone know where I could start to look..? Otherwise I bought a solar panel and I could charge the batter with that as an option... if you don't put it on the roof has they leak , where do you put them...
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nccamper
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Post by nccamper on Jul 29, 2015 9:49:31 GMT -8
I bought a solar panel and I could charge the batter with that as an option... if you don't put it on the roof has they leak , where do you put them... Parts for an old transformer may be hard to come by. As for solar, I think there are some good threads on this issue. If you have questions, find a solar thread and ask there. You will get more people seeing it. I'm no expert, but I wouldn't mount a solar system on the roof. Every hole is a potential headache and the framing in these old campers is not very strong.
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SusieQ
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Post by SusieQ on Jul 29, 2015 10:04:55 GMT -8
Hello we just took the lid off my transformer yesterday cause my lights were acting strange . sometimes working and sometimes not... anyways, a small tube like things... d......? was burnt out and cause black smoke marks on the box. not good... this Di....? i forget the name is responsible to charge the battery while the trailer is plugged into power. A nice feature ...it is a 1968 so my helper does not think I can get one of these ? or possibly.? does anyone know where I could start to look..? Otherwise I bought a solar panel and I could charge the batter with that as an option... if you don't put it on the roof has they leak , where do you put them... The "transformer" sounds like a battery charger. You can still buy glass tube fuses. But you need to find out what made the fuse blow. I have "suitcase" solar panels. They fold up and store when not in use and are mobile. You can set them where ever they get sun outside of the camper.
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nccamper
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Post by nccamper on Jul 29, 2015 10:32:31 GMT -8
I have "suitcase" solar panels. They fold up and store when not in use and are mobile. You can set them where ever they get sun outside of the camper. SusieQ what model solar did you buy? Are you happy with it? Does it do any good in partial sun?
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SusieQ
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Post by SusieQ on Jul 29, 2015 10:59:27 GMT -8
I have "suitcase" solar panels. They fold up and store when not in use and are mobile. You can set them where ever they get sun outside of the camper. SusieQ what model solar did you buy? Are you happy with it? Does it do any good in partial sun? I have Zamp 80W monochrystaline. They are expensive but work well. They do continue to charge in partial sun but of course, not as well as full sun. I use TV, lightscomputer and fan at night in my teardrop and they keep my battery charged. It's nice that they are mobile because you can face them towards the sun or move them out of shade. I think the cord is 20 feet (well video says 16). I wish I had the 120
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nccamper
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Post by nccamper on Jul 29, 2015 13:57:39 GMT -8
That solar system looks like just what I need. Why would you want the 120? Isn't the 80 enough? The 40 seems a little small but I guess it would slow the glide path to a dead battery. My wife won't give in easily to a $500 solar system. I'll have to work on her. This fits my survive-doomsday-in-the-camper plan. (My wife is writing vikx right now to ask that all you posts about new toys be automatically deleted.)
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SusieQ
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Post by SusieQ on Jul 29, 2015 14:03:28 GMT -8
I'm from hurricane country, so I'm a natural prepper. I have a 12v fridge but I haven't tried it with the battery, yet. I've only run it in my car. Even with a 120 it might not charge fast enough to keep up. I'll find out one day if I ever finish this trailer. ... Back to the trenches now.
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man314
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Post by man314 on Nov 13, 2015 15:52:51 GMT -8
Loving the idea of the Progressive Dynamics Converter + AC/DC Distribution panel. Thx Ten for the link.
Stupid question to those who have this system . . . I am assuming that the 12volt and 110 circuits are kept separate so that you can, for example. run the 12 volt Fan Tastic, while being hooked up to shore power?
Also, looking at (2) 6 volt golf cart batteries. Really just looking for them to keep 2 way fridge cold while in transport, to run Fan and a few lights while camping. Assuming that would be fine . . . those batteries are expensive. Plan to camp with shore power most of the time . . . nice to have options though.
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Post by vikx on Nov 13, 2015 23:06:34 GMT -8
If you are using a converter, all 12 volt items should work when on shore power. In other words, the converter supplies 12 volts to the system when you are on shore power. The Fan will work.
When boondocking, the battery(s) take over powering 12 volts to the trailer. If you do a lot of off grid camping, golfcart 6 volt batteries and maybe a solar panel are the way to go. If you're mostly plugged in, a 12 volt series 24 or 27 might be sufficient. They weigh less at any rate.
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