Vehicles

rv - New voltage converter, 50 amp plug, AC outlets with USB chargers built in, house battery top-off

I did a bunch of eltrical work all at the same time.

First, I installed some AC outlets that USB chargers built in. That way we can charge phones, Nintendo's, tablets, whatever without needing to remember to bring the wall warts. I installed brown outlets so that they blended in with the RV a little better.

Second, I replaced the 240 VAC 50 amp plug. The old plug was cracked and one of the 4 prongs had to be pushed in manually. Most plugs are right angle plugs. This makes sense for dryers and ovens where you are pushing them up against the wall. For an RV though, that 90 degree connector makes it nearly impossible to plug into the GMC motorhome generator outlet. I went with the only straight plug I could find, an Eaton 5745N. It was twice as expensive and a special order, but it works GREAT. It is very easy to plug into the generator outlet, and should be very easy to plug into shore power outlets as well without worrying about placing stress on the cord due to a 90 degree bend.

Last, I replaced our fully functional yet original voltage convert with a modern one. This purpose of the voltage converter is to take in AC and output DC to run all the DC loads and hopefully even charge the battery. The original 1977 converter puts out something like 13.4 volts no matter what. Its not really enough to charge the battery, but is also too much for the battery to take non-stop. If you just leave your RV plugged into shore power for days, your battery will get fried.The original converter is a beast. It puts out 45 amps and weighs a ton.

I ended up buying a Progressive Dynamics PD9270. This thing puts out 70 amps, versus the 45 amps of the orignal unit. Despite being higher output, the PD9270 is much smaller, much lighter, and has intelligent charging modes. Once your battery is fully charged it switches to a trickle charge. I absolutely love this unit. It works great and I got quite a bit of cabinet space back once installed.

Pictures

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original outlet, actually still looks very nice
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installed leviton outlet with USB type A and C fast chargers
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the original boxes are weird. They are not very deep and are more square than rectangle
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regardless, the new outlet fit okay
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I also replaced the outlet in the back bedroom
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the larger face plate is still night quite wide enough to cover the box
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new plug, sold as Eaton 5745N
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old plug is cracked
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much better, no more 90 angle that pushes against the coile up wire
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i took the houe battery out to look at the wiring to make sure I knew how the converter was wired up
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using a shop chair to hold the battery made battery removal and installation a 1 person job
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Interstate SRM-4D deep cycle battery. I have no complaints about this battery
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the battery compartment is a mess, the hold downs don't work
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original beastly convert shown on the right
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pos output goes right to fuse block, negative goes to aluminum frame behind cabinet
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I didn't end up needing to remove the swtich box to get old converter out
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tilt it up and wiggle it out
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converter pos went to fuse panel, and another wire went from fuse panel to pos joint on back wall
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original converter, Triad-UTRAD TU-445-7. This thing is HEAVY and still works as designed
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you can see where the 240 volt 50 amp line comes into the coach
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I removed the rubber feet for the old converter
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here is where the house battery line connects with the converter and also the line that goes up fron
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side by side, the new converter is smaller, lighter, and quieter with that heat sensitive fan
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Progressive Dynamics PD9270, used but it works great
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clamped and soldered on ends
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I used 2 guage wire for the 12 volt pos and neg wires
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I used 8 guage wire for the ground for the converter itself
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mounting on the back wall leaves plenty of space in this cabinet
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brown convert ground on top, black neg grounded below, and red pos joined on right
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checked battery fluid level while I had it out
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fluid level looks good
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I think this is a solenoid. Not sure how its supposed to work
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that big fat black wire goes up behind the converter, where it joins a fat red wire up to the front
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plug stuck out to far so I had to get a 90 degree power strip. Now I have more AC and USB

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