Converter/Charger replacement

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bbwolf
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Post by bbwolf »

That explains it! I see how much you help everyone on this site.

I've only played with the bigger birds. Worked at the Boeing Company for 32 years, mechanic on the 727, 737 and 757, then as an electrician on the 737 & 747, while going to night school for computers. Then did a few years as a Functional Test engineer. My most recent time has been supporting Flight Test of the new 787 & 747-8 products.
Alan and Jeannie Wolfe
2014 Born Free Freedom
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hindeb
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Post by hindeb »

Thank you Bill H. for posting my PDF of the converter install in the "Coach Modifications" section. We are lucky to have such a knowledgeable contributor and web admin.
While searching the internet for a good use for my old converter (I hate to throw it away) I did find a very interesting site that discusses RV 12 volt systems that others may find useful. http://www.marxrv.com/12volt/12volt.htm
Bruce & Teresa Hinde
Steamboat Springs, CO
2004 26RB Diesel
2001 Jeep Wrangler
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BornFree_n_Now
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Post by BornFree_n_Now »

Sold our Parallax Magnetek Solid State 7345 on Ebay for $99.99 after we made the swap :>)
Larry & Sharon
2002 26' RSB
Suzuki X90 4x4 Toad
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bbwolf
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Post by bbwolf »

I spoke with technical support at Paralax this morning (Chuck) and discussed his opinion on the 7345 model, Coach battery maintenance. He acknowledged the discussion and the differing opinions on how to resolve this issue. If I can relay this correctly, he does not think there are products out there that actually monitoring the actual house battery itself for either heat or voltage. I referenced the advised replacement product (Progressive Dynamics PD9160A). According to Chuck, this product monitors the voltage draw at an overall house level, but not an isolated house battery monitoring.

He states that Paralax approach to resolve this is to offer an upcoming product to actually monitor the heat level and voltage of the house battery.

I asked what he recommended to prevent cooking the battery. His stated that if we are plugged into shore power and using the coach, then there wouldnt be a problem, since we are drawing down the overall voltage through use. If in storage and plugged into to shore power, he recommends the standard process of fully charging the house battery, and then shutting it off. (then he talked the other proper battery maintenance steps of checking water, etc.).

Any response to this? Is Chuck misinformed about the direct battery monitoring of this proposed replacement product (Progressive Dynamics PD9160A)?
Alan and Jeannie Wolfe
2014 Born Free Freedom
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whemme
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Post by whemme »

Alan,

The Progressive Dynamics PD9160A with the optional Charge Wizard is the 3-stage charger/converter that I used to replace my Parallax unit with 5 years ago back in May 2005. The Progressive Dynamics PD4655 unit was not available back then but would be the unit I would now recommend because it would be a much, much easier installation. However, the performance of the two PD units are essentially identical.

I would disagree with Chuck that their Parallax 7345 unit would not overcharge the coach batteries while using the coach in campground situation while connected to shore line power. The 7345 has a regulated output of +13.6 vdc and that will not be reduced with typical DC loads used while camping - such as your DC lights, the Fantastic fan, DC TV etc. Only if the coach batteries are deeply discharged would the 7345's output charge voltage be drawn down only momentarily from its normal +13.6 vdc output. So my experience is that once your coach batteries are fully charged, any further charging of the batteries by the 7345 will result in overcharging, loss of battery water and shortened battery life.

My existing pair of Interstate SRM-29 deep cycle batteries installed in October 2004 and taken care of by my PD 3-stage charger/converter are now more than 5-1/2 years old, are still working just fine, and I have never had to add distilled water to any of the cells in all that time. That certainly was not true when I had the Parallax 7345 unit in my coach.

Parallax may be developing their own modern charger/converter for the RV market but evidently it is not on the market yet. And it is true that the fixed charge voltages of +14.4 vdc, +13.6 vdc, and 13.2 vdc for the 3 modes of a PD unit don't take into account that to be really precise, those voltages should be modified with a circuit that measures the operating temperature of the battery being charged. A charger/converter with that capability would be ideal but would of course be more complicated (more expensive?). I expect we will see such units developed and marketed soon - maybe even by Parallax.
Last edited by whemme on Fri May 28, 2010 9:44 pm, edited 3 times in total.
Bill Hemme - Spencer, Iowa
E-mail: whemme@earthlink.net
2002 Born Free (Ford E-450 V10) 26' RSB
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bcope01
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Post by bcope01 »

Wonder why Parallax has waited so long to develop a 3-stage charger? And more importantly, why have so many RV manufacturers continued to use the Parallax converter/charger as OEM all these years when something better was available?

Bill
Barb & Bill
2004 Born Free 22' Built for Two (Sold)
no longer towing a 2008 Smart ForTwo

Escondido, CA
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bbwolf
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Post by bbwolf »

Bill Hemme, thanks for clarifying. We really appreciate having someone like you that can provide us honest answers like this.

Bill, I agree. That was my thought also, why do they continue to use a product with this known flaw.
Alan and Jeannie Wolfe
2014 Born Free Freedom
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whemme
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Post by whemme »

Alan,

I guess I would not necessarily call it a flaw. Back when the Magnetek (the brand name at that time) 7345 was developed, that was the existing technology at the time. Even regular plain old battery chargers did not have 3-stage smart charging capabilities until recently now used in the more expensive units.

Also, Magnetek (now Parallax) was not the only supplier of single-stage charger/converters to the RV industry, it was just that they were the most successful and therefore the most common supplier building and shipping literally multiple thousands of units to the industry every year.

Also, a knowledgeable user can successfully use a 7345 unit and not over-charge or damage batteries. They just have to know after the batteries reach full charge to shut off the battery master switch or otherwise remove AC power to the 7345. The advantage of a 3-stage unit is that you don't have to be careful and watch over this problem plus the 3-stage units are capable of a much faster re-charging rate.
Bill Hemme - Spencer, Iowa
E-mail: whemme@earthlink.net
2002 Born Free (Ford E-450 V10) 26' RSB
2016 VW Golf GTI - toad
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bbwolf
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Post by bbwolf »

Bill, again, great info sir. Much appreciated. This makes a lot of sense.
Alan and Jeannie Wolfe
2014 Born Free Freedom
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Mike Jean Bandfield
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Post by Mike Jean Bandfield »

bcope01 wrote:why have so many RV manufacturers continued to use the Parallax converter/charger as OEM all these years when something better was available?
Well, if you had owned a 6300 model you would have been quite thankful to get the 7300 series. :wink:

Actually, the benefits of the 3 stage converters have been a little understated in this discussion. The 3-stage converter not only extends the life of the battery; it is so nice to plug it in and forget about it. I now leave mine plugged in for weeks and months in the barn with no worry. No more wondering if I've disconnected the battery and reconnecting every couple of months to recharge. I've not had to water the batteries for over a year. The battery compartment no longer gets misted with acid - so no more corrosion and cleaning with baking soda. The 60A charger is fast enough that you can get enough charge by running the generator for a few hours to boondock another 2-3 days. It is truly worry free and a real pleasure.

Many thanks to those here who made the recommendation and to Bill for the excellent installation instructions.
Mike & Jean
2005 26' RSS Diesel
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bbwolf
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Post by bbwolf »

Bruce (or others), I am going to go with the progressive dynamics 4645. Where did you purchase yours? The best price I can find so far is $199 at:
http://rvpowerpartsplus.net/index.php?m ... cts_id=257
Alan and Jeannie Wolfe
2014 Born Free Freedom
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bcope01
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Post by bcope01 »

Here is a popular source for the Progressive Dynamics Inteli-Power 4600 Series Upgrade/Replacement RV Converter/Charger with Built-In Charge Wizard:

http://www.bestconverter.com/4600-series_c_133.html

Bill
Barb & Bill
2004 Born Free 22' Built for Two (Sold)
no longer towing a 2008 Smart ForTwo

Escondido, CA
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bbwolf
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Post by bbwolf »

Thanks Bill. Always good to use a trusted company for a quality product. Now I need to study Bill Hemme's instructions on my upcoming replacement.
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bcope01
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Post by bcope01 »

The PD 4600 Series comes with its own replacement instructions on removal of the old unit and installation of the new converter/charger:

http://www.progressivedyn.com/4600_operation_guide.pdf

Bill
Barb & Bill
2004 Born Free 22' Built for Two (Sold)
no longer towing a 2008 Smart ForTwo

Escondido, CA
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bbwolf
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Post by bbwolf »

Thanks sir. Great stuff. Appreciate it.
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