Need wiring help/advice on Trillium in SE Virginia

[Jamie June]

Hello, I have a 1978 Trillium 1300, everything is original. The Power Converter is Progressive Dynamics Model PD6911. The closet across from it has some DIY wiring duct taped to the inside of it. Trying to chase down an issue with the interior lights not working and will probably replace them all with LED. I know lots of you are good at DIY this stuff but should I see about getting this trailer rewired and a new converter? What kind of place would I go for this? There are some RV sales places for new ones semi-nearby, but I don't know of anyone that deals with vintage stuff. If I got it rewired by someone who knows what they are doing, would that be a pricey fix? I'm checking the forums but my lack of background in any electrical stuff confuses me. Here are the closet wires -- door is to left outside closet, and I think there's a light fixture to the other side of the wire going through that hole on the right?

[David Tilston]

Jamie, The truth is that Trillium didn't do a great job with the wiring. Not a bad job, just not designed to last 44 years.

I'm a capable electrical guy. I use the old wires to pull new wires in. There is a drawing of the electrical system in Trilliums, in the document center:
https://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/...do=file&id=134

There are several people here who know how to re-wire a Trillium. I may have a few suggestions as well.

I would start with the connection to the vehicle and a junction box for where that terminates inside the trailer. From there, I would replace the signal light wires. These need to work. Then I would install a small fuse box:


From that run two wires, black and white, to the lights. I'm inclined to over kill, but I go with #10 to everything that needs any power. #14 would probably be just as good, and be less expensive. This will give you lights, if you are plugged into the vehicle. After that add a battery, charger, converter, inverter.... Baby steps.

[Roy in TO]

I see Dave posted while I was composing & editing.


First suggestion is to plug in the trailer and try toggling the switches on the converter.


I'll be second to suggest the DIY way. I don't understand electricity but was able to do a lot with this book for $10 on Amazon: Managing 12 Volts: How to Upgrade, Operate, and Troubleshoot 12 Volt Electrical Systems by Harold Barre
https://www.amazon.com/Managing-12-V.../dp/0964738627
The last 2 chapters are the most helpful.

A cheap multimeter from your local hardware or auto shop

And the Trillium wiring diagram in the document center.
https://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/...p?do=cat&id=30
https://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/...do=file&id=134

All are a good investment as you will at one point in time have an issue after everything has been fixed and you are out camping a long way from home on a long weekend.

[David Tilston]

All very good information Roy.

You see Jamie, lots of capable people are here to help.

[John in Santa Cruz]

Me, I would probably start by getting a reasonably modern power center, with integrated breakers, fuses, and power converter, ideally a PD46xx power converter. If you can score a used Parallax 7xxx or WFCO 8xxx out of an existing trailer, you can replace the power converter part of it with a PD46xx pretty easily. You can find htese power centers in most any sort of RV, even nicer popup tent trailers, ideally ones made 2000+ so they have fairly modern power centers.

then I'd rewire everything through that power center... shore power, battery, all your AC loads, all your DC loads. the power center's converter acts as a battery charger when you have shore power, and the newer/better ones like the PD46xx have smart 3 stage charging that won't kill your battery with overcharging.

[Roy in TO]

Originally Posted by David Tilston

You see Jamie, lots of capable people are here to help.

I'm not sure how capable I am though.



Steve L. gave me the nickname "Sparky" at a meet once. I had just finished wiring the 12V power feed to the boler American from the 7 pin connector.


When I connected the 2 together a big puff of smoke came out. Silly me forgot that black and white on the tow vehicle is opposite to that in the trailer. (power vs ground)

[John in Santa Cruz]

I *so* hate that some trailers use white for ground and black for +12. If I was wiring one from scratch, I would use colors for various +12 circuits and brown for ground (to distinguish it from the black = 120V 'live' standard).

[Jamie June]

Thank you all very much for the information, I will look into the book and the other suggestions you all make but Im still pretty flummoxed by it, like I have no idea where these wires actually belong, that are duct taped in the closet. One goes to a switch outside the closet, as you enter the trailer. The other one goes to a fixture on the other side of the closet, which I just tried and it might be the only one that does actually work! So either the other interior lights have bad bulbs, or they are on a wiring circuit that is different. Anyway, thanks and Ill be trying!

[John in Michigan]

The switch outside the closet is for turning on/off the porch light.

[Jamie June]

Originally Posted by John in Michigan

The switch outside the closet is for turning on/off the porch light.

Oh, I did figure out that much, I just don't know where the wires are normally hidden, when they are not crazily duct taped on the wall of the closet, like how that is supposed to be normally.

[John in Michigan]

normally the wiring inside the closet is run behind the ensolite layer

[Jamie June]

Originally Posted by John in Michigan

normally the wiring inside the closet is run behind the ensolite layer

I guess I was more alarmed by that than I needed to be. they must have just had to rewire something there so they put it back on top. Those fixtures wired through there are working while the other interior ones are not right now so I guess I don't need to worry so much about them right now and need to concern myself more with the whole rest of the system!