Trashing Powertron

[Wanda M.]

We are trashing the Powertron!!!!!

Our plan is the following:

1. Run all 12v stuff off the battery only.

2. Run all 110 stuff off the shore power when we have it.

3. Installing a smart charger to charge the battery when connected to shore power only.

Questions:

1. Do you need a fuse panel for the 12v side?
2. Stupid quesiton: Do we will need a fuse panel on the 110 side, right????

My thinking is, why would you need a converter if both powers (12v / 110) are kept seperate and have a good smart charger. Am I missing something?

We are at stand still on finishing the electrical and will not install the Fantastic Fan after frying the radio until we can figure out what to do.

Is there any other smart charger suggested other than the Progressive Dynamics 9200?

We saw one at Canadian Tire for about $75 that does state it's a smart charger and will not over the charge the battery. Has anyone else looked at or using this one?

Thanks

[Pete Dumbleton]

You are doing what I did. Yes, you need a fuse block or fuse panel, but there is already one in or near your old converter just waiting to get out!!

Or you can upgrade to a modern one like this:

http://www.wiringproducts.com/contents/en-us/d136.html

You can get a so-called smart battery maintainer, hardwire it to your battery and plug it in to your 120VAC shore power system so every time you hook up, it will be maintaining your battery.

In addition, get a battery charger that is smart and can quickly recharge your battery.

All of this will cost a lot less than an new converter, so there will be plenty left over for Lebatts or whatever.

I would run two (positive fused) wires directly to the battery for the radio as this will be the electronically quietest power source.

[Wanda M.]

We do assume that there was a fuse panel but it was removed and fuses were placed on the lines around the trailer. It is a mess. We did search high and low for a fuse panel, nothing.

We have started right at the battery, on the wire from the battery we placed a 30 amp inline fuse that we had laying around. We then placed the wire that comes from the battery and also the wire from the 7 pin auto harness and attached it to the fuse panel where the power is to come into it. The fuse panel is under the front seat were the battery power comes into the trailer.

From the fuse panel (15 amp fuses) we will be running the following wires for the fantastic fan, the radio, and this larger black wire that we are going to ran to where the old powertron was. This black wire is spliced on the way to the old powertron location to run to the fridge and then it goes to the old powertron location. The black wire at the old powertron location then will be connected to a red and orange wire. The red wire goes to the water pump and the orange is for all of the interior lights.

It sound correct but our heads are spinning with the maze of wires.

I have a concern, should the 7 pin wire from the harness going into the fuse panel?

The other thing is why for 2 wires to the radio. I told hubby to listen to experience but he still wants to know why. Men, lol...

We will be doing the smart charger and battery maintainer once we have the wiring under control.

so much for your help.

[Pete Dumbleton]

Two wires is battery (positive) and return (negative). He is used to working on automobiles where many of the return lines are 'grounded' to the chassis. There's no chassis in a fiberglass trailer except the outside steel frame, so all circuits are run with two wires and that's a good thing because chassis wires often get bad connections.

Note that the wiring for this brake controller in TV has direct positive (black) and negative/ground (white) between the controller and the battery, plus the battery to chassis.

When I run the positive wire on my TV from battery (through circuit breaker) to trailer connector, I also run a wire from negative battery to connector, plus connect it to TV frame in rear. Likewise, since I have no converter to make the connection between white 12VDC ground/return to green/bare 120VAC ground and the trailer frame, you should connect your battery negative terminal to the trailer frame.

I recommend you download the Scamp wiring diagram and use it to rewire your egg as it is fairly typical egg wiring. You will notice that every positive wire has a corresponding white return wire.