Question about powering my 71 ECO trailer

[Mjfinelli]

Hello all,
New to all this, picked up a 1971 ECO camper 13 ft

Looking to restore it, over all its in great shape. Previous owner had it plugged into a regular outlet and was able to power on lights, run his microwave. He also said he use to plug in a portable AC into the 120 plug inside trailer.

My question is what is the solid state power converter? When the previous owner had a plug running into the unit think he was using this? Trying to see if I need this or should replace it? What does it do?

[thrifty bill]

That old PD6911 is a dog and should be replaced. These things do not age well, and at close to 50 years old, its time. You need a power center. I replaced my PD6911 with a PD4135.
Plenty of threads on this topic.

That unit is basically a power center. It controls the 120V AC that enters your trailer and has a converter that creates 12V DC for interior lights. Its a known battery boiler. New units have smart chargers that are battery friendly.

[Mjfinelli]

Thanks fir the reply. So I only need this if I am using a battery? The guy I purchased from said he never used it did not even know what it was.. he plugged right into his house with an extension cord to power lights and portable AC or Heater in unit.

Thanks for the info, I will search and see about replacing it but just seeing if I need to use this or if I plug right into a camp site if I can get by not replacing right away.

[AC0GV]

Originally Posted by Mjfinelli

Thanks fir the reply. So I only need this if I am using a battery? The guy I purchased from said he never used it did not even know what it was.. he plugged right into his house with an extension cord to power lights and portable AC or Heater in unit.

Thanks for the info, I will search and see about replacing it but just seeing if I need to use this or if I plug right into a camp site if I can get by not replacing right away.

....the converter not only charges the battery but also powers the 12 VDC loads like fans and lights. I would update it if the budget allows.

[thrifty bill]

+100 First, any of your 120V AC items inside the trailer come through this device. Secondly, any 12V DC items inside the trailer are powered by this device.

When I bought my 1977 Trillium 1300, it never had a battery. But it had 120V outlets and 12V DC lights. I replaced the old worn out PD6911, and added a battery for dry camping. I rarely have hook ups when I camp. Even if I often did have hookups, I still prefer a battery so I have a choice of where to camp. Many of my favorite camping areas: National and State Parks, Forest Service and BLM camping do not have hookups.

[Mjfinelli]

Hi Bill,
Today I got in the trailer and for the first time plugged an extension cord into the trailer. I have two male plugs under my sink. I first tried the first male plug not coming from the converter. Nothing would work.. not sure what the plug is going to..

I then plugged into the male plug coming from the converter and everything worked.
Outlet in the kitchen and all the lights. So it looks like even if I am using power from my house or camp ground this converter is still being used?

So yes I guess I should upgrade it? searching now to see how to do it.

[Mjfinelli]

This was today orange extension cord is plugged into the converter