Converter/Charger Upgrade
After replacing my single 12V battery with dual 6V batteries and much reading, I decided to replace my WFCO 8955 converter with a PowerMax Boondocker PM4B-55 circuit board from bestconverter.com. This is a direct replacement for the WFCO but is 4 stage instead of 3 stage with more modern voltage output.
I disconnected the 120 volt, turned off the 120 circuit breakers and removed the negative, then positive cables from the battery bank. After looking at the WFCO, I decided that the best bet was to remove the 2 screws holding it in, pull it out and then swap the wires either singly or in pairs. Before swapping wires, I tried to insert the PM4B and it seemed to be blocked. Turns out one of the blades that needs to slide into a slot at the rear was bent so I straightened with pliers and it slid right in. The wires on the PM were on opposite sides from the WFCO and a ground wire was on the AC side instead of the DC side. I started with the heavy AC pair as they were the easiest to get to, but difficult to run behind the DC fuse panel. Needle nose pliers, a flat blade screw driver and a few four-lettered words were all it took to get them in place and screwed down. I then did the DC pair and the common ground, routing them the same way they came out.
With my heart pounding, I plugged in the AC, connected the battery cables and flipped the circuit breakers on. The screech of a detector coming on just about sent me through the roof, but the microwave clock was on, a 120 light worked and the 12v stuff all worked.
I checked the volt meter and it read about 14.7 for 10 minutes, dropped to 13.6 for a few hours and then down to 13.2 float mode. Mission accomplished!
I would suggest a before photo before removing wires so you can be sure where they were connected, but doing one at a time works as well.
I disconnected the 120 volt, turned off the 120 circuit breakers and removed the negative, then positive cables from the battery bank. After looking at the WFCO, I decided that the best bet was to remove the 2 screws holding it in, pull it out and then swap the wires either singly or in pairs. Before swapping wires, I tried to insert the PM4B and it seemed to be blocked. Turns out one of the blades that needs to slide into a slot at the rear was bent so I straightened with pliers and it slid right in. The wires on the PM were on opposite sides from the WFCO and a ground wire was on the AC side instead of the DC side. I started with the heavy AC pair as they were the easiest to get to, but difficult to run behind the DC fuse panel. Needle nose pliers, a flat blade screw driver and a few four-lettered words were all it took to get them in place and screwed down. I then did the DC pair and the common ground, routing them the same way they came out.
With my heart pounding, I plugged in the AC, connected the battery cables and flipped the circuit breakers on. The screech of a detector coming on just about sent me through the roof, but the microwave clock was on, a 120 light worked and the 12v stuff all worked.
I checked the volt meter and it read about 14.7 for 10 minutes, dropped to 13.6 for a few hours and then down to 13.2 float mode. Mission accomplished!
I would suggest a before photo before removing wires so you can be sure where they were connected, but doing one at a time works as well.
