I pulled and tested the PD9280 and it definitlly doesn't put out any DC voltage (except perhaps for a few millvolts)
The case uses rivets instead of screws so when I have the time I may drill out the rivets and take a look inside. If beyond repair possibly can be used for parts.
Yes I know I could relocate a converter as there a small cupboard near the floor next to the sink that should be able to accommodate a converter. However I'm still leaning towards an entire new dist. panel with converter as the old one has no cover. Taking a look on eBay I'm not able to find any spare parts or a cover that fits a 6300.
I saw a Parallax 8300 series for around $250.00. I'm not finding any readily available information about Parallax's charging rates. I suppose it must be buried in documentation somewhere.
I'll think it over for a while as it would be much simpler to install a less expensive 55 amp WFCO dist. panel for $135.00.
The Xantrex Truecharge battery charger is a three stage 10 amp charger I believe it uses PWM (pulse width modulation) and it charges down to less than one amp when a battery becomes full. Though designed for one battery it seems to be able to charge two batteries. (the older third Rv battery I removed as it's cells keep losing liquid it's date code is 01/06 while the other two are 01/7) Iirc I picked them up at costco a number years ago.
I do have another Xantrex Truecharge 10 amp charger that's designed for two batteries. Charges each battery individually.
10 amps perhaps is barely enough to charge two batteries, lighting and power the refrig. However I think the motorhome minimally requires a 30 amp charger.
I also have a 115 watt solar panel and a 45 amp tri-star solar controler wired to the motorhome. The solar panel I keep in storage but all I need to do is set it up on the roof or next the the mh and flip the isolator switch.
I suppose I can temporarily connect the solar panel to provide a little more than 10 amps.
Solar controllers imo do a little better at charging batteries than many of the RV chargers/converters. People who are into solar need to maintain batteries a long time.
A quality deep cycle open cell deep cycle battery if maintained potentially will last from 15 to 20 years. Having a good charger is impertive. My Jeep has an Optima battery that I purchased new around 10 years ago still working well without any problems. One thing about AGM batteries is they don't behave the same as open cells so it's a good idea to find a 3 or 4 stage charger that's designed for AGM or Gel batteries.
Most RV chargers do a good job but I think solar controller (ones that I've looked at) have an edge over most of the RV chargers as their design to get a maxiumu life out of a battery bank. The Tri-Star 45 e.g. is programable, with many settings that effect the charging rate and maintenance of batteries.
