Older Progressive Dynamics Dist panel Charger/Conv HELP

admbvi wrote:
We are looking to recycle it into a Vintage Camper for long weekend outings that we dont want to put a lot of money into. (or we would simply buy a much newer system). We will have stereo, microwave, interior and exterior outlets, water pump, ceiling fan/vents. etc.

Will the older charger/converters really be harmful to batteries or just much less efficient than modern? We are looking to reuse/reclycle.

I have done straightforward wiring but nothing that involves AC Charger/Converter+ DC Batteries + inverter and integrating all of them together.

The newer multi-stage chareger/converter units are overall gentler on the batteries and will charge them more quickly. It's certainly possible to keep batteries in good shape with relatively crude chargers, it's just a much more manual task.

Some of the old converter/chargers don't age all that well, and most were quite poorly regulated. The battery does provide a certain amount of regulation (or at least smoothing) to the power; but without a battery, many are unusable or nearly so.

The actual wiring isn't all that complicated if you take it piece by piece. The 120V system is basically just like a subpanel in a house. The 12V system is largely like a car's system. The charger/converter is nothing more than a device that happens to live on both the 120V side and the 12V side of things, and the two halves can be considered pretty much independently when wiring things up.

The 120V system may have a few different power sources switched at the input side: the shore power cord, the generator (if you have one), and possibly an inverter. A practical and inexpensive way to do this switching is to have an outlet of the right kind connected to the generator (or inverter) and plug the shore power cord into the appropriate place for the power you wish to use. An automatic or manual transfer switch does the same basic thing, but without physically moving the cord around.

An inverter does add some complexity to the system, particularly if you intend to send its output through the main 120V distribution system. Primarily, there are some 120V loads that should not be used with an inverter: the converter, since you'd just be transforming 120V into 12V and vice-versa and consuming power needlessly each way; probably the fridge, since the propane supply is much more commodious than the 12V electron supply; and of course anything that exceeds the power capabilities of the inverter and battery system. For small loads such as (modern) TVs and laptops, it may be easiest to just use them with the inverter all the time and not try to switch circuits around.

In short, it does seem rather complex if you try to understand it all as an integrated system; but luckily, the different sections aren't really much integrated, so you're really left with some smaller, more understandable systems.

I have the service manual for that vintage of unit- it will take a bit to scan though.

The catalog number is 803187, the 803 probaly being the series of converter. I downloaded the service manual for my 1971 807 PI converter so there may be hope for a manual for that converter.
As was mentioned it's all pretty generic. Your AC line feeds the main breaker and the fuses protect the DC circuits.

If you use the converter, I'd suggest to keep an eye on your battery fluids. The output is probably a constant 13.6 or so DCV. PD did sell an add-on charger board for some of these older units and that would make the charging circuit variable. I don't see it installed on yours.

We are looking to recycle it into a Vintage Camper for long weekend outings that we dont want to put a lot of money into. (or we would simply buy a much newer system). We will have stereo, microwave, interior and exterior outlets, water pump, ceiling fan/vents. etc.

Will the older charger/converters really be harmful to batteries or just much less efficient than modern? We are looking to reuse/reclycle.

I have done straightforward wiring but nothing that involves AC Charger/Converter+ DC Batteries + inverter and integrating all of them together.

Same as any new panel. Nothing looks especially different.

Have you done any wiring before?

The AC section looks pretty straightforward to me—you have two completely separate AC distribution panels (well, separate aside from a shared ground). This doesn't seem like the world's most convenient arrangement, but it's not hard to diagram out.

I would guess that the 30A breaker on the generator side fed a receptacle on the RV that the shore power cord was plugged into when used on the generator, and the 20A breaker there fed a roof air conditioner (as it seems to be labeled). The master breaker for the generator section presumably was mounted on the generator itself.

The shore power cord presumably connected to the 30A main breaker on the other (left) side, and the various branch circuits went off to their various locations. Note that this means one of the (apparent) two roof air conditioners could only be operated off of the generator, never from shore power.

The DC distribution may be split into two sections, one of which is "filtered" by the battery when the converter/charger is in use and the other of which gets "unfiltered" (noisy) output from the converter. When on battery power alone, of course, both sections would be connected to the battery. If this is the case, there are some switching relays in the converter/charger.

The charger/converter part is probably best used to hold open a door that would rather swing shut on its own. It could also serve to keep papers from blowing about in drafty areas. The AC and DC distribution panels would be functional and safe for that purpose still, but their arrangement is not very useful for more modern setups. Suitable glass fuses might be a bit harder to find than the now standard automotive blade type, though they are certainly still available without too much work.

You may be able to find the model number by tracking through the UL number (on a sticker in the AC compartment).

If you have some non-RV use in mind, you can use the components in any manner that makes sense and is safe. The "generator" section doesn't need to actually connect to a generator, for instance; it's just a breaker panel.

That thing is from 1976! There have been a few improvements in converter/chargers since then :)

It could still function but might not be worth the bother except in a special situation. The primitive 1981 contraption in our 1981 camper we just got still "worked" but got tossed out. ( It was made in Winnipeg, where they might still use that type, but not us! -ducking and running :) )

What do you wan to use it for?