Did I fry my converter?

Hi,

Connecting both usually does not damage either device.

Not likely having an external charging source damaging the on-board converter. 9 years old probable just finally kicked the bucket

I recommend a Powermax brand replacement. Should be direct bolt in swap. Three year warranty.

http://www.bestconverter.com/45-Amp-4-Stage-Main-Board-Replacement_p_521.html#.UcJx7afn_L8

It occurred to me because I replaced the converter with a new Progressive Dynamics unit - which itself worked for two days and then died. Perhaps bad luck, but if my behavior is cooking them I want to stop.
Might the converter be damaged by the brief voltage drop when you plug it into a 2000w inverter generator? The B&D charger doesn't seem to mind.

It's feasible that if the B&D went into desulfate mode the surges were too high of voltage for the converter.

Hard to say with a 9 year old converter. As suggested above, time to get a smart converter charger that will eliminate the need to use an additional external charger as WFCOs have been known to have issues with delivering a bulk charge. LED lighting will reduce the length of charge time via generator allowing your new smart converter to restore the majority of consumed amphours in under a couple of hours.

Never heard an issue with B&D portable used in conjunction with the converter.
Read lots of posts using them together.

But if you have a PD there is no reason to connect the portable.

Keep in mind the WFCO Power Distribution Unit consists of all your 120VAC circuit breakers and 12VDC fuses. The WFCO original installed WF series converter which I think I understand now has been pulled out and replaced with a PD brand converter/charger unit.

The 9 year old WFCO mainframe is only a power management distribution unit and has nothing to do with the mounted PD converter except to provide a mounting space in the lower compartment and 120VAC power to operate it.

If you are not getting 13.6VDC at the + and - battery connections when on generator or shore power then the PD unit is bad or the path between the converter/charger to the battery is OPEN CIRCUIT.

There is only two sets of fuse controls between the output of the PD Converter unit being two REVERSE POLARITY fuses mounted on the WFCO Power Distribution Panel labeled REVERSE POLARITY and an IN-FUSE situated very close to the BATTERY POSITIVE terminal. You can see in the drawing below where the two REVERS POLARITY fuses are located on the WFCO 12VDC distribution board. These are the two FUSE OFFSET from the other fuses and located just above the word POS where my 12VDC is feeding the BATTERY connections. I think the PD also will have a set of REVERSE POLARITY fuses built-in the PD front panel. Not sure which set of fusess you have checked. About the only thing that will blow the REVERSE POLARITY fuses is actually hooking the BATTERY TERMINALs in reverse order - just takes one spark to do it.



sample photos from google images

Clarify how you are presently hooked up now...

When I upgraded my WFCO 8900 Series Power Distribution Panel I left the WF8945 Converter/charger inplace since it was brand new and mounted my smart-mode PD9260C Converter/charger at a different location closer to the battery bank.

My WFCO Power unit was new and I was having problems getting its WF8945 to go into smart mode charging. I added the PD9260C Converter/charger to the system that I know will go into smart-mode charging when needed (both AUTO and MANUAL).

I actually can run either converter/charger now by flipping the 120VAC circuit breaker for the unit I want to use. This adds to my PLAN Bs for having a back-up converter/charger unit...

This is simplified drawing of my setup...


just my thoughts
Roy Ken

smkettner wrote:
Never heard an issue with B&D portable used in conjunction with the converter.
Read lots of posts using them together.

But if you have a PD there is no reason to connect the portable.

I've not had a problem either but that doesn't mean it isn't a strain on it.

RoyB, your drawing is instructive and inspiring.
My distribution panel, WF 8914, at the back of the trailer near where shore power comes in, looks different. It has the 120v circuit breakers and the 12v fuses, but not the circuit board etc in the lower part of your picture:


I'm assuming that's because the old WFCO converter was not part of the distribution panel. The old converter was, and now the new PD is, forward on the floor under the sink, much closer to the battery:
.
One of the red wires goes to the battery, the other to the distribution panel. The black wire disappearing to the upper left plugs into a 120v outlet.

I originally went looking for a problem because a panel-mounted voltmeter near the door, which usually reads 13 something when we're on shore power, one day read 12.6 and falling. To confirm the WFCO converter was bad I had checked that there was 120v at its plug, that the reverse polarity fuses were intact, and that voltage across the converter 12v terminals was zero with battery disconnected.
The new PD dis the same thing after a day or so which made me wonder if I were causing the problem. I exchanged the PD converter, and PD#2, in the lower picture, the latest replacement, is up and running for two weeks. My panel meter again shows 13.2v most of the time.
So it seems to be fixed; three's a charm?
I have more than once hooked up the portable charger with leads reversed; when I do, the portable beeps and shuts down, seems to do no harm, and does not blow the reverse polarity fuses on the converter. I did not do that just before either of the two recent units died.