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Rbertalotto's avatar
Rbertalotto
Explorer
Nov 25, 2016

Progressive Dynamics....UGH! (A vent)

I decided that my WF8955 PEC inverter charger wasn't doing what I wanted. I never saw more than 13.7 volts to the battery, no matter what mode it was in.

Research led me to Progressive Dynamics and the PD4655V replacement power unit and replacement circuit board with "Charge Wizard"

I ordered the PD4655 from Amazon and they suggested that I also buy the Remote Pendant. So for an extra $10, I splurged and got the pendant.

The two packages showed up to day and I decoded to install. Just about the easiest modification I've ever made! Only took 20 minutes.

But when I went to hook up the Remote Pendant, there was no where for the telephone type plug on the end of the cord to plug into.

Research found that the pendant I got was for the 9200 series converters. Not the 4600 series.

After about 20 minutes on the internet I see that there is a pendant for the 4600 series but it is no longer available.

So off to the Amazon web site I go to return the wrong pendant.

But before I go, I go back to the Progressive Dynamics web site and after a ton of searching I find a little PDF on how to convert the 9200 series pendant to the 4600 devices....

You'd think they would put this in the installation manual or at least make a bit more noise about it on the web page....(BTW, The installation instructions are terrible, like all PD installation instructions.....They must have hired some executives kid to write them...Terrible!)

But anyways, I got it all installed and the pendant works fine.

Now I can see:
BOOST 14.4V
NORMAL 13.7V
STORAGE 13.2V

And every 21 hours for a period of 15 minutes it will go into DESULFATION MODE

I need to call them on this DESULFATION as I see two terminals that say "WET" or "GEL"....But there is nothing in the instructions on what this is for.

I have AGM batteries and I'm not sure they ever need to go through DESULFATION.....

I'm liking it!
  • JimInMich's avatar
    JimInMich
    Explorer
    Nov 26, 2016
    bob_nestor wrote:
    If you went to the Progressive Dynamics web site you might have seen the warning/disclaimer about products being sold on eBay and Amazon under the name of Progressive Dynamics. These are NOT authorized distributors, often come in repackaged boxes and generally don't have serial numbers. Progressive Dynamics notes that they WILL NOT support or warranty these products.


    Not exactly. There are some sellers who are an Authorized reseller of the PD products, that sell on ebay and Amazon. Those sellers products will be warrantied. Here is a note from the service section on PD's web site:

    Are you purchasing a Progressive Dynamics product on the internet? Before you buy, ask the seller about their warranty procedures. Does the retailer provide a "working" customer service or service department phone number? Does the Progressive Dynamics product that you are buying have a valid serial number? Some online retailers are selling Progressive Dynamics' products without a valid serial number...DON'T BUY THEM! We must have a valid serial number for all warranty service work. A valid serial number allows your warranty service topics to be handled smoothly and with ease. Call 269-781-4242; email us at service@progressivedyn.com or write us:


    I just bought one from Best Converters. I will be checking the serial number once it arrives.
  • pasusan's avatar
    pasusan
    Explorer
    Nov 25, 2016
    I just bought and installed a PD4645 with remote pendant and the pendant hooked right up to the base unit.

    I did buy it from Best Converters though...
  • theoldwizard1's avatar
    theoldwizard1
    Explorer II
    Nov 25, 2016
    Rbertalotto wrote:

    But when I went to hook up the Remote Pendant, there was no where for the telephone type plug on the end of the cord to plug into.

    ... I go back to the Progressive Dynamics web site and after a ton of searching I find a little PDF on how to convert the 9200 series pendant to the 4600 devices....

    Link please.
  • Rbertalotto's avatar
    Rbertalotto
    Explorer
    Nov 25, 2016
    Understood. This unit has a serial number and I should be OK. If not Amazon got some splaining to do!
  • bob_nestor's avatar
    bob_nestor
    Explorer III
    Nov 25, 2016
    If you went to the Progressive Dynamics web site you might have seen the warning/disclaimer about products being sold on eBay and Amazon under the name of Progressive Dynamics. These are NOT authorized distributors, often come in repackaged boxes and generally don't have serial numbers. Progressive Dynamics notes that they WILL NOT support or warranty these products.
  • Rbertalotto's avatar
    Rbertalotto
    Explorer
    Nov 25, 2016
    The circuit board does indeed have a Charge Wizard button. But when the cover for the WFCO is in place, you can't reach the button and my charger is down near the floor and you can't see the LED indicator light. The $10 Wizard Pendant is the way to go.

    I've been trying to find info on the two pins marker "WET" and "GEL". Seems like there should be some type of jumper connecting them for one type of battery or the other.

    Tried to call PD but they are on holiday until Monday.

    Once it stops raining I'm going to turn everything on in the trailer to run the batteries right down and then use my clamp AMP meter to see what I'm getting to the batteries. I have about 14' of #4 wire running from the charger to the batteries. Everything runs through a Bogart Tri-Metric so I should be able to monitor performance quite well.
  • BFL13's avatar
    BFL13
    Explorer II
    Nov 25, 2016
    I don't know if you saw this in another thread about AGMs

    https://mopar1973man.com/topic/8408-pd4655-converter-charging-graph/

    He had decent results with his 4655 and a pair of AGMs as you can see.

    I am wondering if it was the AGMs themselves with their low R that helped the PD keep its amps up better than usual during bulk. Please report what you get if not too much trouble.

    --So my notion that a WFCO would go into boost more likely with AGMs didn't work in your case? I thought with the smaller voltage spike with AGMs on starting the charge, the WFCO would be more likely to see less than 13.2v and go into boost as designed.
  • time2roll's avatar
    time2roll
    Nomad
    Nov 25, 2016
    I thought the kit came with a new circuit board with a wizard button.
    Would have said to skip the pendent unless you found you needed it.
    Sounds like the 4655 is going to work well for you either way.
    Stick with WET and you will be fine.

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