Issues with converter - How do you go about it?

There's a certain percent of RV owners that have the skills and knowledge to repair their own electrical components. Most hire it out to a commercial shop.

If you want to make something that may be on the cutting edge of RV electrical, make a converter or inverter/charger that has adjustability for DC output and the circuitry to efficiently charge Lion batteries. If the advent of the more superior Lion battery technology comes about at an affordable price point, there will be a sea change in battery replacement. We'll need a charger to maintain them.

JennyWagner wrote:
Hi,
I am an electrical engineering student trying to understand the RV market for a class project with a team of students. How does the whole electrical component market and after market work? How do you - RV owners - go about figuring out how to fix your RV or get it fixed?

I get out my volt meter and figure it out. Otherwise if stumped I ask the question here.
No survey needed. This is what engineering is all about.

I'll Bite.
From a marketing standpoint....
When an RV comes from the factory, most come with a fairly standard Circuit breaker box that is installed the same as a residential unit. This almost never goes bad and parts are easily available at a hardware store. It gets it's power when we plug in at the campground. It distributes power just like in a standard house so again parts are readily available.
Connected to it is also a converter that as said changes the 120VAC house current into 12VDC to charge the batteries and power the 12V system which is all of the basic stuff needed to run an RV as they are designed to not need the 120VAC system just to operate the things like the lights, water pump, some vent fans, maybe some appliances. Most of this 12V system is standard automotive stuff so again parts are easily obtainable and so far all of these systems are easily repaired by most handymen.

Now where you might be looking for things to add or to help out in this market....

Inverters. Some RV's come with Inverters and most do not, but they can be added. These allow a person to run small electrical devices off of the battery for short periods of time. These can be a little tricky to install but with research and Youtube and asking questions to the experts on this site, most of us can do it.
Solar Systems. Don't come standard on RV's but many add them so that their 12V systems can run longer without needing to be plugged in. Installation is same as above, easy with some help from this site and the internet.
Generators. These come standard on most motorhomes and a few trailers, but RV'rs like to have them, and some are added to an RV or portable units are brought along.

Anytime you can make any of the above Lighter, More Efficient, Cheaper, Longer Lasting, more powerful, or Lighter (yes I said it twice), then you get our attention. This includes things like the appliances, A/C units, right down to the light bulbs.

Now Maintenance.
Houses get maintenance from an Electrician, A/C repairman, Plumber, Carpenter, and Cars get maintenance from a Mechanic (even these get broken down to the A/C man, the alignment guy, the transmission or engine guy too). RV repairmen usually have to be all of them combined. Dealerships employ some of each. Depending on the problem will depend on who gets chosen to work on it. Most of us on this site seem to use this site for the wealth of information that we have when we combine all of our strengths and we tackle most of the repair work ourselves as long as we don't need huge tools or facilities, and are physically able to do it. You will find in RVing that many of us are up there in age and will sometimes rather pay someone to do it rather than test our capabilities. Some RV repairmen are mobile as in they come to you with a van full of tools and supplies. These are great too especially for fulltime RVers who can't easily leave their RV at a shop. If the engine and/or drive train need work it will most likely go to a automotive or truck repair shop.

My RV is only a few years old so mechanically I haven't had to call anyone to fix anything yet and I have been able to fix or replace the small things that have happened myself, and even the upgrades I would like to do I have all of the help I need right on this site.

Hope some of this helps.

What you want to know, if I'm understanding you correctly, is how do we go about figuring out how to fix our RV's? If so:

1. We diagnose the issue based on what isn't working correctly.

2. Then we consult whatever resources we have, including the people here, to figure out a fix.

3. If we feel that solution is within our capabilities (knowledge base + skill set + tools), we try to fix it.

3a. If not or if we cannot, we find someone (shop/technician) who can.

That process isn't really unique to RVs. It's pretty much the same for appliances, plumbing, computers and electronics, isn't it?

If that is at all helpful, you're welcome. If not, perhaps you can shorten up what it is exactly that you're looking for -other than people to take your survey.

Hi Jenny,

You will find most of your questions answered here:

Rv Electrical and Solar

JennyWagner wrote:
turbojimmy - thanks for your consideration. But I am not sure how I can defend that 'English is my first language'. :-)

Who says "recent times"? Have you replaced your blah blah blah in recent times? Have you eaten in recent times? Have you mowed the lawn in recent times?

How about "recently"? Or "within the past x-number of weeks, months, years".

I'm with Old Biscuit. It's tough to see where that survey might be going. I answered it anyway, would be interested in the ultimate conclusions.

Thanks for your input, stevenicol. I am also browsing through all the forums to get a better idea of the kind of issues / resolutions RV folks go through.

JennyWagner wrote:
Thanks all for your questions and comments.

The link is not a scam, but I can understand your hesitation to click. AYTM stands for Ask Your Target Market. It is a free surveying tool (similar to Survey Monkey) that poor students like me use.

Thanks for the quick primer on how the converter works and the 120V vs 12V. But what I am really looking for is how the market works.

I am a student at Illinois Tech (Illinois Institute of Technology - Chicago) and my minor is in Management Studies. This course will help us analyze and understand the full value chain of electrical components all the way from component suppliers, manufacturers, end customers through distributor/dealors & technicians. I hope I helped answer any questions.

Will really benefit from your collective experiences here. Thanks in advance.

Jenny

Market works real well.

Those that are not mechanically/electrically inclined take RV in to a shop and pay to have it fixed (part replaced)
Those that have mechanical/electrical abilities buy part on-line etc and replace themselves OR they pull it out and rebuild it then reinstall it.

Your survey is more Junior High School level questionnaire vs University Level. Just very basic questions. Don't see the value.

turbojimmy - thanks for your consideration. But I am not sure how I can defend that 'English is my first language'. :-)

RV electrical stuff is fairly simple, but there is a whole slew of eletrical items that we RVers use from amplifiers to generators to solar: this is the place where it can get complicated; that is, where I buy stuff depends on everything from convience to location to cost.

RV net is a good place to get ideas, and better way is to get an RV yourself; good luck with this assignment, and have a good time!