Converter

I have a new 3326 and the directions say its a 3 stage charger. Is this a change because everything I read show the newer TM's having a 2 stage charger.

We might be able to help you with this answer if you give us the make and model of the converter. If it is the Paralax 6033 as was in my '04 3326, it is a single stage. Some are coming with a better converter, but we are not finding much data on it at all. Some have the Paralax 7360 and some have a different brand
Bob

I have installed the Progressive Dynamics PD9160 converter by removing the 6035 that came with my '04 TM 3326K. I am very happy with this unit and how it treats my battery. Never a dull moment anymore

I was concerned about the fan running all day in the summer here in Phoenix and got the following response from the PD factory:
"Bob,

The fan is rated for a lifetime of 20,000 hours. We have them here that have been running continuously for several years without fail. I don't think it will be an issue. If the fan does fail at some point the unit will shut down when the temperature reaches a certain point. As for replacement, we do have fans in stock if at some point you need one or you can return the unit to us for a replacement. I hope this helps. Thanks, Mark."

Now according to my calculator if it runs 12 hr /day for 4 mo each year:
20,000 hr *1 day/12hr * 3 yr/365day = 13.7 years. So I guess I don't have to worry about that wearing out any time soon.

[Bill]

Do you have the CS6000XL? That is a new converter for TM, replacing the old Magnetek/Parallax units. There is almost no information available on this unit, which doesn't thrill me - the one-page "owner's manual" is a joke.

From the little bit I can glean from talking to the distributor (they are made overseas, and you can't talk to anyone at the factory), this is a quasi-three-stage charger. It should be better than the old chargers, in the sense that it won't overcharge your battery. But it accomplishes this in a pretty clumsy way (details available if anyone cares) that involves under-charging the battery a bit.

It apparently does have a higher charge rate available, and all of its outputs are "filtered", which are both good things.

In my opinion, Bob Rederick's Progressive Dynamics converter is much superior to either the Magnetek/Parallax, or the CX6000XL.

Bill

I just found out that PD converters changed their fan programming to cause speed to decrease at low load currents and to increase at higher currents. The change is in the '05 models. Mine (purchased 4/05) runs full speed or is off -- it was on sale for $155 so probably last years' model.... That feature would be nice in Phoenix for storage purposes -- especially when storage exceeds ~13 years

I am trying to define, for myself, what problems are solved by changing out the TM converter. I have read several threads on this, but I am not at all positive why people elect to do this.

So far, we have not done any dry camping. That will be next year and it will be for extended periods. We will buy a generator to charge the battery and run such high watt items as a griddle when needed.

I have picked up that a Progressive Dynamics converter will charge the battery faster. But I don’t know how longer either take, so “faster” is not meaningful to me.

I understand the original equipment converter charges at one rate and that leads to boiling the water off. When I bought our used TM, I found the battery to be almost empty and replaced it with an AGM. So while boiling is no longer possible, I wonder if the single rate change is not doing the $110 battery any good. Can any of EE’s field that one?

The PD is rated at 60 vs 35 amps. 35 amps handles alr the 12v circuits now, so whay are the extra amps are being used for? Changing or for what other good use.

Other than “faster” charging, what are the tangible benefits of upgrading?

Thank you
Signed not an EE

Jouster,

First, if you are happy with what you have, there is no reason to change. I wasn't happy, so I changed it out. Now I am happy . BTW, I have only dry camped for the last year. I really hate it when I get to the camp site with a discharged battery.

PD has a device called the Charge Wizzard that controls the converter. Check out their web page for lots of FAQ, curves, and other data. With the wizzard, the PD9160 is a 4-stage charger.

http://www.progressivedyn.prawnserve...zard_home.html

Mode 1: quick charge to 80 or 90% at 14.4 Volts applied
Mode 2: slow charge at 13.6 Volts
Mode 3: OFF. No charge at all. This prevents bubbling water out in storage.
Mode 4: Equalize mode or a surge of 14.4 Volts applied every 23 hours. This stirs the water in the battery daily to reduce sulfation. Sulfation is the formation of the whitish residue that settles to the bottom of the cells. When it accumulates sufficiently to touch the cell bottoms, it must provide a leakage path that drains that cell. Besides, whatever makes up the sulfation is no longer available to do its intended job.

The OEM 6335 device charges at 6 Amps maximum and slowly reduces to a trickle which appears to go on forever, continually bubblling the battery water out. There is no quick charge mode so charging takes about 2 to 4 days.

The best way to get maximum long term capacity out of your battery is to drain it to no less than 50% capacity. I then charge it to 80 or 90% capacity in 1/2 or 1 hour using the PD9160 driven by a 750 Watt generator. Since I am mainly dry camping, this is the way I do it. I prize the campsites with full shade under tall pines, so solar isn't practical.

If you discharge your battery fully (dim yellow lights), you have forever deminished the maximum capacity of your battery by about 10%. Do this 4 or 5 times (say with the refrig on while driving) and guess what; only 60% or 50% of the initial as-new capacity remains. So it isn't wise to over discharge. And therein lies the need for an amp-hour meter like the Trimetric or Xantrec. It has been mentioned that this is like having a gas gauge on the battery. With it you know whether it is time to run the generator or whether you can get another day or two without charging.

I hope this helps. DW would not do well if I let the furnace go out at night where we camp, so it is important to me to keep the battery healthy. That in turn keeps me healthy !

[rtcassel]

PD makes 30, 40, 45, 60, and 80 amp converters. Suppose that I have the battery described in the paragraph below. Should I get the 30 amp converter? What would happen if I got the 40 or the 60? Or is my question mixing apples and oranges and not making any sense? Thanks.

On the Trojan site, the following paragraph appears:

There are many types of chargers available today. They are usually rated by their start rate, the rate in amperes that the charger will supply at the beginning of the charge cycle. When selecting a charger, the charge rate should be between 10% and 13% of the battery's 20-hour AH capacity. For example, a battery with a 20-hour capacity rating of 225 AH will use a charger rated between approximately 23 and 30 amps (for multiple battery charging use the AH rating of the entire bank). Chargers with lower ratings can be used but the charging time will be increased.