electrical converter/charger

[drksm]

Does anyone have anyexperience with the any all-in-one "black box"? I have an Atwood that is a converter (AC to DC) a charger for the camper battery and a distribition panel/fuse box, one for AC one for DC. I got it because it seemed to be a simple solution to what for me anyway is a complicated system on my teardrop project. My issue is that the instructions are weak as are their schematic diagrams and I am having trouble wiring in my two power sources (shore power cord and camper battery). I think I have the DC side figured but the AC side is puzzling. I have reviewed much of the forum and I find that the difference seems to be that my AC fuse panel does not have a location to attach the positive wire from the shore. It must attach via the breaker. Any ideas?
Thanks for this and all the other great advice.
Kenyon (drksm)

[TPMcGinty]

My positive attaches to one of the breakers. I guess this allows that breaker to be the Main feeder breaker. The other AC breakers are then load breakers for the receptacles ETC. I am using a 20 amp breaker for the Main breaker and 15 amp breakers for the loads.

[drksm]

I think min is set up for just what you are saying. It comes with only a couple wires inplace. There is a positive wire that comes from the converter part of the box and is pigtailed to a wire stub that that seems as if it should be connected with the incoming positive wire of the shore line and then inserted into the breaker. The issue I had with that is that while it worked (I hooked up a temporary AC outlet and a 12V outlet) when I shut the breaker off the outlets were still hot. I think it is because the hot positive is directly attached to the converter positive that allows it to bypass the breaker???? The breaker I used is a spare I had lying aroung the basement and I was going to retry the experiment with separate breakers, one for the incoming positive, one for the converter (then on to the 12V system), and one for the AC outlet.
Thanks for your input.
ksm

[drksm]

I tried again today. My "black box" has a panel for three AC breakers but no separate tab to wire in the incoming (like a home breaker box). So, I used one breaker for the incoming shore line (positive into breaker, negative to negative bar, and ground to the grounding bar), one breaker for the AC system (a GFI receptacle in the galley and another AC outlet in the cabin) and the third breaker for the converter that then goes to the DC fuse box/distribution panel and out to the lights, 12V outlets etc.

There was no fire or shocks. The 12 V system worked properly as did the AC outlets. Turning off the breaker for either the converter/12V or the GFI/AC system shut down that system and turning off the breaker for the incoming power shut off everything. So maybe problem solved.

I guess my question for the forum now would be to poll the forum on the size breakers that folks used, 10,15,20,30amp? The first limiting breaker is the imput. There is no point in having a larger breaker downstream from the input is there. I may run several things at once (lights, fan, stereo) but am not putting in anything real hungry like a fridge or microwave.
I would be interested in hearing your thoughts.
Thanks again all.
drksm

[bdosborn]

It sounds like you're on the right track.Make sure that the neutral bar(white wire) isn't bonded to the ground bar (green wire). I'd use an ohm meter and check to make sure there isn't continuity between the neutral and the ground. Keep them separate all through the trailer. I'd use one 20A circuit breaker with #12 wire for everything (AC, converter, lights, etc.) if you can. That way you don't have to worry about overloading your wire with multiple CBs and one CB handle will turn off everything . 20A should be plenty enough to power everything.

Bruce