FAQ's About Power Converters/Chargers

1. Why do Recreational Vehicles need Converter/Chargers?

2. What is an Electronic Converter/Charger?

3. How do Electronic Converter/Chargers Operate?

4. What is the maximum rate my Converter/Charger will re-charge my battery?

5. Does my Converter/Charger completely shut-off when the battery reaches full charge?

6. Why doesn’t the fan on my converter run all of the time?

7. Does my converter have short circuit protection?

8. What is the term of the converter warranty?

9. What are the fuses on the front of the converter designed to do?

10. How long will it take to re-charge my RV battery?

11. I dry camp most of the time and want to recharge my RV batteries using my generator the next day. Is there any way I can get a faster recharge rate?

12. Can I connect a solar panel to my batteries without harming the Converter/Charger?
Yes, adding a solar panel will not adversely affect our Converter/Chargers.

1. Why do Recreational Vehicles need Converter/Chargers?
Remote camping in a modern recreational vehicle requires an electric power source (i.e. a 12-volt battery system). The power converter recharges the battery and supplies 12-volt power for the lights and appliances when 120–volt AC power is available. Most RV Manufacturers now specify Electronic Power Converter/Chargers.

2. What is an Electronic Converter/Charger?
Electronic type converter/chargers were first developed for the military and aerospace programs to meet stringent requirements for reliability and small size. As the cost of components decreased and reliability was increased even further, electronic converter/power supplies became the standard for the computer industry.

Electronic converter/chargers had the advantage of being smaller, lighter and they provided the ripple free output voltages these sensitive electronic circuits required.

In the early 1990’s, the component cost reductions and continued increases in component reliability had reached a point where it was economically feasible to design an electronic power converter for the RV industry.

Progressive Dynamics introduced our first electronic converter in 1993 and since then, we have produced over 400,000 units. Our field experience and constant improvements have made our units the most reliable on the market today.

3. How do Electronic Converter/Chargers Operate?
Electronic converter/chargers first convert the 120 VAC 60 Hz from the outlet to 120 VDC after it passes through Diode Rectifier #1, the Capacitor then filters the ripple voltage. This 120 VDC voltage is then fed to an Electronic Switching Circuit that converts it to back to AC and increases the frequency from the original 60 Hz to 3,500 HZ. This high frequency AC voltage is now fed to a step-down transformer where the output voltage reduced to approximately 13.6 volts AC and Diode Rectifier #2 converts the AC to 13.6 Volts DC and the Capacitor filters out the ripple.

4. What is the maximum rate my Converter/Charger will re-charge my battery?
The 9200 Series and 9100 Series electronic Converter/Chargers can charge the battery at their maximum current output rating, provided there are no other 12-volt systems operating and if the battery is discharged enough to accept this charge rate. Progressive Dynamics presently manufacturers six different models of the 9100 series and four models of the 9200 series power converters as shown in the chart below. The last two digits of the part number indicate its maxim current charging capability in amps.

5. Does my Converter/Charger completely shut-off when the battery reaches full charge?
When the battery reaches full charge, the charging current of the converter drops down to between 20 and 25 milliamps. Batteries will self-discharge themselves at this low rate even when no other 12-volt current loads are present. The converter senses this current loss and automatically replaces this lost current to maintain full battery charge.

6. Why doesn’t the fan on my converter run all of the time?
The fan provided on Progressive Dynamics 9200 and 9100 series converters is an intelligent fan and uses an electronic temperature sensing system that operates the fan only as much as required usually under high current drain applications. This means that the fan typically will not operate at night when the RV owner has turned off most 12- volt lights and appliances and is trying to sleep.

7. Does my converter have short circuit protection?
Yes, the 9200 and 9100 series of converters all incorporate a sophisticated electronic current limiting circuit that automatically shuts the converter down very rapidly in the event of a short or current overload condition, without blowing the fuses. This protective circuit will automatically reset itself once the short or overload condition is eliminated.

8. What is the term of the converter warranty?
The Progressive Dynamics new converter warranty is 2-years and is determined by the date of purchase of the RV.

9. What are the fuses on the front of the converter designed to do?
These fuses protect the converter from damage in the event the battery is connected to the RV in reverse. A reverse battery hook-up is the only thing that will blow these fuses. Before replacing a converter suspected of being inoperative always, check these fuses first! These are standard automotive type 30 amp fuses.

10. How long will it take to re-charge my RV battery?
Battery recharge time is controlled by many factors, such as battery size, converter output rating the number of 12-volt lights and appliances that are “ON” during the re-charge cycle and how far the battery has been discharged. In our testing a 125-AH (Amp Hour) battery was fully discharged to 10.5-volts and then connected to a PD9160 (60-Amp) Converter/Charger set to our standard output voltage of 13.6-volts. The battery reached full charge in 70-hours.

11. I dry camp most of the time and want to recharge my RV batteries using my generator the next day. Is there any way I can get a faster recharge rate?
Yes, all 9100 Series Converter/Chargers are equipped with our TCMS (Total Charge Management System) Connector to allow you to easily install our Charge Wizard. All 9200 Series Converter/Chargers are equipped with the TCMS / Charge Wizard built in. The Charge Wizard senses that your batteries are low and that you want to charge them fast therefore, it automatically increases the output voltage of the Converter/Charger to 14.4-volts and will return a 125-AH battery to 90% of full charge in 2-3 hours. Full charge is achieved in approximately 15 hours.

12. Can I connect a solar panel to my batteries without harming the Converter/Charger?
Yes, adding a solar panel will not adversely affect our Converter/Chargers.

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