If the manual says horizontal, stay horizontal! You can’t just mount a converter in any random orientation. Here’s the manual: Microsoft Word – 110856 English (). The PD4100 series is a common aftermarket upgrade.

Let’s look at the Progressive Dynamics 4100 Intelli-Power Power Center. I’ll highlight some of the important parts I think you should know. Let’s read through a converter manual together.

RV Converter Walk-Thru: Progressive Dynamics PD4100 Series Other features on your camper, such as your furnace, require a little bit of 12V power to operate the control boards.Many features on your RV, such as your lights and ceiling fan, only run on 12V power.12V (nominal) power is what charges your battery.Why do you want 12V power, you ask? Well, three reasons! What comes out: 12V direct-current power, also known as battery power. What goes in: Shore power, also known as grid or household power, which is usually 115-volt RMS single-phase alternating current. It’s like a magic box that changes the type of electricity. *You might see this referred to as 110, 115, 120, even 125 VAC power. Secondly, it transforms voltage from “shore power” 120-volts* to a much lower (and safer) 12-volts.As you may remember from high school physics, AC current has a sinusoidal waveform, and DC current has a simple straight waveform. It changes alternating current (AC) electricity into direct-current (DC) electricity.The terms converter, charger, and power center are sometimes used interchangeably – but they’re all different things!Īn RV converter is an electrical device with two jobs: Without a converter, all your power is lost and directionless. It directs the 240V power to your washer and dryer, the 120V power to your air conditioner and microwave, and it converts some of the power to 12V for your lights, stereo, and house batteries. Your converter is a traffic controller for all this power. Volts (V) measure electrical potential (sort of like pressure).Hopefully, you already know the basic differences between volts, amps, and watts. This power combines two legs of 120-volt power to make 240-volt power – but that’s more than you probably care about. Larger campers with washers, dryers, or electric ovens will use 50A power. If you see four prongs, then it’s almost certainly 50A. A few micro campers accept only 15A or 20A service, but that’s pretty much limited to teardrops and old pop-up campers. Do you see three prongs? Then it’s 30A or less. Not sure about your RV? There’s an easy way to check. Let’s start with your power source, the Tree of (Electrical) Life:ĩ9.9% of RVs and campers accept either 30-amp 120-volt* power or 50-amp 240-volt power. Reading my article about Battery FAQ is a great place to begin! You don’t need to be an electrical engineer to understand how your RV converter works, but you must know the basics! If that’s you, sorry about your situation! At least you have cell service, right? Electrical Stuff You Need to Know First Unfortunately, most people don’t take the time to ask questions about their RV converter until it ain’t working (or so they think). Without a converter, you’re dead in the water. Your converter is the humming heart of your RV electrical system.

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