allen18
las cruces N.M.
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Joined: 07/23/2007
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I have a 91 kit road ranger.The only thing i can find is behind the fuse panel mounted on a board it says (power source) model #pc-30 30 amp 415 watts battery charger power supply.Is this the converter? Any info on this?
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Hurricaner
Hurricane Utah
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Joined: 02/17/2007
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Yes, I believe that is a Todd converter, they are no longer made.
Sam
Sam & Kari
Hurricane, Utah
2004 34' Damon Challenger 315
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Caseydon
Simonton, Texas
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Joined: 07/27/2001
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You can be sure it's a single stage charger, meaning the voltage output doesn't change as the battery gets charged. You might want to check the voltage when the converter is running. If it's no more than 13.6 volts, the charging will be slow, but it won't make the battery lose water at an excessive rate. Any higher, and you really don't want to leave it connected full time, and should check the battery electrolyte level fairly often.
Casey
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smkettner
Southern California
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Joined: 03/21/2005
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It is one that is better off replaced. 
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allen18
las cruces N.M.
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Joined: 07/23/2007
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Ok! So when i charge my 12volt battery with a 1200 Gen my Schaver automotive charger 10 amp would work best? When bondocking?
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MELM
GA
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Joined: 12/11/2001
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Todd Engineering went bankrupt several years ago - they were one of the first with the electronic switching design. I've seen info that says that Iota bought the "remains" of the company, and the Iota DLS converters are very similar to the Todd units in performance.
There have been some posts on them in the past. There was/is a way to manually switch the output from the normal 13.6 volts to 14.2 volts (as the Iota Dual Voltage plug does the DLS series). There were modules that automatically did that (as the Iota IQ modules did until the latest that uses 3 voltages).
Here is a link that gives a minimum of information on them: Todd Converters.
If your PC30 is working and meets your needs, it may continue to work for several more years. The 13.6 volts out is the same as several current production converters use. It will be a slow charger, but will not cause high battery water usage when left on for long periods of time.
If you happened to get a manual, it may have instructions on how to switch it to the higher voltage for more rapid battery charging. Or there may be info on the converter on the connection for a jumper to do it. (I don't recall any detail info in any posts in the past, but there could be. I do remember that one member found a module for his a few years ago - it'll be deep in the archives.)
If it is not working or you need high battery charge rates for boondocking, then replacing it is the only option.
Edit - you posted while I was typing.
With a battery discharged to around 50%, the Todd will actually charge at near 30 amps for a period of time, and the charge rate will rapidly fall. So, at first, the Todd will be better than the 10 amp charger, but then the 10 amp charger will be faster.
Is the charger one of the new multistage chargers or one of the older designs? Both designs are still in production... Post the model number as the manual may be available online.
Some members are using similar design converters and new design chargers at the same time to charge the batteries quicker with a generator. Others just replace the converter with one of the new multistage units.
* This post was
edited 05/15/08 08:16pm by MELM *
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Oldfordman
Marysville, WA
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Joined: 04/30/2005
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I have a 40 amp model of this converter and it has worked flawlessly for over 13 years. No battery water useage to amount to much. For quicker charging while on a portable generator I removed the metal jumper on the terminal strip (right next to the + and - terminals, connected two wires, and terminated the wires with a Single pole on/off switch that I mounted remotely. It gives me a High Voltage (just under 14V) and a low voltage (IIRC about 13.4 V) which is essentially the float voltage for the battery where it neither charges or discharges.
IMHO if it is working well don't toss it. Wait until it quits. If it keeps going like mine it may never do so.
Life is full of choices. I choose to have fun!
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allen18
las cruces N.M.
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Joined: 07/23/2007
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Thanks Guys on the info.The converter works fine i just wanted to know what would charge the battery faster.A manual would be nice.I don't know the model # on the charger i think it is a older model it has a switch for Automatic/Manual/Maintenace Free.
PS I do have the model # CRMF612 Schaver
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PaulJ2
Northwest Oregon
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Joined: 12/23/2005
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Like Oldfordman I also have a Power Source 30 Amp converter. I also have connected a switch to those center terminals and can control the charge rate with a flip of the switch. High charge is 14.2 volts, low position is 13.6 volts measured with my voltmeter. It works great and does taper back the current as the battery is charged up. In the high position it will charge a low battery at 30 amps, and after about 2 hrs it has tapered back to less than 5 amp. This is all in the high position. At that point I switch it to low charge to maintain the battery. It shows 0 amps at that point. Yes, I have an analog 30-0-30 meter mounted in the wall that shows what is going into or out of the battery at all times. Trailer is a 1995 Terry. I do have all the converter data for it somewhere if I can find it. It came with the trailer new.
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allen18
las cruces N.M.
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Joined: 07/23/2007
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What is the right way to measure volts from the converter? Do you just use a voltmeter on the battery? If my auto charger is 10 amps what volts should it put out.
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