On Sat, 29 Sep 2018 16:40:05 -0000 (UTC), Bill
wrote:

wrote:
On Sat, 29 Sep 2018 03:13:55 -0400, "Mr. Luddite"
wrote:

On 9/28/2018 8:59 PM, justan wrote:
"Mr. Luddite" Wrote in message:
On 9/28/2018 8:44 PM, wrote:
On Fri, 28 Sep 2018 17:31:26 -0400, John H.
wrote:

On Fri, 28 Sep 2018 21:19:50 -0000 (UTC), Bill wrote:

John H. wrote:
On Fri, 28 Sep 2018 20:08:34 -0000 (UTC), Bill
wrote:

John H. wrote:
On Fri, 28 Sep 2018 08:12:14 -0700 (PDT), Tim wrote:


9:03 AMJohn H
- show quoted text -
Good to see you understood his whine. I'm still not sure what he means
by 'same bluegrass festival
on different sites'. Maybe because the music is similar at each festival?

It gets to where the music takes second place to seeing and having fun
with good friends.

.......

At least you?re getting fresh air, exercise, and sunshine.
Btw, I rode my Guzzi 400 mi this week...so far. Might get another 200
mi in before Monday.

I think I'll take mine for a ride tomorrow. I finished installing the new
converter, and now I'm
tired. Climbing in and out of that thing is a bitch.


Dc to AC is an Inverter.

Agreed. My converter converts 120vac to 12vdc.


The one I replaced in my Palomino camper did that also was called an
inverter.

https://www.diffen.com/difference/Converter_vs_Inverter

Maybe they were just calling it the wrong name.

Weigh it ;-)
If it does not have a big transformer in it is an inverter.
Inverters turn whatever you feed them into a high frequency square
wave (20kz or more) them get the voltage they want with a tiny little
transformer.
That can be up or down.


Switching power supply.

Problem is, some converters are now based on switching power supplies.
Most of the small, inexpensive, 3 stage battery chargers/maintainers use
them.




I'm having trouble distinguishing between converter and battery
charger.



For RV purposes, I think of it this way:

If you are at a campsite or whatever and connected to shore power
the converter is charging your house battery but is also supplying
12vdc to all your lights and other 12vdc devices. I suppose you
could say they are really all running off the house battery and
the converter is simultaneously charging it. But, you could remove
the house battery and the lights will still work.

Does the truck charge the house battery when it is running? If not,
why not?


Depends if you hook up to the truck charge line. If you do, you need a
charge relay, so you do not run down the truck battery when parked. Also
need a disconnect for the charge relay if in the truck. Draws about 15 ma
in off position. After a couple weeks truck battery is dead. Been
there.

Why wouldn't the relay be connected to the ignition circuit so it was
only picked when the motor was running?

On 9/29/2018 1:20 PM, wrote:
On Sat, 29 Sep 2018 16:40:05 -0000 (UTC), Bill
wrote:

wrote:
On Sat, 29 Sep 2018 03:13:55 -0400, "Mr. Luddite"
wrote:

On 9/28/2018 8:59 PM, justan wrote:
"Mr. Luddite" Wrote in message:
On 9/28/2018 8:44 PM, wrote:
On Fri, 28 Sep 2018 17:31:26 -0400, John H.
wrote:

On Fri, 28 Sep 2018 21:19:50 -0000 (UTC), Bill wrote:

John H. wrote:
On Fri, 28 Sep 2018 20:08:34 -0000 (UTC), Bill
wrote:

John H. wrote:
On Fri, 28 Sep 2018 08:12:14 -0700 (PDT), Tim wrote:


9:03 AMJohn H
- show quoted text -
Good to see you understood his whine. I'm still not sure what he means
by 'same bluegrass festival
on different sites'. Maybe because the music is similar at each festival?

It gets to where the music takes second place to seeing and having fun
with good friends.

.......

At least you?re getting fresh air, exercise, and sunshine.
Btw, I rode my Guzzi 400 mi this week...so far. Might get another 200
mi in before Monday.

I think I'll take mine for a ride tomorrow. I finished installing the new
converter, and now I'm
tired. Climbing in and out of that thing is a bitch.


Dc to AC is an Inverter.

Agreed. My converter converts 120vac to 12vdc.


The one I replaced in my Palomino camper did that also was called an
inverter.

https://www.diffen.com/difference/Converter_vs_Inverter

Maybe they were just calling it the wrong name.

Weigh it ;-)
If it does not have a big transformer in it is an inverter.
Inverters turn whatever you feed them into a high frequency square
wave (20kz or more) them get the voltage they want with a tiny little
transformer.
That can be up or down.


Switching power supply.

Problem is, some converters are now based on switching power supplies.
Most of the small, inexpensive, 3 stage battery chargers/maintainers use
them.




I'm having trouble distinguishing between converter and battery
charger.



For RV purposes, I think of it this way:

If you are at a campsite or whatever and connected to shore power
the converter is charging your house battery but is also supplying
12vdc to all your lights and other 12vdc devices. I suppose you
could say they are really all running off the house battery and
the converter is simultaneously charging it. But, you could remove
the house battery and the lights will still work.

Does the truck charge the house battery when it is running? If not,
why not?


Depends if you hook up to the truck charge line. If you do, you need a
charge relay, so you do not run down the truck battery when parked. Also
need a disconnect for the charge relay if in the truck. Draws about 15 ma
in off position. After a couple weeks truck battery is dead. Been
there.

Why wouldn't the relay be connected to the ignition circuit so it was
only picked when the motor was running?


That's how it works on my truck. Lights, etc. will all work with engine
off but the pin supplying power to charge RV battery is only hot when
engine is running.

On Sat, 29 Sep 2018 07:11:55 -0400, "Mr. Luddite" wrote:

On 9/29/2018 6:30 AM, John H. wrote:
On Sat, 29 Sep 2018 03:30:11 -0400, "Mr. Luddite" wrote:

On 9/29/2018 3:18 AM, wrote:
On Sat, 29 Sep 2018 03:13:55 -0400, "Mr. Luddite"
wrote:

On 9/28/2018 8:59 PM, justan wrote:
"Mr. Luddite" Wrote in message:
On 9/28/2018 8:44 PM, wrote:
On Fri, 28 Sep 2018 17:31:26 -0400, John H.
wrote:

On Fri, 28 Sep 2018 21:19:50 -0000 (UTC), Bill wrote:

John H. wrote:
On Fri, 28 Sep 2018 20:08:34 -0000 (UTC), Bill wrote:

John H. wrote:
On Fri, 28 Sep 2018 08:12:14 -0700 (PDT), Tim wrote:


9:03 AMJohn H
- show quoted text -
Good to see you understood his whine. I'm still not sure what he means
by 'same bluegrass festival
on different sites'. Maybe because the music is similar at each festival?

It gets to where the music takes second place to seeing and having fun
with good friends.

.......

At least you?re getting fresh air, exercise, and sunshine.
Btw, I rode my Guzzi 400 mi this week...so far. Might get another 200
mi in before Monday.

I think I'll take mine for a ride tomorrow. I finished installing the new
converter, and now I'm
tired. Climbing in and out of that thing is a bitch.


Dc to AC is an Inverter.

Agreed. My converter converts 120vac to 12vdc.


The one I replaced in my Palomino camper did that also was called an
inverter.

https://www.diffen.com/difference/Converter_vs_Inverter

Maybe they were just calling it the wrong name.

Weigh it ;-)
If it does not have a big transformer in it is an inverter.
Inverters turn whatever you feed them into a high frequency square
wave (20kz or more) them get the voltage they want with a tiny little
transformer.
That can be up or down.


Switching power supply.

Problem is, some converters are now based on switching power supplies.
Most of the small, inexpensive, 3 stage battery chargers/maintainers use
them.




I'm having trouble distinguishing between converter and battery
charger.



For RV purposes, I think of it this way:

If you are at a campsite or whatever and connected to shore power
the converter is charging your house battery but is also supplying
12vdc to all your lights and other 12vdc devices. I suppose you
could say they are really all running off the house battery and
the converter is simultaneously charging it. But, you could remove
the house battery and the lights will still work.

Does the truck charge the house battery when it is running? If not,
why not?


Yes, I think it does.. . Come to think of it I am sure it does.
Even on the little travel trailer I just gave to my daughter and husband
the "house" battery on the trailer was being charged when my truck was
running. One of the pins on the 7 pin trailer plug on the truck
supplies the charging voltage.

I had a class C RV ... the previously mentioned Chinook Glacier. It had
two batteries ... one was the "engine" battery and the other being the
"house" battery. It had a sensing circuit that directed the alternator
charging output to the battery that had the lowest voltage whenever the
rig was running.

I suspect something like that is also used in diesel pickups that have
two batteries.



When new, the pin which enables charging of the trailer battery is not powered. If power is desired,
a fuse must be inserted in the truck fuse box. I learned this on a Silverado forum after wondering
why my trailer battery wasn't charging. Seems like the original buyer of my truck didn't tell the
dealer he wanted battery charging at the trailer plug.


The charging pin on the Canyon I have was "hot" from the day I bought it
new. Maybe it's because it came with the "towing package" that includes
the factory trailer brake controller.


Mine had all the towing stuff, but the pin was still not hot. Maybe they changed their process since
2009.

On Sat, 29 Sep 2018 07:18:31 -0400, "Mr. Luddite" wrote:

On 9/29/2018 6:20 AM, John H. wrote:
On Fri, 28 Sep 2018 22:12:26 -0400, Wayne.B wrote:

On Fri, 28 Sep 2018 20:59:59 -0400 (EDT), justan wrote:

"Mr. Luddite" Wrote in message:
On 9/28/2018 8:44 PM, wrote:
On Fri, 28 Sep 2018 17:31:26 -0400, John H.
wrote:

On Fri, 28 Sep 2018 21:19:50 -0000 (UTC), Bill wrote:

John H. wrote:
On Fri, 28 Sep 2018 20:08:34 -0000 (UTC), Bill wrote:

John H. wrote:
On Fri, 28 Sep 2018 08:12:14 -0700 (PDT), Tim wrote:


9:03 AMJohn H
- show quoted text -
Good to see you understood his whine. I'm still not sure what he means
by 'same bluegrass festival
on different sites'. Maybe because the music is similar at each festival?

It gets to where the music takes second place to seeing and having fun
with good friends.

.......

At least you?re getting fresh air, exercise, and sunshine.
Btw, I rode my Guzzi 400 mi this week...so far. Might get another 200
mi in before Monday.

I think I'll take mine for a ride tomorrow. I finished installing the new
converter, and now I'm
tired. Climbing in and out of that thing is a bitch.


Dc to AC is an Inverter.

Agreed. My converter converts 120vac to 12vdc.


The one I replaced in my Palomino camper did that also was called an
inverter.

https://www.diffen.com/difference/Converter_vs_Inverter

Maybe they were just calling it the wrong name.

Weigh it ;-)
If it does not have a big transformer in it is an inverter.
Inverters turn whatever you feed them into a high frequency square
wave (20kz or more) them get the voltage they want with a tiny little
transformer.
That can be up or down.


Switching power supply.

Problem is, some converters are now based on switching power supplies.
Most of the small, inexpensive, 3 stage battery chargers/maintainers use
them.




I'm having trouble distinguishing between converter and battery
charger.

===

The two are sometimes interchangeably but that's not really correct. A
true converter is designed to provide a steady DC voltage at a level
that approximates a fully charged battery, about 12.6 to 13.2 volts.
In effect, a converter is a DC power supply.

A charger on the other hand, must supply a higher voltage initially,
typically in the range of 14.2 to 14.6 volts, and then taper off as
the battery becomes fully charged.

Depending on the mode, my converter puts out three voltages:

Absorption Mode: Normal operation. Output in 13.6 vdc range.

Bulk Mode: Output switches to 14.4 vdc for max of four hours. Could be a short in battery cell or
other issue.

Float Mode: Battery charging only with trickle charge of 13.2 vdc. When a demand is placed on
converter, like turning on lights, operating slides, etc, the converter switches automatically to
Absorption Mode.


That's typical of the newer converters and battery chargers. Looking at
the picture you posted of your new one I suspect it's also a switching
power supply device. Too small to be of the older types.

I forgot also to include a reply to Greg's question about if the truck
charges the house battery in a RV. It does because the house battery
is also used to power the trailer's electric brakes. In the event of
a "break-away" the small cable that you hook up in addition to the
safety chains causes the trailer brakes to be applied, powered only by
the trailer's house battery.


Hope he reads it.

On Sat, 29 Sep 2018 11:30:58 -0400, Wayne.B wrote:

On Sat, 29 Sep 2018 06:32:25 -0400, John H.
wrote:

On Fri, 28 Sep 2018 22:01:37 -0400, Wayne.B wrote:

On Fri, 28 Sep 2018 21:11:39 -0400, John H.
wrote:

The item I just installed is a converter. It converts 12vdc to 120vac.

===

That would be an inverter.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power_inverter

From that site: "This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this
article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
(October 2011) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)"

I trust the sites I quoted above more.

https://www.arrow.com/en/research-an...vs-transformer

===

Unless your device can convert 12 volt DC to 120 volt AC, and I don't
think it does, it is definitely not an inverter or inverter/charger.

Inverter/chargers are much heavier and more expensive. I've got two
on the boat (one for backup), and one at home that I use as a heavy
duty UPS for my computer equipment.

Primary boat inverter/charger:

https://www.amazon.com/Magnum-MS2812-2800W-Inverter-Charger/dp/B002MWAATK

http://www.magnum-dimensions.com/product-inverter/2800w-pure-sine-inverter-charger-ms-series

I never said it was an inverter. That was Bill. And, I misread your wikipedia site this am. It says,
"... inverter, is an electronic device or circuitry that changes direct current (DC) to alternating
current (AC), which is what I've been saying all along.

I bought and installed a CONVERTER, which converts 120vac to 12vdc. And, the DC it puts out also
charges the battery.

On Sat, 29 Sep 2018 12:20:55 -0400, wrote:

On Sat, 29 Sep 2018 06:21:29 -0400, John H.
wrote:

On Sat, 29 Sep 2018 03:18:55 -0400, wrote:

On Sat, 29 Sep 2018 03:13:55 -0400, "Mr. Luddite"
wrote:

On 9/28/2018 8:59 PM, justan wrote:
"Mr. Luddite" Wrote in message:
On 9/28/2018 8:44 PM, wrote:
On Fri, 28 Sep 2018 17:31:26 -0400, John H.
wrote:

On Fri, 28 Sep 2018 21:19:50 -0000 (UTC), Bill wrote:

John H. wrote:
On Fri, 28 Sep 2018 20:08:34 -0000 (UTC), Bill wrote:

John H. wrote:
On Fri, 28 Sep 2018 08:12:14 -0700 (PDT), Tim wrote:


9:03 AMJohn H
- show quoted text -
Good to see you understood his whine. I'm still not sure what he means
by 'same bluegrass festival
on different sites'. Maybe because the music is similar at each festival?

It gets to where the music takes second place to seeing and having fun
with good friends.

.......

At least you?re getting fresh air, exercise, and sunshine.
Btw, I rode my Guzzi 400 mi this week...so far. Might get another 200
mi in before Monday.

I think I'll take mine for a ride tomorrow. I finished installing the new
converter, and now I'm
tired. Climbing in and out of that thing is a bitch.


Dc to AC is an Inverter.

Agreed. My converter converts 120vac to 12vdc.


The one I replaced in my Palomino camper did that also was called an
inverter.

https://www.diffen.com/difference/Converter_vs_Inverter

Maybe they were just calling it the wrong name.

Weigh it ;-)
If it does not have a big transformer in it is an inverter.
Inverters turn whatever you feed them into a high frequency square
wave (20kz or more) them get the voltage they want with a tiny little
transformer.
That can be up or down.


Switching power supply.

Problem is, some converters are now based on switching power supplies.
Most of the small, inexpensive, 3 stage battery chargers/maintainers use
them.




I'm having trouble distinguishing between converter and battery
charger.



For RV purposes, I think of it this way:

If you are at a campsite or whatever and connected to shore power
the converter is charging your house battery but is also supplying
12vdc to all your lights and other 12vdc devices. I suppose you
could say they are really all running off the house battery and
the converter is simultaneously charging it. But, you could remove
the house battery and the lights will still work.

Does the truck charge the house battery when it is running? If not,
why not?

Yes it does. When travelling 12 volts is still needed.

So in a jam you could plug the truck in and charge the house battery
enough to get the jacks working and such.

Yes, that's what I did on our last trip.

On Sat, 29 Sep 2018 14:15:03 -0400, "Mr. Luddite" wrote:

On 9/29/2018 1:20 PM, wrote:
On Sat, 29 Sep 2018 16:40:05 -0000 (UTC), Bill
wrote:

wrote:
On Sat, 29 Sep 2018 03:13:55 -0400, "Mr. Luddite"
wrote:

On 9/28/2018 8:59 PM, justan wrote:
"Mr. Luddite" Wrote in message:
On 9/28/2018 8:44 PM, wrote:
On Fri, 28 Sep 2018 17:31:26 -0400, John H.
wrote:

On Fri, 28 Sep 2018 21:19:50 -0000 (UTC), Bill wrote:

John H. wrote:
On Fri, 28 Sep 2018 20:08:34 -0000 (UTC), Bill
wrote:

John H. wrote:
On Fri, 28 Sep 2018 08:12:14 -0700 (PDT), Tim wrote:


9:03 AMJohn H
- show quoted text -
Good to see you understood his whine. I'm still not sure what he means
by 'same bluegrass festival
on different sites'. Maybe because the music is similar at each festival?

It gets to where the music takes second place to seeing and having fun
with good friends.

.......

At least you?re getting fresh air, exercise, and sunshine.
Btw, I rode my Guzzi 400 mi this week...so far. Might get another 200
mi in before Monday.

I think I'll take mine for a ride tomorrow. I finished installing the new
converter, and now I'm
tired. Climbing in and out of that thing is a bitch.


Dc to AC is an Inverter.

Agreed. My converter converts 120vac to 12vdc.


The one I replaced in my Palomino camper did that also was called an
inverter.

https://www.diffen.com/difference/Converter_vs_Inverter

Maybe they were just calling it the wrong name.

Weigh it ;-)
If it does not have a big transformer in it is an inverter.
Inverters turn whatever you feed them into a high frequency square
wave (20kz or more) them get the voltage they want with a tiny little
transformer.
That can be up or down.


Switching power supply.

Problem is, some converters are now based on switching power supplies.
Most of the small, inexpensive, 3 stage battery chargers/maintainers use
them.




I'm having trouble distinguishing between converter and battery
charger.



For RV purposes, I think of it this way:

If you are at a campsite or whatever and connected to shore power
the converter is charging your house battery but is also supplying
12vdc to all your lights and other 12vdc devices. I suppose you
could say they are really all running off the house battery and
the converter is simultaneously charging it. But, you could remove
the house battery and the lights will still work.

Does the truck charge the house battery when it is running? If not,
why not?


Depends if you hook up to the truck charge line. If you do, you need a
charge relay, so you do not run down the truck battery when parked. Also
need a disconnect for the charge relay if in the truck. Draws about 15 ma
in off position. After a couple weeks truck battery is dead. Been
there.

Why wouldn't the relay be connected to the ignition circuit so it was
only picked when the motor was running?


That's how it works on my truck. Lights, etc. will all work with engine
off but the pin supplying power to charge RV battery is only hot when
engine is running.


Mine may be the same way, but I've never checked it. I wouldn't leave the truck connected for long
without the engine running.

On Sat, 29 Sep 2018 15:19:16 -0400, John H.
wrote:

On Sat, 29 Sep 2018 12:20:55 -0400, wrote:

On Sat, 29 Sep 2018 06:21:29 -0400, John H.
wrote:

On Sat, 29 Sep 2018 03:18:55 -0400, wrote:

On Sat, 29 Sep 2018 03:13:55 -0400, "Mr. Luddite"
wrote:

On 9/28/2018 8:59 PM, justan wrote:
"Mr. Luddite" Wrote in message:
On 9/28/2018 8:44 PM, wrote:
On Fri, 28 Sep 2018 17:31:26 -0400, John H.
wrote:

On Fri, 28 Sep 2018 21:19:50 -0000 (UTC), Bill wrote:

John H. wrote:
On Fri, 28 Sep 2018 20:08:34 -0000 (UTC), Bill wrote:

John H. wrote:
On Fri, 28 Sep 2018 08:12:14 -0700 (PDT), Tim wrote:


9:03 AMJohn H
- show quoted text -
Good to see you understood his whine. I'm still not sure what he means
by 'same bluegrass festival
on different sites'. Maybe because the music is similar at each festival?

It gets to where the music takes second place to seeing and having fun
with good friends.

.......

At least you?re getting fresh air, exercise, and sunshine.
Btw, I rode my Guzzi 400 mi this week...so far. Might get another 200
mi in before Monday.

I think I'll take mine for a ride tomorrow. I finished installing the new
converter, and now I'm
tired. Climbing in and out of that thing is a bitch.


Dc to AC is an Inverter.

Agreed. My converter converts 120vac to 12vdc.


The one I replaced in my Palomino camper did that also was called an
inverter.

https://www.diffen.com/difference/Converter_vs_Inverter

Maybe they were just calling it the wrong name.

Weigh it ;-)
If it does not have a big transformer in it is an inverter.
Inverters turn whatever you feed them into a high frequency square
wave (20kz or more) them get the voltage they want with a tiny little
transformer.
That can be up or down.


Switching power supply.

Problem is, some converters are now based on switching power supplies.
Most of the small, inexpensive, 3 stage battery chargers/maintainers use
them.




I'm having trouble distinguishing between converter and battery
charger.



For RV purposes, I think of it this way:

If you are at a campsite or whatever and connected to shore power
the converter is charging your house battery but is also supplying
12vdc to all your lights and other 12vdc devices. I suppose you
could say they are really all running off the house battery and
the converter is simultaneously charging it. But, you could remove
the house battery and the lights will still work.

Does the truck charge the house battery when it is running? If not,
why not?

Yes it does. When travelling 12 volts is still needed.

So in a jam you could plug the truck in and charge the house battery
enough to get the jacks working and such.

Yes, that's what I did on our last trip.

It might be handy to have a longer cable so you would not have to back
the truck up to the hitch ... but that might just be me.

On 9/29/2018 3:11 PM, John H. wrote:
On Sat, 29 Sep 2018 07:11:55 -0400, "Mr. Luddite" wrote:

On 9/29/2018 6:30 AM, John H. wrote:
On Sat, 29 Sep 2018 03:30:11 -0400, "Mr. Luddite" wrote:

On 9/29/2018 3:18 AM, wrote:
On Sat, 29 Sep 2018 03:13:55 -0400, "Mr. Luddite"
wrote:

On 9/28/2018 8:59 PM, justan wrote:
"Mr. Luddite" Wrote in message:
On 9/28/2018 8:44 PM, wrote:
On Fri, 28 Sep 2018 17:31:26 -0400, John H.
wrote:

On Fri, 28 Sep 2018 21:19:50 -0000 (UTC), Bill wrote:

John H. wrote:
On Fri, 28 Sep 2018 20:08:34 -0000 (UTC), Bill wrote:

John H. wrote:
On Fri, 28 Sep 2018 08:12:14 -0700 (PDT), Tim wrote:


9:03 AMJohn H
- show quoted text -
Good to see you understood his whine. I'm still not sure what he means
by 'same bluegrass festival
on different sites'. Maybe because the music is similar at each festival?

It gets to where the music takes second place to seeing and having fun
with good friends.

.......

At least you?re getting fresh air, exercise, and sunshine.
Btw, I rode my Guzzi 400 mi this week...so far. Might get another 200
mi in before Monday.

I think I'll take mine for a ride tomorrow. I finished installing the new
converter, and now I'm
tired. Climbing in and out of that thing is a bitch.


Dc to AC is an Inverter.

Agreed. My converter converts 120vac to 12vdc.


The one I replaced in my Palomino camper did that also was called an
inverter.

https://www.diffen.com/difference/Converter_vs_Inverter

Maybe they were just calling it the wrong name.

Weigh it ;-)
If it does not have a big transformer in it is an inverter.
Inverters turn whatever you feed them into a high frequency square
wave (20kz or more) them get the voltage they want with a tiny little
transformer.
That can be up or down.


Switching power supply.

Problem is, some converters are now based on switching power supplies.
Most of the small, inexpensive, 3 stage battery chargers/maintainers use
them.




I'm having trouble distinguishing between converter and battery
charger.



For RV purposes, I think of it this way:

If you are at a campsite or whatever and connected to shore power
the converter is charging your house battery but is also supplying
12vdc to all your lights and other 12vdc devices. I suppose you
could say they are really all running off the house battery and
the converter is simultaneously charging it. But, you could remove
the house battery and the lights will still work.

Does the truck charge the house battery when it is running? If not,
why not?


Yes, I think it does.. . Come to think of it I am sure it does.
Even on the little travel trailer I just gave to my daughter and husband
the "house" battery on the trailer was being charged when my truck was
running. One of the pins on the 7 pin trailer plug on the truck
supplies the charging voltage.

I had a class C RV ... the previously mentioned Chinook Glacier. It had
two batteries ... one was the "engine" battery and the other being the
"house" battery. It had a sensing circuit that directed the alternator
charging output to the battery that had the lowest voltage whenever the
rig was running.

I suspect something like that is also used in diesel pickups that have
two batteries.



When new, the pin which enables charging of the trailer battery is not powered. If power is desired,
a fuse must be inserted in the truck fuse box. I learned this on a Silverado forum after wondering
why my trailer battery wasn't charging. Seems like the original buyer of my truck didn't tell the
dealer he wanted battery charging at the trailer plug.


The charging pin on the Canyon I have was "hot" from the day I bought it
new. Maybe it's because it came with the "towing package" that includes
the factory trailer brake controller.


Mine had all the towing stuff, but the pin was still not hot. Maybe they changed their process since
2009.



I became more curious so, for about the second time since I bought the
Canyon a year ago I got the owner's manual out and did some reading.

The way it works is 12dc (to charge RV battery) is available on pin 4
of the 7 pin trailer connection whenever the truck is running and is put
in the "Tow/Hall" mode. It's also available on pin 4 if running and you
have the headlights on.

I always used the Tow/Haul mode when towing the camper, so it was
charging. The little, lightweight camper I had didn't really need the
truck to be in Tow/Haul but it doesn't hurt to run it that mode even
when not towing. It's fun sometimes because it changes the shift points.

On 9/29/2018 3:21 PM, John H. wrote:
On Sat, 29 Sep 2018 14:15:03 -0400, "Mr. Luddite" wrote:

On 9/29/2018 1:20 PM, wrote:
On Sat, 29 Sep 2018 16:40:05 -0000 (UTC), Bill
wrote:

wrote:
On Sat, 29 Sep 2018 03:13:55 -0400, "Mr. Luddite"
wrote:

On 9/28/2018 8:59 PM, justan wrote:
"Mr. Luddite" Wrote in message:
On 9/28/2018 8:44 PM, wrote:
On Fri, 28 Sep 2018 17:31:26 -0400, John H.
wrote:

On Fri, 28 Sep 2018 21:19:50 -0000 (UTC), Bill wrote:

John H. wrote:
On Fri, 28 Sep 2018 20:08:34 -0000 (UTC), Bill
wrote:

John H. wrote:
On Fri, 28 Sep 2018 08:12:14 -0700 (PDT), Tim wrote:


9:03 AMJohn H
- show quoted text -
Good to see you understood his whine. I'm still not sure what he means
by 'same bluegrass festival
on different sites'. Maybe because the music is similar at each festival?

It gets to where the music takes second place to seeing and having fun
with good friends.

.......

At least you?re getting fresh air, exercise, and sunshine.
Btw, I rode my Guzzi 400 mi this week...so far. Might get another 200
mi in before Monday.

I think I'll take mine for a ride tomorrow. I finished installing the new
converter, and now I'm
tired. Climbing in and out of that thing is a bitch.


Dc to AC is an Inverter.

Agreed. My converter converts 120vac to 12vdc.


The one I replaced in my Palomino camper did that also was called an
inverter.

https://www.diffen.com/difference/Converter_vs_Inverter

Maybe they were just calling it the wrong name.

Weigh it ;-)
If it does not have a big transformer in it is an inverter.
Inverters turn whatever you feed them into a high frequency square
wave (20kz or more) them get the voltage they want with a tiny little
transformer.
That can be up or down.


Switching power supply.

Problem is, some converters are now based on switching power supplies.
Most of the small, inexpensive, 3 stage battery chargers/maintainers use
them.




I'm having trouble distinguishing between converter and battery
charger.



For RV purposes, I think of it this way:

If you are at a campsite or whatever and connected to shore power
the converter is charging your house battery but is also supplying
12vdc to all your lights and other 12vdc devices. I suppose you
could say they are really all running off the house battery and
the converter is simultaneously charging it. But, you could remove
the house battery and the lights will still work.

Does the truck charge the house battery when it is running? If not,
why not?


Depends if you hook up to the truck charge line. If you do, you need a
charge relay, so you do not run down the truck battery when parked. Also
need a disconnect for the charge relay if in the truck. Draws about 15 ma
in off position. After a couple weeks truck battery is dead. Been
there.

Why wouldn't the relay be connected to the ignition circuit so it was
only picked when the motor was running?


That's how it works on my truck. Lights, etc. will all work with engine
off but the pin supplying power to charge RV battery is only hot when
engine is running.


Mine may be the same way, but I've never checked it. I wouldn't leave the truck connected for long
without the engine running.



Hi John, I discovered something about how the GMC Canyon works that I
discussed in another post. Bottom line is the 12vdc used to charge the
RV battery is only there with the truck running *and* either the truck
is in "Tow/Haul" mode or the headlights are on (or both).