The Electrical System
The coach has three integrated systems capable of producing 110 volt power on the coach.
1. Shore Power
2. Generator power
3. Inverter Power
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| The above schematic is fairly self explanatory.. Charge for the
4 - 24V batteries is derived from the 270 amp generator on the coach engine
when we are on the move... When we are parked, the battery voltage is
maintained by the Inverter (Trace DR 3624) if there is an outside source
of power available. (eg: shore power, solar panels (installed winter 2008), or
generator power). A solenoid switch can be used to separate the house
batteries and the engine batteries should an occasion for such an action arise. The Generator is a 6000 watt Honda water cooled generator producing a 20 amp and a 30 amp feed into the transfer switch.. The shore power connection is a Marinco 50 amp service on the side of the coach.. For service from a 30 amp source, a 30 amp cable with the corresponding Marinco end is used. A jumper wire, inside the connection, from the power side of the circuit to the "dead" leg sends power up both sides of the circuit. If a 50 amp source is available, then a 50 amp cable is used. The surge protector is a 50 amp "Progressive Industries" unit that checks the incoming power for polarities, strength, surges, etc., and if all is well, it allows the current to continue into the coach. The transfer switch is the heart of the system as it only allows one source to connect at a time. From here it goes upstairs through the breakers and into the distribution panel.
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Fig 1. Basement view
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Below is a schematic of the upstairs wiring plan. In the beginning, a converter was the sole source of distribution for both 12V DC and 110 AC power. As the conversion progressed and a distribution panel installed, the AC distribution system was taken away from the converter as shown below. The 12V DC system load at this point supplies the rear half of the coach. A distribution point on the panel over the drivers head supplies the front half of the coach. |
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The Twelve Volt System The 12V DC source consists of 4 x 6 volt Trojan 105 deep cycle batteries located in the engine compartment on the passenger side. They are charged up from one of three sources. 1. A 12V alternator that is mounted on the engine supplies voltage direct to the batteries while the engine is in operation. 2. A 120 watt solar panel that is stored in the bay can be set up and plugged into the same circuit as the battery charger. 3. An uncontrolled 12 battery charger that delivers voltage to the batteries via the solar panel controller . |
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Fig 4. |
Fig 5. |
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This box is the heart of the 12volt system. Fig 2. is a top down view of the wiring set up for the distribution box. The Solar controller (Fig 2., a Flexcharge unit) controls the amount power from either the solar panel or battery charger (uncontrolled) which passes through the plug on the left side shown in Fig 5. The top switch on the right hand side of the panel (Fig 4) allows you to select either the solar panel or battery charger input. The solar panel is stored in the compartment pictured above (Fig 1.) and is mounted on a 5 foot stepladder so that it can be set up any where that the sun shines (Fig 6). The battery charger can also be seen in this picture.
The other two connectors Fig 5. direct 12 volt power cables to various parts of the coach. This unit sits on top of the 12V batteries, and the connection from the batteries is hooked to the two terminals as on the lower right hand side of Fig 2.
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The Monitor Panel
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Fig6
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Top Row: 12v panel meter, 12 volt distribution switches, links 12volt battery monitor, Ac panel meter Middle Row: Level monitor, solar controller (no longer used), Ac panel meter, Generator on/off panel Bottom Row: Ac input line monitor below lower AC panel meter, Trace control panel - far right
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Last changed:
December 31, 2008
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