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What is an RV Converter/Charger and why do you need one.
When your RV is plugged into an power source or your using the onboard generator, the converter is designed to reduce the incoming 120 volts AC power down to 12 volt DC. This allows the unit to power all of the 12 volt components such as lighting, furnace, water pump, powered vents and the like in the RV. While plugged in the charger portion of the converter charges the RV's batteries. When you are not plugged into a power source your RV battery(s) supply the power to all of the 12 volt components in the RV.
The way the converter/chargers works is by first converting the 120 volts AC from the power source to 120 volts DC after passing through a Diode Rectified circuit. A capacitor then filters the ripple voltage smoothing it out. This 120 volt DC voltage is then fed to an Switching Circuit that converts it to back to AC voltage 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 voltage is reduced to approximately 13.6 volts AC. At this point it is passed through a diode rectified circuit a second time converting the AC to 13.6 Volts DC and finally smoothed out a capacitor.
A converter/charger allows you to use all of your 12 volt DC accessories while plugged into a campgrounds power post without discharging your batteries. During this time the charger is keeping your batteries fully charged. It is important to note that some lower end converter chargers can overcharge your batteries if the RV is plugged into a power source for an extended period of time. Some units can be upgraded with a smart controller or charge wizard while others may require the replacement of converter charger itself to maintain good battery health.
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