Help! Shadow Catcher or others familiar with the PD 4045

[Oregon Brew]

Bought a Progressive Dynamics 4045. Need some help understanding their intent for wiring on the DC side. As you can see in the photo below, the circled area is the DC side. Each DC location has two female slots PLUS a black wire leading out the back. The black wires all are bare-ended, so I assume they are supposed to be hooked up to something. If they are the positive wires, how do I hook up the negative side?

I'm really trying to get this done tonight, so any suggestions would be helpful. I don't have a lot of diagnostic tools.

Thanks very much

[GuitarPhotog]

The black wires have numbers corresponding to the fuse position/number. They are the 12VDC Outputs from the converter/battery. Hook them to your load circuits (i.e., fans, interior lighting, galley lighting, 12 VDC accessory outlets, etc.) You must buy and install appropriate fuses in each of the circuit positions you use.

<Chas>

[Oregon Brew]

Thanks GuitarPhotog - If those are for the positive leg, how do the negative legs connect? Also, you probably cant tell, but there are two fuses directly above the panel of DC circuits that, I believe, protect the whole bank.

[GuitarPhotog]

Negatives all connect to the Battery Negative terminal. What I did was to put a terminal strip with all the terminals wired together (with bare copper wire jumpers) and then run one 10ga wire from the ground buss (terminal strip) to the Battery Negative terminal.

You could also just run directly from the ground buss to the negative terminal of the battery (in addition to the wire from the PD4045 to the batt. neg. terminal.).

I used four 12 VDC circuits, Lights, Fans, Accessory Outlets, and USB charger. Each is on a separate circuit each with a 10 A fuse. The unused wires, I just bundled up and tied out of the way. I might want to use them someday.

<Chas>

[Oregon Brew]

So I have AC. No problem there. On the DC side, I wired as you suggested - each of the black wires to the hot wire for each fixture (skipped fuses for now). Attached the negative wires from each fixture to a terminal block and wired the terminal block to the negative wire going to the battery. No power at any of the fixtures. Suggestions?

[GuitarPhotog]

You have to have a fuse installed in the 4045 for each circuit you're using. You need ATC-style automotive fuses pushed into the terminals on that panel, next to each black wire.

You also need two 30 amp reverse polarity protection fuses in the two fuse holders just below the green LED.

<Chas>

[GuitarPhotog]

You also need to make sure the link is in place between the terminal labled Battery Pos. and the terminal labeled Alternate Battery Positive (Batt. Disconnect). If your converter has that terminal.

<Chas>

[Oregon Brew]

Aw Geez, GP! The fuses make total sense! If only I had one lying around to test with!

[Oregon Brew]

Spoke too soon. Found a couple good 30amp ATM fuses and tried a couple circuits. Nothing. Sigh....

[Shadow Catcher]

One thing to remember is that you also need to have a 120V AC circuit breaker in that first slot to turn things on/protect. Ours is a 30A, all of the other 120V circuit breakers are 15A.

[Oregon Brew]

Thanks SC - got those in. In fact, the AC side seems to be working fine, but the DC side is dead. This particular model doesn't include the alternate position for the positive power, so I don't have to worry about that. The negative line runs from the converter to the battery, and the battery is grounded to the trailer body. I'm stumped.

[Shadow Catcher]

Have you checked with a VOM/Multimeter to see if you are getting 12V at the output?
Give PD a call, they are responsive and in Michigan and speak English
Service department 269-781-424

[GuitarPhotog]

Do you have it hooked up to a battery? As I recall, mine would not put 12 VDC on the branch circuits w/o the battery hooked up, even with the 120 VAC hooked up correctly.

Check to see that you've got 12 VDC on the black and white wires that lead to the converter. They look like they are labeled "Converter" in your photo.

Show us your test setup, either a schematic drawing or photo, so we can see that you've got everything hooked up OK. Do you have the reverse polarity protection fuses in? I don't think it'll work at all without them.

<Chas>

[Oregon Brew]

I'll see if I can get a picture small enough to post but big enough to view.

The red arrows are the three wires coming in from shore power. All my AC works and tests as grounded.

The blue arrows are the three wires going from the AC side to the DC converter. The hot wire is coming off one of the 15 amp fuses, and I get current there. The blue arrow at the top of the picture shows those same three wires going to the converter side. There's no way to reach where they enter the converter to test, but since they test positive at the breaker, I assume they are working.

The oval at the top shows the two "reverse polarity" fuses. They are both sound, but I replaced them with new ones just in case.

The pentagon in the middle shows the fuses I've installed. I only used circuits 3 through 7, since one and two were for larger loads and use a heavier wire than I need. The black wires heading back are the DC hot lines. I've connected all the negative DC wires to a bus block (I think that's what it's called) mounted behind. It also is tied into the white wire going to the battery via the white wire marked with a yellow arrow.

The two yellow arrows are the lines going to the battery. I get 12 volts when I test at the two lugs, but that could just be feedback from the battery. When I test any of the unused DC lines using the bus block as the negative, I don't get any circuit.

I have a common household switch in the hot line coming off the battery as a DC shutoff. In addition to the negative line running to the converter, I have a line running off the negative battery terminal to the trailer body as a ground.

What am I missing? Thanks so much! Ask any questions you like!

Bob

[Shadow Catcher]

Check voltage to make the sure the converter is functioning, with the battery only should be 12. something and the converter on (green arrows) between 13,2 and 14.something ? What are you getting between the first/left female spade lug on the fuse board and the negative on the board. It is a matter of following from where you do have power to where you don't.