Community Forums

gremlin · 03-21-2016, 01:16 PM

I'm wondering if anyone has replaced the stock Inverter and Charger/Converter in a Bay Star Sport and how much work is involved.

Mine is I think at most a 1000 watt and it's not Pure-Sine so my coffee maker doesn't work. I'm already replacing the stock 12V house batteries with 2 AGM 6v batteries (300 sized) to more than double my battery capacity but I'd really like to pt in a Magna 2000 watt pure-sine inverter and then wire it to more than just the TV's and the one outlet up front, it'd be nice if we could make coffee or run the air pump for the sofa-bed without firing the generator.

I saw that ZRobotman had this done, but wondering if anyone has done it themselves and knows what the process is?

thank you.

GaryKD · 03-21-2016, 04:26 PM

Hi gremlin,
Your coach came standard with a 45 AMP converter. No inverter. If your coach has an inverter, it was an option on the 15 model year. The inverter has a 600 WATT rating.

As to the complexity, the converter is located in the basement bay containing the shore power cord (driver side rear). The inverter is located in the first basement bay on the passenger side. I think it would be quite a challenge to combine both into one unit; along with making the new unit a larger capacity. In addition, a stock Bay Star has a 30 AMP power cord. The goal you mention will required considerable electrical knowledge. There are many components that will need to be changed and added. You could run the generator for many years and not come close to what this project might cost.

Mike and Cha · 03-21-2016, 04:30 PM

Ours came with a 600 watt inverter, I think the Baystars did too.

wildtoad · 03-21-2016, 07:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mike and Cha

Ours came with a 600 watt inverter, I think the Baystars did too.

According to Newmar's website the 2015 Baystar Sport had the same Magnum 600 ( may have been an option ). The 2016 Sport has an optional inverter but it is a different manufacturer, 1000 watts, and true sine. Glad I waited...

avid_dk · 03-21-2016, 08:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gremlin

Mine is I think at most a 1000 watt and it's not Pure-Sine so my coffee maker doesn't work. I'm already replacing the stock 12V house batteries with 2 AGM 6v batteries (300 sized) to more than double my battery capacity

PM ZRobotman he is a super nice guy and he will give you his phone number and you can give him a call.

I would like to hear more about your 2 AGM 6v batteries. What did you purchase and do they fit in the same tray? Did you do the work yourself or pay a battery shop to do it?

Thanks!

gremlin · 03-22-2016, 10:55 AM

So my Bay Star Sport is a 2015 2903. It does have an inverter in it already. Both the converter/charger and inverter are in the compartment just aft of the entry door, within a foot of each other. The inverter is a bloody big MagnumUnit (like 10"x18") But I'm 600watts sounds correct, and I know it's not a Pure Sine which means something won't work. I believe it should be pretty straightforward to replace these two units with one unit that does the job, but I don't know which is why I asked the question.

as

as for the batteries they are AGM's that are a little taller than the stock ones, they are over twice the capacity and plus can be run a little lower so they should more than double my capacity. I have not yet installed them, here is the link:
http://lifelinebatteries.com/products/marine-batteries/gpl-6ct/

they're sitting in the garage right now and I will get them in in the next few weeks.

avid_dk · 03-22-2016, 02:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gremlin

as for the batteries they are AGM's that are a little taller than the stock ones, they are over twice the capacity and plus can be run a little lower so they should more than double my capacity. I have not yet installed them, here is the link:
http://lifelinebatteries.com/products/marine-batteries/gpl-6ct/

they're sitting in the garage right now and I will get them in in the next few weeks.

It would be great if you take a couple of photos as you proceed. I haven't spent any time trying to figure out the wiring pattern for the stock batteries but it looks a little complicated.

gremlin · 04-14-2016, 09:59 AM

Okay finally got the lifelines in, it was actually super easy, I only had to make one cable to go from the negative terminal to the chassis, which wasn't long enough. The installed batteries already had ring terminals on them and simply getting the orientation correct made it super easy. Total time about ten minutes including fabbing the cable and lifting those bad boys in.

Some pictures before and after:

avid_dk · 04-14-2016, 10:10 AM

Gremlin,

Thanks for posting the photos. Much Appreciated!

GaryKD · 04-14-2016, 10:18 AM

Hi gremlin,
Nicely done. They are heavy aren't they.

Vacay Wheels · 04-15-2016, 09:50 AM

Nicely done. Thanks for posting the pictures. This mod is at the top of my list. Super helpful to see it in action.

ghoticov · 11-26-2016, 06:03 AM

gremlin.... did you ever replace your inverter and/or charger?

gremlin · 11-27-2016, 07:58 PM

Yes I did. Although I didn't do it, I ended up having AMSolar in Oregon take care of this for me when they were installing three panels of solar on my roof, couldn't be happier with the work, and the inverter. I can now make coffee and toast without a generator!

Polyian · 12-06-2016, 10:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gremlin

Yes I did. Although I didn't do it, I ended up having AMSolar in Oregon take care of this for me when they were installing three panels of solar on my roof, couldn't be happier with the work, and the inverter. I can now make coffee and toast without a generator!

Curious, the Magnum manual shows a need for higher capacity cables to the batteries when installing the 1200 watt inverter versus the 600 watt. Did they upgrade your cables or are you pulling more watts on the factory cables? My Magnum manual recommends minimum 4 AWG for the 600 Watt and 1 AWG for the 1200 Watt.