Southeast Region Fall Rally - October 2008
While participating at the Southeast Region Fall Rally in MT Airy, NC at the Mayberry Campground RV Upgrades.com sent me the Iota DLS-45 Series M Converter/Charger with IQ Smart Controller. On Saturday morning after Colleen and Connie went shopping the breakers were tripped and the coach batteries were disconnected per the instructions at the positive cable and the task or replacing my current converter began.
Converter location under galley cabinet.
I had already been through 3 sets of batteries and the last set were observed fuming. A hydrometer test showed that the Interstate Group 24 batteries were showing indisputable signs of having failed. Replacing the Groups 24s with new Trojan Group 27s, I wanted to give the new batteries the opportunity to fulfill their expected life span of 4 to 6 years. In order to accomplish this in my opinion and others it would be necessary to upgrade the converter/charger technology.
The existing Parallax Power Components Model 7445 was located under our kitchen cabinet drawers adjacent to the refrigerator. I pulled all 3 drawers out to provide enough light in the area and I removed the lower right side drawer tracks. The tracks are only held in by 1 screw and they slide into a mount on the back wall.
Connections to the existing converter showing wire locations
The converter is held in by 4 screws which 3 need to be completely removed except the right rear screw. I used the RR screw as a guide to mount the new converter. The converter was unplugged, and the 2 heavy gauge charge cables and a number 8 AWG bond wire were removed from the rear of the converter.
The new Iota converter fits right into the space since it's about 30% smaller. Without mounting the converter it is easier to fit and secure the cables to the back of the converter when you have a little wiggle room. The large charge wires in the enclosure were black and green. The black is the hot and the green is the ground. The #8 bond wire is also green. The Iota's wires are tightened using a power driver tip or large square tip. The #8 bond is tightened using a small flat tip.
Free space for the install showing wires yet to be connected to the new converter
The converter was positioned into the right rear screw and once anchored and slightly tightened, the other 3 screws were installed using a small cordless drill with a #2 Phillips tip. The converter's wires were checked for tightness and the power cord was plugged into the power outlet. A second plug is visible that powers the Dirt Devil central vac., it shares the outlet with the converter.
The installation was finished by installing the IQ Smart Controller on the upper part of the toe board under the drawer cabinet. One has to get down on all fours to see the LED indicator during the day however at night the LED reflects off of the floor. The controller can actually be mounted anywhere since all it needs is a piece of telephone cable with an RJ11 modular connector on each end.
Looking at the relative size of the 2 units. Remove the blue film on top of the Iota once installed
We are ready to bring the power back on-line so we turned on the breakers in the pedestal and restored the connections on the batteries. When the IQ controller is plugged in it flashes 6 times which identifies the number of cells in the battery(s). The controller then began flashing rapidly which indicated that the charger was in a rapid state of charge. After a couple of hours or so the LED began to flash slowly which indicates that it's applying a slow charge. Later in the day toward evening the LED turned a solid green which now indicates that the float charge function is available and that the batteries are fully charged.
The installation was completed by restoring the rails, drawers and retorting the step well hatch just in time because the girls had just gotten back from shopping. All in all, this was a very easy job which on the outside took about 30 to 40 minutes.
Wires being fitted to the converter. The converter cannot be secured to the floor until the connections are made.
Using state-of-the-art, switch-mode technology, IOTA Power Converter/Battery Chargers are engineered with the user and variable environmental conditions in mind. Extra care has been given to insure many years of service-free operation, even when subjected to extremely harsh conditions. Batteries are charged quickly and efficiently without over-charging and pumps, motors, and fans operate perfectly for prolonged life.
Exceptionally clean DC output
insures pumps, motors, fans, and lights work perfectly. This means longer life for any connected load; virtually no AC ripple to cause static or premature failure of radio or television equipment.
Quickly and efficiently charges batteries
from the full rated output of the IOTA battery charger. The battery charger then maintains the batteries, only putting into the battery what is required by load or self-discharge, cutting back to milliamps as the battery requires.
Protection against low and transient AC line voltage
as well as spikes coming from the AC power source or from improperly adjusted generators, a major cause of converter/power supply failure.
Finished installation
Meets F.C.C. criteria, minimizing radio and television equipment interference
especially on the lower frequency bands.
When used as a converter/power supply, the IOTA power converter will only supply what is required
by the load. When not in use it is essentially off, reducing electricity usage.
Lower operating temperature
half that of some switch mode electronic models, even in its subcompact size.
This means substantially longer life and safer operation.
Tight line-load regulation
ensures that the output voltage holds steady from no load to full load.
This keeps pumps, motors, and lights working at the correct voltage even during
brown-out situations.
Proportional Fan Circuitry
provides an extra measure of protection. During times of heavy load demands,
the automatic circuitry will activate the fan before thermal stress can
occur on any internal components.
External fuses protect the IOTA unit against improper wiring
and can be quickly and easily replaced.
Multiple units can be operated in series or parallel
to increase amperage for additional power.
IQ Smart Controller installed on the toe board
Take your DLS Battery Charger to the next level...
The IQ Smart Controller offers automatic charging control for DLS Battery Chargers, providing longer and safer use of your system's battery. The IQ Smart Controller is compatible with any DLS Battery Charger model and is covered under our standard Two-Year Warranty
The IQ Controller allows the DLS Charger to operate as an automatic 3-stage "smart charger." This gives the customer the benefit of Bulk, Absorption, and Float stage charging, increasing the charging capacity of the DLS charger and decreasing charge times, insuring proper and safe battery charging and minimizing over-charging. This "smart" technology monitors the battery at all times. If the DLS voltage remains in the long term stage for more than seven days, the IQ will automatically deliver a boost charge for a predetermined time and then returns to the normal float stage.
I want to thank of course "Depchief" who lent his hand in our picture and provided assistance in accomplishing this install.
Linear Mode
