[VAL] RE: VAL Digest V2 #11

["Ed Farrell" <twin_wasp@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I would check out several things with a good voltmeter.

- Is AC going into the Magnetek Converter?

- Is 12 Volts coming out?  You should be able to find the main output
terminals.

-  Some where there also is a master ground for the whole converter.  These
often corrode and need cleaning, like every few years.  When they are are
corroded the whole system goes dark.

- Try getting one light to work.

- I would check the grounds on each fixture -  especially the outside light.
My 1969 seemed to have all its running lights out - I bought new bulbs but
found out in every case the ground was corroded on the light.  So now I have
a 100 year supply of bulbs. My running light grounds seem to need cleaning
every 2-3 years.

In my case the old univolt converter (30 years old when I bought the
trailer)  worked for a few days and then blew.  The univolt relied on a bank
of capacitors and a big  transformer to make DC current.  The weak link,
over time is the capacitors.  They are basically a cylinder of rolled up
foil and wax paper.  They dry out, or short out as gravity aided by heat and
humidity pulls the wax downward.   Eventually, the system fails.

In my other life I collect antique radios.  Capacitor failure over time is a
fact of life -  the darn things just don't last forever. Full restoration of
an old radio often involves replacing ALL the capacitors, regardless of
wether they test OK.  (Vacuum tubes, on the other hand - can last
indefinitely.  They fail randomly, with little corrolation to the age of he
part.)  If you are going to rely on this converter I would consider
replacing it with a modern one.  Any 30 year old converter is on borrowed
time unless it has been stored in ideal conditions.


		good luck
		Ed Farrell