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HOW TO: Progressive Dynamics PD4045 LITHIUM upgrade


John E Davies

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See this thread first: ...  https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/4743-upgrading-to-lithium-batteries-source-for-cheap-“lithium-charging-section”-for-your-older-pd4045-converter/

Read this: .... PD4000 Series Troubleshooting Guide ... The last page discusses swapping the converter charging section.

This isn't at all difficult, but like any electrical mod, be careful, make sure you understand each step, and double check your work. Disconnect the shore power and also disconnect the batteries when doing this mod. You would be working around live wires otherwise.

Tools needed:

Allen and square drive screwdriver tips. If you don't already have these, consider buying a set that has all types - these are excellent and come with a dandy case: .... https://www.homedepot.com/s/Shockwave%20Steel%20Impact%20Duty%20Driver%20Bit%20Set%20(74-Piece)?NCNI-5

Needle nose pliers

Wire cutters

Nylon tie wraps

Here is the old versus the new one, which comes with a fancy decal:

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Open the front door that covers the fuses and circuit breakers, remove the small square drive screw in the center of the panel. Grab the frame and pop it free from the four outer retaining tabs. Mine came right off, you might have to pry gently.

Remove the square drive screw and tabbed washer on the left side that retains the unit.

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Remove the five wires:

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Slide out the old unit. Be careful with it, you can sell it on eBay for a little cash. Old vs new boards;

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John Davies

Spokane WA

Edited by John E Davies
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SOLD 07/23 "Mouse":  2017 Legacy Elite II Two Beds, Hull Number 218, See my HOW TO threads: https://olivertraveltrailers.com/topic/john-e-davies-how-to-threads-and-tech-articles-links/

Tow Vehicle: 2013 Land Cruiser 200, 32” LT tires, airbags, Safari snorkel, Maggiolina Grand Tour 360 Carbon RTT.

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Prep the new unit. Secure the three small 120 volt AC wires with nylon ties. Also secure the black and red fan wires if necessary. This provides "strain relief" for the soldered joints and reduces the chance of damage from rough roads. Plus it looks a lot better.

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Here is the Lithium/ Lead Acid selector switch which alters the charging parameters to allow a 100% charge. It is an actual microswitch, you slide it back and forth with a fingernail or tiny screwdriver. Make sure it is in the upper ON "LI" position.

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Slide the new unit into place and install the retaining screw and washer. Connect the wires. The two big wires need to be tight. Mine were actually a little loose. Hold the terminal block with a pair of pliers  to reduce strain on the circuit board. You don't need a torque wrench, hand tight is fine. Secure the white wire in a loop as shown. You can't get access to the black one.

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Add some ties to secure the AC wires. Done:

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BTW, the circuit breakers just snap into place, I tried to align mine so that they were close to even, but had no luck. The silver letters are lables I added with a Sharpie: C converter (charger), F fridge (or use R for refrigerator), M microwave/ outlets, W water heater, AC air conditioner. The big 30A one on the left is the MAIN breaker that shuts off power to all of the others.

BTW also, each 12 volt fuse in the center is held held in place by little brass clips. The "ears" are very soft and can be distorted easily, causing an intermittent connection. (My fridge kept shutting down due to this.) Always be careful removing or installing a fuse, do not rock it sideways or the connection will be loose! You can very CAREFULY squeeze the ears together with mini pliers to make a tighter fit. This is a poor design.

Reinstall the cover. Reconnect your NEW lithium batteries and shore power, and make sure the system is charging.

I plan blow the dust off my used unit so I can sell it on here or on eBay. I hope this thread is helpful.

John Davies

Spokane WA

 

 

Edited by John E Davies
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SOLD 07/23 "Mouse":  2017 Legacy Elite II Two Beds, Hull Number 218, See my HOW TO threads: https://olivertraveltrailers.com/topic/john-e-davies-how-to-threads-and-tech-articles-links/

Tow Vehicle: 2013 Land Cruiser 200, 32” LT tires, airbags, Safari snorkel, Maggiolina Grand Tour 360 Carbon RTT.

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To anyone interested, I have a Progressive Dynamics, lithium compatible, 4060 converter/charger for sale, to the best offer.

If interested, please PM me.

 

I removed the converter/charger from our 2019 Elite II, before it was ever used and replaced it with a Lithium specific converter charger.

Turns out, I did not need to spend $272 to replace it, as the one we had was one of the lithium compatible chargers that could have been converted to lithium.

Andrew

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Andrew

 

2019 Legacy Elite II  2018 BMW x5 35d 

 

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JD,  what is with the single strand of wire (see blue Circle) from one terminal contact to another?  Did you remove it later when doing the QC Inspection???

I find all these forums and the wealth of cumulative knowledge shared here to be Confidence Inspiring when I begin to tackle some of these Mods & Repairs.  

image.thumb.png.b6cd38852fc2e57c929c4b60236ce808.png 

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So that's where that white smoke came from...

Actually, those wires are not involved in this project, as they are not part of the charger/converter replacement. I do notice in an earlier picture that strand of wire is not there. Perhaps it was an errant clipping that just fell onto the board. Hopefully, it fell off at some point.

Edited by ScubaRx
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Steve, Tali and our dog Rocky plus our beloved Storm, Maggie, Lucy and Reacher (all waiting at the Rainbow Bridge)

2008 Legacy Elite I - Outlaw Oliver, Hull #026 | 2014 Legacy Elite II - Outlaw Oliver, Hull #050 | 2022 Silverado High Country 3500HD SRW Diesel 4x4 

 

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4 hours ago, SNYSDUP said:

JD,  what is with the single strand of wire (see blue Circle) from one terminal contact to another?  Did you remove it later when doing the QC Inspection???

I find all these forums and the wealth of cumulative knowledge shared here to be Confidence Inspiring when I begin to tackle some of these Mods & Repairs.  

image.thumb.png.b6cd38852fc2e57c929c4b60236ce808.png 

LOL, I wondered if anybody would see that. You win a big pat on the back! I had removed both the yellow and red wires for a completely different reason and when I reinserted the yellow, one conductor strand bent sideways. It is no longer there. There was indeed a brief “larger than normal” pop when I reconnected the batteries. That tiny strand vanished when it acted like a FUSIBLE LINK

This is a good example of why you should always focus very intently on what you are doing, and don’t work too long without taking a break. FYI those are the Oliver installed main battery wires. The Progressive Dynamics wires on the other hand  are “tinned” with a very light coat of solder which makes them a lot less likely to suffer from an idiotic Senior Moment like mine. 

Thank you for bringing this up. Everybody screws up sooner or later. I had a couple of big ones while working as an aircraft tech that still bother me thirty years later. But in that industry there are built in checks and balances like an inspector sign off, that “should” catch one before anybody gets hurt. And I have had countless small ones and they get more frequent as I age. When you are doing stuff by yourself, you don’t have any backup. This is why I am reluctant to discuss in detail a really major project like totally rearranging the wiring (moving all the positives and negative wires to separate buses, adding extra circuits and fuses). If I make a mistake on MY trailer, I bear the complete responsibility. I am not at all ready to take the responsibility of my advice screwing up YOUR trailer!😳😳😳

OTH doing stuff like this by yourself is personally rewarding and saves lots of labor cost. I don’t want to discourage anybody from doing them, just please be very careful and even more aware of your own limitations... Thanks.

John Davies

Spokane WA

Edited by John E Davies
  • Like 1

SOLD 07/23 "Mouse":  2017 Legacy Elite II Two Beds, Hull Number 218, See my HOW TO threads: https://olivertraveltrailers.com/topic/john-e-davies-how-to-threads-and-tech-articles-links/

Tow Vehicle: 2013 Land Cruiser 200, 32” LT tires, airbags, Safari snorkel, Maggiolina Grand Tour 360 Carbon RTT.

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4 hours ago, John E Davies said:

OTH doing stuff like this by yourself is personally rewarding and saves lots of labor cost. I don’t want to discourage anybody from doing them, just please be very careful and even more aware of your own limitations... Thanks.

Agree with John on this.  Knowing my limitations causes much research, questioning and learning.  Some of what I’ve done amazes me on the one hand and is very satisfying on the other.  I’m a bit apprehensive about my upcoming battery and charger project resulting in more digging and learning.  The input on this forum is quite a resource and the experiences and lessons learned from fellow owners is invaluable.  Add to that some private tutoring from knowledgeable owners and impossible sounding projects become possible.  Mike

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Texas Hill Country | 2016 Elite II #135 | 2020 Ram 2500 6.7L

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12 hours ago, John E Davies said:

LOL, I wondered if anybody would see that. You win a big pat on the back! I had removed both the yellow and red wires for a completely different reason and when I reinserted the yellow, one conductor strand bent sideways. It is no longer there. There was indeed a brief “larger than normal” pop when I reconnected the batteries. That tiny strand vanished when it acted like a FUSIBLE LINK

This is a good example of why you should always focus very intently on what you are doing, and don’t work too long without taking a break. FYI those are the Oliver installed main battery wires. The Progressive Dynamics wires on the other hand  are “tinned” with a very light coat of solder which makes them a lot less likely to suffer from an idiotic Senior Moment like mine. 

Thank you for bringing this up. Everybody screws up sooner or later. I had a couple of big ones while working as an aircraft tech that still bother me thirty years later. But in that industry there are built in checks and balances like an inspector sign off, that “should” catch one before anybody gets hurt. And I have had countless small ones and they get more frequent as I age. When you are doing stuff by yourself, you don’t have any backup. This is why I am reluctant to discuss in detail a really major project like totally rearranging the wiring (moving all the positives and negative wires to separate buses, adding extra circuits and fuses). If I make a mistake on MY trailer, I bear the complete responsibility. I am not at all ready to take the responsibility of my advice screwing up YOUR trailer!😳😳😳

OTH doing stuff like this by yourself is personally rewarding and saves lots of labor cost. I don’t want to discourage anybody from doing them, just please be very careful and even more aware of your own limitations... Thanks.

John Davies

Spokane WA

John, I would have PM'd you with the question, had I known that it would cause you to re-live such a cathartic moment 🤣

It would be too cool, if an Ollie Owner of the caliber of all of you was centrally located in the US, and owned enough of a Garage/Shop that a few (2,3,5) Ollie Owners could gather and do one Mod/Upgrade at a time, each doing their own work, and helping when that 3rd hand/2nd pair of eyes was needed.  I do not know if Wifey would agree to some of the mods/upgrades,  for just everyday creature comfort & vacationing... but with her fascination with being able to "SURVIVE THE ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE", in our Ollie she would probably insist & assist to get them done sooner than later.   

Again, to the FORUM members your contributions make up for me not being able to hang out with the "Older Guys" in the neighborhood garages, listening & watching them modify  their Cars & Hot Rods.  

Keep it up,  and if you see BRIGHT in the Northern Sky, hopefully it will be "the Lights" and not our "SNY SD UP" as a result of me using the wrong gauged wire when converting over to Lithium's.

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Maggie & Bryan | Arnegard, ND | 2020 LE II "Twins" Hull #665 | 2021 RAM 2500  6.4L HEMI Gasser  4dr  6.5' bed

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1 hour ago, SNYSDUP said:

Keep it up,  and if you see BRIGHT in the Northern Sky, hopefully it will be "the Lights" and not our "SNY SD UP" as a result of me using the wrong gauged wire when converting over to Lithium's.

It’s nice to know I’m not the only one....

Texas Hill Country | 2016 Elite II #135 | 2020 Ram 2500 6.7L

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  • 10 months later...

John ... at one point in your posting you'd indicated that the old unit might get a few bucks on ebay ... who would want it? ... do they refurbish them? ... what would you guess its worth on ebay?  Cheers, -Dan

Danno and Donna | Pittsburgh, PA | Hull# 069 - 2015 Ollie Elite II | 2020 Jeep Gladiator Rubicon 

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1 hour ago, drfaux said:

John ... at one point in your posting you'd indicated that the old unit might get a few bucks on ebay ... who would want it? ... do they refurbish them? ... what would you guess its worth on ebay?  Cheers, -Dan

I got $40 for my old one, a guy bought it to replace a dead one in his RV, he knew it was not lithium capable. It was listed for about three weeks. He tested it when he received it and gave me a very good buyer’s review. I used the packaging from the new one to ship it. I did clean it up very well (with compressed air) and took many detailed  pictures.

John Davies

Spokane WA

SOLD 07/23 "Mouse":  2017 Legacy Elite II Two Beds, Hull Number 218, See my HOW TO threads: https://olivertraveltrailers.com/topic/john-e-davies-how-to-threads-and-tech-articles-links/

Tow Vehicle: 2013 Land Cruiser 200, 32” LT tires, airbags, Safari snorkel, Maggiolina Grand Tour 360 Carbon RTT.

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1 hour ago, drfaux said:

AH ... but yours was a functioning unite - correct? ... I replaced mine because it was not working ... shall I just toss it in the recycling bin?

Yes, my old one worked perfectly, it just was not lithium capable. My guess is that yours is scrap.

John Davies

Spokane WA

SOLD 07/23 "Mouse":  2017 Legacy Elite II Two Beds, Hull Number 218, See my HOW TO threads: https://olivertraveltrailers.com/topic/john-e-davies-how-to-threads-and-tech-articles-links/

Tow Vehicle: 2013 Land Cruiser 200, 32” LT tires, airbags, Safari snorkel, Maggiolina Grand Tour 360 Carbon RTT.

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In our community,  the inverter/charger would not be accepted as recycling, because it is electronics. I think I could take it to the electronics recycling center, or one of the monthly events. If it were tossed in my bin, it could spoil the whole load. We have pretty explicit rules on recyclable vs non recyclable, in the bins.

2008 Ram 1500 4 × 4

2008 Oliver Elite, Hull #12

Florida and Western North Carolina, or wherever the truck goes....

400 watts solar. DC compressor fridge. No inverter. 2 x 105 ah agm batteries .  Life is good.


        
 

 

 

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SeaDawg is correct, my local recycling will not accept a complete power supply due to the printed circuit board components. However, I could snip the big copper wires and remove the aluminum heat sink, those bits could be recycled. I toss copper wire and clean scrap aluminum, cast iron (old brake parts) and steel all the time into the blue recycle bin.

John Davies

Spokane WA

 

SOLD 07/23 "Mouse":  2017 Legacy Elite II Two Beds, Hull Number 218, See my HOW TO threads: https://olivertraveltrailers.com/topic/john-e-davies-how-to-threads-and-tech-articles-links/

Tow Vehicle: 2013 Land Cruiser 200, 32” LT tires, airbags, Safari snorkel, Maggiolina Grand Tour 360 Carbon RTT.

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That won't work in my community,  either. But, we have independent recyclers who roam neighborhoods the night before bulk pickup days, and they love refrigerators, ac units, etc. for metal content.

Depends on your community, and rules. Mine has warned us that unauthorized content, even valuable metals, can "poison" the load, and everything goes to a landfill. That would be a total bummer.

2008 Ram 1500 4 × 4

2008 Oliver Elite, Hull #12

Florida and Western North Carolina, or wherever the truck goes....

400 watts solar. DC compressor fridge. No inverter. 2 x 105 ah agm batteries .  Life is good.


        
 

 

 

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