Electrical Converter & Switch
Converter
We replaced the stock Magnetek 6300Q series converter guts with the Parallax 7345. It was like replacing an old vacuum tube radio with a solid state unit; what a change! Installing the unit is a straightforward proposition, you can do it in about an hour. The replacement unit fits in the lower half of the existing 6300Q converter, and uses the existing cover plate and upper circuit breaker unit. When complete, everything looks just like the old one from the outside.
The new converter produces pure DC current, and it contains filters that help eliminate interference on electronic equipment. Specifically, there is no longer any hum on the TV or rolling band when playing a DVD.
Auto Switch
Another replacement item was the auto switch, which in our case had gone bad. The switch is supposed to automatically connect the coach to either the genset or shore power, whichever is hot. Ours failed and would not allow any power to enter the coach when attached to shore power.
Replacing the switch was a bit of an ordeal, requiring the complete removal of the Magnetek converter body to get at the switch. The old switch was screwed to the back of the Magnetek body, we could not get that specific switch at the parts store (we were lucky to find any at all!) but got a separate unit.
We mounted this unit below the Magnetek and ran new electrical wires to connect the two units together. Getting it securely mounted to the floor and pulling the new wires took some doing.
Pictures
The new auto switch is the silver box mounted to the floor. The wires are the genset input and shore input; the output goes into the converter. If you’re not comfortable with electrical wiring then don’t do this yourself!
