Bypassing dead charger unit

Niall_G

At this stage I think the charger/distribution unit on my 1996 CI Riviera is dead. A couple of years ago the charging element stopped working so I simply disconnected the unit from the mains and wired a car smart charger into the circuit. That worked fine and the original unit still operated as the distribution system. Now it has just stopped (12v going in fine from the battery, but nothing coming out).

I don't want the expense of replacing the unit at this stage so I am proposing just to make my own patch panel and essentially power everything directly from the battery. I know I will loose some functionality through the loss of relays (eg alternator charging and fridge 12v charging), but I'll sort those out in time. The key for now is to get lights and water pump working asap so that I am ready for the summer, whenever it comes!

Apart from checking polarity where it matters (probably water pump and step motor only?), fusing everything properly, and possibly removing alternator from the equation for now, am I missing anything obvious?

I attach a pic of the unit in case anybody has a second ahnd one lying around the house!

Thanks.

Aidan_M_M

Any time I did that , I just wired the new charger in beside all that , rather than bypassing it .

Niall_G

I did that when attaching the charger alright (basically just spliced it in between the battery and the old unit). That works fine and power is supplied to the unit but is no longer being distributed from the unit (presumably due to fired pcb or relays, fuses are fine). That's why more drastic action is required!

Aidan_M_M

ah.... is it definitely beyond repair?

sunchaser

If you wish to have your unit repaired I suggest you contact :-http://leisureelectronicrepairs.co.uk/