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[Oneilkeys]

I bit the bullet and purchased a Progressive Dynamics 4655 converter/ charger which is a direct replacement for the WFCO converter/charger in the Axis. I could have fought with Thor to replace the WFCO since I am still under warrantee for a few more weeks, but I have never been happy with the two WCFO's that I have had in my Vegas and Axis so I didn't bother. In my new Axis it never charged in the boost mode and never went into storage mode and only charged my two 29 batteries to about 12.6v tops.

While the replacement was not that difficult, it did take the better part of an afternoon because I had to stabilize the new one so it did not slide around and enlarge some of the holes in the from cover so the new fuse board would fit. Not too difficult. There are some excellent YouTube videos out there on the replacement, so I won't go into details.

The PD 4655 has ,what they call, a "Charge Wizard" which works like a charm. It immediately went into boost mode, then normal mode and storage mode and charged my two 29's and my chassis battery to 12.9v. The batteries are not going bad afterall.

The Charge Wizard Operation:

While the built-in Charge Wizard  automatically determines which operating mode is best suited to recharge or maintain opti-mum battery condition, the Wizard Mode Button allows for manual override and has an indicator light to indicate the mode of operation. (Located on DC board, included)

BOOST MODE – Indicated by green LED remaining on. The output voltage is 14.4VDC to rapidly recharge the battery up to 90% of full charge.

NORMAL MODE – When the battery is between 50% and 90% charged, the green LED will flash once per second. When the battery has reached 90% of full charge, the green LED will flash 2 - 3 times per second. In this mode the output voltage is 13.6VDC and the converter is safely completing the charge of the battery.

STORAGE MODE – Indicated by green LED flashing every 6 - 8 seconds. In this mode the output voltage has been lowered to 13.2VDC, the RV battery is fully charged and the converter is maintaining the charge.

WIZARD MODE BUTTON - The manual button has been provided to allow the operator to temporarily override the con-verter (not recommended) or to verify the converter is operating properly. For manual operation, Press and Hold the button. The indicator light will soon remain “ON” indicating Boost Mode. Continue to hold the button and the light will blink rapidly indicating the converter is in the Normal Mode. Continue to hold the button until the light blinks slowly indicating the con-verter is now in the Storage Mode. After the manual button is released the converter will stay in the selected mode. When the battery charge status changes, the converter will return to the automatic mode of operation to prevent damage to the battery.

Every 21 hours it also goes into a Desulfation mode for 15 minutes boosting the batteries to 14.4 volts to help prevent battery stratification and sulfation.

I also bought the optional pendant which allows external operation and monitoring of the PD4655. You put it on the wall above the converter and you can change modes or see what mode it it in without opening the door and crawling on the floor.

So far I am very happy with my switch and I think it will allow my to recharge my batteries much faster and more safely "in the field" and lead to longer battery life. We'll see.