Replacing a 1988 Converter

 Installation and power on of the 12 volt on the 3-way fridge resulted in no cooling and a clicking noise from the back. I did my quick scour of the internet and found the problem. The clicking are the relays clicking and clacking as a result of dirty power. This doesn't surprise me, since the converter is from 1988 and original. Any electronics in it are original and probably not in the best of shape. In addition, my 12 volt battery keeps going dead, meaning it isn't charging right either.

I ordered a converter online with a 3 stage battery charger. From what I can read of the original specs, original battery charger was a straight trickle charger with no real control. It probably can't charge enough to keep up anymore, and if it did, it would probably overcharge the battery. 

WARNING: I am an engineer and I understand electricity. Please don't try to do this replacement unless you are comfortable with electricity. All power sources were disconnected while I did all of this work.

Pulling the old converter was a messy dirty job. The old converter is full of dust and the electronics look corroded. The new converter is a sealed box and smaller. It has fuses and a fan and a plug. The original was hard wired in.

The 12 Volt circuits with Red, White, and Blue Circuits to the Converter Below

The AC Circuits with a Black and White Wire to the Converter Below

Now I don't want to have to cut the cable on the new converter and hardware it in. Instead, I got some 120v electric wire so I can wire a new plug under the cabinet for the new converter to plug in. I also got some new cable rated for the appropriate amperage for the new converter so as to avoid reusing the old wiring of unknown condition and specification.

I can mount the new converter to either a board mounted to the floor or to the back of the cabinet. This is the same cabinet where we're planning to add a gas stovetop, so I am opting for the floor very much in the same place the old one was mounted. It isn't any place on the floor where water is likely to drip or pool, so it is a good spot.

After running the 120 circuit, I could test it. I then could wire in the cables to the 12 volt side. The old converter had a battery only and a battery / converter circuit separation on the positive connections (the blue and red wires respectively). This is because old converters were noisy (specifically ripple) and would cause feedback on things like radios. This isn't the case any more, so all the positives got wired together. 

It worked great. I had to drill a couple of holes to fix the cover back in place, since it originally screwed to the converter. Everything works great.

The New 120v Outlet and the Converter Below