New 2020 Minnie Winnie electronics question

[AJ Hartwell]

Hey Winnie family!

My wife and I just bought our first Winnie, a 2020 Minnie Winnie 32k! We take possession tomorrow.

I'm trying to do some research on the onboard power system. Judging from what I'm reading online and the forums, I'm seeing that it comes with a 1000 watt inverter and it mentions a 50 amp converter / charger but I can't find any more details.

A couple of questions.

Does anyone know who makes the inverter? 1000W seems small for something like a microwave but maybe it's big enough?

And the charger, does anyone who makes it and whether it's a simple single stage or a better 3 stage?

Thanks in advance!

Aaron

[Winterbagoal]

Bit late to start asking these questions.

Maybe Progressive Dynamics converter charger? Check Owner's Manual or WGO "black bag". It will be a 3 stage.

Maybe a Xantrex inverter? Yes, 1000W probably won't run your M/W.

What kind of coach batteries does it come with? That is probably more important for power availability off grid.

[AJ Hartwell]

Bit late? We love the coach, I wouldn't have changed my buying decision because of the brand of the inverter or charger. Just trying to plan my upgrades.

Looked in the owners manual online and didn't see any real details on the charger or inverter but will keep looking!

For batteries it just says, "2-deep cycle, group 24 batteries." Will know more tomorrow when I get it and can look at them in person!

Thanks!

Aaron

[Winterbagoal]

Originally Posted by AJ Hartwell

Bit late? We love the coach, I wouldn't have changed my buying decision because of the brand of the inverter. Just trying to plan my upgrades.

Looked in the owners manual online and didn't see any real details on the charger or inverter but will keep looking!

For batteries it just says, "2-deep cycle, group 24 batteries." Will know more tomorrow when I get it and can look at them in person!

Thanks!

Aaron

You're asking about things that should have been part of the buying process due diligence, after you've bought the thing, was my point. As you point out, at this point it doesn't matter, you've bought it.

Specific info about the various appliances and systems on the motorhome will be in the supplemental owner manuals which will be included in your Winnebago Owner's "black bag" of non-OEM appliances paperwork, which you will receive tomorrow.

The GR24 batteries will probably be the same NAPA 8240 FLA dual purpose batteries that came with my 2018 Navion. I have already replaced mine in under a year's use, as they were woefully inadequate as coach batteries. Particularly if you have a propane open/close electric switch solenoid, and a DC fridge.

Good luck with it.

[AJ Hartwell]

Got it. Thank you! Good information. Will dig through the black bag and look at those batteries. In my last rig I ended up upgrading my batteries pretty early on!

[tesscr]

We have a 2020 Minnie Winnie 22M in love it. For the price point, it’s probably one of the best build coaches out there. However, the electrical system is not its strongest point. It will definitely be adequate for electric hook up campsites and light off the grid use, but you’ll really have to watch your electrical use to avoid running down the battery in most off grid applications. Realize though, this is probably true for most coaches under $150,000 unless you spring for an upgraded solar/lLiFePO4 battery system.

As a retired electrical engineer I was able to upgrade to solar and lithium ion batteries on my own. I currently have a 200 amp hour LIFEPO4 lithium battery and 400 watts of solar panels on the roof, as well as a REDARC solar controller to tie the two together. In total, all the parts including wiring cost me around $2000, however I’m guessing the same system would run $4k-$5k to have it installed professionally. But again, something like this is only absolutely necessary if you plan on doing a fair amount of off grid camping.

Regarding your 1000 watt inverter question, note it is not large enough to run your microwave or your air-conditioning. You would need at least a 3000 to 4000 W inverter to do that. Note, very few motorhomes have that capability.

However it will run all other 120V electrical appliances in the motor home including the TV and any 120V plugin appliances that are less than 1000W.

Personally, I think you’re really gonna be happy with Minnie Winnie and you can assured that it’s electrical system is probably as good or better than any other motorhome out there at that price point.

Enjoy you Minnie Winnie!

[AJ Hartwell]

Tesscr,

Thanks for the incredibly helpful response! It sounds like you have an awesome system with the upgrades you've done. I looked up some of the components you used. Awesome stuff! Also great perspective on the Minnie and their respective strengths!

Initially, this summer I think we'll do mostly hookup sites but over time I see us starting to do more boondocking.

Today when I took possession of our new coach I asked the technician who was doing the walk through lots of questions about the electrical system. As we knew, the inverter is 1,000 watts and the microwave requires more as will things like my wife's curling iron and our electric kettle. We'll stick it out with the 1,000 watt inverter for now.

The 50 amp converter/charger is a single stage according to the tech. That one surprised me a little.

As a first step towards upgrading the electrical system I think I'm going to do two things:

1. Install a battery monitor - doing this should help me maximize the life we get out of our batteries by giving me the visibility I'll need to ensure that we're not taking the batteries below 50% and not continuously charging them once they're near full. It will also help me gauage how much electricity we use which will be useful when we upgrade batteries and install solar.

I'm leaning towards this one...

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...UKLASGK0&psc=1

2. Replace the converter / charger with one that has a smarter 3 phase charger - if my research is correct this should result in faster charging when running the generator to recharge and help the batteries last longer as the charger tapers off charge towards full.

I haven't picked out the converter charger yet, still researching.

Both of these upgrades look pretty straightforward. I'm not an electrician but I'm an engineer who's pretty handy.

What do you think? Good place to start?

2.

[creativepart]

Welcome and congrats on the new RV. You don’t seem “late” to anything to me. In fact you’re probably years ahead of most new RV owners.

Your plans look pretty good. Maybe, starting with a battery monitor and more battery capacity THEN get the improved converter would be something to think about?

The vast majority of people find the OEM converter to be at least adequate. But yes, it could be much better than the OEM spec.

Many have said that battery monitor is fine, I’ve found that having that info on my phone rather than needing to look at the monitor to be a plus. But there is no need other than convenience for that.

Many RVs and RV manufacturers seem to be kind of stuck in the 1980’s when it comes to the electric systems they install. And, honestly, most RV buyers don’t pay much attention to this fact until they decide to do some dry camping... and start reading RV forums.

[DavidM]

Direct Chinese imports have really changed the market for battery monitors. Before the Chinese came along they were made (well sold at least) by the recognizable names in DC power systems: Xantrex, Victron, etc and they cost about $200.

Today you can buy a bare bones Drok monitor for $17 on Amazon. I bought an earlier model and well, it worked, after I deciphered the Chenglish intructions. The one you noted looks fine. But I would spend a few more bucks and get one from Renogy- https://www.amazon.com/Renogy-500A-B...s%2C299&sr=8-7

Renogy is an up and coming Chinese supplier with a US office and tech support. I don't think you will find these for the sub $50 monitors.

If you upgrade your converter, consider buying a higher output one, maybe 80 amps and one with a specific Li charging algorithm like the Progressive Dynamics 9180AL. It will work with lead acid or AGM batteries but may be too big for a pair of 100A AGMs.

The higher output converter will let you run your genset fewer hours to charge up your batteries. If you dry camp a lot, then a pair of 100A Battle Born or similar Li batteries would be a good addition andwill work well with the PD 9180AL.

David

[AJ Hartwell]

Thanks Creative and David!

Love the suggestions and the future proofing idea on things like the converter. I'm confident I'll switch to Li at some point!

[Morich]

Plan to add a bit of time and effort on looking at the wiring changes that heavier use may require.

[DavidM]

Originally Posted by Morich

Plan to add a bit of time and effort on looking at the wiring changes that heavier use may require.

Going from a 45 amp converter to an 80 amp one means increasing the wire size to at least #2. The OEM 45 amp converter probably has marginal wiring to start with.

David

[Miss Lee]

Originally Posted by AJ Hartwell

Hey Winnie family!

My wife and I just bought our first Winnie, a 2020 Minnie Winnie 32k! We take possession tomorrow.

I'm trying to do some research on the onboard power system. Judging from what I'm reading online and the forums, I'm seeing that it comes with a 1000 watt inverter and it mentions a 50 amp converter / charger but I can't find any more details.

A couple of questions.

Does anyone know who makes the inverter? 1000W seems small for something like a microwave but maybe it's big enough?

And the charger, does anyone who makes it and whether it's a simple single stage or a better 3 stage?

Thanks in advance!

Aaron

Email [email protected] or phone customer service 574-825-8967. They are very helpful and will look up info for you.