OBI Dweller Review and Discussion

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Singler3360

Member
Only slightly off-topic. We are owners of a Conqueror UEV-14. My understanding is that they are distributed by the same folks in AZ that import OBI. Does anyone know if all this discussion of OBI being discontinued in the USA includes Conqueror?
 
Flettrich3

Flettrich3

Member
Anybody else ever get poked by springs or whatever is in the mattress? Wife got poked by something in the mattress. Of course now she says she is never getting on that mattress again. GEESE!
 
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S J

Member
Singler3360 said:
Only slightly off-topic. We are owners of a Conqueror UEV-14. My understanding is that they are distributed by the same folks in AZ that import OBI. Does anyone know if all this discussion of OBI being discontinued in the USA includes Conqueror?
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Try contacting roa in utah, they might have more insight. 801-901-9526.
 
gendlert

gendlert

Active member
Flettrich3 said:
Anybody else ever get poked by springs or whatever is in the mattress? Wife got poked by something in the mattress. Of course now she says she is never getting on that mattress again. GEESE!
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If you have geese in your trailer, that could very well be what poked your wife. Geese are notoriously feisty.

We haven't had any issues with our mattress in two years.
 
gendlert

gendlert

Active member
S J said:
Recently purchased Dweller 15. Noticed a 12 volt ( cigarette style ) plug in. If we plug in our zamp 180 watt portable solar panels, to the 12 volt plug in, will it charge our batteries ? Figuring it might work out pretty decent if we are parked in shaded areas and the rooftop solar will not be grabbing to much sunlight.
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No, 12V plugs do not work in both directions, only output. If your trailer comes equipped with the anderson plug at the tongue, you can use that to charge the battery.
 
R

Riviot

New member
Very recently got a D15 through auction so there's no support. This is my first trailer/camper/RV so everything is a learning experience. Of course I watch tons of YT videos trying to avoid asking too many noobie questions. But I'd like to ask the most basic dip-******** question of all: Can someone provide a bulletpoint of the sequence of actions typically peformed once you've reached a destination. I don't mean the unhitching or setting the stabilizers but rather the specifics of switches, buttons, levers, valves that get activated or actuated to put the rig into "camp mode."

For instance, there's a push button on the Renogy panel below the bed. Do you push it to get the 120V system energized? Unsure because there's a "plugs or outlets" activation switch on the entrydoor control panel. again... sorry for being a moron but we all start somewhere :)
 
S

S J

Member
gendlert said:
No, 12V plugs do not work in both directions, only output. If your trailer comes equipped with the anderson plug at the tongue, you can use that to charge the battery.
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Thank you, That was kinda my hunch. Yes it does have the anderson plug on the tongue. Would you happen to know what size of anderson plug to adapt for my zamp portable solar ?

Thanks again. This site is already by far more helpful than obi.
 
A

AMMO461

Member
Riviot said:
Very recently got a D15 through auction so there's no support. This is my first trailer/camper/RV so everything is a learning experience. Of course I watch tons of YT videos trying to avoid asking too many noobie questions. But I'd like to ask the most basic dip-******** question of all: Can someone provide a bulletpoint of the sequence of actions typically peformed once you've reached a destination. I don't mean the unhitching or setting the stabilizers but rather the specifics of switches, buttons, levers, valves that get activated or actuated to put the rig into "camp mode."

For instance, there's a push button on the Renogy panel below the bed. Do you push it to get the 120V system energized? Unsure because there's a "plugs or outlets" activation switch on the entrydoor control panel. again... sorry for being a moron but we all start somewhere :)
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You push the button on the Renogy panel if you are on shore power or generator and want to charge the batteries. Pushing the button turns on the inverter. If you are just running on battery power, do not push it.
 
gendlert

gendlert

Active member
AMMO461 said:
You push the button on the Renogy panel if you are on shore power or generator and want to charge the batteries. Pushing the button turns on the inverter. If you are just running on battery power, do not push it.
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Edit here: I had previously said the button doesn't control both the inverter and charger functions, but I was mistaken. You need to have the button pushed in for the charger to work. I kept the rest of the post the same for posterity, but that part is wrong.

Yes, the button turns on the inverter, but it does NOT control the charger (I think; please, anyone, correct me if I'm wrong on any of this).

Noob clarification for @Riviot. The big Renogy box under the bed is an inverter/charger combo, which has three main functions:
  • CHARGER
    • The charger takes shore power (generator, campground power, or plugged in at home) and uses it to charge the battery bank
    • In order to allow power to come from the shore, you need to turn the MAIN breaker on the breaker panel on and the charger will do its thing (pushing the Renogy button doesn't matter)
    • Note: It comes pre-set to handle AGM battery banks, and if you ever upgrade to lithium, you will want to change the setting so it keeps the batteries at the proper voltage
  • INVERTER
    • The inverter takes DC power and inverts it to AC power (essentially battery power (12V) to wall-plug power (120V))
    • In order to turn on the inverter, you have to push the little round Renogy button you were looking at before, and you'll hear a beep and some whirring, but the 120V outlets in the trailer still won't be on
    • In order to make the outlets "live", you need to flip the INVERTER breaker on the breaker on and you can use your curling iron
    • Note: you do not have to have the MAIN breaker flipped on to run the INVERTER function if you're not hooked up to shore power; it will take the power from the battery and invert it to 120V through just the INVERTER breaker.
  • PASS-THROUGH POWER
    • It's silly to go through the trouble for the CHARGER to take shore power (120V), convert it battery power (12V), just to have the INVERTER invert it back to outlet power (120V)
    • Your Renogy inverter/charger thinks so, too, because it's smart (smart enough, anyway)
    • IF you have shore power hooked up, and both your MAIN and INVERTER breakers on, the inverter/charger actually passes the 120V power directly through to your outlets, bypassing both the CHARGER and INVERTER functions
    • This is also how you run your A/C (and why there's a separate A/C breaker on your breaker panel); it's intended to be run on PASS-THROUGH POWER so it doesn't tax your battery bank (the draw would kill your AGM bank in a matter of minutes)
You'll also notice there's another panel that says Renogy which is for your Solar Controller. This is a completely separate device, with its own settings, that takes solar power (photovoltaic energy) and charges your battery bank. That is always on (assuming there's sunlight). The two charging systems each have individual battery monitors, so when the batteries are full, neither of them will overcharge your bank, and when your batteries are low, they will try to recharge your batteries through whichever source of power (shore or sunlight) is available. They both have the same goal, but are completely clueless that the other one exists.

Oh, and if your trailer is equipped (mine is not yet), there's yet a third source of power to charge the batteries through that Anderson plug on the tongue. If your truck is also wired up (wire running from the battery or alternator back near the hitch receiver, with an Anderson plug on the end), the trailer can pull power from the alternator on the truck that is charging its own battery. The truck alternator is designed to work with AGM batteries (your trucks main battery isn't lithium), so it won't overcharge your bank. That same Anderson plug could be used for a portable solar panel (@S J I'm certain Zamp makes Anderson adapters), but you'll need to ensure that your panel either has its own controller so it doesn't overcharge your bank, or that the trailer Anderson plug is running through the onboard solar controller (which is how you would manage the voltage from the truck if you changed to Lithium). So now I think I've answered both of your questions, maybe too thoroughly.

That was a lot, and probably way more than you were looking for, but I hope it helps. And I hope it's right. Someone will chime in if I'm a liar; they always do. :)
 
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R

Riviot

New member
@gendlert Thank you so much for such detailed information. It is by no means overkill. I printed it and put in in the trailer already.

Question for those with the Anderson plug (sorry you don't have it) - has anyone determined if its wired to the solar controller or directly to the battery? My D15 has it and I have a 220W Ecoflow solar panel and just purchased a 12-ft cord with Anderson and solar panel plug clips. I am hesitant to just plug in the solar panel if there's a real risk to the battery bank in terms of voltage, etc.
 
U

USMCBladerunner

New member
Riviot said:
@gendlert Thank you so much for such detailed information. It is by no means overkill. I printed it and put in in the trailer already.

Question for those with the Anderson plug (sorry you don't have it) - has anyone determined if its wired to the solar controller or directly to the battery? My D15 has it and I have a 220W Ecoflow solar panel and just purchased a 12-ft cord with Anderson and solar panel plug clips. I am hesitant to just plug in the solar panel if there's a real risk to the battery bank in terms of voltage, etc.
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Mine doesn't have the Anderson Plug, but I'm in the process of installing a second charge controller to run a solar suitcase with for more solar charging power.

The SCC in the Dweller is a 30 Amp controller, with only one set of wire input ports from the solar panels. The max wattage of panels for that controller is 400 watts for a 12V system. You are already running 300W on the roof. It's pretty unlikely that the Anderson plug in the tongue is spliced into the wires to the SCC.
So, I recommend against plugging your Zamp panels in due to the risk of over voltage on your batteries and the rest of your system.

On the other hand, the batteries are pretty lousy, so if you need an excuse to upgrade...
 
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