James Cook Forum

it is still cold here in Canada so I am still just fiddling slowly with various JC fixes.

For the electrical and shore power adaptation, I am trying using a Step Up transformer. at least as a first step.
It was easy.
and inexpensive (about 40euros - versus about.... 1000euros to buy and ship a new 115v 12v charger and replace the wiring to the AC outlets)
the 2000W transformer is quite light and small
i've placed it in the rear storage area and modified the exterior socket to take 115V to the transformer and then the wiring that was connected to the Commando socket runs 230V from the transformer back to the original 12v battery charger

Nothing blew up or melted or started smoking.
(I will tape up those connections today and tuck them safely away)

With all that in place there is 230V power at the 3 AC outlets inside when on Shore Power.

But I remain a bit confused.
I think the 12V charger "should" maintain the charge on the Starter battery (from the two prong connector)
but having left the system running overnight the Starter battery only shows 12.06V - which I think is a bit low (isn't it?)
Looking at the 12V battery charger again, I don't get any reading with my multimeter across the two slots of that Start Battery connector. 0.00
and is it normal that there is only one wire on that connector? (see attached photo)
the wiring diagram seems to show a + and a - for the Starter Battery.

and I am getting no reading (0.00) at the ports that should be feeding the 12V Versorgung batteries

Blown Fuse (in the 12V battery charger box)?
I'll check that next.

well that was easy.

seems I have one bad fuse.

now, did I blow that playing around with my tests and transformer?
or was it already Blown?

I'll replace it and see what happens next.

Hello pjstock,
Please don't take offense, but I think your knowledge of electrics is too limited for this work. Better find a specialist in this field.
Greetings
Georg

Boxerspezi hat geschrieben: ↑

22.04.2025 17:56

Hello pjstock,
Please don't take offense, but I think your knowledge of electrics is too limited for this work. Better find a specialist in this field.
Greetings
Georg

No offence taken (well, not really)
You are probably correct.
but what I am trying to achieve doesn't seem THAT complicated.

Hi Peter,

dass zu der Starterbatterie nur 1 Kabel geht, ist normal. Der Minuspol der Starterbatterie ist ja auf Fahrzeugmasse gelegt und daher holt sich das Ladegerät hier den Minuskontakt auch über die Fahrzeugmasse.

Was ich aber nicht verstehe: Warum möchtest Du an den AC Steckdosen im Auto 230 Volt
Bei Euch werden doch alle Verbraucher mit 110 Volt AC versorgt. Oder hast Du Dich hier in Europa mit 230 AC Verbrauchern eingedeckt

Viele Grüße über den Teich, Thomas

To be honest, there is hundreds of gray import Westfalia campers in Canada, purchased either in Japan or Europe, there are few James Cooks as well - i know the owners are changing chargers to Fraron or rebuild old ones but I have never heard anyone being concerned with rewiring whole system.

Japanese Westfalia's were also gray/private import to Japan, and they would only rebuilt chargers for Japanese market.

Also, if there is hypothetical unacceptable surge of electrical current I would expect the automatic breaker to act, also there are other breakers that are supposed to safeguard your system before melting the wiring.

komposti hat geschrieben: ↑

22.04.2025 19:30

Was ich aber nicht verstehe: Warum möchtest Du an den AC Steckdosen im Auto 230 Volt

I should have been clearer. I do not want 230v at the AC outlets. but to this point I have had nothing at the AC outlets. I was just excited to see them doing anything at all.
IF I continue with this "Step Up Transformer" idea (to go from 115v to 230v on the Input, my plan would be to then use a step down transformer at the AC outlets to drop them down to a usable 115v

there are small very inexpensive step drown transformers that would attach quite inconspicuously to the walls or ceiling at the AC Outlet area.
I even tried one that I had lying around from some long past trip to Europe. It's tiny - just 5x3x3cm. I didn't expect it to actually work. But a 115v lamp worked just fine with it in the 230v outlet

Hi, I have had a 1998 James Cook for a few years now in Victoria, BC, Canada and so far have not had any problem with the 240v stock wiring. I still use the exterior Euro RV style plugin one end of my power cord to supply the 120 v power to the camper, with a 120v to 12v charger in the normal charger location to charge the house batteries. I also feed the 120v into the interior ac outlets. Originally, I used adaptors to change the prong configurations to North American style, but they wobbled loose occasionally. So I used my multi-tool to make proper holes for normal North American plug-in receptacles and wired them up with no alteration to the actual original ac wire.
I can run a microwave, but the breaker will trip with the microwave and a 1500 w space heater.
Does anyone know what devices will trip the breaker in Europe?

fascinating.
and so helpful.

so you replaced the original 12v battery charger with a North American 120v one?
(I was going to order a replacement from Fraron in Germany, as it has all the same connectors as the original. the original has a connector to maintain the Starter Battery as well as the Aux Batteriesl)

and you just left the original AC outlet wiring in place?

well that answers my questions then.

(out of curiosity - how did you come to have a JC in Canada? Did you import from Japan? or Europe?)

peter

No, it was imported from Germany, not by myself but another JC enthusiast. I bought it from him after it had all the safety inspections in Canada and licensed in BC. So easy for me. He installed the charger, and I have kept the AGM batteries. If I were to move to LI batteries I would buy a charger that works for those batteries. So far I don't have a real need to replace the batteries. (200w of solar panels on the roof and my wife doesn't like camping in desolate areas).