2013 volvo 780 cab power

Discussion in 'Volvo Forum' started by Metalicious, Jan 17, 2023.

  1. Metalicious

    Metalicious Road Train Member

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    This truck I bought a while back has the legacy tripac apu and the TK inverter. To my surprise the inverter works, outlets on the inverter are good. The cab power though doesn't work. Is there some way to hook these together so I can use the 110v plugs in the truck? When I turn the cab power switch to on, the two outlets on cab power don't provide any power.
     
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  3. loudtom

    loudtom Road Train Member

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    I bypassed the plug under the bunk where the shore power and stock inverter goes in, then connected my inverter to that box with a cord that has 2 male ends. That allows all of the outlets to work on whatever power that plug is attached to. If you go this route, make sure you understand what you are doing. I have accidentally plugged the generator into the inverter and had to buy a new inverter. A better solution would be a transfer switch of some sort, but I haven't got around to it and probably never will.
     
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  4. Metalicious

    Metalicious Road Train Member

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    I read something somewhere about that two male plug c cord or something like that. I have no idea how to use one. Guess theoretically the extension cord should work. I think I only have the 2 110v outlets on the bunk wall anyway. If nothing else I'll get a power strip and just plug it into inverter and leave it laying on the floor of the bunk
     
  5. Metalicious

    Metalicious Road Train Member

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    Looking at the cab power plug it's male. Couldn't I just take that and remove it from outside and pull back in side box and plug into inverter?
     
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  6. Metalicious

    Metalicious Road Train Member

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    The male to male cord you mentioned if I'm thinking correctly I'd plug that into the outlet on inverter and then into the outlet on the cab power itself where the GFCI is, right? I'd only need like a 12 inch long cord if so. I assumed those plugs were for power too once it was hooked up to an inverter didn't think until now I could supply the power that way, if I'm right anyway.
     
  7. loudtom

    loudtom Road Train Member

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    Yes, from your power source into that box with the GFCI under the bunk. You can cut an extension cord and buy a male end from Home Depot to create a double male plug. The important thing is that you only have one power source on that circuit. I disconnected or cut the shore power so it will never be able to be on that circuit. What I do instead is remove the double male from the inverter and plug an extension cord from shore power into that. I also have an extension cord run to my generator, so I can run the double male plug into that cord to get generator power. This is also why I accidentally plugged the double male from generator into inverter and it fried the inverter once.

    I don't know enough about how traditional APUs work, but if they provide 110-120V AC, then you have to isolate it from your inverter. If the inverter is being fed 12V DC from the APU, then you shouldn't have to do anything with it. The important thing is that you do not mix two separate 120V inputs on the same circuit.
     
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  8. Metalicious

    Metalicious Road Train Member

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    I might do that. As much as I would like to just buy the cord that is already setup with double male ends, it seems to be a pain to get it because no place seems to have it in stock and would have to wait. On the other hand the inverter is actually closer to the bunk wall where I could plug in a power strip even than running a double male cord from the inverter to the cab power. I may just do that and not even worry about the cab power at all and plug a powerstrip in to the inverter.

    As for my APU, I don't believe it does have any electrical outlet that is supplied power by it. it is an older than dirt "legacy" apu. I guess the very first model that was made, with the push button interface in the cab on the sleeper wall.
     
  9. Metalicious

    Metalicious Road Train Member

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    After doing some reading maybe I just string up two regular extension cords rather than use a male to male cord. Seems like those are dangerous, or can be dangerous since one end is going to be powered all the time and if it touches something else it could start a fire. But seems like the same can happen with the other setup too, with two cords plugged together. Then again though I wouldn't be leaving the inverter on just all the time either. I am not sure if that is good to leave them on or only have them on when used. I didn't even know the inverter worked really. Noticed a battery cable wasn't hooked up so I hooked it up to see what it went to and noticed the inverter was on and working.
     
  10. loudtom

    loudtom Road Train Member

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    A power strip from the inverter is definitely the safest option. I've left my inverter on for weeks at a time while teaming and during the winter. Summer I will usually turn it off and run the generator in order to run the AC unit. If the truck gets parked for more than a day, I'll shut the inverter off.

    Do you have an aftermarket inverter, or the Phillips one mounted on the rail behind the DEF tank? If it's the stock inverter, it should be wired into the bottom of that GFCI box already, which means you should also be getting power to the cab outlets. Unfortunately, my truck's inverter was broken when I bought the truck, so I never understood how the 120V switch and the system worked together in order to perform a proper fix. I'm guessing the wire that goes from the Phillips inverter and into the box is the same as my double male plug, except that it's hardwired on both sides. I wish I could help more.

    Maybe you could hardwire the cut end into the GFCI outlet and then plug the male end into your power source. When it's unplugged, the exposed male end should not be a danger since it is not getting power. It's basically the same as how I leave the male end always plugged into the outlet, except that you won't accidentally unplug it and screw things up.
     
    Last edited: Jan 20, 2023
  11. Metalicious

    Metalicious Road Train Member

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    I haven't found any other inverter besides the TK one. There isn't any box or anything outside of the cab or on the chasis near the def tank except for that centrally located cab power plug under the bunk. But there's no telling what either previous owner of the truck could have done with it, Iif there was a factory inverter. I thought the same thing at first, since the cab power was likely put in at the factory. Whoever put the TK inverter in the side box of the bunk used a lot of insulation foam to fill the holes where they ran the battery cables.
     
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