Plugging in the box

nightstar22

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we purchased a 1989 Chevrolet C-60 ambulance. It's been so long since I have worked EMS and this one is different than what I was used to that I'm not sure how it works.
Ok I know plugging it in charges the battery, or keeps it charged, or something.
The battery switch has battery 1, battery 2 and both. Battery 1 is the ignition and battery 2 is the box.
In the ambulance I worked in, when you plugged it in, you could use the inverter and lights in the back with the battery turned off. This one however, the battery has to be turned on to use the inverter.
How can I tell if the cord is really charging the battery? Should the lights work when plugged in? Does anyone know how to get ahold of an owners manual for it??
We are going camping, I just want to know if I should plug to it, or just bring the plug in to a surge protector..
 

res1551cue

Forum Crew Member
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It all depends on the how the shoreline connections were setup. I ran a rig that would charge radio's, GPS', TIC's and gas meters when plugged into the shoreline but would not be powered when the truck was running or in operational mode. The reason why it probably setup to run only when the battery is one is to keep someone from accidentally turning things on and killing the rig when forgetting to turn things off. The switch on the truck is acting like a master switch. It kills all power from the battery to the rest of the rig to keep the aforementioned from happening. I am sure if you are familiar with wiring and relays and such you can manage to get it run power to the lights when plugged in.

I hope this helps.
 
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