Engel Battbox

Has anyone used the new Engel Battbox . Sounds as though it should be good & eliminate the need for a second car battery.We would use it for the Engel fridge, & small electrical gear as it has a 150 watt inverter built in.
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Reply By: Member - mechpete - Thursday, Jun 20, 2013 at 13:13

Thursday, Jun 20, 2013 at 13:13
hi
would you buy a battery box ,
when a second battery in your vehicle properly set up , will charge any time the motor is running an take away the chance that you might forget to plug the battery box
into a something to charge it ??
cheers mechpete,
AnswerID: 513450

Reply By: Ross M - Thursday, Jun 20, 2013 at 13:41

Thursday, Jun 20, 2013 at 13:41
Priscilla G
It is a second battery!
Most battery boxes have a relatively small battery in them and unless you want the convenience factor of that style of power supply you may be better served with a dedicated battery which can be connected is a dual battery system.
A bigger battery in a suitable box with suitable charging connectors may fit the bill and also be cheaper.
All depends on the style of use you require.

Little inverters are cheap and most are not full sine wave. A number of modern small appliance are switch mode power converters and some of them do not like the "modified square wave" power output and don't start or burn out.
Some laptop supplies are the same, some will run on the crappy wave form and some get hot or burn out or blow internal fuses.
Transformer style power packs are ok.
Best to check and do a quick test to see if what you might run, does actually run on that inverter. If not it isn't worth having.

You can always buy a different style of battery box and have a suitable separate small inverter to plug onto it and use if and when needed.
Integral multi function battery boxes while catering for various use options generally don't do any one feature particularly well as the price dictates the end result. ie all a compromise.

Check the AH hour rating of the battery as only half that rating is the realistic use if you want the battery to last with the frequent recharging which will be required. The fridge AH use per day will govern the battery required.

Small battery, relatively short use before needing recharging
Bigger battery, longer use time but also takes longer to recharge.

Decisions decisions, if that one suits then should be OK.

Ross M
AnswerID: 513455

Reply By: Member - Sn00py2 (NSW) - Thursday, Jun 20, 2013 at 14:05

Thursday, Jun 20, 2013 at 14:05
Hi Priscilla,

The Engle Battery Box is a rebranded ARC Pack. The ARC Pack is a great usit and will take up to a 120 AH battery, just check your dimensions first. The supplied/inbuilt charger is only 6 amp so if you purchase one, then I suggest that you charge it with a bigger charger so that it is recharged much quicker.

The battery box is expensive but it is nicely finished.

I have one which I use in my Curiser to run a fridge and I charge it with a Cetek DC250S.

Regards,

Sn00py2
AnswerID: 513456

Follow Up By: Road Warrior - Thursday, Jun 20, 2013 at 21:18

Thursday, Jun 20, 2013 at 21:18
Then again the "povvo" ARK battery pack/box (the one with the blue handles) is only ~$120. Doesnt have an inverter though nor a whizzbang charger, but has most of the stuff you need.
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FollowupID: 792205

Reply By: ABR - SIDEWINDER - Thursday, Jun 20, 2013 at 16:09

Thursday, Jun 20, 2013 at 16:09
Hi Priscilla

The charger and inverter are both a bit small and the price of the unit is very high.

We do a similar package and has a 10A Smart Charger, 600W Pure Sine inverter, automatic battery isolator and charge cable all included for $430 you just need a 120ah battery.

Look at my blog index on how fit, DIY the FLYER to your car.



eBay link: Promo-eBay

Regards

Derek from ABR

AnswerID: 513466

Follow Up By: Ross M - Thursday, Jun 20, 2013 at 21:54

Thursday, Jun 20, 2013 at 21:54
There you go, Derek has it all wrapped up in a nice easy to use package and covers the issues nicely.
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FollowupID: 792206

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