Battery Charging Confusion
Submitted: Thursday, Jul 31, 2014 at 22:12
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Gordonk
Hi Everyone, hope this has not been covered before but I am a little confused. I have a 4.5Lt 105 series Landcruiser which is fitted with dual (Lead Type) batteries with a Rotronics charger. I wish to install my 40 Lt Engel fridge with a 130 amp Deep Cycle (Gel) battery and solar panel. I have an C-TEK 250s DC-DC Charger from my previous set up. Can I also connect the C-TEK to the main battery to run the fridge and solar or will the two chargers (Rotronics and C-TEK) confuse each other as they are on the same circuit?
Thanks, Gordonk
Reply By: Mal58 - Friday, Aug 01, 2014 at 09:28
Friday, Aug 01, 2014 at 09:28
Hi, Is the Rotronics device a MH10? If so it's not a charger per se but a switch that connects the second battery in parallel with the main only when the engine is running. The MH10, while at least 15 years old in design is still considered by many as the benchmark even today.
If you use the CTeck and solar panels on the main battery and your Gel battery, it will only charge / discharge from the main battery and your Gel battery.
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Reply By: HKB Electronics - Friday, Aug 01, 2014 at 10:04
Friday, Aug 01, 2014 at 10:04
Contrary to written above, Rotronics made an excellent product, I'm using one of his charge independent units performed and it gives much superior performance to a DCDC charger. It's a very sad that he has recently had to shut up
shop due to illness.
The Rotronics unit can be considered a VSR, there will be no interaction between the Rotronics and the Ctek assuming the total load is not great enough to cause the alternator voltage to drop below the minimum start voltage for the alternator and the kick in voltage for the Rotronics unit.
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Follow Up By: HKB Electronics - Friday, Aug 01, 2014 at 10:17
Friday, Aug 01, 2014 at 10:17
Correct that to minimum start voltage for the DCDC charger, and kick in voltage for the Rotronics unit.
Other thing is where are you intending to install the fridge and the gel battery, as you already have an aux in the car what will it be used for?
If your going to use both to run the fridge and the gel battery charge voltage is similar to the present aux then maybe you could just connect the gel cell to the present aux?
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