ignition pickup for Dmax?
Submitted: Saturday, Jan 13, 2018 at 15:46
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Member - bungarra (WA)
Hi
Can anyone point me to where there might be an ignition feed under the bonnet of Isuzu D Max please?
A mate purchased a NEW caravan and discovered that the DC DC charger (Projector) in the 'van boot was not working........and after taking it back to dealer and others in more than one occasion there was still no joy......
For the last 2 years they have had to travel with no fridge working whilst on the road (3 way fridge) as obviously the house battery didn't and cant last on 12v.
I dropped in the other day and a quick read of the manual (not supplied by dealer...I had to download off the web)...showed clearly the ignition feed on the charger needed to be connected to enable the device to work......not rocket science and as soon as I looked there it was.....all lonely with nothing connected !...Unbelievable !!
Anyway I looped a 12v from the car Anderson plug feed in onto it and now all is good but obviously constantly live whilst the Anderson plug is plugged to the vehicle.
I didn't have time or wire / relay on hand etc to hook up an ignition feed to the rear power supply to solve the issue....so its still live 24/7..... (another dodgy job from a sparky) so when I am next visiting I will rectify the issue for him but to save time can anyone advise me where to look under the bonnet?
Its a 140km round trip for me and would be nice if I went there knowing where to look for it rather than spend time looking if it doesn't exist......If it doesn't I will do it for him with VSR but its cheaper and simple via an existing pick up point & relay
Thanks
Reply By: Allan B (Sunshine Coast) - Saturday, Jan 13, 2018 at 16:37
Saturday, Jan 13, 2018 at 16:37
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Hi Graeme,
I wired up a D-max for a mate recently that included a 3-way fridge and dc-dc charger in the van. This also required an ignition feed to the charger to enable it. Not wishing to run an ignition wire from the engine bay to the van, I came up with an alternative.
I connected the charger's 'Ignition' wire to the main 12v feed coming to the van via the Anderson plug (i.e. the chargers 12v input), and the 12v supply to the 3-way fridge was also fed from the same main 12v feed. In the engine bay I installed a 100A solenoid isolator (VSR) that controlled the 12v feed to the van. This then permitted feed to the van when the alternator was charging and powered the fridge as
well as the dc-dc charger, but isolated them both when the vehicle was stopped. It also eliminated the need to locate and connect an ignition source in the engine bay. The solenoid can be had for
$65 on eBay. Connecting the fridge to the 12v feed rather than to the charger output ensures that all of the charger's output is available for charging the battery.
The other thing that made this circuit ideal for this particular job was the provision of an Anderson socket in
the tub to charge a tub battery for the occasion of travelling without the van and with a 'battery box' and Engel in
the tub. This Anderson socket is tee'd to the main feed to the van supply and the engine bay solenoid then also controls
the tub socket.
The other good point about this arrangement is that the Anderson at the drawbar is fully isolated when the vehicle is parked so that no-one can fool with a live dc supply in your absence.
AnswerID:
616066
Reply By: Member - bungarra (WA) - Saturday, Jan 13, 2018 at 17:16
Saturday, Jan 13, 2018 at 17:16
Thanks Alan
What you did for the ignition feed is exactly what I did to get the DC DC charger functioning in the short term.
My mate is "electrically challenged" and despite reassuring me he will remember to disconnect the Anderson plug when not driving...his wife KNOWS that they will both forget...{& to reconnect}.....hence the ignition feed question OR the VSR alternative as I stated....to prevent the tug discharging when stationary.
Your added improvement of the fridge feeding direct is an excellent idea...rather than depleting the house battery once the tug is stationary.....As we know the 3 way fridges are terrible on 12v and the house battery will be depleted in next to no time.....
I will go down my alternative path of the VSR as you did...but now with the added modification of the fridge wiring as you have done.
All I need to do is to
check his vehicles charging voltage as we both know the modern day alternators wont activate the older style VSR's...(needing a higher kick in voltage) .....although the 13.2 v stated on your link I am sure is now accommodating the newer style alternator specs?
Cheers
Graeme
AnswerID:
616069
Follow Up By: HKB Electronics - Saturday, Jan 13, 2018 at 17:23
Saturday, Jan 13, 2018 at 17:23
Rather than installing a VSR, might be better off selling the current DCDC charger and purchasing a unit that can that doesn't require an ignition source to activate it.
FollowupID:
887301
Follow Up By: Allan B (Sunshine Coast) - Saturday, Jan 13, 2018 at 17:41
Saturday, Jan 13, 2018 at 17:41
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Graeme, the VSR I actually used was a Redarc SBI-12 rather than the cheaper one from 'autoelecau' which has only recently become available.
The Redarc SBI-12 is also 12.7v-13.2v which worked fine on the D-Max.
FollowupID:
887304
Follow Up By: Allan B (Sunshine Coast) - Saturday, Jan 13, 2018 at 17:52
Saturday, Jan 13, 2018 at 17:52
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HKB, the Redarc and Projecta chargers that incorporate an 'ignition' control input are intended for applications where reliance cannot be placed on the alternator output voltage to 'enable' them. They can also be used with 'regular' alternators simply by connecting their 'ign' wire directly to the 12vdc input to disable the 'ign' function and operate directly on the alternator voltage level.
FollowupID:
887307
Follow Up By: HKB Electronics - Saturday, Jan 13, 2018 at 17:58
Saturday, Jan 13, 2018 at 17:58
Alan,
As far as I'm aware the Projecta charger should work without the ign source connected in a standard setup such as the DMAX, you only need to use the ign source for a smart charge setup?
FollowupID:
887308
Follow Up By: HKB Electronics - Saturday, Jan 13, 2018 at 18:02
Saturday, Jan 13, 2018 at 18:02
From Projecta:
5. If your vehicle has fixed voltage or temperature compensating alternator installed, leave the Ignition Override cable (blue colour) open. If your vehicle has smart (variable voltage) alternator installed, the Ignition Override cable must be connected to the vehicle’s ignition. The IDC25 will only operate when the vehicle’s ignition is turned on.
FollowupID:
887310
Follow Up By: Member - bungarra (WA) - Saturday, Jan 13, 2018 at 18:02
Saturday, Jan 13, 2018 at 18:02
HKB & Alan
I have just done a Cut n Paste from the manual (see above somewhere) and as Alan & myself have discovered it needs ignition source as per manual.
The VSR makes sense for all the reasons previously mentioned
Thanks to you both for your input
Cheers
Graeme
FollowupID:
887311
Follow Up By: Member - bungarra (WA) - Saturday, Jan 13, 2018 at 18:07
Saturday, Jan 13, 2018 at 18:07
HKB
just noticied your post....we are talking a different model...( This is a DC20 & I belive may be 3 years or more in age)
this one has no wires of any colour anywhere...just 2 input and 2 output lugs and 1 input ignition lug....hence the confusion of model specs I think.
cheers
FollowupID:
887313
Reply By: Athol W1 - Saturday, Jan 13, 2018 at 17:57
Saturday, Jan 13, 2018 at 17:57
Bungarra
The easiest way is to splice into the cig lighter feed, this at least will give a positive feed whilst ever either the Ignition OR accessories are operational but not when switched off.
If you lift the under bonnet fuse cover there are 2 white plugs on the battery side of the assembly. In the second (largest plug/number of wires) plug there are 2 wires on the front row, one black the other white, and 2 unused holes. You will find that the white wire (the one in the front corner furthest from the battery) is only live when the ignition is switched on. This is the power source that I have used to switch the relay to power my Daylight Running Lights. My vehicle is a 2015 build, others may be a little different.
On the earlier Rodeo badged vehicles you could use the Air Con fuse, as in those vehicles the air con only operated when the Alternator was in operation.
Hope this helps.
Regards
Athol
AnswerID:
616072