Arrid Twincharge working properly?
Submitted: Thursday, Mar 29, 2007 at 17:36
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Big Red Ute
Hey there all, i have just bought an Arrid Twincharge and hooked it up myself. i am unsure if it is working properly (other than the fan making a noise) but i believe i have done it right. I just invested in a new multimeter to
test her out. This is what I found. PRIMARY starting battery with car OFF = 12.98-13Volts, car ON = 14-14.3volts depending on revs. SECONDARY Trojan battery, car OFF = 12.6-13v, car ON with twingcharge running = jumps up to 14-14.2v for a few seconds then drops back to between 12.8-13.4v and stays around there. Does this sound ok? Obviously im no electrician! Also, if I unhook the
orange (input lead) from the secondary battery I can get a reading of up to14.4-15v straight from the twincharge, why does it drop when I connect it to the terminal, is this just because it is charging?
Does all this sound good? I am traveling around Oz and want to make sure it is working ok.
Cheers for the help, greatly appreciated.
Reply By: Member - Roachie (SA) - Thursday, Mar 29, 2007 at 18:29
Thursday, Mar 29, 2007 at 18:29
Sounds about right to me. I have one too and that is how it works. The reason it shows a lower voltage when you connect the
orange wire to the aux battery is that it is trying to charge the battery, which has a lower starting voltage than the main battery.
It is similar to the way a normal 240v battery charger operates.....they are only putting in a relatively small amount of charge (20 amps compared to the starting battery getting it's 80 or 100 amps straight from the alternator), so it is only natural that it will not charge as quickly.
AnswerID:
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Reply By: Member - Craig D (SA) - Friday, Mar 30, 2007 at 08:01
Friday, Mar 30, 2007 at 08:01
The voltages are correct as per Roachie's response. The voltages you are measuring are about what I see with a meter (in-line and in my switchboard). When the aux batt is fully charged you will see 14.2 Volts, however, the twin-charge will go into a 'pulse type' mode regards current delivered to the aux. Rest assured that it is working correctly.
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230583
Reply By: Redback - Friday, Mar 30, 2007 at 08:57
Friday, Mar 30, 2007 at 08:57
Yep sounds good to me, i have an Arrid Twincharge in the camper and hooked up to the main battery of the car via the ignition, and pretty much had the same results as you, the fan usually only comes on when it's gets hot and is in a notso vented position.
It's been very good over the years without a single problem, in fact i think that, it is the reason why our elcheapo 75AH deepcycle battery has lasted so long.
Baz.
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230590
Reply By: Big Red Ute - Friday, Mar 30, 2007 at 12:04
Friday, Mar 30, 2007 at 12:04
Thanks guys, knowing that is quite reassuring as today is the big day that i start my trip, following the coast round Oz...
Cheers
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230619