Saturday, Dec 03, 2011 at 09:32
Hi Cobsy,
The D250S and D250S Dual chargers have built-in isolator funtionality to keep the starting battery and Auxiliary battery separated.
When the voltage has reached 13.1V in the starting battery that gives a signal for the D250S to charge Auxiliary battery. The auxiliary will be charged to 100% and the multi-mode charging will then maintain the auxiliary with a maintenance "pulse" charge.
The D250S Dual contains a MPPT controller and if desired, both solar and alternator input can be input at the same time and the controller will determine which input is best. (This may be an advantage if fixed solar panels exist on a caravan or camper while travelling.)
I have a bi-fold solar panel I use when camping and have rewired it to include a direct cable for the D250S dual, which bypasses the cheap on-board regulator.
The original cable connected to the on-board regulator is still available if I wish to use the panel to charge another battery not connected to the D250S.
The original cable has a Merit style plug on it and the unregulated cable has an Anderson connector.
I am really happy with my investment.
The way I use my setup is in two possible ways.
I have two separate circuits wired up from the starting battery to the rear of my dual cab. Both have isolators built in to their charging kits.
One is for my Thumper portable battery pack.
One is for my Sidewinder Flyer pack containing a 100Ah Remco AGM. This is my auxiliary battery I use to run the trusty Engel fridge.
When I hook up my camper (which has another two 80Ah Remco AGM batteries to support an upright Waeco compressor fridge, I connect the camper charging cable
to either the Thumper circuit, or the output connector on the Flyer.
In either case, both circuits are protected each end by fuses or circuit breakers.
I may add a Smartpass management system at a later date if I need it, or another D250S in the rear of the vehicle to provide a smarter charging function to the battery packs in the rear.
I have yet to
test the current setup on a prolonged trip, but I'm hoping I will get extended Amp hours and a longer battery life from the camper batteries for the Waeco fridge.
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