I think I need assurance / a sanity check from the electrical experts. Along with a lot on here I’ve got a CTek MX5 charger fitted with a 12V (cig lighter) plug on a connector that can be swapped for the usual large crocodile clips for attaching to the starter battery terminals. I tend to just plug the former into a 12V socket on the dash and leave it there whenever parked up at home to keep the starter battery topped up – the other end is plugged into the van 240V fed from the EHU (both 12V sockets on my van are permanently live) – I’ve been doing that for almost 4 years now without any issues.
I’ve also got a cheap Aldi Auto XS ‘smart’ 5A charger that I keep in the van for trips away and on a couple of occasions have used it to top up the starter battery when we’ve been parked up in one place for a while and it’s charge has started dropping. It was cheap and while I wouldn’t want to leave it hooked up all the time, I think it’s good for the odd top up and saves having to run the engine. The problem with the Aldi charger is that it only has hard wired crocodile clips and I prefer the more convenient route of plugging into the 12V socket. I was thinking about cutting the crocodile clips off and replacing them with a 12V plug - something like this which is supposed to be 15A and is already wired. Would that be OK?
I’m also wondering what to use to connect it to the charger. I was thinking about just using a couple of Wago 221 in-line connectors but am conscious of the fact that they will be exposed unless I wrap them with tape. I could also use insulated ‘bullet splice’ crimp connectors but guess they would also need wrapping. The other issue with that approach is that I’ve only got a cheapo crimping tool (the cheapo ‘£7 flat 2mm steel’ type). As an alternative, can anybody advise on a suitable detachable connector (similar in function to those used by Ctek) with screw rather than crimped terminals (due to the lack of decent crimper). For what it’s worth, the charger and cable will only ever be used indoors.
As always, thanks in advance.
I’ve also got a cheap Aldi Auto XS ‘smart’ 5A charger that I keep in the van for trips away and on a couple of occasions have used it to top up the starter battery when we’ve been parked up in one place for a while and it’s charge has started dropping. It was cheap and while I wouldn’t want to leave it hooked up all the time, I think it’s good for the odd top up and saves having to run the engine. The problem with the Aldi charger is that it only has hard wired crocodile clips and I prefer the more convenient route of plugging into the 12V socket. I was thinking about cutting the crocodile clips off and replacing them with a 12V plug - something like this which is supposed to be 15A and is already wired. Would that be OK?
12V 15A Heavy Duty Male Plug Car Cigarette Lighter Power Adapter Supply Cable UK | eBay
RVB 2 X 1.5 square red and black wire, the red wire is the positive electrode and the black wire is the negative electrode. The cigarette lighter plug has been soldered with a soldering iron, plug and play.
www.ebay.co.uk
As always, thanks in advance.
