Battery Chargers - How I Did It -

[Dellmassive]

* NEW PRODUCT *

CHARGE BOTH THE STARTER AND AUX SETUP WHEN ON EHU . . .

NOCO GENIUS2X2, 4-Amp (2-Amp Per Bank) Fully-Automatic Smart, 6V And 12V Battery Charging Units, Battery Maintainer, Trickle Charger And Battery Desulfator With Temperature Compensation: Amazon.co.uk: Car & Motorbike

Buy NOCO GENIUS2X2, 4-Amp (2-Amp Per Bank) Fully-Automatic Smart, 6V And 12V Battery Charging Units, Battery Maintainer, Trickle Charger And Battery Desulfator With Temperature Compensation at Amazon UK. Free delivery on eligible orders.

amzn.to

NOCO GENIUS2X2, 4 (2-Amp Per Bank) Fully-Automatic Smart, 6V and 12V Charger, Maintainer, and Battery Desulfator with Temperature Compensation

• Meet the all-new GENIUS2X2 - a two-bank battery charger, battery maintainer, trickle charger, and battery desulfator - the perfect all-in-one solution for battery maintenance.
• Multiple banks - A two-bank battery charger maintainer rated a 4-amps - 2-amps per bank - designed to charge and maintain multiple vehicles like cars, motorcycles, motorbikes, boats, atvs, motorhomes, lawnmowers, caravans, trucks, and more.
• Do more with genius - designed for 6-volt and 12-volt lead-acid automotive, marine, and deep-cycle batteries, including flooded, gel, AGM, and maintenance-free, plus lithium-ion batteries.
• Enjoy precision charging - an integrated thermal sensor detects the ambient temperature and alters the charge to eliminate over-charging in hot climates and under-charging in cold climates.
• Charge dead batteries - charges batteries as low as 1-volt. Or use the all-new force mode that allows you to take control and manually begin charging dead batteries down to zero volts.
• Restore your battery - automatically detects battery sulfation and acid stratification to restore lost battery performance for stronger engine starts and extended battery life.
• Beyond maintenance - It's not just a trickle charger, it's an advanced battery maintainer. A fully-automatic, worry-free battery charger for everyday use - 24/7 - with zero overcharge.

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https://no.co/genius2x2?utm_source=...09379116&_bta_c=0tur5a9aou8ju3q36lz48dww5h2r5

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[Mud Digger]

The Victron 12/30 can be used as a 12v 30A power supply to it says tried and tested mine last weekend very please with the bluetooth and yes i smiled the same as that girl in the pic ... but she has a better beard than me

thanks @travelvolts its very nice kit he sorted for me .

 

[bootsam]

I've been using a twin Optimate for a few years for my bikes. Although when I eventually get round to 240V hook up, I''ll be adding a ctek as I've a ctek dc-dc.

 

[Dellmassive]

You have to love the Victron Chargers....

Its cold and icy . . . The van has been parked up for almost a week.... its time to plug in a charger....

You can see from the starter battery BM2 monitor that we are now down below 12v, which is not good for the battery's health.








The charger was plugged into the Victron quick connector and 12v extension lead.... so the main charger is inside. (Quick conect cable is under bonet) (12v Cable run through house window)


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Edit:

heres the link cable. . .



and one of the quick disconnects for the extension lead . . . . .


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I'm nice and warm inside keeping an eye on the outside on the cctv on a tablet....





And controlling the charger and playing with the profile settings and watching the power delivery from the App on my phone sitting in front of the TV..... Happy day's.

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...



one good thing with the Victron is that . . . . because im using two "quick disconnect" leads to get the cable long enough to the van . . .

im dropping some voltage, the charger thinks its putting out 13.8v . . . but the BM2 monitor is showing that only 13.2v is reaching the battery. (volt drop over the cable from charger to van)

so i can use the Victron APP to boost the profile settings and tweek it so that im getting 13.8v at the battery . . . =]

great stuff.

 

[Dellmassive]

pt2

and as we see over here, we can now charge both batterys (via the DC-DC charger) :

Charging Starter and Leisure batteries with same charger - Victron

Hi, Inspired by @Deaky build post, I was planning on installing a Victron IP65 Smart charger next to the Starter Battery and a 2nd one to charge the Leisure batter (110AH AGM). I've discovered the CTEK D250SE will still charge the leisure battery as long as the volts on the starter battery are...

www.t6forum.com

this is the BM2 showing the charge from the EHU charger above . . .

VS = van starter




....

Becuase we have the Renogy DC-DC/MPPT charger, it has now reacted to the rise in starter battery voltage and started charging the AUX battery (currently AGM extreme)

you can see the charge from the Renogy on the Renogy BT APP here: (via the Renogy BT-2 BT dongle)





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So this is now inturn charging the AUX battery, which can be seen here on a second BM2 . . . . .

VA = van aux


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so both batteries now being charged . . . . all controlled and monitored from the sofa !

now thats the sort of smart tech i like. =]

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EDIT:

results the following day . . . its still cold =]

temp is -1.7degC




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The Victron charger BSM 12/15 is in storage mode . .




..

The starter battery reached fully charged and went into storage at 3am . . . .



...


The BMW712 on the AUX battery shows (other side of Renogy DC-DC). .

its 100% and trickling below 1Amp. . .





the Renogy DC-DC shows . . . . 100% and 0.49A trickling.

i think "charge not ready" below is chinglish for the battery is 100% full so doesnt need charging, or taking less that 1Amp.




which can be seen on the BM2 for the AUX battery . . . .







..

 

[travelvolts]

Don't you think the charger ought to be at the same temperature as the battery?

 

[Dellmassive]

Don't you think the charger ought to be at the same temperature as the battery?

Yes, as you say . . . you should always follow the manufactures instruction and guidance (temp charge coefficient is important in temp extremes). i could put the charger body outside on the window sill if i wanted to.(equalize battery and charger temp to enable accurate temp coefficient)

but in this instance . . .

For Lithium Battery's i would 100% use the temp sensor (if the charger has that feature). (for Hight Temps and low charge cut off)

but for the SLI/AGMs like i have the charger is connected to, the charge curve doesn't change much below 15degC (and doesn't change at all below 5degc)

and at that point its only 0.2v @ 0degC. . . so for cold temps im happy with the profile, I've manually tweeked the profile to overcome the voltage losses in the cable to the van and managed to get the required 14.7v @0degC directly at the batterys terminals by using the BM2 monitor.

However if it was HOT outside . . . ie above 25degC then the charger temp is more important (dropping the output voltage by 16.2mV/°C.)

so following the Victron BSC 12/15 manual:

The configured charge voltage is related to a nominal temperature of 25°C and linear temperature compensation occurs between the limits of 6°C and 50°C based on the default temperature compensation coefficient of 16.2mV/°C (for 24v chargers multiply the coefficient by 2) or as configured. The temperature compensation coefficient is specified in mV/°C and applies to the entire battery/battery bank (not per battery cell).

https://www.victronenergy.com/upload/documents/Blue_Smart_IP65_Charger_manual/Blue_Smart_IP65_Charger-en.pdf

additional note for Lifepo4:

h. Lithium Ion compatible Compatible with Li-ion (LiFePO₄) batteries; when the integrated LI-ION charge mode is selected the charge cycle settings are altered to suit. If the charger is connected to a battery where under voltage protection (UVP) has tripped, the blue smart charger range will automatically reset UVP and start charging; many other chargers will not recognise a battery in this state.

Warning: Never charge a Li-ion battery when its temperature is below 0°C.





Edit:

current battery is VARTA AGM starter

"Varta state that the charging voltage should be 14.8V for AGM and 14.4V for lead-acid. Also, they suggest a current of 10% of the nominal capacity for lead-acid and 25%-35% of the nominal capacity for AGM" - apparently (havent found source yet)

and (other side of DC_DC charger)

LEOCH XTREME XR1750

12V 110AH Xtreme AGM Leisure Battery (XR1750) NCC Class A - Alpha Batteries

12V 110Ah fit-and-forget AGM lead-acid battery for multiple applications (LOW-FIT). Also suitable for use as a starter battery (dual-purpose) – […]

www.alpha-batteries.co.uk

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[Dellmassive]

* NEW PRODUCT *

* NEW DELLMASSIVE FAMILY ADDITION *

* Battery Chargers 2021 Refresh *

* What I Use *

NOCO has released a new line of chargers for 2021 : NOCO | Start Dead Batteries





i wanted the GENIUIS PRO 25 but it seems OOS everywhere, and not even available in the UK . .


So i went for the 10A GENIUS10 . . . . : NOCO Introducing GENIUS10, 10-Amp





This is my one . . .




out of the box we have the charger itself, with a nice quick-disconnect on the lead.

plus a a set of fused battery clamps - that can be changed to a set of M10 eyelets.

the charger is nice and weighty and feels firm and well built in the hand.

Its IP65 rated so is ok outside in light rain and can be fitted outside - ie next to battery in the van under the bonnet.



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It also comes with a very nice wall bracket/ velco combo thing that can be used to fix the unit down.


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The M10 clamp eyelets can be removed from the clamps for a direct battery connection, or cut off for a hard wired connection into the van.





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the lead comes with a 20A mini fuse for safety - which is a good feature.




the quick disconnects are proprietary, NOCO also sell some nice extra attachments that we can look at later.




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On the first power up the charger goes into standby - Orange light.

Then connecting up a battery it comes to life . . . here just a small 7ah 12v SLA.




a short while later - 100% charged.




Next up was a Lithium battery test . . . . This is one of my Green Lifepo4...

Press the MODE button to change over to LITH mode . . .





and we have this . . . charging happily.



**

unfortunalty there is no Bluetooth or battery monitoring on these units, maybe next time NOCO will add it? - but for now we have Victron for that situation.


****
spec wise :


Technical Specifications
What’s In The Box
GENIUS10 Battery Charger w/ Interchangeable Connector
Clamps w/ Integrated Eyelets (M10)
Mounting Bracket w/ Strap
(2) Self-Tapping Screws
User Guide & Warranty Information
Operating Requirements
Line Voltage: 120V to 240V AC
Frequency: 50Hz to 60Hz
Operating Temperature: -4° to 104° F (-20° to 40° C)
Storage Temperature: -22° to 140° F (-30° to 60° C)
Relative Humidity: 0 to 95% Non-Condensing
Charging
Current: 10 Amps DC
Voltages: 6V, 12V
Chemistry: Lead-Acid and Lithium
Types: Wet, Gel, MF, CA, EFB, AGM, Lithium
Capacity Range: Up to 230 Amp-Hours
Maintenance: All Battery Sizes
Power
Consumption: 150 Watts (Max)
Efficiency: 87% (120VAC / 230VAC)
Protection
IP Rating: IP65
Safety
Short-Circuit: Yes
Open-Circuit: Yes
Overheating: Yes
Overcharge: Yes
Spark-Proof: Yes
Reverse Polarity: Yes
Product Size
Height: 7.1 Inches (180mm)
Width: 3.6 Inches (92mm)
Depth: 2.3 Inches (59mm)
Weight: 3.33 Pounds (1.5kg)
Cord Management
DC Cable + Clamp Length: 77 Inches (195cm)
DC Cable Size: 14 AWG
DC Fuse Size: 20 AMP MINI ® Blade Fuse
AC Cable Length: 71.7 Inches (182cm)
AC Cable Size: 18 AWG
Oil, gas, grease, water, chemical, UV, abrasion resistant
Limited Warranty
3-Year Limited Warranty


Details:



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Charge Rate:



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Charge rates ,




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[Dellmassive]

NOCO GENIUS10 Pt2:







Time to Pimp My Charger. . . .

I've got the Extension lead so i can have the charger further away . . . . .


NOCO GC004 X-Connect 10-Foot (3-Meters) Extension : NOCO GC004 X-Connect 10-Foot (3-Meters) Extension Cable Accessory For NOCO Genius Smart Battery Chargers: Amazon.co.uk: Car & Motorbike





***

and a second fused battery direct conect. . . . . .


NOCO GC002 X-Connect M6 Eyelet Terminal Accessory For NOCO Genius Smart Battery Chargers : NOCO GC002 X-Connect M6 Eyelet Terminal Accessory For NOCO Genius Smart Battery Chargers: Amazon.co.uk: Car & Motorbike






and for those that like charging via the 12v socket port, NOCO has you covered:


NOCO GC003 X-Connect 12V Dual-Size Male Plug Accessory For NOCO Genius Smart Battery Chargers : https://amzn.to/3uWWUjQ







here is the full list of stuff . . .




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[Dellmassive]

* Battery Chargers 2021 Refresh *

* What I Use *


The CTEK MXS 5.0 - CTEK MSX 5.0




Is a great little charger, and is my goto unit for smaller battery's.

i still use this charger for all the smaller Flag Pole light batteries as well some medium sized batteries.

Being 5A its a bit slow at fully charging a flat 100Ah AGM, but works great as a maintainer charger . . .

which is its main use nowadays. . . . . .

It lives in the solar shed semi - permanent . i use it top up / maintain the battery bank over the winter months when the solar can keep up.





The Rubber Boot case thing is a worthy addition - cover

as to is the quick-disconnect extension lead - CTEK 56-304 Connect 2.5M Extension

and

The M10 Battery connection quick disconnect - CTEK Direct Connector Adaptor (10mm

and

12v socket adapter - CTEK Cigarette Lighter Connector Adaptor

one this I've had on my list to got . . . for ages, is the wall mount bracket - Mounting Bracket for Chargers, 3.8 - 5.0 A


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[Dellmassive]

* Battery Chargers 2021 Refresh *

* What I Use *

Next up is the Daily Driver . .

The Awesome Victron 12/15 Blue Smart, a 15A smart charger with bluetooth + APP that will charge practically anything (including the Lithium's). - Victron Energy Blue Smart IP65 Charger 12/15

its IP65 so waterproof bar complete submersion, and with the rubber boot/case its drop proof too.



its currently sitting here hanging out of the windowsill charging both the van batteries.





I say BOTH batteries because its connected to the starter battery with a Victron quick-disconect that's connected to the Victron extension cable out the window and over to the van.

The van has a DC-DC charger with the AUTO VSR feature that will detect the charged starter battery and power up to start charging the AUX / Leisure battery without the engine running.

so now charging both battery's. . . . i used the Victron APP on the phone to tweek the charge profile to UP the voltage a bit so the DC-DC kicks in straight away.

happy days . . . I've got these accesories for it

case - Victron Energy Rubber bumper for Blue Smart IP65 Charger 12/10, 12/15, 24/8 - BPC920100100: Amazon.co.uk: Welcome
M6 disconect - M6 Eyelet Connector With 30A Fuse
2mtr lead - 2 meter extension cable - Victron Energy

Victron Energy Blue Smart IP65 Charger 12/15(1) 230V CEE 7/16 Retail : Amazon.co.uk: Automotive

Buy Victron Energy Blue Smart IP65 Charger 12/15(1) 230V CEE 7/16 Retail at Amazon UK. Free delivery on eligible orders.

amzn.to

The APP is one of the best things about the Victron kit. . . . everything works with the one app.

some of the kit even talks to each other !!
The chargers settings can be adjusted via the APP, it can be used for monitoring the charge status too. . .





The quick-disconects are great and can take 20A easy . . . they are a firm and water tight connection . . .




..

They do a nice traffic light panel mount version too . . . . which is nice . .




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This ones rated at 15A . . . . which IMHO is to much for the 12v socket for a long duration . . . .

BUT if the battery is charged and you just want to use the charger as a battery maintainer then that should be ok as the charge current will drop from 15A down very quickly to a safer level for the vans 12v socket . . .

A well recomended decent charger.


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[Dellmassive]

* Battery Chargers 2021 Refresh *

* What I Use *

Next up - THE BIG BOY -

The Victron Blue Smart 12/30/1 - Victron Energy Blue Smart IP22 Charger 12/30(1) 230V - BPC123042022: Amazon.co.uk: Welcome







A single 30A output smart charger with Bluetooth APP.

This charger is IP 22 rated so its not for the outside, but keep it indoors . . . . . . it is a formidable charger.

It has a temp controlled fan to keep cool . . . . but I've never had it hot enough for the fan to come on.

and a NIGHT MODE if you sleep with the charger, that will reduce the output and heat so its silent.

This will charge almost anything . . again . . . but this time much faster !!

Running these large 100Ah plus Lifepo4 batterys for testing and charging can take a long time.

it was taking too long to recharge for testing with the 15A charge . . . so i added a second 15A charger . . which helped . . (15A + 15A = 30A)

soi decided it was time to get this one . . . . The 12/30/1 (12volt / 30A / single output)

im pointing that out as they also do a 12/30/2 - which has 2x outputs for 2x seperate battery banks . . . . . as far as i am aware these battery banks need to be the same chemistry, ie AGM/AGM . . . not AGM/Lithium.


size wise its a bit bigger than the 15A version . .




They come with screw down terminals so you can add your own cables to suite. . .

i just use some beefy cable over to a 50A Anderson quick-disconnect,

then i have a set of jump leads with one set of end clamps cut off and replaced with another 50A Anderson . .

this gives me a decent connection that doesn't get hot when pulling 30A continuously . .




again this charger works with the Victron APP for settiing and monitoring the charger.




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[Dellmassive]

***************************************************************************************

EDIT: 2021 refresh

The 2021 line-up for EHU battery chargers is:



5A CTEK MSX 5.0 - 5A CTEK MSX 5.0

10A NOCO GENIUS10 - NOCO Introducing GENIUS10,

15A Victron IP65 BSC - Victron Energy Blue Smart IP65 Charger

30A Victron IP22 BSC - 30A Victron IP22 BSC



***************************************************************************************

 

[coopso]

I've taken delivery of the 15A Victron IP65 BSC today, not enough solar around to get my starter above 12V via the mobile panel so keen to get the BSC connected. Simple question: am I OK to connect the BSC to both battery terminals? Or should I use the engine block or elsewhere as earthing point? Also I've just bought the van so unsure what charging mode to use - not sure if it needs a recondition or just a regular charge?

 

[Dellmassive]

correct you need to use a chassis ground and NOT the battery NEG post . . . so you don't bridge out the battery sensor . .

use he Bolt behind the lights or some other ground . .

or hard wire in a "quick connect" more on that here:

Battery Charging - Main Battery Chassis Point -

Battery Charging - Main Battery Earth Point - so weve all be told NOT to bridge out the battery monitor on the neg side of the battery when charging it. This is so the ECM can correctly gauge the SOC (state of charge) of the starter battery by monitoring the current flow in and out of the...

www.t6forum.com

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and for the charge profile set it to default AGM mode . . . . . .

connect up the charger and left it go .. . 15A should have it charged fairly soon . . . don't forget to post some screenshots from the Victron APP.

 

[coopso]

correct you need to use a chassis ground and NOT the battery NEG post . . . so you don't bridge out the battery sensor . .

use he Bolt behind the lights or some other ground . .

or hard wire in a "quick connect" more on that here:


and for the charge profile set it to default AGM mode . . . . . .

connect up the charger and left it go .. . 15A should have it charged fairly soon . . . don't forget to post some screenshots from the Victron APP.

Yeah, thanks I'll deffo be fitting that quick connect.

 

[coopso]

Yeah, thanks I'll deffo be fitting that quick connect.

Been on charge since early doors until a half hour or so ago - let's call it just over 9 hours. I switched it off when it got to Float mode, that correct, right? It had been on on Bulk mode for a while and then quite static in Absorption mode at 14.5V for around 4 hours before reaching Float. As soon as I disconnected the charger, my BM2 went back down to 12.5V, I hope that is normal?

Next job will be to charge the leisure battery. I am planning to connect another quick connect cable (using eyelets), will I be able to connect to both terminals this time or should I also find an alternative chassis ground connection for this one? It's a factory fit leisure battery (with aftermarket inverter and towbar).

 

[coopso]

Couple of screengrabs when I had put it on charge this morning:

And a couple more when I disconnected the charger:

 

[Dellmassive]

You can leave the charger connected on float .... it will move to storage mode at some point..

But it's mostly charged when it hits float mode.... unless the max timeout has been reached in the profile.

Edit:

Yes on leisure you can go direct to both battery terminals provided you haven't got a third party current shunt fitted.... for your own monitoring.

 

[Loz]

My Noco Genius 10 failed yesterday, I went to see if it had finished topping up my starter battery and all the lights were flashing on it and it seemed to be quite hot. I left it overnight, but plugging it back in this morning (not connected to the battery) but it is still doing the same. Disappointing as I've only used it a few times.