trickle charging starter battery & Psu modification

[Lowlec]

@Lowlec

can we have an update on your setup? . .

how is it performing over the winter months? . . maybe some VRM Portal shots?

out of interest . . what type of cable is the blue/brown stuff? . . . looks beefy

@Dellmassive
system works flawlessly with a victron lithium battery installed the set up is much more stable and predictable,
for the winter months with low/no sun I’ve installed a powercon connector up behind the rear tow point,very discreetly to power up the mains charger,which in turn triggers the mppt and tops both batteries up.
as for the cables tri-rated 6mm for mppt & 16mm for dc/dc charger
upgraded the venus to a Cerbo utilising the the inputs and outputs to control various bits of kit on the van remotely with feedback To the VRM,so I can tell when the eberspacher etc is running.
screen shot below is a typical day In the charging cycle.

 

[Grantls]

Hi Guys, I've just bought one of the Votronic trickle chargers to keep my starter battery topped up from the leisure battery, with the leisure battery being topped up from a solar panel on the roof. Before I install it I'd like to know what stops the starter battery draining the leisure battery if the van is parked indoors with no sunlight? Wouldn't the starter battery become a parasitic drain on the leisure battery? Thanks.

 

[Dellmassive]

Hi Guys, I've just bought one of the Votronic trickle chargers to keep my starter battery topped up from the leisure battery, with the leisure battery being topped up from a solar panel on the roof. Before I install it I'd like to know what stops the starter battery draining the leisure battery if the van is parked indoors with no sunlight? Wouldn't the starter battery become a parasitic drain on the leisure battery? Thanks.

View attachment 119661

Yes . . .

in that black box is just a diode and resistor.



more info here:

[Guide] Battery Maintainer (for Starter battery) -- How I Done It --

[Guide] Battery Maintainer (for Starter battery) -- How I Done It -- Right so its that time of year again . . . . . . . . Winter & (Lockdown 2020) The van might be layed up not being used, which will lead to a flat battery in around 3 weeks. The cold weather doesn't help the battery's...

www.t6forum.com

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you will better off getting the Smart Unit.


The AMT12-2 has internal smarts to stop the constant drain. (there is a BT & APP for it coming soon too)

AMT12-2 12V 2AMP Trickle Charger - Battery Maintainer - Battery Saver | eBay

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[t0mb0]

Hi Guys, I've just bought one of the Votronic trickle chargers to keep my starter battery topped up from the leisure battery, with the leisure battery being topped up from a solar panel on the roof. Before I install it I'd like to know what stops the starter battery draining the leisure battery if the van is parked indoors with no sunlight? Wouldn't the starter battery become a parasitic drain on the leisure battery? Thanks.

View attachment 119661

It needs a 0.5v (or something like that) differential for current to flow so it's not going to flatten your leisure battery. It's a simple device, but it's basically foolproof, just install it and it'll keep your starter topped up with zero fuss or configuration. We have one (although in our case it's built in to the solar controller) and it just works, I haven't had to even think about my starter battery since I installed it.

The only caveat to this is if you're running a lithium leisure battery, it's not suitable for this and you'll need a more advanced/expensive gizmo like the one @Dellmassive posted above.

 

[Grantls]

Thanks for the replies. So the resistor prevents current flow until a 0.5v differential between the two batteries is detected? Simple but effective.

 

[Dilbert]

A diode needs 0.5 to 0.7V voltage difference (depending on type) to start conducting. The resistor limits the amount of current. A thermal device may be fitted to prevent overheating if current too high.

Simple, affective but the Votronic device is expensive for what it is!