Votronic Dc-dc Battery Charger - Compact Design

[superchargedpolo]

Has anyone had experience of Votronic and their products? I see they have a very neat battery to battery charger. It's rated to 30A and is very compact indeed. Look like a perfect size for an under seat T6 installation.

Link below:
12V solar panels charging kits for caravans, motorhomes, boats, yachts, marine

 

[Dellmassive]

Is that the same as a recent post where it failed?

I'll have to dig out the post later.

 

[t0mb0]

Yes, I fitted one. Sadly it blew an internal fuse so I’m having to send it back to Votronic so they can fix/replace.

In theory it should be perfect for the application though. I’ve got one of their solar controllers and it’s been very good.

 

[superchargedpolo]

It would be interesting to find out why it blew the internal fuse.
I.e. was it a product failure or some sort of external cause.

 

[t0mb0]

It would be interesting to find out why it blew the internal fuse.
I.e. was it a product failure or some sort of external cause.

Yes, certainly would. I’ll give an update when I hear.

 

[Dellmassive]

Did you open it to see the fuse?

It's normally a IC input or transistor input as it's so low current?

Or was it still in warranty.?

 

[t0mb0]

Did you open it to see the fuse?

It's normally a IC input or transistor input as it's so low current?

Or was it still in warranty.?

It was definitely in warranty, it had only been in a week so I didn’t open it up. I could see through the casing it was a standard blade fuse that had blown.

 

[Dellmassive]

Ok.

lasting 1week not good tho.

 

[travelvolts]

No, especially at that price!

 

[t0mb0]

No, especially at that price!

What do you mean? Price looks pretty reasonable compared to the alternatives.

 

[travelvolts]

Sorry, my mistake. Confusing with another thread about the Votronic Multi.

 

[t0mb0]

Sorry, my mistake. Confusing with another thread about the Votronic Multi.

Oh, those Votronic triple mains/alternator/solar things? Yes, they are very pricey!

 

[superchargedpolo]

Just bought and fitted one of these. Really compact design and very reasonably priced compared to the competition. Circa £160

4 different charge programmes depending on your battery type. Even does lithium.

I will keep an eye on it over the next coming months and feed back if I find any problems.

 

[t0mb0]

They’ve fixed mine and sent it back. I haven’t had time to refit it yet though. Will report back when I do.

 

[superchargedpolo]

After about 3 weeks of constant use I am happy to report that the Vitronic DC-DC charger works really well. No faults and the battery has been charged as per their specs.

Here is the link to the supplier I used:
12V solar panels charging kits for caravans, motorhomes, boats, yachts, marine

I think at £159.99 delivered they are the best value for money out there.

 

[t0mb0]

That’s good news! I haven’t had the chance to refit mine yet.

 

[superchargedpolo]

I take it all back. Mine has just blown the 40A internal fuse also.
Speaking directly to the supplier, who in turn are quizing Votronic in Germany. Poor show, only lasted 4 weeks and I am not drawing any sort of load. Eberspacher D2 is 10-15amps max. No inverters or anything that draws big load. Also the battery as never been taken past 80% SOC!

 

[travelvolts]

I have to say, although I am generally a fan of Votronic kit, this particular product had me thinking hard. It is very small compared to the competition. Looks to me like they took a 20 amp MPPT solar controller and added a fan.
It looks great on paper and the price is excellent but the old adage might apply. If seems too good to be true it probably is.

 

[t0mb0]

I take it all back. Mine has just blown the 40A internal fuse also.
Speaking directly to the supplier, who in turn are quizing Votronic in Germany. Poor show, only lasted 4 weeks and I am not drawing any sort of load. Eberspacher D2 is 10-15amps max. No inverters or anything that draws big load. Also the battery as never been taken past 80% SOC!

Oh no, that’s not good! It’s exactly what happened to mine. I wonder if it’s a dodgy batch or whether there’s some actual design flaw with them that shows up in T6 installations? I can PM you the email of the guy in Votronic who repaired mine if you like.

I have a Votronic mppt solar controller and that’s been flawless.

 

[t0mb0]

Looking back through my communication with them, they said the issue was caused by “an adjustment error in the loading control”. I guess I’ll just have to put it back in and see if it blows again...