Votronic Dc-dc Battery Charger - Compact Design

Quick update on this a thread.
Once again mine has blown a 40a fuse. Very disappointing.
I was about to fit these to any future conversions. Not anymore.

Such a shame as I rated Votronic equipment and this was such a good size for T6s.

@t0mb0 is yours still working?
 
Quick update on this a thread.
Once again mine has blown a 40a fuse. Very disappointing.
I was about to fit these to any future conversions. Not anymore.

Such a shame as I rated Votronic equipment and this was such a good size for T6s.

@t0mb0 is yours still working?

That's really annoying! Was yours originally fixed by Votronic or did you get a new one from the retailer? Do you still have some kind of relay on the D+ signal input? I had a relay on mine without a suppression diode and I wondered whether back EMF from that was causing an issue.

I haven't actually managed to reinstall mine yet, combination of lack of time and it not being needed as much over winter. I don't hold out much hope though, if yours blew a second time. I wonder what the problem with them is? Either way, it needs to be properly sorted before the warranty runs out on the thing...!
 
I have never had an issue with either the Redarc or Ablemail products. Can highly recommend them.

How does the ablemail deal with AGM batteries, do you have to use the software interface to change the charging profile?
 
I take my d+ signal directly from the BCM and code the output with vcds.
I have a trade account with the guys I bought my unit from so rather than return it they spoke to Vitronic and asked me to change the internal fuse as it would just be a one off! I was sceptical but gave them the benefit of the doubt.
I don’t know why it’s blowing the fuse. I have a battery monitor that records voltage of the aux battery so I can see which day it stopped working but you can’t see any voltage spikes or anything that would suggest an issue.

I will speak to the technical guys before I send it back to see what their thoughts are.

Typical. I’ve fitted more than 10 ctek 250s and never had a single issue.
 
I take my d+ signal directly from the BCM and code the output with vcds.
I have a trade account with the guys I bought my unit from so rather than return it they spoke to Vitronic and asked me to change the internal fuse as it would just be a one off! I was sceptical but gave them the benefit of the doubt.
I don’t know why it’s blowing the fuse. I have a battery monitor that records voltage of the aux battery so I can see which day it stopped working but you can’t see any voltage spikes or anything that would suggest an issue.

I will speak to the technical guys before I send it back to see what their thoughts are.

Typical. I’ve fitted more than 10 ctek 250s and never had a single issue.

When Votronic sent mine back they said they'd actually fixed something (rather than just change the fuse) so maybe there's some hope - it's possible it's a dodgy batch which is fixable I suppose. Time will tell, I'll get mine in as soon as I can and will let you know what happens.
 
@t0mb0 I think they might have just changed your fuse. My failure mode was identical to yours and that's what I was told to do. Happy to be proved wrong though.
 
@t0mb0 I think they might have just changed your fuse. My failure mode was identical to yours and that's what I was told to do. Happy to be proved wrong though.

Yeah, maybe. I was in email correspondence with the actual engineer who looked at it though, so I hold out some hope.
 
531E2F52-7FEA-4FDA-8454-98DD3F6FFB1D.jpeg Right, I’ve finally managed to fit mine back in, and taken the opportunity to tidy up the wiring and fuses. If it blows again, it’s going back...
 
Quick update, it’s been working flawlessly since I put it back in about six weeks ago. Fingers crossed it’ll be fine now. Could have been a dodgy batch I suppose.
 
You might be lucky. The info that I have is that they have withdrawn the product at the moment.

Ah, that would be bad news as it would imply there is something wrong in the design. I’ll keep an eye out, it’s still listed both for sale and on the Votronic website at the moment.
 
Maybe they have sorted it then. I always had some concerns about it's physical size compared to the competition. Generally these things do generate some heat, hence why this one has a fan I think. It just doesn't seem to be like the other stuff.
 
My one got returned and the company I bought it from don’t stock it for now.
I think there was a problem and they might have had a software update. I couldn’t be bothered with it and run a different dc-dc charger now without issue
 
Further update - it's been running flawlessly for a few months now so hopefully it was just a dodgy batch that they've fixed.
 
Latest update on this...

It worked for another eight months or so and then failed again. I spoke to the retailer, who got in contact with Votronic. Apparently, over the summer, Votronic identified a design flaw whereby the T6 could generate higher voltages than they were expecting, and when this happened along with certain other circumstances (must be quite specific given it worked fine for eight months) it caused the unit to fail.

Anyway, they fixed this issue in Summer 2019 in version 19 of the unit. In short, if your unit is version 18 (start of the serial number) or under, you should speak to your retailer/Votronic about getting an updated unit.
 
At least the have come clean, identified and admitted the issue and have made a new version that is more resistant.

Wonder if they will offer a free upgrade/replacement of the older version?....
 
At least the have come clean, identified and admitted the issue and have made a new version that is more resistant.

Wonder if they will offer a free upgrade/replacement of the older version?....

They certainly replaced mine for free. Really excellent service from RoadPro (the retailer), no hassle at all.
 
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