KendallP
Grants Pass, OR
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Salvo wrote:Iota's bulk charging profile (14.8V max) is at the maximum of Trojan range. I doubt you'll find a more aggressive converter.
Trojan wants a constant current charge (bulk) until batteries get to 14.1 - 14.7V. Trojan's max charging current is 20% of C20.
Sal
Agreed. But IOTA could have done even better by simply going into a voltage limiting stage, i.e. keeping the voltage in the mid 14s and just tapering current. This is more akin to the Vector.
In an RV, I think you want voltage in the mid to lower 13s when you're on shore and the batteries are full. Perhaps this would be too tricky to pull off with a charger that wants to keep the voltage in the 14s all the way to 100%. I don't know.
Cheers,
Kendall
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pianotuna
Regina, SK, Canada
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Hi smk,
I could not agree more.
So is the Blue Sky 3024di with temperature probe, and the Rogue 3024. But they do basically cost twice as much as the Iota or PD converters.
smkettner wrote: However my Morningstar TS-MPPT-60 solar controller is miles ahead of any converter.
Regards, Don
Kustom Koach Class C 28'5" 256 watts Unisolar, 875 amp hours in two battery banks 12 volt batteries, 2500 MSW watt inverter.
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Bigfeets
Paso Robles, Ca
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Why don't you recommend the Boondocker from bestconverter? They have a 100 amp model and are fairly priced I thought.
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2002 Bigfoot 9.6b
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smkettner
Southern California
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And the solar only works 1/3rd of the day.
I even looked up Mastervolt and Victron chargers ($$$$  ) and the flexability just is not there. These chargers and converters are just not in a huge hurry to charge the same as solar due to the time window.
I did not realize how good the programmable MPPT controllers were until I got one. So much debate if MPPT is worth the money based on cost per watts extracted from the panels when the adjustable charging profile is a huge + on top of the rest.
2001 F150 SuperCrew
2006 Keystone Springdale 249FWBHLS
675 watts solar
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pianotuna
Regina, SK, Canada
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Hi smk,
I suppose with your Tristar 60 amp MPPT you might consider "feeding it" from a 14.8 volt non smart converter?
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mena661
Southern California
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smkettner wrote:I even looked up Mastervolt and Victron chargers ($$$$ ) and the flexability just is not there. I found that odd as well with those units. I don't think they even offer an equalize function. The Mastervolt does hold 14.4V during absorption. The inverter/chargers seem to be the best IMO, Magnum in particular.
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smkettner
Southern California
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Bigfeets wrote:Why don't you recommend the Boondocker from bestconverter? They have a 100 amp model and are fairly priced I thought.
PowerMax seems to go to float immediately upon hitting 14.6 volts. This can be as low as 72% charged depending on battery size and resistance in the battery cables. Then you are stuck with a float charger.
IOTA holds 14.6-14.8 for 15 minutes then drops to 14.2 to finish the charge another up to 8 hours before dropping into float.
Progressive will hold 14.4 for four hours and can be manually held in boost.
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BFL13
Victoria, BC
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Here is something about the problem mentioned earlier with charging stages profiles when a smart charger is acting as a converter-from mthe Samlex manual:
CAUTION!
3 stage charging is recommended for charging stand-alone unloaded batteries (there is no load
connected to the battery when it is being charged). If a load is also connected simultaneously,
a part of the charger’s output current will be diverted to this load. Thus, the charger may
remain locked in Stage 2 if the current drawn by the load is more than the preset value of
threshold current determining change over from Stage 2 to Stage 3 .This will lead to overcharging
and loss of electrolyte.
For charging a battery when a load is also connected simultaneously, Stage 2 voltage should
be same as Stage 3. Select “Loaded Battery” with the help of DIP Switches (5) – See under
“Selecting the Type of Battery and Charging Stages”.
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KendallP
Grants Pass, OR
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Sounds like a "load" to me. But it's not their fault. It's another symptom of the overly litigious world we live in.
Kent Brockman: "Springfield has come down with a fever . . . Football fever. If you have the fever, there's only one cure. Take two tickets and see the game Sunday morning."
(TV Voiceover: "Warning, tickets should not be taken internally.")
Homer: "See, because of me, now they have a warning."
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smkettner
Southern California
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So if you have a 60 amp power max and a 50 amp load are you saying the converter will hang too long at too high of voltage? Unrealistic IMO.
With a timer as most have it is a non issue.
Only if you set the charging to float at less than 3 amps would it be an issue. Does Samlex even do that?
I personally like Battery Tender with holding absorbtion minutes at 1.5 times bulk. Say Power Max took 60 minutes to reach 14.6 then hold it there 90 more minutes then float.
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