Betsy II
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Our 5er has a Parallax converter, model 7445. I've been doing some research on these units to see how effective they are at charging the batteries in the 5er.
We have 2 Interstate U2400's in the 5er. I have found the onboard converter/charger is not that effective at topping up the charge to 100%, best I've achieved is 90%. Charge state determined by measuring the specific gravity of each cell.
I now understand there are 3 - 4 stages of charging to properly charge these batteries from a 80% DOD to fully charged. The onboard charger does not have this capability and therefore cannot propely charge the batteries.
I came across an article about a conversion from a Parallax unit to a Xantrex unit that has 3 stages of charge that will properly charge the batteries.
Does anyone have any experience with installation of a multi-stage charger that does the job?
Thanks in advance for your comments.
Roy
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RPFAN
Poughkeepsie NY
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Converter install is easy. 1st and most important is to make sure the unit has plenty of ventilation. Other than that, converter is one AC plug and 3 wires. One 12 volt DC hot. One 12 volt DC ground and one copper chassis ground. Done.
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ryoung
Indiana
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I have a Progressive Dynamics converter with an optional charge wizard that senses the battery's conditions. Wiring it shouldn't be any different in the unit you presently have.
Go here for a description. Progressive Dynamics
ryoung
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VintageRacer
Dundas, Ontario
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I did the Xantrex conversion, worked out fine for me.
Brian
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Betsy II
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To: ryoung...
I have a few questions about your system.
Which model of PD converter do you have?
Was this a conversion you did yourself or original unit?
Does it have a 3 or 4 stage charge capability for, say, a battery that has been discharged to 10- 20% charge level?
Any other comments would be appreciated, perhaps through a personal message.
thanks,
Roy
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Betsy II
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To: VintageRacer...
I have a few questions about your system.
Which model of Xantrex converter do you have?
Did you do the conversion yourself?
Does it have a 3 or 4 stage charge capability for, say, a battery that has been discharged to 10- 20% charge level?
Any other comments would be appreciated, perhaps through a personal message.
thanks,
Roy
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JSowders1
Emery SD
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I solved your problem with 150 watts of solar and digital controller. I haven't heard my charger come on in months and batteries are 100% all the time, 13.6 volts. Batteries are u2000, 2 ea.
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smkettner
Southern California
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Parallax to Xantrex upgrade
With two batteries the XADC40 would be plenty IMO. If you are in a super big hurry to get max charge in the battery get the XADC60.
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Johnofbham
Birmingham, Alabama
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A temperature probe helps also for proper charging.
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