2oldman
south
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Joined: 04/15/2001
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pianotuna wrote:Does your existing converter allow you to run the slides? I'm assuming you are running the converter from an inverter? Yes, it's a 30a 48->12 'buck' converter. No. I think we're talking about two different animals.
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pianotuna
Regina, SK, Canada
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Joined: 12/18/2004
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2oldman,
Thanks for the clarification.
Regards, Don
My ride is a 28 foot Class C, 256 watts solar, 556 amp hours of AGM in two battery banks 12 volt batteries, 3000 watt Magnum hybrid inverter, Sola Basic Autoformer, Microair Easy Start.
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pianotuna
Regina, SK, Canada
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I'm assuming an essential feature would be an ability to set the output voltage.
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wopachop
Who run bartertown
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Joined: 11/17/2006
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Multiple battery chemistries and highly adjustable in terms of voltage. Nice to be able to save multiple programs. If you can control voltage and amps then it sorta future proofs you to newer lithium batteries that will have slight differences in volts per cell.
I have not done a firmware update to my charger in 5 years. It does not allow me to adjust charge voltage of Pb battery to 2.7v per cell. Sometimes you can unlock these chargers. Other times a firmware upgrade will allow for whatever new things comes out.
For example i have a smaller cheaper DC to DC charger. In order to get into the settings they made you do something very simple. Some type of code. Then you could adjust to a higher voltage when the newer high voltage lithiums came out a handful of years back.
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wa8yxm
Wherever I happen to park
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Joined: 07/04/2006
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time2roll wrote:Primary feature is amp rating. JMHO. Bigger is not always better and watch the input amps. The rating is output.
As "Generic" info goes that is best response.
NOT ENOUGH INFO however for a more precise answer
What do you want to use it for?
There are several different DC>DC devices
Some are very simple.. Your 12 volt phone charger for example is likely nothign more than a 3 terminal regulator (if that) that drops the voltage.
A buck boost is much more complex starting with an inverter then some way of boosting the voltage (Transformer) then rectifier and filter and a regulator for the output.
NOTE that high frequency transformers and filters are not nearly as big as low (50/60Hz) units are.
Home is where I park it.
2005 Damon Intruder 377 Alas declared a total loss
after a semi "nicked" it. Still have the radios
Kenwood TS-2000, ICOM ID-5100, ID-51A+2, ID-880 REF030C most times
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theoldwizard1
SE MI
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Joined: 09/07/2010
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time2roll wrote:Primary feature is amp rating. JMHO. Bigger is not always better and watch the input amps. The rating is output.
For any kind of trailer, you need to remember that the input limiting factor is the fuse on the battery wire in the 7 way connector.
Watch the video I linked before ! The first thing that happened when he started his test was that he blew the fuse !!
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S Davis
Western WA
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The Redarc 40 and 50 amp dc to dc chargers have a built in solar controller that use solar charging first and then supplements with alternator charging, might be a useful feature for some.
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NRALIFR
Truck Camping Out West
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Joined: 11/27/2005
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theoldwizard1 wrote:time2roll wrote:Primary feature is amp rating. JMHO. Bigger is not always better and watch the input amps. The rating is output.
For any kind of trailer, you need to remember that the input limiting factor is the fuse on the battery wire in the 7 way connector.
Watch the video I linked before ! The first thing that happened when he started his test was that he blew the fuse !!
Which is a pretty good indication that trying to run a 40 amp DC charger through the trailer charging circuit isn’t going to work. When I was in my pre-purchase learning phase, I remember reading on one of the DC-DC charger manufacturer sites that the majority of the “This @#$& thing doesn’t work!” complaints they get are due to the installer not following the wire size recommendations in the instructions.
There were several things I didn’t like about the video, and the way he was demonstrating the charger. He initially suggested that the unit could be connected directly to the alternator (nope!) or the starting battery, he then reinforced that misinformation by referring to the starting battery in the RV (that you could clearly see he was connecting to) as the alternator, and finally hooking it up in such a half-a$$ed manner that the input fuse blew just left me shaking my head.
The smallest gauge wire recommended for the Renogy 40 amp charger he was demoing is 6 AWG, regardless of how short the circuit length is. What he was using wasn’t 6.
Just for grins, I read through the instructions for a Renogy 40 amp unit just to see what they said for an installation like mine. The circuit length between the starting battery and the Redarc charger is about 27-28 ft long, and Redarc recommended 4 AWG wire and a 60 amp fuse. Renogy also recommends 4 or 2 gauge wire and a 60 amp fuse on the input side.
![[emoticon]](http://www.rv.net/sharedcontent/cfb/images/smile.gif "smile")
2001 Lance 1121 on a 2016 F450
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BFL13
Victoria, BC
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Joined: 02/15/2006
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S Davis wrote:The Redarc 40 and 50 amp dc to dc chargers have a built in solar controller that use solar charging first and then supplements with alternator charging, might be a useful feature for some.
Does the manual explain how it does that? If so I will read it, no need to write it up here, thanks.
With no DC-DC in the Class C, I get solar and alternator to add their amps, but with the solar set at 14.8v and the alternator at say 14.0v, I don't get all the alternator amps there are.
Example rough figures-- Turn off solar and get 20 amps alternator charging as seen on the Trimetric. Get 20 amps solar, engine off. Turn on engine and get 40? Nope. Get about 30 total. The voltage spread from battery to 14.8 is more than from battery to 14.0 so the alternator amps are already tapering from shrinking spread as they both raise the battery voltage. Once the battery reaches 14.0 all the amps are from solar.
(The battery bank has to be low enough to accept the total possible amps at the time or you can't tell if the 30 is just from that being the max acceptance)
So that Redarc is doing something like that too, but where it is the one with two inputs at different voltages, not the battery itself --or what? It must have just the one voltage for output, but two different input voltages?
If you already have solar, do you swap over to the Redarc controller or are you better off staying with the one you have? Depends I suppose.
1. 1991 Oakland 28DB Class C
on Ford E350-460-7.5 Gas EFI
Photo in Profile
2. 1991 Bighorn 9.5ft Truck Camper on 2003 Chev 2500HD 6.0 Gas
See Profile for Electronic set-ups for 1. and 2.
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S Davis
Western WA
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Yes it is in the manual, I just noticed they make a 25amp dual input model as well.
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