Date:         Mon, 18 Sep 2000 16:04:51 -0400
Reply-To:     David Beierl <dbeierl@ATTGLOBAL.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         David Beierl <dbeierl@ATTGLOBAL.NET>
Subject:      Re: Low Alternator Voltage
Comments: To: d t <tinkerman@USA.NET>
In-Reply-To:  <20000903045818.13803.qmail@nwcst283.netaddress.usa.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed

At 00:58 9/3/2000, d t wrote:
>Nope. I'm still looking for a resonable cost solution (yes, I've seen those
>$300 solutions and definitely didn't like them...:-)

I've just finished a sailing cruise with the $300 Ample Power "Next Step"
regulator.  It's great, works exactly as advertised
(http://www.amplepower.com/). Runs the alternator flat out until the
battery voltage (corrected for battery temperature) gets to 14.4
(adjustable), then holds that voltage for an hour (adjustable) while the
charge rate decreases, then floats the battery at
13.8v.  Be-yoo-dee!  First time Scamp's batteries have been fully charged
in 30 years.  I figure that if I get six years out of the batteries instead
of 2-3 it will pay for itself by then, not including the irritation and
extra fuel from running the engine chronically to semi-charge the batteries
at low amperage.  However I've got about 300 Amp-hours capacity, costs more
to replace than a Vanagon battery.

>to add remote voltagesensing to my system.

This is a no-brainer.  You simply take the regulator internal sense
terminal and modify it so that it no longer connects to the alternator
sense output, then run a wire from it to the battery.  Cost is whatever you
have to pay for the sense wire.  Specific instructions are in the Group 3
section of http://www.surepower.com/pdfs/180012.pdf   I think I told you
the same thing the last time you brought this up <g>.


>Very nice and interesting page, but not a solution IMO yet.
>I'll be glad to get pointers for a real remote-sense solution (copies via
>p-mail are welcome, since I don't read every post to this very active
>list...).

David Beierl - Providence, RI
  http://pws.prserv.net/synergy/Vanagon/
'84 Westy "Dutiful Passage"
'85 GL "Poor Relation"