Date: Wed, 21 Feb 2007 13:40:52 -0500
Reply-To: Sam Walters <sam.cooks@VERIZON.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Sam Walters <sam.cooks@VERIZON.NET>
Subject: Re: Aux battery tyro
In-Reply-To: <003301c755d1$51f2a210$1b0ced48@windows0545857>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=windows-1252; format=flowed
Ron,
Reams have been written in answer to the questions you pose on this
list, the syncro list, and other Vanagon related lists.
Obviously hundreds of people have done it already.
There isn't a best battery, way to do it, etc.
A standard starting battery will do and for most people will be the
cheapest way to go and it very reliable. Hundreds of posts about
battery choices have never shown this to be wrong, just that others
prefer other things.
A simple kit available from the Bus Depot for less than $25 will do the
job just fine despite lots of erroneous info to the contrary. It has a
schematic diagram.
It takes connecting one wire connected to a source that is only hot when
the engine is on to the trigger wire on the relay, grounding the trigger
circuit neg spade, grounding the auxiliary battery, and connecting a
supplied wire of the appropriate size from the starter battery to the
relay and then from the relay on to the auxiliary battery.
Auxiliary appliances, radio, etc. can then be wired off the positive
post of the 2nd battery as you see fit in terms of level of complexity,
switching, etc. Just make it safe.
There are also lots of web sites where people show their wiring setups
for accessories and their 2nd battery setup. Many are unnecessarily
complex and expensive overkill for most people's needs.
The relay system was used by VW for 2nd battery setups and has been used
by hundreds of others with success.
Look at the files section of the Vanagon@yahoogroups mailing list for
two files I posted written by high tech guys several years ago
explaining why the relay system works just fine.
Also peruse the contents of the zip file I have attached to the email.
It contains boatloads of information about 2nd battery setups.
I read lots of this stuff several years and became overwhelmed by the
apparent complexity of this matter. I had the Bus Depot kit for several
years before I installed it last year. But in between I also had an 85
Weekender with the simple relay setup that VW used and really enjoyed
having it when out camping for astronomy purposes and otherwise. So, I
set out to install the 2nd battery in my Syncro with the Bus Depot kit
before setting out from MD to UT on a 2 week trip this past summer. Once
I found a good trigger wire for the relay thanks to Tim Smith (Canada),
it was very easy and I felt rather silly for waiting so long. It
worked flawlessly on that trip and has since then.
Sam
--
Sam Walters
Baltimore, MD
