Date:         Mon, 18 Jun 2007 19:28:34 -0300
Reply-To:     David Etter <detter@MAIL.AURACOM.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         David Etter <detter@MAIL.AURACOM.COM>
Subject:      Re: Low-voltage alarm
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii; format=flowed

Mike:
        Below are two untested schematics that I may have to resort
to building. The original site is given here.

http://home.cogeco.ca/~rpaisley4/xLowBattery.html

However....
My original hopes were pinned on one of two "low Voltage cutouts"
commercially available.

  I bought a specific Solar controller 'Kit' because it offered better
control of values when working with AGM's. I would have preferred a
model with auto low-voltage shut off  (10.2 volts) but none seem to
be available, so I looked around and found such a beast "Type IV RV"
made by "Battery Brain"...
http://www.pplmotorhomes.com/parts/rv-converters/battery-brain.htm

  Canadian Tire offer only one model of this series of 'Battery
Brains' but their cutoff is 11.7 volts. with no plans (or clue) to
import the RV version.

The second commercial version is available from Australia. The man
was friendly and cooperative and we established a price with S&H and
I sent him my MC number but have yet to hear back from him. They
didn't use the card number but instead just vanished.
Seen here at  http://www.12volt.com.au/  under
http://www.12volt.com.au/General%20Htmls/webcat2003/meters.html

Model # BSPA10.5

However, repeated requests and e-mails beyond confirmation that they
would ship to Canada have gone unanswered.

Cheers!
                                        David

P.S.: Cost is not an option as far as I am concerned, it's important
to have the circuit. Cost in both commercial cases was in excess of
$80.00, the cost of the build-it-yourself kit is unknown.
        If you are handy with electronics then you can grab a burnt
out 'Inverter' and steal the low voltage cutout circuit built into
each one. Most cut out at about 10.5 or 10.2 which is optimum. That
the circuit (which sounds an alarm and shuts off the Inverter) and
add a 25 amp relay and 'BINGO' you have a $10.00 'Low Voltage Cutoff'.

                                        D.E.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mike "Rocket J Squirrel" Elliott <wrote>
><snip - snip>
>
>I want to find a simple low-voltage alarm to add, too. I built mine out
>of parts I found in the junk drawer here, so I'm no help. Does anyone
>know of a cheap and cheerful off-the-shelf alarm?
><snip - snip>
>
>Mike "Rocket J Squirrel" Elliott
>71 Type 2: the Wonderbus
>84 Westfalia: Mellow Yellow ("The Electrical Banana")
>74 Utility Trailer. Ladybug Trailer, Inc., San Juan Capistrano
>KG6RCR