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Date:         Sun, 5 Aug 2007 21:12:01 -0700
Reply-To:     Reinhard Vehring <rvehring@YAHOO.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Reinhard Vehring <rvehring@YAHOO.COM>
Subject:      Re: T3 Westy's; batteries; how to have your cake and eat it
Comments: To: Martin Jagersand <jag@CS.UALBERTA.CA>
In-Reply-To:  <e3e1d7f0708052009h31c697f9r80854761f7026abb@mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1

Good point about the cutoff point, Martin. I am not sure though that I would be comfortable emptying half of my starter battery. The starter has a hard time getting the 2.3 l turned over sometimes even with a full battery. Wonder why, maybe I should have upgraded the size of the wire to the starter when I did the conversion or it's the lower cranking amps of the yellowtop. Have fun, Reinhard 83 "Half-Syncro" Westy, Moose --- Martin Jagersand <jag@CS.UALBERTA.CA> wrote:

> The sure power's are also voltage triggered relays, > but specs say they > cut out at 12.8V. (www.*sure**power*.com), unless > you manage to somehow > adjust the voltage breakpoint (this option was not > mentioned on the web > site). > No load, full charge voltage of a 12V lead-acid is > 12.6-12.7V. A 12.8Vcut-off > voltage means you won't effectively draw camping > power from both batteries. > ie two 70Ah batteries isolated with a surepower > gives 70Ah for camping, > while > two isolated with an isolator with a relay with a > 12V breakpoint gives 100+ > Ah > > Useful voltage breakpoints for two 12V deep cycle > batteries in parallel > are probably in the range from 12 - 12.4V. With a > 12V relay, one can raise > the cutoffpoint to 12.2 V by putting a shottky diode > in forward series with > the > sense wire; 12.4 V with two etc, but it is not so > trivial to lower the > cutoffpoint > point witout access to the internal circutry, unless > this has been explictly > provided for in the design. > > The "battery protector" I got will always charge > both batteries in parallel, > while the sure power will start the bulk charge of > one first, then the > other. > The former is quicker if one has a powerful > alternator, while > the latter is maybe a bit milder on the alternator. > I've had old 65A > alternators cut out on the older vans due to > overload. I don't > have any problem with my 120A alternator even with > the 3 battery setup I > put in the '94 Westy. > > At the $27 Canadian tire sale price I thought I got > a good deal. > Hopefully quality is at least decent. CT puts their > own labels on > a lot of OEM stuff. Some is good quality, some not. > So far I have > had good luck with the electrical stuff. (e.g. most > of their inverters > are actually relabeled Xantrex, a well known brand.) > > Martin > > On 8/5/07, Dennis Haynes <d23haynes57@hotmail.com> > wrote: > > > > You went through a lot of trouble to basically do > what a battery combiner > > or smart relay such as the sure power 1315 does. > The sure power uses a > > wide range so that after cut out at 12 volts, it > will not cut back in > > until one of the banks gets up to 13 volts which > would indicate a charge > > source is now there. This set up arks great even > with a conventional > > strting battery combined with deep cycles. > > > > Dennis > > > > > -- > Martin Jagersand > University of Alberta > http://www.cs.ualberta.ca/~jag/ >

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