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Date:         Sun, 9 Aug 2009 20:58:33 -0500
Reply-To:     Jim Felder <jim.felder@GMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Jim Felder <jim.felder@GMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Battery charging question... will this work?
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1

This is related to the question about digital chargers I posted last week.

I was recently camped in the same spot for four days, running lights, fans, sink, rechargers, stereo, etc. and finally ran the battery down so low it wouldn't run the clock. So low that my digital charger did not even sense that it was hooked to a battery. It failed to charge. My friends sharing the site pulled out a big analog charger and charged my battery right up. But they have a huge van they pull a boat with, I don't want to carry a huge heavy charger if I can help it.

This gave me pause to think about what am I really going to replace/supplement my charger with? I like the digital charger, and I am often in state parks where there is electricity to charge with (but not always). I like the lightweight, small digital charger. I am wondering if I should get one of those 300 amp boosters they sell everywhere, but will that just provide a measurable presence for my digital charger, or will it actually run the glow plugs and crank my diesel? If it would, I wouldn't mind going for one of those because it would cover me even in the woods.

If a 300 amp charger won't do the job, what would be the minimum setup to let the digital charger know there is a battery there to be charged, and how must it be hooked into the system? I'm thinking of a very small 12v battery, maybe two lantern 6v cells, to provide the necessary capacity for the digital charger to sense.

What I really need to do is get my second battery and hella relay re-installed but what to do till then? And, is there a reasonable way of installing a smart charger so that the battery is continuously being charged when shore power is plugged in?

Thanks,

Jim


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