How to Charge Kings Battery Box

What they dont tell you

[@hoangthang8772]

This panel can put out close to 100 watts ua-cam.com/users/postUgkxOqI2yqX0XVrhR2BMJciTWrHJpG8FhJyg when positioned in the appropriate southernly direction, tilted to the optimal angle for your latitude/date, and connected to a higher capacity device than a 500. The built in kickstand angle is a fixed at 50 degrees. Up to 20% more power can be output by selecting the actual date and latitude optimal angle.The 500 will only input 3.5A maximum at 18 volts for 63 watts. Some of the excess power from the panel can be fed into a USB battery bank, charged directly from the panel while also charging a 500. This will allow you to harvest as much as 63 + 15 = 78 watts.If this panel is used to charge a larger device, such as the power station, then its full output potential can be realized.

[@fionablack6962]

Thankyou so much for posting this..
I had just purchased one. To say the description and instructions were inept is an understatement.
I was trying to work out how I could begin to charge it
My understanding was you could use the andersen plugs. So I plugged it direct into my dual battery system.
Then at 1am I woke up and though oh no I should've used a regulator.
I checked it and it looks like the new battery had actually drained and ropped up my aux???? Better than a fried new battery. So I hooked up the regulator and nothing! Then I watched this.. 😂😂😂😂
Thankyou.
But it did discharge.
I get it's a circuit but of theres a switch🤷‍♂️

[@addysadventures229]

Glad I could help

[@thesimpsontribe]

Thank you so much for sharing this video it's exactly what I was looking for. My husband is away overseas and I'm in Fiji living off grid with my 4 young children and this was so much help🙏 straight to the point and simple

[@addysadventures229]

Thanks

[@scorpioownedya2931]

Thankyou I've gone a month struggling to charge my power bank.
Your video solved my problem .Power bank fully charged after leaving box on all day and plenty to spare , legend.

[@addysadventures229]

Glad to help

[@michaeltalbot7189]

i have just figured this out today and of course this video comes up when i get home. i looked everywhere for this information last week and had my sola panel not charging my battery all weekend. thank you legend.

[@ElfAzzid]

Kmart sells the exact same box, for less.
I was trying to charge it with the switch off, and noticed it didn't work.
The switch isn't an On/Off switch, it's a Battery Isolator switch. Same as you get on heavy machinery and trucks.
If you look at the wiring inside the box, they all run through it.

[@fxhxrfnmjdg]

Thank you for your video. There are quite a few introduction videos about battery box but I couldn't find any talking about charging which I need to know before I buy the box.

[@brock255]

Not all hero's wear capes 😊 thankyou VERY much been doing my head in for the last 1h

[@addysadventures229]

Glad I could help

[@jasonsimonsen9607]

Thanks mate. 1st time I've subscribed to anything. But you explained spot on. I'm living off grid in a caravan and just bought two second hand ones . Googled about them and found your post after watching 3 others . Very helpful and informative about the product and confirmed my thoughts. Thank you .

[@addysadventures229]

Cheers

[@frednurks8528]

Thanks for bringing this to my attention. My Kings battery box is like yours, it has to be turned on before the terminals or Anderson connections will accept charge. I will rewire it so it will work like the instructions say it should work. Great simple video, thanks again.

[@marting4941]

So the anderson to anderson still charges fine, just as long as the box is on?

[@addysadventures229]

@@marting4941 Yes

[@thetardedone5301]

Thank you so much, this is such a clear and simple explanation and it is very helpful showing the results of the battery charger feeding charge in with/without the box powered on.

[@nothingtodoheretoo]

So happy to have found this video. Great video! Thank you for sharing as I just bought batt & box as package last week, about to start wiring it all for outdoor set up.

[@Jacobs-pillow]

Thanks, bloke. I was just about to bin the lot...10.5 hour drive and it didn't charge...Two full charges later, and it was still draining... I took it to two 4wd joints and they refused to.look at it.. They all.seem to think this brand is crap..Thanks again..

[@garyoaksify]

I think there intention is for the terminals to be direct to battery but the people assembling them are getting the wiring wrong. It's really easy to fix I did it on mine. Inside the lid there are 2 posts on the isolator switch all you need to do is swap the lead going to the red terminal on the lid to the opposite post on the isolator

[@spf4x4]

Thanks Addys Adventures this was a nice and easy video to watch and wasn't long and boring like others i've watched.

[@addysadventures229]

Thanks

[@TheMuthaFingDog]

Thanks for the video mate I was sure it wasn't charging on the off position but everywhere online said otherwise

[@neildude58]

I have the same set-up. It drove me nuts trying to charge it (through a 240v battery charger). Turned the red switch to "ON" and it finally accepted a charge.

[@dangerzous]

Cheers mate - worked out the same after frustrations !! Ur video confirmed !

[@cdonuts7335]

You can see that the negative goes straight to the terminal but the positive is wired through the switch, so yeah turn the switch off disconnects the battery which is what's it's supposed to do. I like having a battery disconnect. You could fit another positive lead and drill and fit another terminal for direct charging. Which is what I've done.

[@addysadventures229]

Cheers

[@glenfilby7637]

THAANKS FOR YOUR INFO HAVE A GREAT LIFE CHAMPION

[@hansen2110]

Cheers for this video, I was fairly sure to have it on but great to confirm that fact. A true champ you are indeed.

[@addysadventures229]

Thanks mate had me stumped for a bit

[@allkindsofoutdooractivities]

Very nice. Thanks for sharing. Really nice set up

[@cryptodownunder1491]

Thanks mate I agree with you, I have Kings 200W solar blanket running into itech 120x lithium battery in battery box and to charge it I must have the switch ON.....

[@terry2cows]

Just add another Anderson with inline fuse direct to the battery

[@zacandmillie]

Good info. I just bought one on the weekend but haven't picked it up yet. I'll check of it is one of the 'new ones'.

[@rustyosh]

Yep, purchased a Kings battery box yesterday and found the same thing…definitely has to be turned on to charge through the exterior terminals.

[@aaronmacklin8245]

Great stuff mate. I got sick of removing the lid to recharge the battery. Also, how do you tell the difference between the old box and the new?

[@aussiephil3741]

Thanks mate some heroes don’t wear capes💪

[@mrsbenck]

I have the same kings box with a 120amp kings lithum battery I have mine charging from the two twist on points on the side of the box from a dc to dc charger from the ford rangers alternator & i run my draw fridge from the anderson plug. If i turn off the battery box via the red switch while the ranger is running & measure voltage at the Anderson plugs at the top of the battery box i get 14.6 volts, if i turn off the ford ranger the voltage drops to 0.0volt at the Anderson plugs, then if i turn on the battery box i get 13.2 to 13.3 volt at the two aderson plugs at the top of the box. Im also getting less then 1/4 of the run time kings media suggests i should get of the battery. The longest i can run a kings 30 ltr draw fridge is 20 hours at 4 degrees in the shade, even with constant driving the batrery box is always reading 0.0 volt & the fridge is off, even with the fridge turned off. I have confirmed the dc 2 dc chanrger is charging at 14.6 & i can confirm the battery is getting 14.6 volt wen you by pass the battery by switching the battery box to off. Im still not 100% the battery box is charging the battery to its full potential & how much voltage drop is the skinny leads built into the battery box & how much drain is the battery box causing...

[@AusCharlie]

Everest have a smart alternator that cuts out, could it be that?

[@spritzer99]

Having just taken my box apart to scavenge for parts can confirm the positive terminal is connected to the switch. The negative terminal is direct to the battery.

[@asd67lkj]

I am installing another battery in the back of my ute, and having the same issue (with another brand battery box), Gets very confusing as to have the switch on or off!!!!!

[@MinhHueNguyen-ui1hp]

The Red (+) Terminal of the Battery goes the one side of the ON/OFF switch, the other side of this switch connected to everything else (USB, Cigarette Socket, Solar IN socket...) so when it OFF position, the connection is broken. It need to be ON.

[@rmac0011]

Thanks mate, excellent video! Wish I had seen this a few days ago. I was having the same issue with my itechworld box, which looks to be identical to the Kings box.

[@addysadventures229]

Cheers thanks mate

[@chrisshaw795]

I have exactly the same solar blanket and battery box in almost full sun or weekend could not get it past 12.7

[@Jotomoz]

Trying to find a setup where I use the house solar to charge the battery. Still looking around. Wall socket to battery box.

[@kevintownes6510]

Good answers mate I was wondering for my set up thank you

[@BillieBob-oq1gz]

What simple if you open the box have a look at the wiring you will be able to tell if it's going via the switch

[@mikeh2125]

Mine is wired exactly as 4wdSS/Kings says - the terminals on the outside are direct to the battery, not through a switch.
They've obviously had a batch that were incorrectly wired up (like yours) then.

[@russellwayne7154]

I have one and yes you do need to turn it on my igot rid of my agm and only use lithiun and kickass hardcore box3s now well worth the money kings box is for boat only

[@stephenchampion2439]

That's super handy, thanks 👍👍👌

[@Susan-L193]

Thanks for that. I was unsure and called an auto electrician who said to leave it on. But it's good to get validation from another source. He also said not to charge it direct from cigarette lighter when travelling because the wiring may not suit the level of charge required, even though I have seen youtubers do this. Do you know about this ?

[@addysadventures229]

Yeah I wouldnt charge it through the cigy switch

[@TheColq]

That just answered my question also, thanks for clarifying 😊

[@stevenatkinson342]

Thank you well done. Helps with making my decision..

[@jeffclarke1540]

How is it a trap? It’s an isolator switch takes you five seconds to work out that nothing goes in. Nothing comes out with that switched off.

[@user-ee5lp6ex5r]

Hi, we have just purchased this battery, battery box and blanket solar panel with MPPT and extension cable. Now, to charge at home from regular power, if that Kick Ass charger what we need? And if so, can you please share details of the item/model thanks. Sorry, new to this so just learning. Cheers

[@addysadventures229]

Yes you can buy the kickass charger but any battery charger will do Just like anything the better ones are more expensive bit it a personel choice

[@user-ee5lp6ex5r]

@@addysadventures229 Sorry, also, you mentioned you bought the stronger strap at Bunnings, what was it called, I can’t for the life of me find anything other than the ones you use to bolt a car battery in the engine bay, lol

[@DeadGirl_666]

Grunt versa strap extra wide

[@Areola-Grande]

Am I able it charge it via an anderson plug in my dual battery set up?
If so, can I charge it and use it at the same time? For example, charge if off my dual battery set up and power my fridge off it at the same time?
Thanks for the video mate! Good stuff.

[@addysadventures229]

Yes I do I use it to power my Fridge and have the solar blanket plugged in at the same time

[@DesertTuna]

Sux because ya ment to hook ya battery up first then solar last & when its all new ya almost always get it wrong because ya like sht forgot the swith hit the swith and boom 💥 haha na thankfully must have some protection i got a xtm its still good after the small mess about all still working fine with yours adds?

[@addysadventures229]

Yeah mines all good still working ok Cheers

[@MyFamilyGathering]

Thankyou. Greatly appreciated. 👍

[@yvettebernhard4452]

Isn’t that switch an isolator?

[@marting4941]

Hey Addy's, so i'm using a solar panel for top ups, and i noticed the regulator on the panels werent lit up when the box was off. Question, is the anderson to anderson charging method useless? Or should i get an anderson to pos/neg gator clips fpr the front point charge (as shown in the video) instead? Cheers, great tip.

[@addysadventures229]

You need to turn the box on to charge the battery no matter what system you use

[@loco4olas]

I have EXACTLY that problem - will not charge through the Anderson plugs, only through the external pos/neg posts with the clips. Very frustrating.

[@DuneRider_Jimny]

Just follow the wires you can see it goes to the cut off switch

[@nardeentiger22]

Thank you!

[@72superlead]

Can you charge this battery through the charger using your 12v cigarette lighter car output to charge while driving?

[@addysadventures229]

i wouldnt think so as you would need a controller To charge from 12 v to 12v you would need a dc to dc charger The Solar panel has a controller so do Battery chargers

[@davidlong4262]

Had my box for 4 years and it needs to be turned on to charge, Kings tell BS 😞 Great box otherwise 🙂

[@addysadventures229]

True mate I rang them and th had no idea that it needed to be turned on They said it must be a flaw in my box We a heap of other people I know have he same issue Once you know the process its no big deal but the fact Kings didnt know about it is a bit strange

[@thelazylizardmatt]

Just wondering, is there an in or out side for charging via the Anderson plugs for the solar panel?

[@addysadventures229]

No either anderson plug can be used

[@loco4olas]

Not on my box-it will NOT charge via the Anderson plugs, but will via the external pos/neg posts and with the isolation switch in the 'on' position - no charge at all via Anderson plugs @@addysadventures229

[@Teddybearrodgers73]

So let me get this right..
I have to have the switch on 24/7 for it to charge.. I don’t understand how that works?

[@addysadventures229]

Thats correct Apparently its so you can charge and use power at the same time

[@Betscience247]

How do I connect 120ah kings battery to get 5kva output

[@georgescott6967]

Mate, the short answer is "you can't".
5kVA is short for 5000 VA, where VA means Volts multiplied by Amps (which is very similar to Watts).
If you look at the specs for that battery (on their web site) the rated voltage is 12.8 V, and the maximum continuous current is 120 A. 12.8V x 120A = 1536 VA (maximum continuous).
To sustain 5kVA you would need to connect 4 of those batteries in parallel, but from the same specs they only support 2 batteries in parallel maximum.
I assume that you want to power a 5kVA inverter. You can connect one to that battery, but you would be limited to powering 1500 VA (approx 1500 W) loads/appliances.
Another observation is that if you could pull 5kVA from that battery it would empty the battery in about 15 minutes.

[@janeferbrache-hy1iy]

Thank you so much about to buy one. What is that other battery charge unit red colour

[@addysadventures229]

That is a Kickass battery charger and maintenance They are very good at charging and maintaining your battery

[@KigurumiAlice]

Squeaky clean😮items

[@MrNathaniel500]

Thanks mate, there is a lot kings don’t tell you. Great work

[@addysadventures229]

Cheers

[@harryniedecken5321]

I don't own one but have built battery boxes. Why are you wanting to turn it off during charging?

[@addysadventures229]

To isolate the input power

[@harryniedecken5321]

​​@@addysadventures229 I don't know about that particular one, but in general if you turn off the main switch or breaker, it turns off everything. It physically blocks electricity from getting in or out of the battery.
In setups with an inverter, the inverter has a significant standby power draw, in the 10 - 40 watt range, so it's common to add on on off switch to turn that off and still allow the other functions to work when the main breaker is on.
Turning off the main switch or breaker is for long term storage when you want to have the absolute least amount of power going in and out, effectively zero.
There is a way to build them that allows charging with everything off, but then the meter doesn't know what has happened and will have no idea about the state of charge.
If you want a different behavior than what it has, just move around a couple of wires or ask a marine electrician to help.
Normally I just build the charging systems inside of the box but that requires a bigger box obviously.
I am trying to think of an electrical reason to isolate the input power coming in from the outputs, but maybe I am missing something.

[@cant-cook-can-cook]

I’d get rid of the kings solar controller and get a better make as their controllers are well known for being faulty and cooking batteries, I’ve changed mine for peace of mind, I have their battery box and 200w solar blanket but put a Victron controller on and alls good, just saying. Good video though.😊

[@marcusturner4248]

What size is the strap you purchased mate?

[@jeffclarke1540]

That’s because it’s an isolator yeah

[@shanea9613]

Thanks mate.

[@gcc849]

Thanks bud

[@clarancejoseph5486]

Mine doesn't charge when battery box is off

[@dustinfrost5214]

Charge it to the butterfly terminals 😂😂😂

[@addysadventures229]

Tried that same result apparently its the way its wired and the on/off switch is a isolator switch
Thanks

[@fokcuk]

Rewire one anderson plug to bypass the switch

[@addysadventures229]

Then you by pass the safety mechanisms put in it o stop power surge

[@SgtGunny-gz5hg]

Charge it through the anderson plug. You should not need to turn the box on

[@addysadventures229]

Still dosent charge The switch is an isolator switch for power in and out

[@gordonparsons4202]

It’s a cutout switch

[@cindoz1289]

Of coirse it needs to be turned on to charge 😂 its an isolator switch

[@ridersalute8161]

So you need the box turned on then ?

[@addysadventures229]

Yes thats correct

[@stealthslayer4406]

Easy fix the problem lies in the on/off switch

[@69muscat]

Kings stuff is no good