20 amp model: amzn.to/2IdObVy 40 amp model: amzn.to/2X8hJYb More about battery isolators/dc-dc chargers: www.mobile-solarpower.com/battery-isolators.html Battery charger/isolator manual: www.renogy.com/template/files/Manuals/Renogy%20DC-DC%20Battery%20Charger%20Manual.pdf If you are using this system to charge a custom built lifepo4, use the custom charge profile parameters. Why its a bad idea to charge a deep cycle battery with an alternator: stevedmarineconsulting.com/alternator-charge-regulation/ My video that I cover why its a bad idea to charge with an alternator: ua-cam.com/video/NShywIH_meY/v-deo.html Lifepo4 battery article that mentions alternator damage in great detail: marinehowto.com/lifepo4-batteries-on-boats/ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Does off-grid solar confuse you? Check out my DIY friendly website for solar system packages and product recommendations, and so much more! www.mobile-solarpower.com Join our DIY solar community! #1 largest solar forum on the internet for beginners and professionals alike: www.diysolarforum.com Check out my best-selling, beginner-friendly 12V off-grid solar book (affiliate link): amzn.to/2Aj4dX4 If DIY is not for you, but you love solar and need an offgrid system, check out Tesla Solar. Low prices and great warranty, and they can take your entire house offgrid with their new Powerwalls: ts.la/william57509 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ My solar equipment recommendations (Constantly updated! Check here first): 12V/48V Lithium Batteries: www.mobile-solarpower.com/solar-batteries.html Solar System Component Directory: www.mobile-solarpower.com/solarcomponents.html Plug-N-Play Systems: www.mobile-solarpower.com/full-size-systems.html Complete 48V System Kits: www.mobile-solarpower.com/complete-48v-solar-kits.html DIY Friendly Air Conditioner/ Heat Pumps: www.mobile-solarpower.com/solar-friendly-air-conditioners.html Complete 48V System Blueprint: www.mobile-solarpower.com/48v-complete-system-blueprint.html ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ My Favorite Online Stores for DIY Solar and Coupon Codes: -Current Connected: SOK, Victron and High Quality Components. Best prices and warranty around: currentconnected.com/?ref=wp -Signature Solar: Cheap Server Rack Batteries and Large Solar Panels: www.signaturesolar.com/?ref=h-cvbzfahsek -Ecoflow Delta Official Site: My favorite plug-n-play solar generator: us.ecoflow.com/?aff=7 -AmpereTime: Cheapest 12V batteries around: amperetime.com/products/ampere-time-12v-100ah-lithium-lifepo4-battery?ref=h-cvbzfahsek -Rich Solar: Mega site and cheaper prices than renogy! Check them out: richsolar.com/?ref=h-cvbzfahsek -Shop Solar Kits: Huge site with every solar kit you can imagine! Check it out: shopsolarkits.com/?ref=will-p -Battery Hookup: Cheap cell deals bit.ly/2mIxSqt 10% off code: diysolar -Watts 24/7: Best deals on all-in-one solar power systems, with customer support and distribution here in the USA: watts247.com/?wpam_id=3 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Contact Information: I am NOT available for personal solar system consult! If you wish to contact me, this is my direct email: williamprowsediysolar@gmail.com Join the forum at diysolarforum.com/ if you wish to hang out with myself and others and talk about solar FTC Disclosure Statement and Disclaimers: Every video includes some form of paid promotion or sponsorship. Some links on this youtube channel may be affiliate links. We may get paid if you buy something or take an action after clicking one of these. My videos are for educational purposes only. Information is subject to change/update at any time. Electricity is DANGEROUS and can kill. Be smart and use common sense :) DIY Solar Power with Will Prowse is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, An affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com
Thanks man! I plan to test some wind turbines actually. I am curious how much power I can pull from them. But one thing I know about them is you need a LOT of wind. All day.
I finally found a cheap 1000w pure sine wave inverter I cost 150$ for me but yesterday they sold out luckly I bought one before it sold out. Also wow it is hard to find something that works as advertised.
@@WillProwse yea that's kinda true.. but if u do it will help give power for bad weather and nights.. winter ,etc .. we don't have winter in my country but rainy season 😫 is around the corner.. I have a small set up . With ur help and info I'll be upgrading to 24v soon thanks bro. All the best keep the videos comeing!!
Current limiting. You buy a 40 amp then limit to 20 amp to charge a bank of LA batteries. you still have the ability to unlimit to 40 amp to charge a bank of LiFePO4.
Great video. You could add a 12v dc "time delay relay" on the ignition circuit to delay power going to the unit, giving your alternator a few extra seconds to power the charger. Simple to install.
@@mobilehomelife4028 I set one up that includes a programmable delay, and also cut on/off based on system voltage (it will cut off if your alternator voltage is too low, and only kick back in after x seconds once voltage is available) works excellently, i got mine from BimbleSolar (UK based) on their website it's the digital voltage sensing relay EAZY-IV-U3
With the low amp output you could connect this to your house battery and use that 2.5 amp output to charge an electric bike or other 12v toy batteries.
I like the D+ input. I connected a switch between the charger and the ignition source. That way I can cut the charger off when the key is on but the motor is not running. If this is not done the starting battery will dump energy into the auxiliary battery possibly to the point of damage.
The current limiting function is useful when the unit is mounted in a caravan/trailer and you want to use the existing wiring on your trailer plug. Here in Australia, the largest current you can put through a 7-pin trailer plug is 15amps, which would exceed the current draw of the Renogy 20amp DCDC charger (which can be up to 30amps). Reducing the output of the Renogy DCDC Charger using the limiting function would reduce the output to 10amps, which would mean a maximum of 15amps being drawn through the trailer plug. I have one of the Renogy 20amp DCDC chargers installed in a camper trailer, and configured in current-limiting mode this way
Can you connect the output directly to the bluetti ac200p? If yes, what type of wiring and connections to use? If not, please explain reason. Thank you!
A question I have with this DCDC charger...when you have heavily discharged your lithium battery by accident and the internal BMS inside the battery has shut down to protect the battery...has this charger the ability to send a soft charge.?..1 or 2 volts over a period of time to start up the Lithium Battery again?. I have found that when a lithium battery has been heavily discharged the internal battery BMS will shut down...the DCDC charger still puts in its "designed" charge because it does not recognise the lithium battery BMS has shut down. So you have to then disconnect the battery from the system..then re connect it to a charger to "jump start" the lithium battery BMS by trickling in a low charge over a long time then eventually the internal BMS will start to accept a decent charge again.
Ive seen a couple of people wire the "on" wire through a marker light ..then it comes on with your marker lights ..thats what I plan to do ....I always travel with my lights on so I also wired my rear view and side view cameras the same way
Contd. I'll get the hang of this new technology one day! Looking at sterlings latest catalogue, you can have a B2B charger up to 80% of the alternator rating. There B2B chargers can be set for any battery I just wish they would move away from there complicated led multi function controls and read out which does make it difficult to operate, however they are continually updating to keep on top of smart alternators. They have options that use voltage sence and ignition sence, but smart alternators tend to need the ignition sence. They say you must keep lead acid as the starter battery , but if you can not do that and have lithium they have a box that connects to the system to protect ones alternator. The renogy might also have both, ignition feed would be needed for smart alternators. Several manufacturers have versions that are both B2B and solar some I have seen recently give preference to solar. That sounds nice, I only really need the B2b in the winter. Beware Ctec b2b and mains chargers, they are NOT suitable for lithium batteries, only lead acid batteries.
Will not sure you need to worry about the in rush turn on delay. The battery is shunting the load on the alternator, and the vehicle regulator is not instantaneous so there probably is a delay. Need to scope current profile.
I ordered a delay module but left it in my storage unit! Great idea. The new dual input has a 15 second delay built in after the start battery is receiving 13.2 volts or more. That could be 12.7v?
@@tomaskey6844 It would be nice if you could program the delay time, but if it is waiting till full voltage is reached on the start battery, it should self prioritize. The only problem would be if your preset voltage threshold was rarely or never reached.
I have a Teardrop camper with a 7-pin connector that charges the battery when connected to the tow vehicle. Can I just insert the 20 amp version of this between the constant 12V pin on the connector to my new lithium battery on the teardrop? I would rather not have to run a complete new set of wires. Or should I just skip this? Love your videos, very informative and convinced me to go lithium on the camper.
That wire would not be rated for the current flow. To go that far it would have to be 8 or maybe 4 gauge. You can look up the specs on Renogy’s website where they give the specs for wire size and distance. Just go to the 20A model and click on downloads and all the info is there
If you had to design an alternator charging system for your lithium battery bank, how would you do it? The wonderful folks at Long Long Honeymoon youtube channel just installed a Renogy 40amp DC to DC charging system with a dedicated wire to the truck battery. Their alternator wasn’t up to the challenge, but they are looking at a Mechman 370amp replacement. Do you still see issues with this system long term?
Great video. Wired my 20 amp Renogy D+ wire to a marker light to turn unit on. Simple and safe to alternator since my lights aren't turned on until after engine is running.
Can you make a video on how to create a UPS (uninterruptible power supply) without solar? These UPSes are super expensive; would be cool to figure out how to build a DYI UPS on the cheap that can compete with expensive UPS on the market.
He has all the information out there, just hasn't made a video on it apparently. Just use an inverter charger with a bypass feature and some batteries, like two things to buy.
Hey will, digging this back up: Is it a viable option to use say a 30amp MPPT charge controller as a dc/dc converter between the alternator and the lithium batteries? It would add fully adjustable charging parameters. Wouldn’t that also isolate the lithium batteries from the starting battery? Since the in/out would be so closely matched in voltage surely the efficiency would be almost perfect right?
Use a switch on the ignition input to make your own delayed start. Just turn it on when you want to charge the batteries. Thank you so much for your reviews, Will! Would you do a tear-down of Mighty Max Lithium ML100's for us?
Hi Will, THANK YOU! This is the only video I can find on this. Have you tested this with a common ground? My RV has the chassis and coach batteries both grounded to the frame, so I'm just wondering if I can run the input or both grounds to the chassis? I already have a 12v positive running to the back of the RV, just don't see why I would need to run a 6 AWG wire up to the battery negative in the engine bay. Thanks, Mark
Great video - But how do you KNOW for sure how many extra amps your alternator can supply for a long duty cycle like this. I want to install one on my airstream/tow vehicle but I don’t want to have a dead alternator in the middle of Wyoming. So how do I measure to determine what I need to do? I think it would make a great video in itself. Thanks for a great video.
Thanks Will. I bought the 40A unit. My manual says the LC wire input limits the current to 50% (not 12.5%). This seems much more useful. I plan to have a switch in the car so I can just select 40A (switch off) or 20A (switch on). I have a high amperage alternator, but it depends upon how discharged my battery is and how long I'll be driving between campering sites whether I use 20A or 40A. Also, if my alternator won't reliably handle 40A, I could probably still use the 20A. Of course if that's the case, why didn't I just by the 20A instead? I didn't know that info ahead of time. I guess I'll see how it works. Thanks again for your videos!
Hi Will. How would you connect this to the coach batteries of RVs, Ambulances, etc, as they power the coach and you would want to use them. Normally, when the starter battery is charged the isolator then sends current to the coach batteries which is fine for lead acid batteries. But if you replaced them with Lipo 4 Lithiums would you want a dc to dc charger in line? But then how would that be done unless you removed the original isolator? Thanks
Thanks so much for what you do ..... it's been so much help. Question : you mentioned that you wished the charging didn't begin as soon as the engine started. How would you feel about a switch in the line ? To allow for turning on - and off - the charger to not tax the altenator too much ? Cheers
Thanks Will for reviewing these. Would the 40a be too much for my 140A alternator?And would 40A be too much for a single 100AH Battle born? Add a 12v delay timer on the trigger line and you can set the charging to begin at whatever set time. It is only 5-10 bucks on Amazon. Add a switch if you want to completely shut off charging.
My alternator on my truck is 135 amp. I doubt I will do that any damage. I'm more worried that the wire at the 7 way plug is not large enough and will pop the 30amp fuse if I dont limit it to 20 amps. But the manual is not clear on how to wire it for a trailer. It assumes you are putting it in an RV and wiring it to an ignition . . . The trailer plug wire is only hot when the ignition is turned on.
Damn it Will, you’re so smart and knowledgeable it hurts to watch other people’s videos. If you and Jehu did a video on building a DIY Solar/Battery generator it would get monster views. Jehu is good, but he tends to skip steps or concatenate videos. Keep up the excellent work!
Will - The current limiting switch allows you to match the charging current to specific conditions. For example, if you have the 40 amp charger and your batteries are fully charged, you may want the lower 20 amp current to just run the refrigerator on A/C when driving. The lower current also requires less power and the alternator doesn't have to work as hard resulting in better fuel economy. You may also want to limit the current when driving in mountains or excessive heat. I plan on installing toggle switches on my 60 amp charger that will allow me to turn it off when not needed, 30 amps when the batteries just need to be topped off and/or I need to run the refrigerator, and 60 amps when I need to charge the house batteries. Also, you can use the same ignition terminal for both. If the charger detects any current on the CL terminal, the current is limited.
Hey Will, what brand of watt meters do you use for your presentations and are they water and weather proof? Also do they come ready made with the mc4 connector?
I was already planning to use the 20amp version of this charger (alt is 55amp) for charging my boat house batteries from the crank battery. I was also concerned about having the charger switch on immediately when I start the engine, so instead of having it connected directly to the ignition switch, I plan on having a secondary switch that I can turn on after the crank battery is fully charged and the belts etc. are as you say warmed up. I think this will resolve the concern, as long as I remember to switch it on.
Seems like you could use an in line switch on the dash for the input trigger, to have more control over when it starts and stops charging. You could also turn it off before arriving at your destination to give the alternator a break before shutting the vehicle off. Going further, you could activate it only when slowing down or going down grades to reduce fuel consumption, but that's probably just splitting hairs. Good video as usual!
Did they ever refund you? Did you try the 20 amp version? I'm here watching this video and reading these comments because I want to try the 20 amp version on my Transit Connect 2015 with 100ah lithium battery.
Craig E hey good to hear! I guess I need to find out from someone at Ford if the alternator on a Transit Connect (smaller than your Transit) might be able to handle the 20 Amp draw.
I'm using an MPP Solar 24V all-in-one for the rest of my system, which will charge my two Battle Born batteries in series (24V). Could I use this to charge my two Battle Born batteries in parallel (12V) each? Would I need some sort of way to isolate the two charging systems so they aren't competing to charge the batteries?
Hi. Great video! What do you think about charging 2 x 100amp battleborn in parallel from a vehicle using a 0.05ohm 100w resistor instead of the dc to dc charger? Mostly charging from solar, but once in a while might want to charge from the alternator with a manual switch/relay and 40amp auto resetting circuit breaker. Alternator output is 14.2V and 160amp (@2000rpm). I Would manually shut off the switch when the battery is full or @ 80%ish.
Nice video, thankyou for sharing. Im new to all this solar stuff but just wondering does the power from an external source I.E the alternator back feed into the solar panels and damage them or would i need to install a diode somewhere in the line?
Thanks for doing these videos. RV application question when converting to lithium . Can I use my lead acid shore power converter for the engine starter battery to power a dc-dc converter to charge a 200 amp lithium house bank and would it be efficient? It seems redundant to have three new chargers ( shore, alternator, solar) when they basically do the same thing.
Pretty cool! I don't really know vehicle alternator systems, but I am betting that getting a small gas generator for higher power demands is better in the long run due to total fuel use and vehicle wear and tear than trying to use the vehicle's electrical system. This would probably be best for occasional use batteries.
Depends on your batteries and your driving/camping habits. With Lead Acid in whatever form, it's definitely a poor approach. You need to run that generator so long to get your batteries topped off. Many RVers do that and they also have to replace their batteries often because they never get floated. With lithium, you could make a generator work better by having a high amp charger. Lithium won't care if it's floated and will also take a much faster charge. But you will not save much of anything buying and carrying and fueling a generator to charge at a site instead of charging while you drive. As far as damaging the vehicle's wiring, you run separate wires and use a good DC-to DC charger to avoid alternator issues. Most people will have zero issues and just connecting the starter and house batteries with a simple battery connector will work fine. WAAY cheaper and easier and simpler than carrying a generator and fuel. Also, don't discount solar as your on site charger. It works. Finally, when in a pinch, I just idle my van. It's not the best, but it's only needed on occasion when I'm at a site long time with no solar exposure. I already have the gasoline in my tank and the generator. Those small combustion engines in generators are louder, more polluting and inefficient.
Hi Will. Some great points on the benefits of a DC-DC charger over using an isolator or other type of direct connection from the alternator to the house batteries. With the high charging capacities of lithium batteries, a discharged lithium battery could draw serious current from the alternator - 100 amps or more - under a direct connection. Even if the alternator can handle the load, the cabling would have to support those loads, so 1/0 awg runs depending on distance. With the DC-DC charger, smaller cable can be used since the loads are limited to 20 or 40 amps for the Renogy models and 30 or 60 for Sterling’s. Even though the Sterling models cost more, I’ve been impressed with them enough that I think they are worth the extra cost. Plus, the Sterling models have the option to jumper the ignition detect for automatic start and shut down.
Yeah I like those added features of the Sterling. Totally agree. And yes, the current draw of discharged LiFePO4 battery can be extreme. The resistance is incredibly low compared to a lead acid. And yes! Smaller wires. A lot easier to manage 20 amps compared to 100 amps. Exactly
I know this charger doesn't have a VSR built in but can I add one to trigger the D+ cable? So a positive from the van battery to vsr and then to the D+ to act as an automatic switch to turn on and off the DC to DC charger? This was, I don't have to worry about manually doing it? I feel like this makes sense in my head but would it work in reality?
Based on your extensive videos and dedication to technical testing, I bought, built, and installed a LiFePO4/Daly system with the DC/DC charger to the SLA for the alternator, with Solar charging switchable to either. AWESOME performance! Solar charges the LiFePO4 bank faster and no-voltage sag is wonderful (very low Internal Resistance gains). THANK YOU WILL
The Votronic DC-Charger (30A) also has alternator voltage sensing which can be used as an alternative to using the ignition D+ signal to initiate charging. It has a LiFePO4 charge profile, includes a temperature sensor and is compact in size
Hey Bro, Can you do a video on how to integrate your solar in a home for regular use instead of a "emergency setup"...I was thinking of putting in dedicated solar outlets throughout the house, converging in the basement where the setup will be. My wife hates seeing wires and shit everywhere and I don't wanna lug around the setup throughout the house. Thanks bro
I did just that to my house, now wired for ac and dc. Great thing about it is that a inverter is not used and the 10-20% voltage drop. The charger controller has a load port that allows wiring to a electric breaker box. Going to have a video up in a few days but have to finish watching Will's videos first.
Thanks for the great content. Renogy released a dual-input (i.e., accepts solar input) 50A DC to DC charger last month for $300. I have the Redarc dual-input 40A DC to DC charger which has been working great, but the Renogy is a lot cheaper at $300 vs $480 for Redarc 50A version. Would love to hear your thoughts if you get the opportunity to test one! Thanks!
Glamp City, I’ve been looking at the Redarc unit (the 25amp is only about $60 more than the Renogy, granted, lower capacity), and it seems the Redarc may be more suited to mounting in the engine bay based on its sealed construction. The Renogy manual says it can be mounted in the engine bay, but I wonder about its longevity in that environment.
My 20A Renogy dc-dc charger failed after only a few months so today I ordered the both the Renogy and Redarc dual input units to test and compare. I’m feeling a little disappointed with Renogy at the moment but maybe they can redeem themselves?
I’m not sure on the warranty but mine has failed and Renogy is not responding to a service ticket or phone calls. I tried to get expedited shipping on an order for the dual input model but they never responded so i will have to wait to pick it up when I get home. I also ordered the Redarc 1225D as a back up and to test it out.
Now you realy got something THERE I have been looking for many years THANK YOU I have been using 700ah of Lifepo 4 cells. What adifferance from our old L16 cells with enoughf sun we do not need to worrrrry till we go for days without sun, then it takes sometimes 4 hrs at low amprage to effectivly re-chrage them from our 180amp HD alternator with EXTURNAL Home made regulator. We keep our amiture voltage down to 2-3 amps 13.5 volts. This is going to alow us much more stability.... THANK YOU (ps WE use a 3,000 amp three phase rectifier to keep everything cool. no heat to hurt the rectifiers.internal diodes wer removed 3 phase output ) John in Milo, Maine 1000 points at least...
The current limiting option is actually very useful for the following reasons: To my understanding (I'm not a mechanic), the higher the amperage of the DC-DC charging the more strain on your alternator, so limiting to 20Ah as opposed to 40Ah charging when you don't need much charging, could enhance your alternator's lifecycle. You've 2 options instead of one (40Ah and/or 20Ah), so if you decide to upgrade your alternator you'll have the option of going to 40Ah, saving you a load of money.
Can you have this in parallel with something like the Victron MPPT chargers? Or would that confuse everything? Would you need to isolate one to use the other?
Jack Kenyon I am slightly confused about how it works but I had a Renogy DC-DC charger and a Renogy MPPT charger connected at the same time with no issues.
@DIY Solar Power... Are you aware of the CTEK D250SE (Charges at 20A and includes dual inputs for alternator and solar, includes MPPT charge controller) and can be combined with Smartpass 120S (Ups Charge to 140Amps)??? They are new versions of their products that are now compatible with lithium battery systems. So new I guess, that I can't find the SE and S versions for sale anywhere yet. But thought with up to 140 charging amps this could be useful on your rig, and I'd love to see a vid using it or something similar that showed me setup guide and allowed me to charge a 200AH+ battery bank while driving from alternator, and solar, generator, and also plug into shore AC power when parked if possible. A review of the products would also be welcome :)
I thought vehicle alternators limited outputs at 14.1v as higher would destroy a regular vehicle battery, right ? And you need 14.4v to 14.6v to fully charge a lithium battery, right ?
Thanks so much for this review! I’d only encountered the Redarc one. Your solar generator side by side comparison videos are great, maybe at some point you could do a side by side comparison of different DC to DC chargers? I don’t think there’s enough awareness that these exist, or the value of them.
The dc to dc charger when hooked up to a battery which is also hooked up to solar will cause the charger to recognize the voltage from the MPPT that the solar is charging at. Do you have a test that shows that this item wont go into absorb or float mode when the battery is empty and being charged by the solar at 12 volts?
I understand this is 12v ONLY but what if I used a step up converter for 12v to 24v? If not are there any alternator charging options for my 24v battery?
So let’s say your solar battery is low on charge and you want to charge it up with this at 20amps on the output side and about 25 amps on the input side.. can a standard car alternator handle this extra 25 amps on top of its normal design without failing or needing other things?
How do you ground this system. I've seen some folks ground to chassis despite this already being hooked up to the starter battery which is directly connected to the chassis ground. Please advise. Renogy will not respond to this question which is their MO.
Finally found it! I was going to use the Battery Doctor isolator and use a step up transformer from 12v to 24volts to charge my battery bank. Thanks again Will.
Great review mate. You are correct, not everyone is schematic smarties. By illustrating the simple set up of Renogy, you have made this process extra simple to it's simplest form. Great job!
Hey man, I'm all but finished installing new this in my van, where do I connect the signal line that connects to D+ on this thing?? I've scoured the instruction manual and there's nothing that says where to connect it to. I see that you plugged it into your battery to bypass it but where in my car will I plug this line into?
@@chrisbaker2216 Any empty fuse holder in the fuse block that turns on with the ignition. (multimeter!) That way the charger won't continuously draw from the starter battery. Should have been auto turn on inside the charger w/o the D+ wire! This is future release. But for now... Connect the wire to a spade terminal connector and modify it (snip) to push into the empty fuse holder
@@cstu444 Wow! How easy is that?!! Sometimes, I believe we make things harder than they have to be. I was envisioning disassembling the steering column to get at the ignition. You've definitely saved me, and a lot of others, I'm assuming, a great deal of work! Thanks!
Very informative as usual Will. On a older video, you recommended removing the vehicle charging system from your solar charging system. I recently purchased a Kilovault LiFePO battery and don’t want either my alternator or new battery to get damaged. Anything a newbie like me should keep in mind when removing the alternator from the solar charging system? Is it as simple as tapping off the leads from the alternator to the solar battery? Much appreciate your help and thank you for all the great content!
Will, I found a Bluetooth controlled DC-DC charger, the SKYRC B6 nano. I use it in my truck camper and can control and monitor charging from the cab using bluetooth. It will charge up to 15amps or 320 watts which I believe is more then the Renogy. If I set the input voltage cutoff at 12.3v it shuts off about 30 seconds after shutting off the truck. I'm guessing if you want 30amps of charging you can just buy a second one. Might make a good video, only about $55.
HELP!! i emailed this question to battleborn regarding my 2 new battleborn batteries: "i've read that my cole hersee 24059 85 amp solenoid, that i added to charge my old agm batteries as i drive, will ruin these new lithium batts. is that true? do i need to remove it from my system?" here's the answer i got: "That will not hurt or ruin the batteries in any way. That is just going to act like an on/off switch for charging your batteries from the alternator." i don't know much, but pretty sure i just heard will say again in this video that charging from the alternator will wreck my EXPENSIVE new batteries. again, HELP!!
Hey based on conservation of energy I’m really curious what effect this has on the miles per gallon of a vehicle any chance you can do a video on that or answer that question by responding to my comment?
The alternator of most modern vehicles are almost as efficient as the small generators such as the Honda eu2000. Yes you lose a little mpg, but your only paying about $1 extra in fuel cost, to charge 100 Ah battery that is at 80% discharge. Depends on driving factors and alternator size and efficiency. It’s totally worth it when you are driving, costs a lot more than a typical generator to idle it to charge your batteries.
Devon Crews Awesome reply thank you very much. I try really hard to charge my batteries using solar but sometimes there just isn’t enough time when I’m camping or working. So you’ve given me just the answer I needed. So now I have another question… I drive a Chevy volt as my day-to-day vehicle (I have pick up trucks for work But my Chevy volt is for doing quotes and bombing around town). They are free public charges all over the place could I feasibly use a 400 want to 2000 W inverter to charge up batteries for “free”? That includes my Jack pals and my nexus power station
Nice video! The only thing i don't understand is why you recommend to use renogy DC-DC with MPPT which has 50A chargerate but you don't recomend a 40A DC-DC
I enjoyed the video i have a 07 Ford Expedition. I was going to install a second battery using a 12v 140 Amp dual battery isolator. The intended purpose is short term use of a fridge. In the future i also want to install a solar panel but my Question is do i need the Renogy DC - DC unit if I'm using an isolator? Thx
The advantage to adjustable amperage output is the ability to lower it when parked idling, or driving in the city. Foresty forest mentions in his video the alternator in his van can't produce enough amperage while driving in the city so he has a switch to turn his DC-DC charger on and off, however im sure if he knew/had this feature, it would work well.
Hi Will. QQQ I am running a 1995 Dodge high top van with three agm batteries. Using an old simple isolator from alternator. Using 300 watt solar and mppt controller. I would like to move to lithium ion battery 100ah Can I simply swap out the agm's and put in the lithium? Do I need to add a dc to dc charger to replace the isolator, which is one of those old cheap ones. I think my controller does not have lithium in the menu but has flooded, sealed, agm and a user mode. I know you may need more info but any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks Will.
When I installed this in my cargo trailer conversion, I connected the V+ line to the tail light circuit in the trailer. So, when I start my truck, even though the alternator is supplying power to the input of the converter, it isn't until I turn on my tail lights that the converter turns on. As you suggested, it allows things to heat up and be "ready" before I switch on the charger. I thought about using ht etail light circuit as a switching source rather than running a separate control wire back. It allows me to run everything through the standard trailer connector. Love the channel, keep up the great content.
The current limiting (LC connection) is well explained in the current users manual. “The DC-DC battery chargers feature 50% current limiting from the rated specification when connecting the LC Terminal to a 12V source. Current Limiting is instant and recommended to be connected to the same location as the D+ ignition cable. Alternatively, you can toggle current limiting to your liking by connecting the LC terminal to starter battery positive terminal. In this fashion, current limiting will always take until removing the LC wire from the battery terminal to revert to the normal amp rating. Use 18-16AWG copper cable for the LC terminal and you may need to splice your own connections for the other cable end depending on your connection point.”
20 amp model: amzn.to/2IdObVy
40 amp model: amzn.to/2X8hJYb
More about battery isolators/dc-dc chargers: www.mobile-solarpower.com/battery-isolators.html
Battery charger/isolator manual: www.renogy.com/template/files/Manuals/Renogy%20DC-DC%20Battery%20Charger%20Manual.pdf
If you are using this system to charge a custom built lifepo4, use the custom charge profile parameters.
Why its a bad idea to charge a deep cycle battery with an alternator: stevedmarineconsulting.com/alternator-charge-regulation/
My video that I cover why its a bad idea to charge with an alternator: ua-cam.com/video/NShywIH_meY/v-deo.html
Lifepo4 battery article that mentions alternator damage in great detail: marinehowto.com/lifepo4-batteries-on-boats/
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Join our DIY solar community! #1 largest solar forum on the internet for beginners and professionals alike: www.diysolarforum.com
Check out my best-selling, beginner-friendly 12V off-grid solar book (affiliate link):
amzn.to/2Aj4dX4
If DIY is not for you, but you love solar and need an offgrid system, check out Tesla Solar. Low prices and great warranty, and they can take your entire house offgrid with their new Powerwalls: ts.la/william57509
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My solar equipment recommendations (Constantly updated! Check here first):
12V/48V Lithium Batteries: www.mobile-solarpower.com/solar-batteries.html
Solar System Component Directory: www.mobile-solarpower.com/solarcomponents.html
Plug-N-Play Systems: www.mobile-solarpower.com/full-size-systems.html
Complete 48V System Kits: www.mobile-solarpower.com/complete-48v-solar-kits.html
DIY Friendly Air Conditioner/ Heat Pumps: www.mobile-solarpower.com/solar-friendly-air-conditioners.html
Complete 48V System Blueprint: www.mobile-solarpower.com/48v-complete-system-blueprint.html
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My Favorite Online Stores for DIY Solar and Coupon Codes:
-Current Connected: SOK, Victron and High Quality Components. Best prices and warranty around: currentconnected.com/?ref=wp
-Signature Solar: Cheap Server Rack Batteries and Large Solar Panels:
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-Ecoflow Delta Official Site: My favorite plug-n-play solar generator:
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-AmpereTime: Cheapest 12V batteries around:
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-Watts 24/7: Best deals on all-in-one solar power systems, with customer support and distribution here in the USA:
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Contact Information:
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Join the forum at diysolarforum.com/ if you wish to hang out with myself and others and talk about solar
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hey boss.... do u have a wind turbine channel? also love ur vids , makes a lot of stuff easier to understand ... totally smashed the sub and bell.
Thanks man! I plan to test some wind turbines actually. I am curious how much power I can pull from them. But one thing I know about them is you need a LOT of wind. All day.
I finally found a cheap 1000w pure sine wave inverter I cost 150$ for me but yesterday they sold out luckly I bought one before it sold out.
Also wow it is hard to find something that works as advertised.
@@WillProwse yea that's kinda true.. but if u do it will help give power for bad weather and nights.. winter ,etc .. we don't have winter in my country but rainy season 😫 is around the corner.. I have a small set up . With ur help and info I'll be upgrading to 24v soon thanks bro. All the best keep the videos comeing!!
Current limiting.
You buy a 40 amp then limit to 20 amp to charge a bank of LA batteries.
you still have the ability to unlimit to 40 amp to charge a bank of LiFePO4.
Great video. You could add a 12v dc "time delay relay" on the ignition circuit to delay power going to the unit, giving your alternator a few extra seconds to power the charger. Simple to install.
Any recomondations certain manufacturers?
@@mobilehomelife4028 I set one up that includes a programmable delay, and also cut on/off based on system voltage (it will cut off if your alternator voltage is too low, and only kick back in after x seconds once voltage is available) works excellently, i got mine from BimbleSolar (UK based) on their website it's the digital voltage sensing relay EAZY-IV-U3
I can relate to that excitement when something works the way it's supposed to.
Thank you!
Adding this to my favorites..
With the low amp output you could connect this to your house battery and use that 2.5 amp output to charge an electric bike or other 12v toy batteries.
I like the D+ input. I connected a switch between the charger and the ignition source. That way I can cut the charger off when the key is on but the motor is not running. If this is not done the starting battery will dump energy into the auxiliary battery possibly to the point of damage.
They recommend to wire from the battery. Not the alternator as I understand. Good video.
The current limiting function is useful when the unit is mounted in a caravan/trailer and you want to use the existing wiring on your trailer plug. Here in Australia, the largest current you can put through a 7-pin trailer plug is 15amps, which would exceed the current draw of the Renogy 20amp DCDC charger (which can be up to 30amps). Reducing the output of the Renogy DCDC Charger using the limiting function would reduce the output to 10amps, which would mean a maximum of 15amps being drawn through the trailer plug. I have one of the Renogy 20amp DCDC chargers installed in a camper trailer, and configured in current-limiting mode this way
Can you connect the output directly to the bluetti ac200p?
If yes, what type of wiring and connections to use?
If not, please explain reason.
Thank you!
A question I have with this DCDC charger...when you have heavily discharged your lithium battery by accident and the internal BMS inside the battery has shut down to protect the battery...has this charger the ability to send a soft charge.?..1 or 2 volts over a period of time to start up the Lithium Battery again?. I have found that when a lithium battery has been heavily discharged the internal battery BMS will shut down...the DCDC charger still puts in its "designed" charge because it does not recognise the lithium battery BMS has shut down. So you have to then disconnect the battery from the system..then re connect it to a charger to "jump start" the lithium battery BMS by trickling in a low charge over a long time then eventually the internal BMS will start to accept a decent charge again.
I saw someone use a 9v battery to jumpstart the bms ?, might work ?
Great review, on the delayed start of charging, seams like a inline switch could be used to control when the charger starts on the ignition wire.
That's exactly how I did it and it works great.
Ive seen a couple of people wire the "on" wire through a marker light ..then it comes on with your marker lights ..thats what I plan to do ....I always travel with my lights on so I also wired my rear view and side view cameras the same way
B2b chargers and solar panels with there own regulators work well together.
Contd. I'll get the hang of this new technology one day! Looking at sterlings latest catalogue, you can have a B2B charger up to 80% of the alternator rating. There B2B chargers can be set for any battery I just wish they would move away from there complicated led multi function controls and read out which does make it difficult to operate, however they are continually updating to keep on top of smart alternators. They have options that use voltage sence and ignition sence, but smart alternators tend to need the ignition sence. They say you must keep lead acid as the starter battery , but if you can not do that and have lithium they have a box that connects to the system to protect ones alternator.
The renogy might also have both, ignition feed would be needed for smart alternators.
Several manufacturers have versions that are both B2B and solar some I have seen recently give preference to solar. That sounds nice, I only really need the B2b in the winter.
Beware Ctec b2b and mains chargers, they are NOT suitable for lithium batteries, only lead acid batteries.
Will not sure you need to worry about the in rush turn on delay. The battery is shunting the load on the alternator, and the vehicle regulator is not instantaneous so there probably is a delay. Need to scope current profile.
Use the D+ terminal in conjunction with a small timer PLC to delay DC-DC connection when the ignition switch is turned on.
I ordered a delay module but left it in my storage unit! Great idea. The new dual input has a 15 second delay built in after the start battery is receiving 13.2 volts or more. That could be 12.7v?
@@tomaskey6844 It would be nice if you could program the delay time, but if it is waiting till full voltage is reached on the start battery, it should self prioritize. The only problem would be if your preset voltage threshold was rarely or never reached.
Please review Renogy's new 50a DC-to-DC MPPT controller!
I have a Teardrop camper with a 7-pin connector that charges the battery when connected to the tow vehicle. Can I just insert the 20 amp version of this between the constant 12V pin on the connector to my new lithium battery on the teardrop? I would rather not have to run a complete new set of wires. Or should I just skip this?
Love your videos, very informative and convinced me to go lithium on the camper.
That wire would not be rated for the current flow. To go that far it would have to be 8 or maybe 4 gauge. You can look up the specs on Renogy’s website where they give the specs for wire size and distance. Just go to the 20A model and click on downloads and all the info is there
Hmm wonder it it could be used with a wind turbine set up to limit/smooth out the input to the battery....
If you had to design an alternator charging system for your lithium battery bank, how would you do it? The wonderful folks at Long Long Honeymoon youtube channel just installed a Renogy 40amp DC to DC charging system with a dedicated wire to the truck battery. Their alternator wasn’t up to the challenge, but they are looking at a Mechman 370amp replacement. Do you still see issues with this system long term?
Great video. Wired my 20 amp Renogy D+ wire to a marker light to turn unit on. Simple and safe to alternator since my lights aren't turned on until after engine is running.
Can you make a video on how to create a UPS (uninterruptible power supply) without solar? These UPSes are super expensive; would be cool to figure out how to build a DYI UPS on the cheap that can compete with expensive UPS on the market.
He has all the information out there, just hasn't made a video on it apparently. Just use an inverter charger with a bypass feature and some batteries, like two things to buy.
Hey will, digging this back up:
Is it a viable option to use say a 30amp MPPT charge controller as a dc/dc converter between the alternator and the lithium batteries?
It would add fully adjustable charging parameters.
Wouldn’t that also isolate the lithium batteries from the starting battery?
Since the in/out would be so closely matched in voltage surely the efficiency would be almost perfect right?
Use a switch on the ignition input to make your own delayed start. Just turn it on when you want to charge the batteries. Thank you so much for your reviews, Will! Would you do a tear-down of Mighty Max Lithium ML100's for us?
yep, thats what I'm doing.
Can you do a review on the redarc 25A DC to DC charger with solar input
Hi Will, THANK YOU! This is the only video I can find on this. Have you tested this with a common ground? My RV has the chassis and coach batteries both grounded to the frame, so I'm just wondering if I can run the input or both grounds to the chassis? I already have a 12v positive running to the back of the RV, just don't see why I would need to run a 6 AWG wire up to the battery negative in the engine bay. Thanks,
Mark
Great video - But how do you KNOW for sure how many extra amps your alternator can supply for a long duty cycle like this. I want to install one on my airstream/tow vehicle but I don’t want to have a dead alternator in the middle of Wyoming. So how do I measure to determine what I need to do?
I think it would make a great video in itself.
Thanks for a great video.
Thank you for all the information will you are a very knowledgeable young man. 😊
Thanks Will. I bought the 40A unit. My manual says the LC wire input limits the current to 50% (not 12.5%). This seems much more useful. I plan to have a switch in the car so I can just select 40A (switch off) or 20A (switch on). I have a high amperage alternator, but it depends upon how discharged my battery is and how long I'll be driving between campering sites whether I use 20A or 40A. Also, if my alternator won't reliably handle 40A, I could probably still use the 20A. Of course if that's the case, why didn't I just by the 20A instead? I didn't know that info ahead of time. I guess I'll see how it works. Thanks again for your videos!
Hi Will. How would you connect this to the coach batteries of RVs, Ambulances, etc, as they power the coach and you would want to use them. Normally, when the starter battery is charged the isolator then sends current to the coach batteries which is fine for lead acid batteries. But if you replaced them with Lipo 4 Lithiums would you want a dc to dc charger in line? But then how would that be done unless you removed the original isolator? Thanks
you can always add an inexpensive time delay relay to the ign input for the renogy to give the alternator time to get up and running
I was going to say that very thing.
I'm going to use my in line VSR. 15 second delay and 12.8v disconnect
Why?
@@gilianrampart8514 this allows the alternator to refresh its OEM loads first for a couple minutes before introducing a demand from coach battery
Thanks so much for what you do ..... it's been so much help. Question : you mentioned that you wished the charging didn't begin as soon as the engine started. How would you feel about a switch in the line ? To allow for turning on - and off - the charger to not tax the altenator too much ? Cheers
My 20 amp Renogy unit works as advertised with my 100AH SOK lithium battery. Dead on 20 amps charging while I am driving.
Dam good vid mr will great information keep up the great work😁❤👍
Will, your RV has a V-10 in it!! No wonder you are so good at Solar !! Keep up the great videos, this one is great info!
Good vid Will. You finally sold me on something again...
Thanks Will for reviewing these. Would the 40a be too much for my 140A alternator?And would 40A be too much for a single 100AH Battle born? Add a 12v delay timer on the trigger line and you can set the charging to begin at whatever set time. It is only 5-10 bucks on Amazon. Add a switch if you want to completely shut off charging.
Did you get a answer for this question?
My alternator on my truck is 135 amp. I doubt I will do that any damage. I'm more worried that the wire at the 7 way plug is not large enough and will pop the 30amp fuse if I dont limit it to 20 amps. But the manual is not clear on how to wire it for a trailer. It assumes you are putting it in an RV and wiring it to an ignition . . . The trailer plug wire is only hot when the ignition is turned on.
Damn it Will, you’re so smart and knowledgeable it hurts to watch other people’s videos. If you and Jehu did a video on building a DIY Solar/Battery generator it would get monster views. Jehu is good, but he tends to skip steps or concatenate videos. Keep up the excellent work!
Will - The current limiting switch allows you to match the charging current to specific conditions. For example, if you have the 40 amp charger and your batteries are fully charged, you may want the lower 20 amp current to just run the refrigerator on A/C when driving. The lower current also requires less power and the alternator doesn't have to work as hard resulting in better fuel economy. You may also want to limit the current when driving in mountains or excessive heat. I plan on installing toggle switches on my 60 amp charger that will allow me to turn it off when not needed, 30 amps when the batteries just need to be topped off and/or I need to run the refrigerator, and 60 amps when I need to charge the house batteries. Also, you can use the same ignition terminal for both. If the charger detects any current on the CL terminal, the current is limited.
Hey Will, what brand of watt meters do you use for your presentations and are they water and weather proof? Also do they come ready made with the mc4 connector?
I was already planning to use the 20amp version of this charger (alt is 55amp) for charging my boat house batteries from the crank battery. I was also concerned about having the charger switch on immediately when I start the engine, so instead of having it connected directly to the ignition switch, I plan on having a secondary switch that I can turn on after the crank battery is fully charged and the belts etc. are as you say warmed up. I think this will resolve the concern, as long as I remember to switch it on.
i am guessing, if u forget to turn off the switch, it will drain the start battery.
Seems like you could use an in line switch on the dash for the input trigger, to have more control over when it starts and stops charging. You could also turn it off before arriving at your destination to give the alternator a break before shutting the vehicle off.
Going further, you could activate it only when slowing down or going down grades to reduce fuel consumption, but that's probably just splitting hairs.
Good video as usual!
Subwoofer 101 I like the idea of an in line switch on the dash 👍
A delay switch that sends 12v trigger after a set time is probably best.
Thanks for the feedback, Will! We can't wait to see how they do for you in the long run! Temperature sensors are coming soon!
Did they ever refund you? Did you try the 20 amp version? I'm here watching this video and reading these comments because I want to try the 20 amp version on my Transit Connect 2015 with 100ah lithium battery.
Craig E hey good to hear! I guess I need to find out from someone at Ford if the alternator on a Transit Connect (smaller than your Transit) might be able to handle the 20 Amp draw.
Why is it so difficult to find anything for 24v systems?
JAMES! Since the 70's yes! This is my issue.
My Mercedes is 24v, so i need a 24v dc-dc charger but can’t seem to find one!
Please make a 24v version!
Can you please review the new renology mmpt dc-dc solar charge controller with DUAL power input (solar and alt)? thx Matt
I'm using an MPP Solar 24V all-in-one for the rest of my system, which will charge my two Battle Born batteries in series (24V). Could I use this to charge my two Battle Born batteries in parallel (12V) each?
Would I need some sort of way to isolate the two charging systems so they aren't competing to charge the batteries?
Hi Will. Can u install this charger from a battery bank of 4 batteries to charge 1 other battery? Thanks
Hi. Great video! What do you think about charging 2 x 100amp battleborn in parallel from a vehicle using a 0.05ohm 100w resistor instead of the dc to dc charger? Mostly charging from solar, but once in a while might want to charge from the alternator with a manual switch/relay and 40amp auto resetting circuit breaker. Alternator output is 14.2V and 160amp (@2000rpm). I Would manually shut off the switch when the battery is full or @ 80%ish.
Nice video, thankyou for sharing. Im new to all this solar stuff but just wondering does the power from an external source I.E the alternator back feed into the solar panels and damage them or would i need to install a diode somewhere in the line?
Thanks for doing these videos. RV application question when converting to lithium . Can I use my lead acid shore power converter for the engine starter battery to power a dc-dc converter to charge a 200 amp lithium house bank and would it be efficient? It seems redundant to have three new chargers ( shore, alternator, solar) when they basically do the same thing.
That was cool and as always great info
Pretty cool! I don't really know vehicle alternator systems, but I am betting that getting a small gas generator for higher power demands is better in the long run due to total fuel use and vehicle wear and tear than trying to use the vehicle's electrical system. This would probably be best for occasional use batteries.
Depends on your batteries and your driving/camping habits. With Lead Acid in whatever form, it's definitely a poor approach. You need to run that generator so long to get your batteries topped off. Many RVers do that and they also have to replace their batteries often because they never get floated. With lithium, you could make a generator work better by having a high amp charger. Lithium won't care if it's floated and will also take a much faster charge.
But you will not save much of anything buying and carrying and fueling a generator to charge at a site instead of charging while you drive. As far as damaging the vehicle's wiring, you run separate wires and use a good DC-to DC charger to avoid alternator issues. Most people will have zero issues and just connecting the starter and house batteries with a simple battery connector will work fine. WAAY cheaper and easier and simpler than carrying a generator and fuel. Also, don't discount solar as your on site charger. It works. Finally, when in a pinch, I just idle my van. It's not the best, but it's only needed on occasion when I'm at a site long time with no solar exposure. I already have the gasoline in my tank and the generator. Those small combustion engines in generators are louder, more polluting and inefficient.
Hi Will. Some great points on the benefits of a DC-DC charger over using an isolator or other type of direct connection from the alternator to the house batteries. With the high charging capacities of lithium batteries, a discharged lithium battery could draw serious current from the alternator - 100 amps or more - under a direct connection. Even if the alternator can handle the load, the cabling would have to support those loads, so 1/0 awg runs depending on distance. With the DC-DC charger, smaller cable can be used since the loads are limited to 20 or 40 amps for the Renogy models and 30 or 60 for Sterling’s. Even though the Sterling models cost more, I’ve been impressed with them enough that I think they are worth the extra cost. Plus, the Sterling models have the option to jumper the ignition detect for automatic start and shut down.
Yeah I like those added features of the Sterling. Totally agree.
And yes, the current draw of discharged LiFePO4 battery can be extreme. The resistance is incredibly low compared to a lead acid.
And yes! Smaller wires. A lot easier to manage 20 amps compared to 100 amps. Exactly
I know this charger doesn't have a VSR built in but can I add one to trigger the D+ cable? So a positive from the van battery to vsr and then to the D+ to act as an automatic switch to turn on and off the DC to DC charger? This was, I don't have to worry about manually doing it? I feel like this makes sense in my head but would it work in reality?
Based on your extensive videos and dedication to technical testing, I bought, built, and installed a LiFePO4/Daly system with the DC/DC charger to the SLA for the alternator, with Solar charging switchable to either. AWESOME performance! Solar charges the LiFePO4 bank faster and no-voltage sag is wonderful (very low Internal Resistance gains).
THANK YOU WILL
The Votronic DC-Charger (30A) also has alternator voltage sensing which can be used as an alternative to using the ignition D+ signal to initiate charging. It has a LiFePO4 charge profile, includes a temperature sensor and is compact in size
3x price tho
Hey Bro,
Can you do a video on how to integrate your solar in a home for regular use instead of a "emergency setup"...I was thinking of putting in dedicated solar outlets throughout the house, converging in the basement where the setup will be. My wife hates seeing wires and shit everywhere and I don't wanna lug around the setup throughout the house. Thanks bro
I did just that to my house, now wired for ac and dc. Great thing about it is that a inverter is not used and the 10-20% voltage drop. The charger controller has a load port that allows wiring to a electric breaker box. Going to have a video up in a few days but have to finish watching Will's videos first.
Thanks for the great content. Renogy released a dual-input (i.e., accepts solar input) 50A DC to DC charger last month for $300. I have the Redarc dual-input 40A DC to DC charger which has been working great, but the Renogy is a lot cheaper at $300 vs $480 for Redarc 50A version. Would love to hear your thoughts if you get the opportunity to test one! Thanks!
Glamp City, I’ve been looking at the Redarc unit (the 25amp is only about $60 more than the Renogy, granted, lower capacity), and it seems the Redarc may be more suited to mounting in the engine bay based on its sealed construction. The Renogy manual says it can be mounted in the engine bay, but I wonder about its longevity in that environment.
@@roberts3889 - What is the warranty the Renogy?
My 20A Renogy dc-dc charger failed after only a few months so today I ordered the both the Renogy and Redarc dual input units to test and compare. I’m feeling a little disappointed with Renogy at the moment but maybe they can redeem themselves?
I’m not sure on the warranty but mine has failed and Renogy is not responding to a service ticket or phone calls. I tried to get expedited shipping on an order for the dual input model but they never responded so i will have to wait to pick it up when I get home. I also ordered the Redarc 1225D as a back up and to test it out.
Compare to the CTEK DS250
that 2.5 amps, is that basically like a trickle charge?
Can we use a 200-amp lithium phosphate battery and a 400 amp lithium phosphate battery together
Now you realy got something THERE I have been looking for many years THANK YOU I have been using 700ah of Lifepo 4 cells. What adifferance from our old L16 cells with enoughf sun we do not need to worrrrry till we go for days without sun, then it takes sometimes 4 hrs at low amprage to effectivly re-chrage them from our 180amp HD alternator with EXTURNAL Home made regulator. We keep our amiture voltage down to 2-3 amps 13.5 volts. This is going to alow us much more stability.... THANK YOU (ps WE use a 3,000 amp three phase rectifier to keep everything cool. no heat to hurt the rectifiers.internal diodes wer removed 3 phase output ) John in Milo, Maine 1000 points at least...
Can you do a video on the DC to DC charger with a built in MPPT because that saves a lot of money having one unit instead of two
Would it be possible to use a vsr inline to the DC to DC charger ?
Or use a vsr on the trigger line / ignition + line on the DC to DC ?
My tow vehicle has a heavy duty alternator (240amp). My RV has 2 Lion Energy 205ah batteries. Which charger would be best?
The current limiting option is actually very useful for the following reasons: To my understanding (I'm not a mechanic), the higher the amperage of the DC-DC charging the more strain on your alternator, so limiting to 20Ah as opposed to 40Ah charging when you don't need much charging, could enhance your alternator's lifecycle. You've 2 options instead of one (40Ah and/or 20Ah), so if you decide to upgrade your alternator you'll have the option of going to 40Ah, saving you a load of money.
I connected the trigger wire to one of the camper's side lights. The dc to dc turns on when the camper lights get turned on. Works gteat!
Can you have this in parallel with something like the Victron MPPT chargers? Or would that confuse everything?
Would you need to isolate one to use the other?
Jack Kenyon I am slightly confused about how it works but I had a Renogy DC-DC charger and a Renogy MPPT charger connected at the same time with no issues.
Will, I have a question, with is the ON/OFF 5 switches correct position for a GEL Deep Cycle Batteries
@DIY Solar Power... Are you aware of the CTEK D250SE (Charges at 20A and includes dual inputs for alternator and solar, includes MPPT charge controller) and can be combined with Smartpass 120S (Ups Charge to 140Amps)??? They are new versions of their products that are now compatible with lithium battery systems. So new I guess, that I can't find the SE and S versions for sale anywhere yet. But thought with up to 140 charging amps this could be useful on your rig, and I'd love to see a vid using it or something similar that showed me setup guide and allowed me to charge a 200AH+ battery bank while driving from alternator, and solar, generator, and also plug into shore AC power when parked if possible. A review of the products would also be welcome :)
There is always someone endorsing CTEK when DC to DC charging comes up. CTEK is great but their stuff costs about 8X more.
I thought vehicle alternators limited outputs at 14.1v as higher would destroy a regular vehicle battery, right ? And you need 14.4v to 14.6v to fully charge a lithium battery, right ?
Thanks so much for this review! I’d only encountered the Redarc one. Your solar generator side by side comparison videos are great, maybe at some point you could do a side by side comparison of different DC to DC chargers? I don’t think there’s enough awareness that these exist, or the value of them.
The dc to dc charger when hooked up to a battery which is also hooked up to solar will cause the charger to recognize the voltage from the MPPT that the solar is charging at. Do you have a test that shows that this item wont go into absorb or float mode when the battery is empty and being charged by the solar at 12 volts?
I understand this is 12v ONLY but what if I used a step up converter for 12v to 24v? If not are there any alternator charging options for my 24v battery?
Which one should I get for a 95 amp alternator?
So let’s say your solar battery is low on charge and you want to charge it up with this at 20amps on the output side and about 25 amps on the input side.. can a standard car alternator handle this extra 25 amps on top of its normal design without failing or needing other things?
Should I put the charger closer to the starter battery or the “house” battery? I can’t find an answer
Can you review a Redarc bcdc1225d?
How do you ground this system. I've seen some folks ground to chassis despite this already being hooked up to the starter battery which is directly connected to the chassis ground. Please advise. Renogy will not respond to this question which is their MO.
In other words the alternator can power a house
Finally found it! I was going to use the Battery Doctor isolator and use a step up transformer from 12v to 24volts to charge my battery bank. Thanks again Will.
Can still use a battery isolator with this unit ?
I'll buy one through your Amazon link. Thanks for the honest review and demonstration.
Great review mate. You are correct, not everyone is schematic smarties. By illustrating the simple set up of Renogy, you have made this process extra simple to it's simplest form. Great job!
Does this work with so called "smart alternator" which equipped in most newer cars?
Hey man, I'm all but finished installing new this in my van, where do I connect the signal line that connects to D+ on this thing?? I've scoured the instruction manual and there's nothing that says where to connect it to. I see that you plugged it into your battery to bypass it but where in my car will I plug this line into?
TreeCycled Did you get this figured out? Would a appreciate an answer, if you did. Thanks!
@@chrisbaker2216 Any empty fuse holder in the fuse block that turns on with the ignition. (multimeter!) That way the charger won't continuously draw from the starter battery. Should have been auto turn on inside the charger w/o the D+ wire! This is future release. But for now... Connect the wire to a spade terminal connector and modify it (snip) to push into the empty fuse holder
@@cstu444 Wow! How easy is that?!! Sometimes, I believe we make things harder than they have to be. I was envisioning disassembling the steering column to get at the ignition. You've definitely saved me, and a lot of others, I'm assuming, a great deal of work! Thanks!
Can you use this to charge a second house battery say a AGM form the lead house batteries?
Very informative as usual Will. On a older video, you recommended removing the vehicle charging system from your solar charging system. I recently purchased a Kilovault LiFePO battery and don’t want either my alternator or new battery to get damaged. Anything a newbie like me should keep in mind when removing the alternator from the solar charging system? Is it as simple as tapping off the leads from the alternator to the solar battery? Much appreciate your help and thank you for all the great content!
Will, I found a Bluetooth controlled DC-DC charger, the SKYRC B6 nano. I use it in my truck camper and can control and monitor charging from the cab using bluetooth. It will charge up to 15amps or 320 watts which I believe is more then the Renogy. If I set the input voltage cutoff at 12.3v it shuts off about 30 seconds after shutting off the truck. I'm guessing if you want 30amps of charging you can just buy a second one. Might make a good video, only about $55.
HELP!!
i emailed this question to battleborn regarding my 2 new battleborn batteries:
"i've read that my cole hersee 24059 85 amp solenoid, that i added to charge my old agm batteries as i drive, will ruin these new lithium batts. is that true? do i need to remove it from my system?"
here's the answer i got:
"That will not hurt or ruin the batteries in any way. That is just going to act like an on/off switch for charging your batteries from the alternator."
i don't know much, but pretty sure i just heard will say again in this video that charging from the alternator will wreck my EXPENSIVE new batteries.
again, HELP!!
Hi! Could I use this unit as a portable battery for 12v equipment?
I have a Mean Green 200 amp alternator. Will this work with that?
Hey based on conservation of energy I’m really curious what effect this has on the miles per gallon of a vehicle any chance you can do a video on that or answer that question by responding to my comment?
The alternator of most modern vehicles are almost as efficient as the small generators such as the Honda eu2000. Yes you lose a little mpg, but your only paying about $1 extra in fuel cost, to charge 100 Ah battery that is at 80% discharge. Depends on driving factors and alternator size and efficiency. It’s totally worth it when you are driving, costs a lot more than a typical generator to idle it to charge your batteries.
Devon Crews Awesome reply thank you very much. I try really hard to charge my batteries using solar but sometimes there just isn’t enough time when I’m camping or working. So you’ve given me just the answer I needed. So now I have another question… I drive a Chevy volt as my day-to-day vehicle (I have pick up trucks for work But my Chevy volt is for doing quotes and bombing around town). They are free public charges all over the place could I feasibly use a 400 want to 2000 W inverter to charge up batteries for “free”? That includes my Jack pals and my nexus power station
Nice video! The only thing i don't understand is why you recommend to use renogy DC-DC with MPPT which has 50A chargerate but you don't recomend a 40A DC-DC
can you use an rv generator to charge a solar battery bank?
I enjoyed the video i have a 07 Ford Expedition. I was going to install a second battery using a 12v 140 Amp dual battery isolator. The intended purpose is short term use of a fridge. In the future i also want to install a solar panel but my Question is do i need the Renogy DC - DC unit if I'm using an isolator? Thx
The advantage to adjustable amperage output is the ability to lower it when parked idling, or driving in the city. Foresty forest mentions in his video the alternator in his van can't produce enough amperage while driving in the city so he has a switch to turn his DC-DC charger on and off, however im sure if he knew/had this feature, it would work well.
Hi Will. QQQ I am running a 1995 Dodge high top van with three agm batteries. Using an old simple isolator from alternator. Using 300 watt solar and mppt controller. I would like to move to lithium ion battery 100ah Can I simply swap out the agm's and put in the lithium? Do I need to add a dc to dc charger to replace the isolator, which is one of those old cheap ones. I think my controller does not have lithium in the menu but has flooded, sealed, agm and a user mode. I know you may need more info but any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks Will.
Will this work on your 24 volt system? Also do you know if Renogy will release a DC to DC/MPPT for 24 volt set up? Thanks!
Same question on a 48 V system...
When I installed this in my cargo trailer conversion, I connected the V+ line to the tail light circuit in the trailer. So, when I start my truck, even though the alternator is supplying power to the input of the converter, it isn't until I turn on my tail lights that the converter turns on. As you suggested, it allows things to heat up and be "ready" before I switch on the charger. I thought about using ht etail light circuit as a switching source rather than running a separate control wire back. It allows me to run everything through the standard trailer connector.
Love the channel, keep up the great content.
Do you need to have your lights on for charging?
The current limiting (LC connection) is well explained in the current users manual. “The DC-DC battery chargers feature 50% current limiting from the rated specification when connecting the LC Terminal to a 12V source. Current Limiting is instant and recommended to be connected to the same location as the D+ ignition cable. Alternatively, you can toggle current limiting to your liking by connecting the LC terminal to starter battery positive terminal. In this fashion, current limiting will always take until removing the LC wire from the battery terminal to revert to the normal amp rating. Use 18-16AWG copper cable for the LC terminal and you may need to splice your own connections for the other cable end depending on your connection point.”
How did you set up the dip switches for lithium?