I found this very informative. I'm trying to do just the setup Donnie is and most of the info out there seems focused on RVs with larger solar panel arrays. But since this video the prices of Lithium Iron Oxy batteries have dropped dramatically.
Great Video, Well explained for those like me who have no scooby when it comes to batteries and electrics. Thanks. I recently bought a Crusader J220 Uk Mains Converter Lead from Amazon to charge my leisure battery from a main socket in my garage while my T6 camper sits idle on the driveway. I have had it plugged in for over 24hrs with the charger switch on my Sarget EC155 'on' but on the control panel (sargent ec50) have not moved from the low amber light. Would you know why? Love to hear your thoughts. I have the CTEK 205SE installed also but the indication lights on my panel dont ever seem to get to green (full). This was all installed in MArch 2021
Thank you, great vid! I bought a 2nd hand d250s and was wondering, can I add a 110 volts charger connected to the aux battery without messing it up? Will it possibly even charge the start battery when charger is on?
Hey Donnie awesome vid mate I've really learnt alot. Hey with the red and black wire? The black one you earthed what you do with the red one? My manual says to connect it to the alternator but if I don't have to I won't. Thanks in advance mate you got a sub from me 👍🏻
great video that mate , i learnt allot from that , very informative, because i dont have a smart alternator can i skip wiring the ctek to the ignition ? is wiring to the ignition just for modern smart alternators? im using a split charge relay at the mo so was just going to do a straight swop to ctek to look after my agm better
Thank you for sharing! I’m wondering if this would work well for feeding power from a tow vehicle to a camper trailer (RV; 17’)? It already has a power panel but this seems like an ideal component for it to convert to lithium (D250SE). Not sure if the 7-pin can handle all the current though?
Not sure about the 7 pin, but my first thought would be to use some heavy wire and an Anderson plug dedicated to the charger. Have it near the trailer plug so you can just hook it up when you hook up the trailer.
Robert I used 2 gauge welding cable but that’s pretty overkill since I’m not using a Smartpass. Manual calls for 8-12 gauge depending on the length you need to run.
Since the CETK is an MPPT DC to DC charger, and will accept input from Solar panels, you say on the video that the Solar input high voltage is 23 volts. Does that mean that I can only hook my solar panels in Parallel, or is there some way that I can place them in Series, which would create an input of up to 90 volts. Can you please advise? Also, my RV auxiliary batteries are LiFeP04.
You would need the new D250SE for your lithium batteries. I actually emailed Ctek about the input voltage and they said anything over 23v will damage the charger. So you would not be able to input 90v.
Syncro Van I didn’t ground the auxiliary battery to the chassis. But you definitely could if you didn’t want to run a cable to the starting battery. Personally I try to avoid adding too many chassis grounds just to simplify diagnosing a bad ground in the future.
@@DonnieDispersed Well...I asked because my van already had grounded the service battery and there's a bit distance between two batteries. I just installed my 250SE and your video saved my ass. I'm so tired and is so hot, that I didn't even paid attention about the small black wire that need to be grounded for AGM. Luckily I've seen this and decided to take a break. Maybe I found why they indicate to put negative together. Damn... I've worked for nothing the entire day ! Now I have to wait till finding more cable for negative. Thanks !
Yah, if your service battery is grounded to the chassis you don’t need to run another ground cable back to the start battery. That’s just the way I chose to do it.
hi, on the ctek bottom right there is a black and red cable together. the black to the earth. where does the red one go? i have a smart alternator and someone said it must connect to the ignition?
When setting the charger up for AGM battery you ground the black cable. Why not just attach it to the negative connector on the charger? Then the negative cable from the charger to the AGM battery negative just need to be a thin cable, 2,5 mm2 or 13 gauge cable, because there are virtually no current floating through this cable, it's only for giving a reference to ground (or negative). Solar panel negative goes right to the AGM battery. The temperature sensor should (if possible) be attached as close as possible to the negative pole on the battery. The D250SE is also compatible to smart generators. I have had a Ctek DC7DC charger on my boat for nine years now, with a solar panel. Still works perfect. I have also installed loads of these in other boats.
@@DonnieDispersed It's the Eco Worthy 120W kit. I've test it with included regulator as well as with my old MPPT and works fine. When connected it directly on the Cteck, nothing happens. On the other side, If I connect the solar panel directly on the starter battery, the Ctek start charging the service battery as if the engine is running, which is still fine and probably I'm gonna use that trick. But for the money, I'm not sure If is worth keeping it if this function is faulty. Tomorrow I'm gonna try another solar panel.
@@DonnieDispersed I bought it from Amazon and no direct contact, but I might also take this option in consideration, before giving up. Actually, I intend to keep it, but a fully functional one. ✌️
I found this very informative. I'm trying to do just the setup Donnie is and most of the info out there seems focused on RVs with larger solar panel arrays.
But since this video the prices of Lithium Iron Oxy batteries have dropped dramatically.
Exactly what info I needed. You provided all my questions
Great Video, Well explained for those like me who have no scooby when it comes to batteries and electrics. Thanks. I recently bought a Crusader J220 Uk Mains Converter Lead from Amazon to charge my leisure battery from a main socket in my garage while my T6 camper sits idle on the driveway. I have had it plugged in for over 24hrs with the charger switch on my Sarget EC155 'on' but on the control panel (sargent ec50) have not moved from the low amber light. Would you know why? Love to hear your thoughts. I have the CTEK 205SE installed also but the indication lights on my panel dont ever seem to get to green (full). This was all installed in MArch 2021
That's what I needed, a good explanation, thank you
You’re very welcome. Thanks for watching 👍
Very well done very commendable and very well spoken
Great info, well explained. What 30 amp breaker did you end up using on the battery side in the end Donnie?
Blue Sea Systems 👍
Thanks man. Really good information 👍👍👍
Thank you, great vid!
I bought a 2nd hand d250s and was wondering, can I add a 110 volts charger connected to the aux battery without messing it up? Will it possibly even charge the start battery when charger is on?
Hey Donnie awesome vid mate I've really learnt alot. Hey with the red and black wire? The black one you earthed what you do with the red one? My manual says to connect it to the alternator but if I don't have to I won't.
Thanks in advance mate you got a sub from me 👍🏻
The red one you connect to an ignition source if your vehicle has a smart alternator. Mine doesn’t so I left it alone.
@@DonnieDispersed thanks for the reply mate I've piggy back fused my 7.5A ignition, seems to be running neat 👍🏻
great video that mate , i learnt allot from that , very informative, because i dont have a smart alternator can i skip wiring the ctek to the ignition ? is wiring to the ignition just for modern smart alternators? im using a split charge relay at the mo so was just going to do a straight swop to ctek to look after my agm better
Yup, you can leave the red wire for the ignition disconnected if you don’t have a smart alternator.
Thank you for sharing! I’m wondering if this would work well for feeding power from a tow vehicle to a camper trailer (RV; 17’)? It already has a power panel but this seems like an ideal component for it to convert to lithium (D250SE). Not sure if the 7-pin can handle all the current though?
Not sure about the 7 pin, but my first thought would be to use some heavy wire and an Anderson plug dedicated to the charger. Have it near the trailer plug so you can just hook it up when you hook up the trailer.
Awesome Donnie. What size (gauge) is the red cable between the batteries and the charge controller?
Robert I used 2 gauge welding cable but that’s pretty overkill since I’m not using a Smartpass. Manual calls for 8-12 gauge depending on the length you need to run.
Great video, very helpful 👍
Cheers brother. Big help!
Super helpful clear info.. cheers
Great explanation thanks for posting!!
Thx for a lot of good info 👍
Excellent video ! Thanks .
My d250se charger is not charging and shows a yellow light on A. Please advise
Since the CETK is an MPPT DC to DC charger, and will accept input from Solar panels, you say on the video that the Solar input high voltage is 23 volts. Does that mean that I can only hook my solar panels in Parallel, or is there some way that I can place them in Series, which would create an input of up to 90 volts. Can you please advise? Also, my RV auxiliary batteries are LiFeP04.
You would need the new D250SE for your lithium batteries. I actually emailed Ctek about the input voltage and they said anything over 23v will damage the charger. So you would not be able to input 90v.
Well done. Thank you.
is a dc to dc charger overkill if i don’t use solar panels?
LINKS & TIMESTAMPS
D250SE (New Model Now Compatable W/ Lithium Batteries) : amzn.to/2xYsh58
Smart Pass (For battery banks over 100AH) : amzn.to/2Y6Zvd1
_______________________
1:22 | Quick Overview Of The D250sa
2:55 | Who Is The D250sa For?
4:54 | DC-DC Charger VS VSR (Split Charging Systems) & Battery Type Discussion
10:25 | Smart Alternators & Why They Need a DC-DC Charger
12:25 | Costs
15:00 | Specs & Accessories
17:17 | Solar Panel Input
19:40 | Charge Time
20:45 | Installation & Wiring
23:53 | Other Competitive DC-DC Charger Options
27:30 | Reliability
28:15 | Summary
with a 220h agm battery and ctek 250 could i run an invertor do you think?
Do you really need to bring another negative cable from service to start battery ?
Isn't enough that both batteries are grounded to the chasee ?
Syncro Van I didn’t ground the auxiliary battery to the chassis. But you definitely could if you didn’t want to run a cable to the starting battery. Personally I try to avoid adding too many chassis grounds just to simplify diagnosing a bad ground in the future.
@@DonnieDispersed Well...I asked because my van already had grounded the service battery and there's a bit distance between two batteries. I just installed my 250SE and your video saved my ass. I'm so tired and is so hot, that I didn't even paid attention about the small black wire that need to be grounded for AGM. Luckily I've seen this and decided to take a break.
Maybe I found why they indicate to put negative together. Damn... I've worked for nothing the entire day ! Now I have to wait till finding more cable for negative.
Thanks !
Yah, if your service battery is grounded to the chassis you don’t need to run another ground cable back to the start battery. That’s just the way I chose to do it.
hi, on the ctek bottom right there is a black and red cable together. the black to the earth. where does the red one go?
i have a smart alternator and someone said it must connect to the ignition?
According to the manual the red wire goes to a keyed ignition power source if you have a smart alternator.
Many thanks. Great video👍
When setting the charger up for AGM battery you ground the black cable. Why not just attach it to the negative connector on the charger?
Then the negative cable from the charger to the AGM battery negative just need to be a thin cable, 2,5 mm2 or 13 gauge cable, because there are virtually no current floating through this cable, it's only for giving a reference to ground (or negative). Solar panel negative goes right to the AGM battery.
The temperature sensor should (if possible) be attached as close as possible to the negative pole on the battery.
The D250SE is also compatible to smart generators.
I have had a Ctek DC7DC charger on my boat for nine years now, with a solar panel. Still works perfect. I have also installed loads of these in other boats.
Patrick Lindahl I just wired it the way the manual said to. No need to deviate from that, it’s simple enough.
I've just tried to attach my new portable solar panel on the Cteck, but in my case, nothing happened, no charge, not even a led on.
Syncro Van what are the specs on the panel?
@@DonnieDispersed It's the Eco Worthy 120W kit. I've test it with included regulator as well as with my old MPPT and works fine. When connected it directly on the Cteck, nothing happens. On the other side, If I connect the solar panel directly on the starter battery, the Ctek start charging the service battery as if the engine is running, which is still fine and probably I'm gonna use that trick. But for the money, I'm not sure If is worth keeping it if this function is faulty. Tomorrow I'm gonna try another solar panel.
Syncro Van I would email Ctek, they were pretty quick to respond to an email I sent them about a solar panel I was thinking about using.
@@DonnieDispersed I bought it from Amazon and no direct contact, but I might also take this option in consideration, before giving up. Actually, I intend to keep it, but a fully functional one. ✌️
Syncro Van make any progress on figuring out the solar panel?
Stem is good but far far too expensive