BCDC Redarc

[Pete1]

Hi All,
Wondering which dual battery system to install. The traxide or the new BCDC 120 redarc which sounds good.
Any thoughts or suggestions ?:angel:

[incisor]

before we start....

a little reminder

http://cache.gawkerassets.com/assets/images/kotaku/2011/03/serious_sam_kamikaze_attack_gotballs_art.jpg

[Redback]

Traxide, specific to the D3/4/RRS

Baz.

[discotwinturbo]

I think those that have the traxide are extremely happy with their purchase.
I have used bulk chargers over the last 20 years (not sure how the traxide works), and have family in the battery industry. For the past four years I have used the redarc 20amp dc to dc charger. This is the best charging system I have used to date, and works sensationally well on my D4. Battery is always in tip top condition, something I have been let down in the past many times with bulk chargers.
As I said, I don't know how traxide works and there are plenty of forum members that have them and all are happy, but the dc to dc charger is the one for me. I also use a dc to dc charger in my camper trailer, with batteries now 5 years old and still going strong, and they get hammered.
Brett.....

[RED]

I have a Redarc BCDC 1240 Battery charger fitted to My Defender 90 very impressed with this charger.

[drivesafe]

Hi Pete1 and what are you hoping to achieve with a dual battery system?

[Learner]

A sensible question from a sensible man (Drivesafe). :BigThumb:

[RoverLander]

I have had the redarc fitted in my D4 3.0 for nearly 3 years now and all is good. My view is that the D4 electronics and charging management system are to complicated and advanced to simply add a battery isolator system to it. The dc to dc charging approach looks just like another current draw to the car and the systems can sense that and manage it in the normal way.

There are long and heated previous discussions on this question and these contain a lot of information. Main point is to not to connect the negative terminal of the dc to dc charger to the battery. Connect it to the earth points on the body near the battery. This way the electronics can sense the current being drawn by the charger and compensate.

Good luck with your install.

[stuee]

Main point is to not to connect the negative terminal of the dc to dc charger to the battery. Connect it to the earth points on the body near the battery. This way the electronics can sense the current being drawn by the charger and compensate.


What :confused:

Edit* Does the D4 have a shunt or something installed on the negative battery cable used for charge control? I assumed the D3/4 alternators were simply voltage sensing ones like most other cars??

[bee utey]

What :confused:

Edit* Does the D4 have a shunt or something installed on the negative battery cable used for charge control? I assumed the D3/4 alternators were simply voltage sensing ones like most other cars??

I believe they do, I found one on a 2007 RAV4 too. It's a modern strategy for reducing fuel usage by controlling when the alternator is needed.

[stuee]

I believe they do, I found one on a 2007 RAV4 too. It's a modern strategy for reducing fuel usage by controlling when the alternator is needed.

Impressive. Seems like a feed forward control scheme, react to the current use rather than the voltage drop, should mean a more more steady voltage supply to the vehicle components.

[Eastern Engineer]

I have installed many DC-DC charges, relays, and solinoids.

I feel the best way for me on my Disco was to install a second battery(identical), permintly linked to my main battery.
Twice the power all of the time. (perfect if you have a whinch)

For all of my secondary electrics I use a solid state under voltage relay.
$40 Jaycar. (yes it is good quality, and voltage cut out is variable 9V - 14V)

This is a 40Amp unit, solid state, no sparks or spikes to worry about.
Fridge and all of my lighting come off this.
i set my voltage cut off at 12V, thus when both of my batties get to 12volts the fridge turns off. (same as dropping one battery down to 10.8, which really hurts the battery)
the batties are prtected from getting too flat. and the Disco starts better.

For me this was a winner on every front.
The draw back for other people will be that ARB will not install it for you, and batteries should be of same type, (eg both starting or both deep and age within 1 year, size not dependant.)

[Graeme]

The draw back for other people will be..The drawback for me is that if 1 shorts a cell or the alternator short circuits then both batteries go.

[Eastern Engineer]

I hope this is not a regular occorance for you.

maybe less stress on your batteries like this could help you out.
not so heavey discharge => charge cycles.

Cheep batteries?

[Graeme]

Over the years I've had an occasional battery drop a cell. If 2 batteries are fitted then better not to put all eggs in 1 basket.

[drivesafe]

OK Pete doesn’t seem to be in a hurry to follow up so I will post up the advantages of using my ( Traxide ) kits and if anyone wants to post up the advantages oF DC/DC devices and everybody can get in on any debate as to which offers what, for a given set up’s requirements.

I now have two isolators available for any of my D3, D4 and RRS kits, the standard SC80-LR and the new 160 amp USI160.

The basics of how isolators work, and how they differ from all other isolators is that when the motor is turned off, where all other isolators cut out ( turn off ), the SC80-LR and the USI-160 keep the cranking battery and the auxiliary battery(s) connected and they remain connected unless the common voltage of all batteries drops to 12.0v

This is called the SHEARED mode and has been the main feature of my isolators for more than 20 years.

By shearing the load over two ( or more ) batteries means that in the average vehicle there is an increase of at least 50% more power available for accessories. In the case of D3s, D4s and RRSs, there is actually a 100% increase of available power because of the limited size of the auxiliary battery.

This is the only system that makes so much power available in the normal two battery set ups.

But there is an additional advantage when using these isolators, a feature that is of particular advantage to D3s, D4s and RRs. Most vehicles now have Calcium/Calcium ( Ca/Ca ) batteries and this means that while they are actually easier to replace the bulk of any power used while the motor was off, but Ca/Ca batteries are extremely difficult to get to a fully charged state.

With the Traxide isolators, and the way they keep the batteries together after the motor is turned off, because the auxiliary battery is usually in a higher state of charge, when the motor is turned off, the auxiliary battery slowly discharges back into the cranking battery and over a short period of time, the cranking battery’s state of charge progressively rises.

This has a number of advantages for the cranking battery because it is always kept in a fully charged state. The higher state of charge helps to extend the cranking battery’s life span but the cranking battery has an easier time starting the motor, which again also helps to extend it’s life span.

Another additional advantage in these vehicles, is that many, from new will get “LOW BATTERY” messages displayed on a regular basis. Again, because of the way the Traxide isolators allow the auxiliary battery to raise the settled voltage level of the cranking battery, with in 1 to 3 weeks of a Traxide kit being fitted the messages cease.

Here are a couple of diagrams to help explain how Traxide isolators differ from other systems, NOTE the example voltage is slightly higher than a D3


https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2013/06/1248.jpg

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2013/06/1249.jpg