WORLD'S BEST BATTERY CHARGERS

[drivesafe]

Hi folks and I am now supplying ProMariner’s ProNautic range of 240VAC battery chargers.

These battery chargers are the results of a joint venture development between ProMariner in the USA and Sterling Power in the UK.

These are recognised world wide as the best battery chargers available and while they are primarily designed for marine use, they are ideally suited for RV use.

18 months ago, one of the largest Yachting magazines in Britain carried out a independent comparison test of the top ten selling battery chargers in the UK and the Sterling came in number one and in the last month, the biggest yachting magazine in Germany give them the same vote.

The ProMariner and Sterling battery chargers are the same but there are few more versions available in the ProMariner range and ProMariner battery chargers come with a 5 year warranty and a lifetime repair guaranty.

They have user selectable settings to charge ever type of lead acid battery and these are one of the very few, if not the only battery chargers currently available that can charge the new lithium batteries, plus they also have a user programmable setting so you can make up your own charging routine.


http://www.traxide.com.au/Chargers/ProMarinerA.jpg

http://www.traxide.com.au/Chargers/ProMarinerB.jpg

http://www.traxide.com.au/Chargers/ProNauticP1220.jpg


There is more info about these battery chargers on my web site, here is the pricing I will have on my web site.

ProNautic Battery Chargers (http://www.traxide.com.au/Chargers.html)

Please note, there is an additional 5% discount off these prices for AULRO members.

All prices include GST and delivery Australia wide

http://www.traxide.com.au/Chargers/ProNautic-pricing.jpg

[Lotz-A-Landies]

Do these chargers get hard wired into the system, so recharge the batteries whenever connected to the mains or external 240V source?

Or do you neet to turn them on and off in response to battery need?

[drivesafe]

Hi Lotz and you can either permanently mount the charger in your CT or caravan and hard wire them to your batteries, or as I have done for a few customers now, I make up leads with Anderson plugs on them and in-line fuses.

One end of the lead is permanently hard wired to one of the two or three output from the battery charger and then you can fit similar leads on each battery.

The chargers are NOT water proof but they are splash proof and can be used any where where they are out of direct rain or similar, so they work well mounted in workshops, garages or just under a carport.

[Lotz-A-Landies]

It's to power my SIIb which has been internally converted to a camper.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2012/07/1330.jpg

There are numerous options for mounting, most likely inside a cupboard adjacent the 240V breaker board.

The big issue is that I plan to install solar panels on tom of the roof, so there will be 3 power sources that need to be integrated.

[Banjo_pluker]

bugger, you posted a few days too late bought a charger the other day but this would have been better and it is cheaper,

may need another soon for the van

[spudboy]

Hi Drivesafe - what's the difference between the 1st and 3rd units in your list? They have the same codes but one is a lot more than the other.

What size would you get for normal automotive recharging on a LR? 15A?

How would you compare them to the well known CTEK units of equivalent capacity?

Thanks
David

[drivesafe]

Thanks Dave and a typo.

I have fixed it now so it make sense.

Cheers

[drivesafe]

The big issue is that I plan to install solar panels on tom of the roof, so there will be 3 power sources that need to be integrated.

Hi again Lotz and I’ll check about the solar being connected at the same time but I am pretty sure it’s not a problem, but I will still confirm this for you.

[drivesafe]

bugger, you posted a few days too late bought a charger the other day but this would have been better and it is cheaper

Hi Banjo and sorry mate, I have been selling them for a few months now but have been to busy to put them up on my web site ( and still haven’t ).

The importer has given me some really good prices so even though they are dearer than standard battery chargers, their advanced technology makes their cost worthwhile.

As above, these are great for charging new Lithium batteries and it is this ( and the long warranty period ) that is the main reason I have taken on the range.

These chargers have already saved a few lithium battery sellers, who could not supply any form of battery charging for lithium batteries being used in RV situations.

The ProNautic can be used with any conventional battery but as lithium batteries become available, they are already set up for them and I might add have proven their worth, for charging banks of lithium batteries in 4x4s ( including at least one D4 I set up ) and some motor homes.

[weeds]

hi tim

which size would you recommend for two batteries in a camper trailer/caravan say each battery has 100amp/hr capicity.

i'm not sure you have the links quite right in the first post the 20 and 30 seem out of wack when compared to the others

[drivesafe]

Hi Kevin and while I would like you to buy the biggest one, because I make more profit, for the sake of your batteries longevity, work out how much time you will have available to charge your batteries and then pick a charger that will take your batteries from flat to fully charged in the time available.

For example, if you do a lot of free camping and intend to recharge your batteries using a generator, then go for the biggest charger you can.

On the other hand, and this would be the case in most RV uses, say you are never likely to need to fast charge and you only need to charge the batteries overnight while at a powered campsite, then again, work out how much time you have to bring your batteries from a flat state to fully charged.

Then roughly calculate how much power you will need to operate your 12v appliances while you are at a powered site and average this this out over the same time frame.

Add the two power requirements together and pick a charger size that will best meet your needs.

If you are only ever going to use the charger at home to maintain your batteries, go for a 10 or 15 amp charger. In this type of situation, where you have plenty of time available, the slower you can charge your batteries, the better it is for your batteries.

[weeds]

Hi Kevin and while I would like you to buy the biggest one, because I make more profit, for the sake of your batteries longevity, work out how much time you will have available to charge your batteries and then pick a charger that will take your batteries from flat to fully charged in the time available.

For example, if you do a lot of free camping and intend to recharge your batteries using a generator, then go for the biggest charger you can.

On the other hand, and this would be the case in most RV uses, say you are never likely to need to fast charge and you only need to charge the batteries overnight while at a powered campsite, then again, work out how much time you have to bring your batteries from a flat state to fully charged.

Then roughly calculate how much power you will need to operate your 12v appliances while you are at a powered site and average this this out over the same time frame.

Add the two power requirements together and pick a charger size that will best meet your needs.

If you are only ever going to use the charger at home to maintain your batteries, go for a 10 or 15 amp charger. In this type of situation, where you have plenty of time available, the slower you can charge your batteries, the better it is for your batteries.

thanks tim

most of the time its when i'm at home i can plug the camper trailer into power and frget about till my next trip.

i don't like generators but do have a selection of solar panels so i will be watching for your answer to lotz-a-landies question

i plan to overn night in caravan parks 12+ hours of charging min. 200amps (they wont be flat as i would have been driving) devide by 12 = 16amp charger, sure 1 x 40L engel fridge wil be running with a light or two max.

20amp unit should suit my needs? or would that be overkill? maybe the 15amp would do......

[weeds]

one last quaestion, do i need to press any buttons each time i connect to mains? or does it remember its settings so i can run a lead, turn it on and walk away?

[drivesafe]

Hi Kevin and a 15 amp charger would be fine, also consider your future needs. That I will leave up to you.

Once you have set up your charger, when you turn the AC power off, the next time you turn the AC on again, the charger will go though it’s Self-Diagnostics routine and then will start charging your battery based on the last settings you programmed.

Other than turning on the AC, you need to do nothing else for the charger to start charging your battery(s).

[weeds]

Hi Kevin and a 15 amp charger would be fine, also consider your future needs. That I will leave up to you.

Once you have set up your charger, when you turn the AC power off, the next time you turn the AC on again, the charger will go though it’s Self-Diagnostics routine and then will start charging your battery based on the last settings you programmed.

Other than turning on the AC, you need to do nothing else for the charger to start charging your battery(s).


thanks Tim.......

[zwitter]

Hi
Do these chargers have temperature sensors or safety timers?

I have a very good brand multi stage charger at 20A but have suffered an AGM battery get hot during charging to the point of not not triggering the voltage peak and just get hotter and hotter! Was too hot to touch and $360 battery stuffed!

I now use a separate timer and thermal alarm too. But would pay for a really smart charger that never stuffs up.
Thanks
James


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

[VladTepes]

So lets say I have a 4wd cranking battery, a deep cycle battery, and a motorcycle battery. And wanted to be able to charge these.

batteries are gel / AGM types.

Which unit is required? Do these work both ways - eg charge a battery hooked up only to the charger and/or trickle charge while battery still connected to vehicle.

I ask because I have a rarely ridden bike for which I need a trickle charger, and while these are available cheaply - a unit that could also offer the flexibility to recharge car batteries would be useful.

[drivesafe]

Hi Vlad and yes you can do that, this is where the user programable mode comes in handy.

You simple set it up for what you want and the setting remains, even when the AC power is turned off.

[NobbyTD5]

Drive safe
these look like great quality units

My application would be hooking up 2 sets of batteries ..at one time?
1) 2 x large N70Z cranking batteries in my boat - left idle in winter etc
2) 1 x large N70ZZ(?)cranking Battery in D2 - often left for weeks unused

can I hook one of these units up to both sets at once - set and forget especially If I am away for 4-6weeks ??

if so...i would be in the market for one...

Nobby

[drivesafe]

Hi
Do these chargers have temperature sensors or safety timers?

I have a very good brand multi stage charger at 20A but have suffered an AGM battery get hot during charging to the point of not not triggering the voltage peak and just get hotter and hotter! Was too hot to touch and $360 battery stuffed!

I now use a separate timer and thermal alarm too. But would pay for a really smart charger that never stuffs up.
Thanks
James

Hi James and sorry mate, I missed your question.

All the ProNautic Battery Chargers come with temperature monitors, so there would not be a repeat of what you suffered before.

[NobbyTD5]

Drive Safe
my question in page 2 of this thread
obviously got lost in the responses

any comments..
cheers
Nobby

[drivesafe]

Drive Safe
my question in page 2 of this thread
obviously got lost in the responses

any comments..
cheers
Nobby

Hi Nobby and my apologies, I did miss your question and yes they can be set up as you have requested and they would then be a Fit-N-Forget operation.

Cheers, Tim.

[weeds]

have just signed up for one, the 15.......will let you know how it performs when i have it wired in

has anybody else purchased one??

[EchiDna]

I'm still waiting on the reply to the question related to potential integration into a system having three power sources (solar, alternator and 240v)... my vehicle can sit for weeks, (potentially months) at a time between uses so it would be ideal to leave it on solar, with the automatic option to top up via mains power below a certain setpoint voltage. Then when out for a spin, it would automatically switch to 12v sourced from the alternator... until I camp and then it switches to solar or 240v if I happen to be in a caravan park or whatever....

does that makes sense?

[drivesafe]

Hi EchiDna and my apologies, I completely forgot to reply, total slacker!

The battery charger is fine if you connect another power supply source and your alternator is too.

Most Solar regulators are but this is the one device you need to check to see if it will tolerate having other power sources connected to the one it is connected to.

Again, I am pretty sure you will be fine but just be on the safe side and check you solar reg's specs.

[weeds]

just finished installing mine. it seems to be doing it job so i will leave it on over night. currently on a near fully charged battery it putting out 14.8V @ 2.3A

hopefully over the weekend i will have the fridge and lights plumbed in so i can see what the charger does on a battery that is being used.

[weeds]

just finished installing mine. it seems to be doing it job so i will leave it on over night. currently on a near fully charged battery it putting out 14.8V @ 2.3A

hopefully over the weekend i will have the fridge and lights plumbed in so i can see what the charger does on a battery that is being used.

just hooked up the car to see how the system performs overnight

load
2 x aux
1 x start
1 x 32 engel fridge running at around zero degrees with six beers in it

14.2V @ 15.2A (running at its max.)

[weeds]

down to 1A this morning with fridge cycled off, 4.5 when fridge cycles on

[drivesafe]

Hi Kevin and keep the feedback coming and where exactly is the charger mounted?

[away]

Hi Tim

I have recently installed a bank of 4 x 90 AH LiFePO4 12V batteries in my caravan. I was able to custom program my Plasmatronics PL-60 solar regulator to charge these, but my Victron Centaur 60 Amp battery charger cannot be programmed to safely charge them.

I note that the chargers you stock have a setting for LiFePO4 batteries but, from the photos that you published at the start of this thread, I see that the battery conditioning voltage that the charger applies to LiFePO4 batteries is 14.8 Volts. This is a full 0.6 Volts higher than anything I have ever seen recommended anywhere for the Winston batteries that I have.

Can the program be customised so that the charge Voltage never exceeds 14.2 Volts? Can the time that the battery is in Boost mode be set by the purchaser? Can you reply with a link to a web page that goes into detail about what can and can't be done to custom-set these chargers? I have found pages on the web that list the Voltages for preset programs but don't go into the where's and why's of what can be done to customise the charger.

Thanks

Russ

[drivesafe]

I have recently installed a bank of 4 x 90 AH LiFePO4 12V batteries in my caravan.

Can the program be customised so that the charge Voltage never exceeds 14.2 Volts?

Hi Russ and yes this is one of the big advantages of these chargers, they have a customer programmable charging routine.

Now Russ I am jumping the gun a bit here, as I have not finished all the testing but I am about to start putting together a new set of battery to battery charging system kits.

NOTE, this is an up market replacement for DC/DC devices and I will have 20 amp, 40 amp and 60 amp kits when they are ready.

These kits will be have one of my new DT90 isolators but the ACCESSORIES output will be programmed to operate a 100 amp continuous rated solenoid

The DT90 will turn the solenoid on 5 minutes after the MOTOR IS STARTED & RUNNING and this will then apply power to an inverter in a caravan or camper trailer.

The DT90 will turn the solenoid off when the motor is turned off.

These new inverters are equipped with a new Australian patented RVD, which makes them the safes inverters in the world and the only inverters that can safely be used while driving and they are a perfect match for the worlds best battery chargers.

The inverter will power the ProNautic battery charger while you are driving, but doing far more than a DC/DC device can do.

The ProNautic battery chargers have 3 outputs and in your case, you could have the charger programmed to properly charge your bank of lithium batteries.

One of the outputs will be connected to your lithium batteries and the chargers come with a temperature sensor, something NOT available with DC/DC devices.

Another output can be used to power your 3 way fridge ( if you have one ).

The powering of a 3 way fridge while trying to charge batteries in a caravan or camper trailer has been a MAJOR problem for many years and the best option was to run two separate power supplies, one for the fridge and the other for charging the battery(s).

This new set up is the first time both the fridge can be run efficiently and the batteries will be charged properly and all done using one 25mm2 ( 32mm2 for the 60 amp kit ) twin cable run.

The inverter/battery charger is a lot dearer than a DC/DC device but a DC/DC device is a single chore device while the new set up gives you a battery charge while on mains, 240vac inverter power supply while camping and a highly advanced DC/DC alternative while on the run.

It’s literally a WIN, WIN, WIN situation and works out cheaper but much better than just using a DC/DC device.

[away]

Thanks Tim,

the charger sounds like it is just what I need, but to be truthful, I'm not sure that I'll ever need to use and inverter to charge the batteries while driving along. We have 600 Watts of solar panel mounted on the roof on the van and it has to be a dark day in Hell before we fall into deficit when it comes to charging the batteries by solar.

I do, on the other hand, connect the van's batteries to the vehicle batteries when parked up overnight, mainly so that I don't flatten the cranking battery while still running the car fridge in the back of the car. My biggest problem is that sometimes I forget to isolate this connection when I take off the next day. This wasn't an issue when I had AGM batteries in the van, but could amount to a serious problem with the LiFePO4 batteries.

I have very heavy cable from the engine bay, right through to the van, so the volt drop is stuff all. This means that if the vehicle alternator raises the voltage to the level that the Lead/Calcium battery in my vehicle requires, I am going to kill the LiFePO4 batteries if I forget to isolate them before driving off.

So, my question to you is this, do you have a device that I can put in-line between the cranking battery of my vehicle and the van batteries that will automatically disconnect the van batteries if the voltage raises higher than 14.2 Volts? It would be even better if it automatically resets itself once the engine is turned off and the cranking battery settles.

Cheers

Russ

[drivesafe]

Hi again Russ and my new DT90 isolators come with over voltage protection and I can easily program one the DT90 isolators so that it has a lower over voltage shutdown.

Because of the way the DT90 works, it can be fitted anywhere in either your tow vehicle or in your caravan.

BTW thats a nice solar set up.

The 14.2v seems a bit low, can you post up the manufacturer’s specs for for your lithos?

[away]

Hi Tim,

the following paragraph was lifted straight from the supplier's "Lithium Care Guide"



In the case of LiFePO4 chemistry, the absolute maximum is 4.2V per cell, though it is recommended that you charge to 3.65V per cell. There is less than 1% extra capacity between 3.65V and 4.2V, and going above 3.65V may reduce the cell’s cycle life. Going above 4.2V may result in permanent damage to the cell.


So you can see that they recommend never exceeding 14.6 Volts for a nominal "12 Volt" battery. This is lower than the voltage of the regulator in my vehicle when at its peak. Further to that information I have been advised that once 14.2 Volts is achieved, only 1% - 2% more capacity can be gained by continuing to charge to 14.6 Volts. This seems to be borne out in the graphs that I have seen. In order to be doubly sure of achieving the longest life for my (very expensive) batteries I have taken this advice on-board and have set my solar regulator to boost until 14.2 Volts has been achieved, before going straight to float (as Absorption is not required with this battery technology.)

Limiting the maximum voltage (and hence charge current) in this manner will do absolutely no harm to the batteries and I can live with up to 5% less than peak charge as I have more than enough spare capacity for the load that I have in the van. When I get the time, I will do some real-world testing to see whether the quoted figures are actually correct, but for the moment I will defer to the supplier's wisdom.

Given that I have got about 0.1 Volts of volt drop at the end of the cables at the van battery, I guess a DT90 switch mounted under the hood (at the cranking battery) that drops out at 14.3 Volts would be quite acceptable.

Your product may be useful to me in another guise as well. As you will no doubt be aware, the terminal Voltage of LiFePO4 batteries stays pretty constant over most of its discharge range, but falls away dramatically at about 80% DOD. From the graphs that relate to the discharge rate that I would be experiencing in the real-world situation in my van, that Voltage would be pretty close to 12.7 Volts. I could then get you to program one of your DT 90 isolators to that set-point, thus ensuring that I never over-discharge my batteries. (See how anal I am?)

So, in summary, it sounds to me like the optimum setup would be one of your chargers (40 Amps sounds about right) and two DT90's. One set to 14.3 Volts and one set somewhat lower at 12.7 Volts.

Can you PM me a quote for the above please?

Cheers

Russ

[drivesafe]

Hi Russ and I thought the 14.2v was a bit low.

The manufacturer’s info about minimum voltage levels for their LiFePO4 batteries is about average.

The 3.65v minimum cell voltage to obtain a 99% charge state is per cell and there are 4 cells in a LiFePO4 “12v” battery.

So your minimum charge voltage is 14.6v but the maximum charge voltage of 16.8 actually seems some what high but manufacturer’s specs are the correct specs to work from.

Does each of your batteries have it’s own built in BMS, if so you need to find out the “SHUTDOWN” voltage level.

This is usually somewhere around 10.5v but I personally prefer not taking LiFePO4 batteries lower than 11.5v.

Next, you will probably find the constant discharge voltage of your LiFePO4 batteries is somewhere around the 13.1 to 13.3v, depending on load size and I would guess that 13.2v would be the working level for your batteries.

As such, leaving your LiFePO4 batteries connected to any lead acid batteries in your tow vehicle will simply waste LiFePO4 battery energy while keeping the lead acid battery(s) fully charged.

Russ, see if you can source the SHUTDOWN voltage for your brand of batteries and we can go from there.

[onesilop]

Hi DS,

Can you please post the physical dimensions of the charger, if they are all different I am interested in the 15 and 20. is there any issue having these in an enclosed space or do they need air circulating for cooling?

[weeds]

Hi DS,

Can you please post the physical dimensions of the charger, if they are all different I am interested in the 15 and 20. is there any issue having these in an enclosed space or do they need air circulating for cooling?

click on the links in post #2

Products :: Battery Chargers :: ProNautic P 1215 (http://www.pmariner.com/productFeature.php?ProductNum=63115&page=2)

[drivesafe]

Hi and thanks Kevin.

Hi onesilop. These chargers have fans, controlled by the charger and will switch on when needed, so they do need to be vented.

[philco]

Hi Drivesafe, i have 2 x 237 Ah Haze gel batteries i need to charge and run an inverter in a cabin off grid, could i use a 2kva inverter generator to charge them through this type of battery charger? i use the batteries for running an inverter from 12 volt to 240 volt power for lights and laptop power. Thanks Philco

[VladTepes]

How do these stack up against the (In my experience with bikes) very good Optimate chargers?

[drivesafe]

i have 2 x 237 Ah Haze gel batteries i need to charge and run an inverter in a cabin off grid, could i use a 2kva inverter generator to charge them through this type of battery charger?

Hi Philco and you can safely use the 60 amp ProNautic battery charger to charge your two batteries in parallel.

Because you are planning to use your generator to power the battery charger, I would recommend at least the 50 amp charger but the 60 amp charger would require less generator run time and/or replace more used battery capacity in the same run time.

BTW what is the make of your generator?

[drivesafe]

How do these stack up against the (In my experience with bikes) very good Optimate chargers?

Hi Vlad and I don’t know much about the Optimate chargers but considering all other battery chargers are simply trying to play catch-up with the Sterling/ProMariner charges, you will find these chargers do a better job than anything else.

[philco]

The generator is a Powermax. similar to a Kipor. 1800watt, Max output 2000watt. It has a 12 volt outlet as well as the 240v



Hi Philco and you can safely use the 60 amp ProNautic battery charger to charge your two batteries in parallel.

Because you are planning to use your generator to power the battery charger, I would recommend at least the 50 amp charger but the 60 amp charger would require less generator run time and/or replace more used battery capacity in the same run time.

BTW what is the make of your generator?

[drivesafe]

Hi Philco and forget the 12v output on any generator. This is just a power supply and is next to useless for trying to charge batteries.

Using the 240 output to run a battery charger gives you the best results and you can easily run a 60 amp battery charger off your generator.

The 60 amp charger draws a little over 900w so you have plenty of 240 output left over for other things.

[philco]

So happy to get good advice, asked a few places around about that but could never get a straight answer.



Hi Philco and forget the 12v output on any generator. This is just a power supply and is next to useless for trying to charge batteries.

Using the 240 output to run a battery charger gives you the best results and you can easily run a 60 amp battery charger off your generator.

The 60 amp charger draws a little over 900w so you have plenty of 240 output left over for other things.

[33chinacars]

Hi Tim

What do you currently have in the way of 12v battery chargers. Dont want any thing too fancy. Prices etc

Regards Gary

[drivesafe]

Hi Gary and my apologies, I have only just seen your post.

I no longer carry battery chargers, for the very reason you put up in your thread, most people only need a basic type three stage charger and the battery chargers I was carrying were top end type units.

These were to expensive for the average usage.

Cheers, Tim.