Redarc BC-DC chargers - Which one?

[MYT150 Member Find all posts View Profile Close MYT150]

HI,

Looking through all the treads I could find and talking to some of the 4wd shops has left me with more questions then answers as to which Redarc BC-DC charger to get for my dual battery fit out in my 150 GX.

I will be running 6B&S wire to the rear for an anderson plug to charge the camper with its 105 amp hour AGM battery, if that makes any difference to the selection.
I am not planning on running solar right now but it is something that is being considered so would like to allow for that to be added.
I do have the Alternator Voltage Booster from HKB Electronics.
I am going to be running an SSB AGM battery, or an Optim, still working that out, but have had a good run with SSB batteries on the old truck.

So the question is it the BCDC1225, BCDC1225LV (low voltage), BCDC1240, or the BCDC1240LV (low voltage), as I have kind of ruled out the BCDC1220 as it doesn't allow for solar later.
So do I go the 25amp or 40 amp model and in normal of LV?

Thanks

Aidan

[Chillihilli Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close Chillihilli]

Hi Aidan, here's my 2 cents:

HI,

Looking through all the treads I could find and talking to some of the 4wd shops has left me with more questions then answers as to which Redarc BC-DC charger to get for my dual battery fit out in my 150 GX.

I will be running 6B&S wire to the rear for an anderson plug to charge the camper with its 105 amp hour AGM battery, if that makes any difference to the selection.

Not really, only more amps = faster charging of the larger batteries. Good job on your cable choice - have you wired your earth all the way back to the battery?

I am not planning on running solar right now but it is something that is being considered so would like to allow for that to be added.

A good MPPT solar controller built in to the DC DC can work very well.

I do have the Alternator Voltage Booster from HKB Electronics.

I run one of these too - they help pump up the voltage.

I am going to be running an SSB AGM battery, or an Optim, still working that out, but have had a good run with SSB batteries on the old truck.

SSB Batteries are well regarded, plus they are warranted for under bonnet use.
So the question is it the BCDC1225, BCDC1225LV (low voltage), BCDC1240, or the BCDC1240LV (low voltage), as I have kind of ruled out the BCDC1220 as it doesn't allow for solar later.
So do I go the 25amp or 40 amp model and in normal of LV?

Don't bother with the LV as you are using the HKB booster.

How long do you drive for? Do you usually drive all day and camp at night? Or do you drive then camp for a few days? The higher charging capability you have, the quicker your battery will recharge when you drive. Therefore, the longer you can last between drives. It basically comes down to mathematics. Also put a lot of thought into your usage. Balance your usage with charging capacity, and then make sure you have enough battery capacity to make it work. Keep in mind you don't want to discharge your batteries more than 25 - 50% if you can help it. The less discharge, the longer the batteries will last.

I use an Enerdrive DC DC 30 Amp charger, with built in MPPT solar. It's worth looking at as an option.

cheers Chilli.

[Fred63 Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close Fred63]

i have got the BCDC1225LV no need for the booster diode.
one thing to consider with the maximum charging current the battery can take.
Have a look on the battery manufactures website to see what the maximum charging current is for the battery you decide to get then make the decision on the 25 or 40 amp version from there.

[MYT150 Member Find all posts View Profile Close MYT150]

The driving while out camping will vary depending on the trip from driving most days to stopped fora2-3 days at a time. The rest of the time it will be just around Sydney, but usually nothing will be running off the battery around Sydney. When camping it will mainly be the engle fridge running as a fridge, and the GPS for navigation.

The battery will be in the engine bay and so will the charger, as close to the battery as I can put it.

[AussieAndy Find all posts View Profile Close AussieAndy]

Consider your under bonnet mounting and battery selection before deciding on a charger. I am assuming you have a diesel 150, so you will most likely be looking at a 10" battery for the tray. Then decide if you want the ability to recharge quickly but have a slightly lower reserve capacity (and lower weight) or a slower recharge time, bigger reserve and more wight. I went with the optima which will accept charge at a greater rate, but have slightly lower reserve capacity. Because it will accept the higher charge rate I went with the bcdc1240 and have no issues at all. It allows me to have the car running for as little as an hour a day for up to a week before I need a 3-4 hr run to get a good charge in it, that is running an engel 40L. When I went to the Cape we had a 40L engel as a fridge, a 32L engel as a freezer and assorted camp lights etc. and had no problems as long as the car was running for 2hrs a day, one day we only had a short drive (about half an hour) and buy the next morning my voltage was down to 10.9.

[hulbyw Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close hulbyw]

There are lots of opinions about dc/dc chargers. I run a 1240 with a 10" Optima (Prados crack inner guards so that's why I use a 10" battery). I have 1 x 105 ah AGM in my Tvan. Seems. To work ok. 1240 is mounted on spare bolts on firewall on PS using a home made bracket. Probably would be worth your while phoning or emailing Redarc for their advice. The LV one wasn't available when I bought mine but I don, t use a diode to boost volts either.
Cheers

[Chillihilli Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close Chillihilli]

i have got the BCDC1225LV no need for the booster diode.
one thing to consider with the maximum charging current the battery can take.
Have a look on the battery manufactures website to see what the maximum charging current is for the battery you decide to get then make the decision on the 25 or 40 amp version from there.

This is a great point. Some DC DC chargers (Enerdrive for example) let you set the all the charge profile parameters. So you can set a bulk charge rate of 30 A, 20, 10, or 5).

A 105 Ah battery recommends a max charger rate of 30 amps. An 80 Ah would usually be around 20 Ah. So having flexibility in your charger is very handy (not to mention different chemistries especially now that Lithium is increasingly popular).