Ok, so im looking for a 3 stage smart charger and ive come across the IOTA brand. From what I hear they are pretty good quality so im going to go with them, but im confused about something. It says that with the built in iq4 model, its a smart charger, but also a 4 stage. They don't mention if the dls-90 is a "smart charger". So is the plain dls-90 not a 3 stage smart charger? I don't need a 4 stage, only a 3 stage as im going with AGM. Thanks.

http://www.wegosolar.com/products.php?product=Iota-IQ%252d4-Smart-Charger-The plain DLS is a single voltage charger at 13.6v. The IQ4 turns it into a "four stage" charger. That is the same as a "three stage" only with an added shot of higher voltage every so often while in the third (Float) stage.

DLS-90 will work great on AGM. All are DLS with IQ either built in or available separate. There is also an IQ module to link two IOTAs for up to 180 amps charging."4th stage" is just a restart of the charging algorithm sequence once a week.DLS-90 needs monster power. Spec sheet is a bit confusing. Footnote says 30 amp breaker required. Picture says 6-15 plug (240v) but shows a 5-15 picture when even the DLS-75 shows a 5-20 plug. Best to verify before you click and ship. (I just sent an email to IOTA because I want to know)http://www.iotaengineering.com/pplib/spec2.pdfI would plan to use the maximum size wire that fits the connectors. Probably #4

Or to put it in inverse fashion - the AGM will not like a straight 13.6 volt regime especially if the batteries are cycled. I pop my Lifeline every few weeks with 14.4 volts from a 13.3 float @ 26c. The battery amperage climbs to 21.2 amps then over a period of 11-minutes drops to less then 1.0 This tells me the battery is benefitting but I only do this after several weeks at 13.3 the system I have remains at 13.3 volts even with a 30+ ampere house draw. Batteries is like wimmens - ignore them and short-ration them and they don't stick around long.

Don't forget that the IQ4 is not like the Charge Wizard. The IQ4 cannot be commanded to put the converter into Boost Mode when the converter is at a lower voltage.

BFL13 wrote:http://www.wegosolar.com/products.php?product=Iota-IQ%252d4-Smart-Charger-The plain DLS is a single voltage charger at 13.6v. The IQ4 turns it into a "four stage" charger. That is the same as a "three stage" only with an added shot of higher voltage every so often while in the third (Float) stage.From what I understand a 4 stage charger is needed for wet cell batteries to keep, well corrosion, I guess from building up. Will using a 4 stage on AGM batteries hurt it? I already ordered this charger from batterystuff because their description made it sound like a 3 stage, but when I get it its actually 4.

IOTA dls-90 vs. dls-90iq/4 | Good Sam Community

22 Replies

time2roll
Nomad
Nov 06, 2016
DLS-90 will work great on AGM. All are DLS with IQ either built in or available separate. There is also an IQ module to link two IOTAs for up to 180 amps charging.

"4th stage" is just a restart of the charging algorithm sequence once a week.

DLS-90 needs monster power. Spec sheet is a bit confusing. Footnote says 30 amp breaker required. Picture says 6-15 plug (240v) but shows a 5-15 picture when even the DLS-75 shows a 5-20 plug. Best to verify before you click and ship. (I just sent an email to IOTA because I want to know)

http://www.iotaengineering.com/pplib/spec2.pdf

I would plan to use the maximum size wire that fits the connectors. Probably #4
BFL13
Explorer II
Nov 06, 2016
http://www.wegosolar.com/products.php?product=Iota-IQ%252d4-Smart-Charger-

The plain DLS is a single voltage charger at 13.6v. The IQ4 turns it into a "four stage" charger. That is the same as a "three stage" only with an added shot of higher voltage every so often while in the third (Float) stage.

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IOTA dls-90 vs. dls-90iq/4

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