MEGAWATT 60-AMP INTRODUCTION

What I don't get is how there can be such a large price gap between the 60a and 80a units? ($110 vs. $240). There are no other adjustables in that amp range available at such a reasonable price. Perhaps they're being priced low to corner the market? Or maybe it's simply a matter of cutting out the middle man?

Concerning Mega Watt's Posted Duty Cycles:

"The power supply is rated at 36 Amps, 90% duty cycle (not peak power) Peak power means full power for only a split second burst. A 90% duty cycle means 30 minutes at 36 amps and 3 minutes at 30 amps to cool down for another run at 36 amps."

Apparently, when using these power supplies AS chargers, the correct size of psu should remain in cc for no more than maybe 15 minutes, followed by amps tapering. So, shouldn't one size the unit accordingly?

If so, the psu should be of a charge rate that reaches its voltage setting rather quickly, then tapers amps. So the question arises, at what Charge Rate (C/?) would a 60a unit work very well with a bank discharged to 50%?

If I hadn't found John Marles, the distributor to be so open and amicable, frankly I would have been suspicious. I look at it this way - he purchases from China and puts his stickers on the product. We might be talking about several manufacturers here. For a fact he knows the price tag on the biggest unit inhibits sales. Factories and new products are sprouting up faster than dandelions in your front yard. Yesterday for the 1st time I saw a FIVE HUNDRED WATT LED chip advertised. 90 vdc. When I did some engineering research on the UC Berkeley campus several years ago, I saw HUNDREDS of Chinese students there. Engineering halls were jammed solid with Chinese.

I remember several years back, someone insisting the entire world should have to learn English. Someone else responded by suggesting it might be better to learn Chinese.

I once saw a bumper sticker that read something like "The one who wins is the one who dies with the most toys". If you agree with this bumper sticker, you probably should learn the language of the one you think is going to win.

By the way what's the purpose of this variable voltage power supply quest, anyway? Is it merely so we can obsess over our RV batteries by tweaking pots combined with stop watches to get around the "short-comings" of automatic chargers .... or is there some other reason I'm missing?

Connect genius charger to batteries. 100 hours later they aren't charged but the genius argues they are. Sorta rough on a generator, but the gas station owner is smirking.

Rajneesh who prorammed the EPROM was assured by Xiang that the figures were correct. Trouble is neither has ever seen an antimony cyclable battery but Xiang borrowed the algoritm from Schzen who said it came directly from the mouth of Jang who got it at an engineering conference in Hong Kong.

The battery is the master of the game. When it declares it isn't charged 100% it's end-game. Some smart charger advocate folks don't mind running a generator for four hours doing what I can do in 45 minutes. But the battery is boss - your opinions are worthless and so are mine if they argue with reality.

MrWizard wrote:
it IS when Mexi uses it

:B

Hope you got about 225 Amp hours of 12v jar type batteries. minimum, before you start even thinking about running one of these bad boys at 60 amps and 14.8V, and enough generator... Think it will put some load on a Honda Eu2000i, so warm the portable generator motor up first before flipping the switch.

I think I bought the first 30 amp unit from John Marle here... on Mexicowanderer's recommendation. For my use... on a 150 Amp hr battery, I am satisfied.

If I had it to do over again, I'd have probably spent the money to get the next size up, the 36 amp version. The 30 amp version is a cake walk with my Eu2000i in Eco mode.

pnichols wrote:
I once saw a bumper sticker that read something like "The one who wins is the one who dies with the most toys". If you agree with this bumper sticker, you probably should earn the language of the one you think is going to win.

By the way what's the purpose of this variable voltage power supply quest, anyway? Is it merely so we can obsess over our RV batteries by tweaking pots combined with stop watches to get around the "short-comings" of automatic chargers .... or is there some other reason I'm missing?

I see 4 functions, being adjustable.


1. What is your time and fuel worth on that open cell lead acid battery when you need it charged up? Set it at 14.4V, set a mechanical timer for 1.5 or 2 hours, get your 90% SOC that day, and down the road you go.

2. You know the battery should be top off charged, it's overdue. Set the voltage to 15.0V, and watch the amps drop until you are seeing about a C/20 amp draw rate. Probably somewhere at 95 t0 98% charged when at this amp rate.

3. You've been dry camping and you notice your battery capacity and specific gravity between cells is out of spec. So you do #1 first, then you do #2 next. Then you disconnect all your batteries from your RV, and you set the pot to 16.0V, and you charge until you either see 16.0V at the battery terminals, or your Specific Gravity on all your cells is at 1.275 to 1.280 or above, then you shut things off. You just did an Equalize charge.

4. You want a battery maintainer. Set the V at 13.4 to 13. and just leave it plugged in to do maintenance charging.

All of it done manually, so put a volt /amp device on there to measure Volts and Amps coming out.

For those that want complete control of the situation, know what they want to achieve while controlling things manually, or are knowledgable in battery charging and their intimate battery needs.

Because everyone knows, if you want something done RIGHT, you gotta do it yourself... there are no shortcuts.

And,

5. Temperature Compensation... something most "smart" chargers don't do.

Using a pre-programmed charger is kinda like putting your rig on cruise control, then getting up to make yourself a coffee; hoping things will take care of themselves.

From what I can tell, converter chargers are a poor compromise on the manufacturer's part. They run too high for the 12v system (which may be why many rigs are under wired... in order to engineer in some voltage loss?), and they run too low for proper charging. And by throwing in a cheapo battery, to create the illusion the rig is good to go, the manufacturer is just adding insult to injury.