New Converter
Just got the skinny on the new Boondocker Deluxe converter (I think that is the name) that is totally manual. 11.5 to 16 volts, you set the voltage. The Potentiometer is connected to a rheostat and y...
Forum Discussion
Very interesting. I don't have enough internet access right now to search and link, but maybe somebody can find the thread I had on the 100amp prototype of this.
I would not call it a converter which might lead some to think it is a good choice to swap out their old one. You want an "automatic" for that role usually.
It is a specialty item derived from the car showroom unit PowerMax makes which is very popular in that world. It has model name starting with P I can't remember. Go-Power sells them too, but theirs does not have the variable voltage feature and they chose not to get that for theirs. Glad to see Randy is going ahead with this; he must now figure there is a market for that variable voltage feature.
Also there is a long thread from last winter on how I had trouble with the input thermistor blowing when I did not follow proper procedure for using the unit at start-up. I hope Randy makes mention of this procedure in his owner's manual for it. Go-Power mentions to connect first then start, but does not highlight that enough IMO.
The company may have resolved that thermistor issue since then, don't know. They were looking at a design fix for the 100amper which has a very high inrush if you set the voltage high. It works great as is if you follow procedure, so don't worry.
In any case, the main lesson is NO hot restarts, and DO clamp on first before starting it --the reverse acts like a hot restart. You only want to start it with a cold thermistor and it takes quite a while to cool down it seems--I would wait at least a half hour. Technically it should only take a few minutes but it takes longer!
Not clear what the OP wants his for, but note that the other PowerMax units have the 60 amper not power-factor corrected, while the 75s and up are. This means you can run them on a 15a (AC) circuit instead of a 20a circuit. Also that your 75 will not draw any more from your generator than the 60 would.
One of my recommendations on the prototype was to mark the top around the voltage knob with some voltages at no-load not connected to battery. Once you connect to the battery, the voltage meter reads something else nearer the battery voltage, so you cannot set the unit's own voltage accurately. With a little scale around the knob, you can set the voltage to the 15v marker when the meter is showing say 13.9, and now you can be sure it will bring the batts from 13.9 to 15 and hold there. If you don't have that marking, you have to wait till the batts get to 15 and then twiddle the knob so the meter says 15 and then it will hold there. (If they do have a scale on them now, I would do a confirmation check on it in case it is a little off "calibration" where there is a little "play" in the knob or whatever. You can then note any index error on the scale for future use)
I would not call it a converter which might lead some to think it is a good choice to swap out their old one. You want an "automatic" for that role usually.
It is a specialty item derived from the car showroom unit PowerMax makes which is very popular in that world. It has model name starting with P I can't remember. Go-Power sells them too, but theirs does not have the variable voltage feature and they chose not to get that for theirs. Glad to see Randy is going ahead with this; he must now figure there is a market for that variable voltage feature.
Also there is a long thread from last winter on how I had trouble with the input thermistor blowing when I did not follow proper procedure for using the unit at start-up. I hope Randy makes mention of this procedure in his owner's manual for it. Go-Power mentions to connect first then start, but does not highlight that enough IMO.
The company may have resolved that thermistor issue since then, don't know. They were looking at a design fix for the 100amper which has a very high inrush if you set the voltage high. It works great as is if you follow procedure, so don't worry.
In any case, the main lesson is NO hot restarts, and DO clamp on first before starting it --the reverse acts like a hot restart. You only want to start it with a cold thermistor and it takes quite a while to cool down it seems--I would wait at least a half hour. Technically it should only take a few minutes but it takes longer!
Not clear what the OP wants his for, but note that the other PowerMax units have the 60 amper not power-factor corrected, while the 75s and up are. This means you can run them on a 15a (AC) circuit instead of a 20a circuit. Also that your 75 will not draw any more from your generator than the 60 would.
One of my recommendations on the prototype was to mark the top around the voltage knob with some voltages at no-load not connected to battery. Once you connect to the battery, the voltage meter reads something else nearer the battery voltage, so you cannot set the unit's own voltage accurately. With a little scale around the knob, you can set the voltage to the 15v marker when the meter is showing say 13.9, and now you can be sure it will bring the batts from 13.9 to 15 and hold there. If you don't have that marking, you have to wait till the batts get to 15 and then twiddle the knob so the meter says 15 and then it will hold there. (If they do have a scale on them now, I would do a confirmation check on it in case it is a little off "calibration" where there is a little "play" in the knob or whatever. You can then note any index error on the scale for future use)
