Problems with Boondocker 60 amp converter

Salvo wrote:
The point is that it doesn't matter when you turn the gen off when charging with a 3-stage converter. You can go on a hike during that time. It's just more efficient to turn the gen off when boost is finished. On the other hand, if you got a dumb power supply that outputs 14.8V, then you better keep an eye on the amp meter. You can easily destroy your batteries if you're not careful.

It's a difference of plug & play, or plug & watch, watch ...

Go ahead and be a slave to your batteries. I got better things to do.

In my case, I babysit my generator, so it doesn't grow legs and walk off. Only outside when it's running.

Or just get more solar.... :B

The point is that it doesn't matter when you turn the gen off when charging with a 3-stage converter. You can go on a hike during that time. It's just more efficient to turn the gen off when boost is finished. On the other hand, if you got a dumb power supply that outputs 14.8V, then you better keep an eye on the amp meter. You can easily destroy your batteries if you're not careful.

It's a difference of plug & play, or plug & watch, watch ...

Go ahead and be a slave to your batteries. I got better things to do.

Yeah, as if the generator has an automatic cut off when the converter's amperage crosses a certain threshhold?

A manual charging source is not something that needs to be stressed out over or baby sat. It is not as if another hour longer than required at 14.8v is going to make the battery explode, or die instantly.

I'd fear the ' it dropped to float so it must be fully charged' mentality far more. Premature efloatulation has killed way more deep cycle batteries than a manual charger holding absorption voltage too long.

Salvo wrote:
Who wants to babysit some stupid batteries when camping? My time is worth a lot more that that.

A good 3-stage converter is worth it's price in gold.

The OP has solar. The most efficient way is to run gen until Iota comes out of bulk. Battery is then charged to 87%. The rest is done by solar.

MEXICOWANDERER wrote:
It's near impossible to "beat" a manual control recharge for speed and economy by generator recharging. And the generator run time advantage is anything but subtle.

That's still babysitting and watching until an Iota comes out of bulk mode? Guess you can't win, Salvo, still gotta babysit, regardless of what your or my time is worth. May as well do it while cooking breakfast, making coffee, then eating and drinking it. Surf some internet, catch up on emails, charge the phone, that ought to about do it.

Who wants to babysit some stupid batteries when camping? My time is worth a lot more that that.

A good 3-stage converter is worth it's price in gold.

The OP has solar. The most efficient way is to run gen until Iota comes out of bulk. Battery is then charged to 87%. The rest is done by solar.

MEXICOWANDERER wrote:
It's near impossible to "beat" a manual control recharge for speed and economy by generator recharging. And the generator run time advantage is anything but subtle.

With a pair of GC-2's from Costco, assuming they aren't dead... You have about 206 amp hours at 12v. A MegaWatt or a Meanwell, set at 14.8V, with an RC charger meter in line, will get the job done to an 80 to 90% charge faster than most anything else. 1.5 to 2.5 hours if discharged to 60% SOC, should get you back to where solar can finish the rest.

I would look at getting a RC watt meter off of ebay, and when at 14.8V, the charging rate drops off from 30+ amps to a 10 amp rate of charge, I'd shut the generator off then. Your batteries will be fine. Keep an eye on the water level when doing this.

I've done this many times with my Trojan T-1275 150 amp battery, with the $50 30 amp MegaWatt version, set at 14.8v. Works like a charm. Use 8 gauge wire for the connections. A Honda Eu1000i will run the 30 amp version, it will not run the 36 amp version, you need a bit more generator for that.

The objective when doing this is but one... while dry camping, bulk charge your batteries as quickly as possible with least amount of run time on the generator. Absorption and float charging can and should be done with solar panel setups.

It's near impossible to "beat" a manual control recharge for speed and economy by generator recharging. And the generator run time advantage is anything but subtle.

Automatically controlled charging when done "properly" suits power pedestal connection perfectly. Just plug it in, and let it rip for a day or so.

When camping I do not want to waste time. An old-fashion charger is really not suitable either because it'll keep raising voltage. A 36-amp MEGAWATT power supply set to 14.8 volts is hard to beat. Once it reaches 14.8 volts it stays there.

The first use, check the battery cells and when they are lightly bubbling, call it quits. But first note the amount of amperage flowing into the battery at 14.8 volts. Thereafter when the amperage drops to that same value, shut off the generator. No need to check for bubbling. This is a great recipe for weekend to week long getaways. Serious boondockers need to go a few steps further fine tuning the recipe.

Sixty-five dollars worth of Megawatt beating a two hundred dollar "Einstein" converter by recharging (fully) in sixty percent the amount of time should be a no-brainer.

If you're on generator then the PD is not the optimal choice. It will never output rated current. Gen time will be longer. You're already having that problem with the Boondocker.

Here's a charging plot of two Costco 6Vs. The Iota outputs 55A from the get go. At 87% SOC the Iota drops out of boost. At this point in time solar can finish up the job.



Voltage scale is on the left side y-axis and current & SOC scale are on the right side y-axis.

IOTA ends bulk 15 minutes after 14.6 trigger is hit or 225 minutes. During this 15 minutes voltage is limited to 14.8. For Absorption the IOTA holds 14.2 volts for up to 8 hours. 14.2 may seem low but is right about the gassing level. IOTA amps do not sag like the PD so you will get full continuous rated output during bulk. Both are great.

http://www.iotaengineering.com/pplib/IQ4manual.pdf