Problems with Boondocker 60 amp converter

Hondochica, no PHD required.

The pd9245 is not junk. If your wiring from PD to battery bank is thick enough for the distance from PD to battery bank, and you can feed it 115vAC often enough, it should be able to keep batteries happy enough for long enough. Being able to choose voltage 'stages' via the pendant gives a level of control above the other converters, but this choice might freak some out.

When exclusively generator recharging there are better options for returning the batteries to as high a % as possible in as short a time as possible, but if recharging time is not a big consideration then neither is the charging source's specific abilities.

Also when flooded batteries are punch drunk from many deep cycles without a full recharge, an Equalization charge is required, and these require voltages in the 15.5 to 16v area and some observation by a human to decide when to end the EQ charge.

No automatic 3 stage converter/charger offered can accomplish the 15.5v+ EQ charge.
EQ's can greatly extend battery life when the battery is cycled deep and hard often.

I was trying to find the best automatic compromise to meet my needs/desires, and when I removed the 'automatic' from the requirements, then I was also able to remove the 'compromise'.

I can achieve Ideal battery recharging with a adjustable voltage power supply, but it is not automatic. But I enjoy controlling the parameters. Others dont.

Don't mean to hijack this thread . .

But does one seriously need a PhD in electronics to charge their house batteries?? After reading 8 pages of posts - it almost seems that way.

This thread has been all over the board - (BTW: Mexicowanderer - I like your style!) from my interest: PDs are good/ PDs are junk . . I have a P9245 - a few years old now; am pulling the RV ('01 Rialta) out of 'retirement' and trying to get her up to speed - while full timing. Prefer to boondock full time. I posted a Q here: http://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/28746840/gotomsg/28746978.cfm#28746978 where you can read about my woes!

Trying to learn. Need a good voltmeter. But . . in short if possible . . where does one go to learn about: voltage drop and testing; wire size requirements; Is my PD9245 good or junk? which may be moot after I add solar.

Any website recommendations for a beginner would be greatly appreciated. I could spend days just wandering this forum!

back to the OP

Thanks

Kelly
learning in Quartzsite, AZ
01 Rialta FD

DieselBurps wrote:
Everytime I try to post a reply i get an error message saying website is not available.

Was reading this thread and ..

I had the same problem with posting. Are you using Firefox? I switched to Google Chrome browser and have not had any problems posting.

fyi

Kelly

windviewer wrote:

I would post the links, but apparently (I guess) a junior member can't post links to ebay.

Search for "3590S-2-102L 1K" for the 1K;
Search "2K Ohm 3590S-2-202L Potentiometer With 10 Turn Counting Dial" for the 2K with a dial.

Junior members not posting links is probably an anti spam filter on RV-net for the moderators, to keep the junk posts down that they would have to remove of shills and spammy advertising.

Larryect wrote:
Don't know the quality. But this looks like it might do the trick:

Potentiometer with dial


Oops, sorry, that looks like a 10k ohm......

I ordered a 1K and a 2K (just for the dial). I would post the links, but apparently (I guess) a junior member can't post links to ebay.

Search for "3590S-2-102L 1K" for the 1K;
Search "2K Ohm 3590S-2-202L Potentiometer With 10 Turn Counting Dial" for the 2K with a dial.

I ordered both (one just for the dial). It is cheaper than driving all over town trying to find a dial.

You're on the right track. You'll soon find what you need.

I cheat when I connect the jumper wires between the potentiometer and small contacts on the rear side of the Mega's board mounted pot.

They're soldered of course. But I use solid 14 gauge copper wire. A long length. The end of which is manipulated by a third-hand alligator clipped to the wire. I then solder the solid wire to the pin.

Then I trim the length of the solid copper wire to length. I connected 20 gauge wire to the solid wire. A piece of 3/16" 3-to-1 heat-shrink gets slipped over the wire and down to the Mega's pot on the board. Then I do the 2nd one. Both wires rises vertically and I GOOP then to the face of the Mega's case for strain relief. The wires of course then continue on to the potentiometer's tabs. Turning the knob clockwise raises the voltage of the Mega. In reality with the pot, the resistance is decreasing as I go clockwise. Clockwise to increase voltage.

For the timer eBay INTERMATIC® SPRING WOUND TIMER. They are more reliable than the other kinds, and a glance of the knob pointer tells you where you are at.

Criminy! I took a break and came back to a Black & Decker charger sitting on my desk! Lightweight. I'm afraid this one is an "automatic goner" right off the bat. They buff the numbers off the IC's and I'm not into wave soldering. The transformer jobs I can repair more manual operation. The lightweight ones are scrap. Ooooooo we plugs it in, and ALL the lights come on. All 7-digits of the volts and amps. Reverse polarity, temperature, all charging levels. An expensive Christmas tree ornament.

Smart. Real Smart.

Don't know the quality. But this looks like it might do the trick:

Potentiometer with dial


Oops, sorry, that looks like a 10k ohm......

Go online and search

1K 10-turn 2-watt potentiometer

Then research for caliper locking scale knob for the 10-turn pot.

A dial with numbers gives you EXACT reference points via the numbers. The locking feature insures your setting does not get disturbed until you want it to.

Remember you pre-set the voltage first. Disconnected from the battery.

Apparently for a few criticizer's of manual charging the idea of a wind-up electrical timer is beyond comprehension. The timer with face-plate connects to a plastic duplex box (for bulletproof insulation). Half hour, one hour, two hour, 4 hour and 12 hour timers are sold on eBay. I like Intermatic. This brand is used for restroom light timers and are industrial quality and reliability.

Correlating battery voltage remaining and time charging needed becomes automatic. A couple of times will dial you right in.

There is NOTHING wrong with using a smart converter for it's intended purpose. Connecting to a power pole for 1+ days. When it comes to generator charging a 3-stage "smart" converter does not stand a chance unless you like running a generator forever and 3-days.

For novices, too often the tail wags the dog. It is the battery that determines what happens, not the other way around. I have met the so-called engineers at battery charger companies. Most are pre-med grade B.S. specials who don't want to get fired for criticizing battery charging rote for automatic chargers.

An expensive totally automatic charger worth perhaps 1-times a person's gross worth, can successfully interpret the CHEMISTRY of the DUT. But they need calibration checks every few months. People who seldom if ever disconnect and boondock are the biggest critics of manual charging. Automatic chargers have their place in life just like manual chargers. It's when an automatic charger falls flat on it's face boondocking is when a manual charger should be considered.

I have a workshop with perhaps nine EXPENSIVE failed automatic chargers. The latest is a Die-Hard. It died easy. I gagged when I examined it's circuit board last night. Not one single damned MOV or avalanche diode. Yeah right. Connect integrated circuits directly to control 12-pounds of sixty ampere rated transformer/inductors. If those brilliant engineers can't figure out something as basic as this, they're goners. None of those transformer units have transient voltage suppressors. They aren't junk. With timers and silicon rectifiers they'll make great genuine chargers. With DO5 70-amp rectifiers and an Intermatic timer, I'll put a 5-year warranty on them.

"Ahm in a crosswalk! Ah got the green walk signal. That car has to give me the raght o way. That's what all of this is designed fo................."

Yep, it depends on intended usage whether replacing the pot with a 10 turn one is worth it.

Right now i have my set at 13.93v. Battery monitor indicates 0.0x amps are flowing into the fully charged AGm battery, but the watt meter I put on the MW output indicates it is making 6.71 amps to power my TV and this laptop and fan and lights. I could run my laptop AC adapter but don't bother.

Next time I discharge it, I can plug it into the grid, put voltage to ~14.46 to 14.9v and then hook together the 45 amp anderson powerpoles and 40 amps will flow from it. When amps at 14.4x volts taper to 0.4 or less I will lower voltage to 13.8v or so, depends on temperature.

If I will be away when 0.42a at 14.46v is reached, I just set voltage to 13.6 to 13.8v and forget about it.

I'm not using a generator, I've got time whenever I plug in. Any automatic plug and play would be good enough for me, but I prefer more control. There are times when times that 120vAC is limited and a premature drop to 13.8v would enrage me.

DieselBurps wrote:
If I get the meanwell do I need to purchase one these pots?

Depends... on what you want to do with the PSU. If just bulk charge... you could just set it to 14.8V for a FLA battery and watch the amps, and call it good.

If you plan on adjusting the settings for absorption charging and float charging, it takes really steady hands to get the proper setting on a 270 degree pot.

If you absorption charge and top charge with your solar panel and adjustable charge controller on the solar panel daily, then it's fine to just leave the setting at 14.8V on the existing pot on the MeanWell /MegaWatt.

This is a manual setup... it's up to you to figure out what your needs are and accurately put together how you are going to get there. If you adjust the voltage a lot, the 10 turn pot mod is the way to go. If you just bulk charge, the stock pot may be just fine.