Forum Discussion
121 Replies
- MEXICOWANDERERExplorer
MEXICOWANDERER wrote:
I definitely recommend a 400 watt model rather than a 350 watt.
And I prefer the Megawatt over the Meanwell, unless you have plans for exceptionally high voltages. Why Mega? It's 2.23 oz heavier, which seems to be due to heavier winding in the inductors.
I'll be blunt. Some forum members demand others see things "their way". So, they challenge information. "Prove it!" So when the information is "proven" which cannot be done without getting down to technical nuts and bolts, then they cry "PhD! PhD! There's a PhD On The Loose Everybody Run!" They claim they can push a button and have their constantly deep cycled batteries last, what (?) ten or twelve years. Well may I politely ask, Prove THAT!
The object is to satisfy the battery, not satisfy me, not you, nor anyone else. If the wants and needs of the battery are ignored, a penalty will be exacted and it's expensive.
A dissatisfied battery is an undercharged battery. 100.% of the smart chargers undercharge the battery WHEN THEY ARE USED AS CHARGERS WHEN BOONDOCKING USING A GENERATOR. Anyone can screw-up a forty dollar Chateaubriand roast. Simply stick it in an oven for five hours at 650F. Are ovens "smart?" Hell no. Neither are the people who would do that.
But the key to using a power supply like a Mega or Meanwell is a wind up timer. A four-hour timer has enough time margin for any task. It takes a small learning curve, about the same strength a curve as a three year old's playing Pound-A-Peg to figure out what's best for them. Set the device for 14.8 Set the timer for an hour. Was it enough? Yes? No? When it's "dialed in", repeat. The timer eliminates any danger of overcharging and believe me when the timer runs out you sure as heck will hear your generator "burp".
Another harebrained complaint about "Near Hell Week At The Seal Training Camp" use of a power supply is "I don't got no time to fool around with no gizmo!" Well bucko, you don't use the power supply every time you charge the batteries. It's used when the batteries do not charge up time and again, with the smarter-than-thou converter. I can easily imagine going four or five charges. But if a person is THAT lazy, they shouldn't have a heart attack fretting over starting and stopping a generator, but keep a pee can next to the recliner alongside the T.V. remote. - MEXICOWANDERERExplorerI definitely recommend a 400 watt model rather than a 350 watt.
And I prefer the Megawatt over the Meanwell, unless you have plans for exceptionally high voltages. Why Mega? It's 2.23 oz heavier, which seems to be due to heavier winding in the inductors.
I'll be blunt. Some forum members demand others see things "their way". So, they challenge information. "Prove it!" So when the information is "proven" which cannot be done without getting down to technical nuts and bolts, then they cry "PhD! PhD! There's a PhD On The Loose Everybody Run!" They claim they can push a button and have their constantly deep cycled batteries last, what (?) ten or twelve years. Well may I politely ask, Prove THAT!
The object is to satisfy the battery, not satisfy me, not you, nor anyone else. If the wants and needs of the battery are ignored, a penalty will be exacted and it's expensive.
A dissatisfied battery is an undercharged battery. 100.% of the smart chargers undercharge the battery WHEN THEY ARE USED AS CHARGERS WHEN BOONDOCKING USING A GENERATOR. Anyone can screw-up a forty dollar Chateaubriand roast. Simply stick it in an over for five hours at 650F. Are ovens "smart?" Hell no. Neither are the people who would do that.
But the key to using a power supply like a Mega or Meanwell is a wind up timer. A four-hour timer has enough time margin for any task. It takes a small learning curve, about the same strength a curve as a three year old's playing Pound-A-Peg to figure out what's best for them. Set the device for 14.8 Set the timer for an hour. Was it enough? Yes? No? When it's "dialed in", repeat. The timer eliminates any danger of overcharging and believe me when the timer runs out you sure as heck will hear your generator "burp".
Another harebrained complaint about "Near Hell Week At The Seal Training Camp" use of a power supply is "I don't got no time to fool around with no gizmo!" Well bucko, you don't use the power supply every time you charge the batteries. It's used when the batteries do not charge up time and again, with the smarter-than-thou converter. I can easily imagine going four or five charges. But if a person is THAT lazy, they shouldn't have a heart attack fretting over starting and stopping a generator, but keep a pee can next to the recliner alongside the T.V. remote. - DieselBurpsExplorerThanks landyacht318,
Can I leave the meanwell connected to the batteries? So all I have to do is plug into genny and start charging?
I think I am going with the meanwell rsp 750-15 - landyacht318ExplorerTry calling Errin at powermax converters about warranty. Randy is just the middleman with the 'click order' on his website and not early as good a grasp on battery charging as he would like his customers to believe.
The Meanwell rsp-750-15 claims to have a maximum input of 8.2 amps @ 115Vac which would be a 943 watt load at a claimed 92% efficiency.
http://www.meanwell.com/mw_search/rsp-750/RSP-750-SPEC.PDF
Use as fat of wire as possible which will fit the terminals. Set to 14.8v unloaded, then hook to battery.
The casing will get hot at maximum output. Consider adding more ventilation and or sticking some heatsinks to the casing sides adjacent to the transistors - DieselBurpsExplorerWell no word from Randy at BestConverters.com. I think I am done with them and their 'smart' chargers. Moving onto a meanwell. Now I need to know which one to get for my needs.
My plan is to just use the powermax boondocker for when I have shore power and for float, when I am boondocking I need to charge as much and as fast as possible with the least amount of genny run time. I do have 250 watts of solar, and a DC compressor fridge that draws 3.8 amps when running.the batteries are Costco 6 volts. I think I will mount the Meanwell inside the camper attached to the batteries with a cord for the AC side that will come out where 30 amp shore cable is located. My questions are as follows.
Which Meanwell for a Yamaha 2000 watt genny?
RSP-500-15 ?? or RSP 750-15 ??
Set voltage to 14.8 coming out of the meanwell to the batteries?
what size wire for run from Meanwell to batteries? Will be about 3 feet away.
Thank you all! - CJW8ExplorerLandyacht,
You may be correct but considering its features I believe it is worth it. On a $50K+ RV what is another $500? It has settings for most common battery technologies, has temperature compensation, can do a real equalization and can charge two different banks at once. With all the posts here regarding care of batteries and converter manufacturers failure to make a converter that will meet the recommended battery charging specifications, I don't feel it is too expensive. Besides, the replacement cost of a battery bank can exceed the cost of this charger. I wouldn't want to trust the care of an expensive bank on a compromise converter/charger that is a one size fits all. It also has an optional remote that can control all functions from inside the RV while giving visual feedback of what is happening to your batteries. - landyacht318Explorer
CJW8 wrote:
landyacht318 wrote:
Hondochica, no PHD required.
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 beg to differ...
The Xantrex TrueCharge2 will do 16 V equalization. It must be manually started, after that it runs on a timer for safety reasons.
You're right of course, But that charger is an order of magnitude or 2 more expensive than the Big three converter offerings. - landyacht318ExplorerPD's 'equalization' stage, is more of destratification. Bumping the voltage back upto 14.4 every 18 hours, causes some bubbling that mixes the electrolyte. It's Supposed to help, at a minimum, in keeping denser stronger acid on the bottom from chewing the plates.
The marketers got together, decided 'Equalization' would increase sales some percentage more than 'destratification' and thus the fourth stage of charging is erroneously defined, and forever warps the mind of anybody who read the manual and looks no further.
Congratulations,
You've looked further. - hondochicaExplorer
landyacht318 wrote:
No automatic 3 stage converter/charger offered can accomplish the 15.5v+ EQ charge.
Arrgghhh! I just wrote this post and it bonked when I tried to "post" it! Apparently it doesn't like a percentage sign, but then I see you used one . . anyway. . starting over
Hi Landyacht318 - thanks for chiming in.
It's funny that you comment that the PD9245 is not 'junk', even though it apparently does not produce a 'true' equalizing charge (of 15+v) despite the fact that the manual and the website "boasts" that it Does provide an equalization charge - but only 14.4 or 14.8 - I forget which right now. So if it is marketed as a true "4 stage charger" but doesn't truly "equalize", then - at least part of it is 'junk' - imho.
I have no way of creating a 15+v charge right now. Am reading that I may/should be able to do that with the solar panels I'm looking to add. I detest running my gen. Ran it 6 hours yesterday with batts at 70 percent - never got above 14.1v, but amps in tapered to <1 so . . . I was hoping that was 'close' to full.
Appreciate your comments/thoughts
Kelly
01 Rialta FD
hangin' in Quartzsite for now - CJW8Explorer
landyacht318 wrote:
Hondochica, no PHD required.
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 beg to differ...
The Xantrex TrueCharge2 will do 16 V equalization. It must be manually started, after that it runs on a timer for safety reasons.
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