I am a retired graduate mechanical engineer so I am not totally stupid about batteries but I have been reading many posts on this forum and I am completely overwhelmed and baffled. Specifically, I have been following the Amp hours to fully recharge? post on how to tell if your battery is fully charged. Since I didn't want to hijack their thread, I started this new one.I am picking up my new truck camper in two weeks. I believe that it will have a 45 amp Progressive Dynamics converter charger. I need to wait and see what batteries it will have but most likely lead acid. I will be mainly dry camping. I will not have any solar. I have a 4 gauge wire in the truck from the positive and from the negative posts and will connect it to the truck camper battery terminals. I will have a Honda 2000i generator with me to use for the microwave and charging purposes. Now what I would like to do is get the best charging system I can for it. My hope is that I could get a simple answer something like: Buy this “Brand and Model” charger and “Use it in this fashion.” I realize that is a very over-simplified request but it is a starting point for me. Once I have the correct charger, I can learn thru your help how to most efficiently maintain my battery system. I plan on using the camper’s converter charger to maintain the battery when in storage.LeRoy

If it, indeed, has the PD 45amp converter/charger in it, that's all you'll need. plug the camper power cord into the generator just like you intend to do when using the microwave. The PD will do it's thing.

The only way I know my batteries are charged is when the solar controller says "Float"The 'best' battery charger? Lots of solar with a really good controller, and not TOO many batteries.

The only thing better than the PD would be solar.

2oldman wrote:The only way I know my batteries are charged is when the solar controller says "Float"The 'best' battery charger? Lots of solar with a really good controller, and not TOO many batteries.My controller drops to float voltage before the batts are full according to the Trimetric AH counter. There isn't enough time before dark to get them to True Full at such low amps you get at high SOCs.It is true you get closer to full before dark if you have a smaller bank wrt the amount of solar.IMO the OP just needs a good voltmeter and an hydrometer at first to see how things go using the PD and Honda. Use shore power often enough to get back to full so the batts don't hard sulfate from too long without a complete recharge.Later, adjust as required.

BFL13 wrote:IMO the OP just needs a good voltmeter and an hydrometer at first to see how things go using the PD and Honda. Use shore power often enough to get back to full so the batts don't hard sulfate from too long without a complete recharge.Later, adjust as required.What is an example of a "good voltmeter" (Brand and model) and which hyydrometer would you suggest? I am just trying to get this correct the first time.LeRoy

What is the Ideal Battery Charging System? | Good Sam Community

mena661
Explorer
May 12, 2013
X2 BFL13, if you REALLY want to get them to full, his advice is gold.
BFL13
Explorer II
May 12, 2013
By good, I mean it reads to two decimal places not just one. 14.35 vs 14.4 eg.

I use a digital multimeter ( the kind with the 10a not the milliamp) when on sale for under $20. I use a glass hydrometer with bobber for about $6.

IMO the plastic type of hydrometer with the sideways arrow is too hard to use (I can never get the right amount of water sucked up so it works right)

BTW, if you have 12v batts I suppose the PD will do ok, maybe, but to take care of 6s properly you need a way to get them over 15v at times, which the PD can't do. (14.4 max) For that, your best bet is:

http://www.boatandrvaccessories.com/f023.html

Why the 15+v at times?

http://www.wholesalesolar.com/pdf.folder/battery-folder/charging_instruction_2011_2.pdf
Homeless_by_Cho
Explorer
May 12, 2013
BFL13 wrote:

IMO the OP just needs a good voltmeter and an hydrometer at first to see how things go using the PD and Honda. Use shore power often enough to get back to full so the batts don't hard sulfate from too long without a complete recharge.

Later, adjust as required.

What is an example of a "good voltmeter" (Brand and model) and which hyydrometer would you suggest? I am just trying to get this correct the first time.

LeRoy
BFL13
Explorer II
May 12, 2013
2oldman wrote:
The only way I know my batteries are charged is when the solar controller says "Float"

The 'best' battery charger? Lots of solar with a really good controller, and not TOO many batteries.

My controller drops to float voltage before the batts are full according to the Trimetric AH counter. There isn't enough time before dark to get them to True Full at such low amps you get at high SOCs.

It is true you get closer to full before dark if you have a smaller bank wrt the amount of solar.

IMO the OP just needs a good voltmeter and an hydrometer at first to see how things go using the PD and Honda. Use shore power often enough to get back to full so the batts don't hard sulfate from too long without a complete recharge.

Later, adjust as required.
time2roll
Nomad
May 12, 2013
The only thing better than the PD would be solar.
2oldman
Explorer II
May 12, 2013
The only way I know my batteries are charged is when the solar controller says "Float"

The 'best' battery charger? Lots of solar with a really good controller, and not TOO many batteries.
OnaQuest
Explorer
May 12, 2013
If it, indeed, has the PD 45amp converter/charger in it, that's all you'll need. plug the camper power cord into the generator just like you intend to do when using the microwave. The PD will do it's thing.

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