Simple Battery Charge Question

I just went out to do a little troubleshooting and now the blasted system is working as advertised. I took readings at the Converter's DC output, at the batteries (2 Trojan T105's), two different 12v outlets in the trailer and now they all read 14.4vdc. Like I said I have not changed anything to this system since new 18 months ago. It has acted up a couple of times in the past but not to where the batteries were not seeing what the Converter was producing.
The Trace TM500A I have is old but has always worked. It has a 500amp/50mV shunt on the negative side. It is very similar to a Trimetric 2025. My Converter is wired just as RoyB illustrated except there is no battery isolator as far as I know.
I do a lot of dry camping and really don't need this to happen way up in the High Lonesome when trying to charge the batteries running our Honda EU2000. I purchased the trailer new, put in the two Trojans and the Trace Monitor and all was good. I have had my suspicions about the Monitor from time to time that is why I took a reading directly at the batteries and the converter last night. So now the electrical magic has taken over and everything seems to be working ok :? For how long I do not know.
By the way, my rig is a 5th Wheel so forgive me for being in the wrong forum.
Bill

There should be no reason why adding the pendant to the PD unit would cause such a dramatic change to monitored voltage readings, unless it is not really in boost mode although the PD may indicate otherwise. When our Iota goes into 14.8 volts bulk charging it is reflected no matter where it is measured throughout the 12 volt circuitry contained within our rig as you have indicated prior to installing the pendant to the PD unit.

The measured DC voltage at the output of your converter is what should be reflected (minus a few tenths if that) in other circuits fed by the converter. That's how I know what phase of charging the Iota is currently in and I can check that pretty much anywhere on the rig. I have several DC power sockets throughout the rig's interior and exterior that have plug-in voltage meters indicating converter voltage output when plugged into shore power or battery voltage status when off the power grid.

I think we are all going to need to know what is installed between the DUAL ALLEN WRENCH LUG terminals on the PD9260C chassis and the main battery switch.



This is how I am wired up using my PD9260C, Remote DC Monitor Panel, BLUE SEA Battery switches, and Batteries. The TOP RED Wire coming from the PD9260C + terminal feeds my 12VDC Power Distribution Panel where all the 12VDC Fuses are located.


I have a 4AWG CABLE running from PD9260C DC OUTPUT terminals connected almost directly to my main battery switch which is around five feet away. About the only thing that would drop the 14.4VDC outputs down to 13.6VDC at the battery terminals is small battery cables being used or perhaps you have a DIODE BASED three lug BATTERY ISOLATOR installed in the mix. The high current diodes will drop the DC VOLTAGE by 0.7VDC which is almost what you are reporting... This device is NOT to be used with deep cycle battery installs.


You must use these SOLENOID types of BATTERY SEPARATORS to charge your deep cycle batteries.


What changes have you done to your BATTERY CHARGING system since originally installing the PD9260C and seeing the correct transfer of 14.4VDC from the converter/charger and the battery terminals. Where are you reading the 14.4VDC voltages. You should be reading this DC Voltage at the DC OUTPUT lugs of the PD9260C when it goes into BOOST MODE.

I am just poking around here for info...

NOTE: I am NOT at all familiar with the TM500A Battery status monitor panel or how it is wired into the system so I may way out in left field here with my observations. My DC monitor Panel is a homemade meter panel using two each 12VDC meters and a +/-75AMP DC Current meter. My Battery Monitor system would not support a CURRENT SHUNT DEVICE installed in the NEGATIVE BATTERY LEADS as the TM500A monitor system requires.

Roy Ken

Traildust wrote:
The PD9260 Converter and the TM500A Battery Monitor in our Arctic Fox have always agreed when it comes to charge voltage at the batteries. I have installed a Charge Wizard Pendant to the Converter so I can manually select Boost Mode and it's worked out just fine. Now when I select Boost Mode I see 14.4vdc at the converter but only 13.7vdc on the TM500 and at the Batteries? This is after 12 hours and batteries were discharged to 12.3vdc when I began to recharge them, they never went over 13.7 even though Converter was showing 14.4, am I missing something here!
Thanks for any help,
Bill

At the converter which 12 volt source are you measuring, the 12 volt "house" load source or the battery (re-)charging source?

Voltage drop due to wire size?