Has anyone used a Tekonsha 2024-07 12V DC to DC

[pianotuna]

Hi all,

Has anyone used a Tekonsha 2024-07 12V DC to DC charger instead of a Trik-L-Start?

I can't seem to find an owners manual. The unit charges at up to 4 amps. I'm thinking it would all me to leave the Pinealla's remote on for the Yamaha generator.

[MEXICOWANDERER]

And all of them are degree holders in "ADVANCED IDIOT 101".

Another example of showing management their paycheck is justified.

Landyacht put the battery through calisthenics and brought forth facts.

Lithium babysitting is a different story.

But the knotheads would have you playing Luciano Pavarotti to one of their batteries "to ensure a less stressful charge" if they thought they could get away with it. They do the Hocus Pocus because they know the administration is dumber than microwave jello.













And all

[Gdetrailer]

pianotuna wrote:
Hi,

What I wish to do is make up the power used by the Pinella remote. It requires the key on the Yamaha to be turned on. I did kill the OEM battery in the Yamaha generator.

I don't need a lot of power--the remote runs for a week before it drags the Yamaha starter battery down to the point of 'no start'.

Part of the problem is that I rarely use the generator. If I did--it would charge itself up. In the last year I used 3 tanks of gas in the Yamaha. It seems annoying to have to go outside to turn on the key--so that I can use the remote! * grin *

Seems to me that your lack of use far exceeds the actual use of the gen.

Putting you in a quandary of convenience vs inconvenience..

To make the remote 100% convenience requires a huge, convoluted, messy, expensive "work around" adding additional complexity which eventually can turn around and bit you in the rear.

For the extremely slight inconvenience of walking out once and a while to turn on the key to the gen to me does not seem like worth all of the hassle you are embarking on.

Now, with that said, you can setup your own "charge line" using a battery isolator or battery SOLENOID which would have much more amperage capacity instead of using a standard 30A-40A relay.

Then you will need some sort of low voltage disconnect to PROTECT YOUR VEHICLE STARTING BATTERY from being over discharged.. failure to do that can and will strand you..

But, in reality, you can avoid all of that by upsizing the battery on the generator.. 7Ahr-10Ahr is barely enough of a battery and upsizing the battery to higher capacity should stop burning up relays.. May mean some sort of battery case mod to the gen..

Heck my 8700 Watt home gen I am using a old worn battery out of a pickup truck, wasn't healthy enough to reliably start my pickup in winter, but has no problem spinning the gen over in winter.. They only recommended a 35Ahr battery for that gen..

[pianotuna]

Hi,

What I wish to do is make up the power used by the Pinella remote. It requires the key on the Yamaha to be turned on. I did kill the OEM battery in the Yamaha generator.

I don't need a lot of power--the remote runs for a week before it drags the Yamaha starter battery down to the point of 'no start'.

Part of the problem is that I rarely use the generator. If I did--it would charge itself up. In the last year I used 3 tanks of gas in the Yamaha. It seems annoying to have to go outside to turn on the key--so that I can use the remote! * grin *

[landyacht318]

I have an 18Ah AGM, the UB12180, though the one I have is marketed towards the stereo boom boom crowd, and is called a '600 watt' battery. I suspect it is just the UB12180 with a different sticker.

Anyway, I have depleted this battery to well below 50%, and hooked it to my 40 amp power supply, set at 14.7v.

Peak amperage was 36, to raise voltage that high instantly. This quickly fell to 32 amps and about 5 minutes later it was still accepting 25 amps at 14.7v.

Max charge rate listed for the UB12180 is 5.4 amps!
No mushroom cloud exceeding that rate by several fold.

The 25 amps was holding steady when I could not be around to monitor battery temperature, so I lowered voltage until only ~ 10 amps were flowing, and then raised it back up on subsequent passes back upto 14.7v and held it there until amps stopped tapering.

Even 10 amps is well above the 'max' 5.4 amp charging rate.
No mushroom cloud.

This battery has, by itself started my 2 week cold 5.2 liter v8 engine in warm ambient temperatures. My dual wattmeters inline on the dual 8awg cable recorded close to 1800 watts of draw on the battery with their peak watts added together.

No mushroom cloud.

This battery in parallel with my fully charged regular group 27 AGM battery, will provide 50 amps assist, when starting the motor over a single pair of 8awg wires. This number varies depending on the state of charge of the 27.

No mushroom cloud.

Obviously, I would not be discharging this thing to below 50% at huge discharge rates on a regular basis, nor regularly exceeding its max recommended charge rate by a factor of 6 on a regular basis, but some seem to think that the mushroom cloud is just around the corner if it sees either too high a charge or discharge rate once.

I'd not be searching for any product to keep the generator battery healthy, I'd occassionally parallel it with the regular batteries when they are being held at absorption voltages, bring it to ~14.7v for a few hours each week. This can be as simple as whatever length of 18AWg lamp wire you can salvage, hooked to the battery and a ciggy plug.

These chinese AGMS do not have super low self discharge like higher quality AGMs, but they don't need a constant trickle charge either in my opinion, especialy one that does not consider battery temperature and vary voltage accordingly.

If thee small chinese AGMS are unintentionally deeply discharged, I would feed them no less than 30% of their rated capacity upto their absorption voltage, and the UB/UPG batteries list a 14.5 to 14.9v absorption voltage in 'cylic' duty. If you look at the UPG or UB battery spec sheets the max rate is always 30% of their capacity.

There are loads of DC voltage boosters online. I got a 150 watt one for less than 3$ shipped slow boat from china. So far all I have used it for is making 12v fans levitate at 27 volts, but I would have little issue using it to EQ a battery or as a inline voltage booster for too thin and too long of wire feeding a distant battery.

[Gdetrailer]

pianotuna wrote:
Hi,

I did try just using the charging pin on my trailer connector. It worked fine--until I attempted to start the generator and it burned out the relay. Fortunately my cousin had one to replace it.

I'm really looking for a Trik-L-Start type device, that would limit input amperage, while doing just tiny charging on the generator. This would be to allow me to leave the key on, so I can use the Pinella remote.

As to why not use a Trik-l-Start? Well they cost about $120 USD in Canada, plus shipping. And because they are over the "limit" I then get to pay GST and PST on top of the $120. Now the cost is approaching $180 bucks Cdn plus shipping! * ouch *

:h

Something does not add up.

Your using a 7-10Ahr battery to start a generator? Right?

Burned out a 30A, possibly 40A tow charging relay in the process starting the gen?

Gen is pulling more than 30A-40A when starting, 7Ahr-10Ahr AGM isn't going to take that for long which is why relay burned..

Your trying to get around this by using a DC-DC charger?

Right?

Yeah, I don't see that working so well, most likely will be burning out the DC-DC unit in a hurry, they are not designed for that kind of overloads..

You would need a switching DC-DC power supply which has a current limiting fold back.

You need to re-evaluate, check the starter amps being drawn, resize the gen battery, need a bigger gen battery that can support the starter cranking amps, then you won't be burning up relays or fuses in the process.

The battery source which has significantly more voltage and Ahr capacity will not sag and the gen will pull more current from the battery which can support the current.

Even my backup gen I have for my home, I use a 5A multistage charger to keep the battery up to full charge at all times..

I NEVER attempt to start the gen for testing/exercise with the charger powered, always disconnect the 120V from the charger, THEN start the gen.

What you are doing is no different..

[pianotuna]

Hi,

I did try just using the charging pin on my trailer connector. It worked fine--until I attempted to start the generator and it burned out the relay. Fortunately my cousin had one to replace it.

I'm really looking for a Trik-L-Start type device, that would limit input amperage, while doing just tiny charging on the generator. This would be to allow me to leave the key on, so I can use the Pinella remote.

As to why not use a Trik-l-Start? Well they cost about $120 USD in Canada, plus shipping. And because they are over the "limit" I then get to pay GST and PST on top of the $120. Now the cost is approaching $180 bucks Cdn plus shipping! * ouch *

[Gdetrailer]

pianotuna wrote:
Gdetrailer, ty.


The battery I hope to maintain is pretty tiny. I think 7 to 10 amp-hours and AGM.

The manual and the website give conflicting information.

Web site says 4 amps.

Manual says:

Battery Data Chart• 12 VOLT• Maximum charge current must be limited to 1.2 amps•

Piano,

You have your answer, 4A charge is most likely going to be too much for the battery you are wanting to charge.

However, keep in mind that would be 4A IF the battery has been deeply discharged, fully charged battery, should not be much of an issue.

Now in reality, with the small battery and small drain, a DC-DC charger is way overkill.

Just allow the small battery to be charged by the tow vehicle, that IS how it is done with most utility trailers.

My 18ft flatbed utility trailer breakaway system has a 5Ahr AGM in a small box, the tow vehicle recharges that battery when driving.

I also have a 15V DC 5A switching power supply (not a charger)that I plug in when at home and not towing..

[MEXICOWANDERER]

I read on this forum a noted member paralleled a bunch of Chinese boosters successfully. For a hundred dollars you can boost a lot of amperage. Like fifty or so.

Galley Power LLC Low Voltage Battery Disconnect, 20A, 12V/24V Auto Detect (Amazon)



So you don't over-discharge the principal batteries





Boost Voltage Converter, DROK 1500W Voltage Regulator Booster DC 10-60V Step Up to 12-90V 20A Input Power Supply Module Volt Transformer Circuit Board AMAZON

Recommended all batteries be AGM

[pianotuna]

Gdetrailer, ty.


The battery I hope to maintain is pretty tiny. I think 7 to 10 amp-hours and AGM.

The manual and the website give conflicting information.

Web site says 4 amps.

Manual says:

Battery Data Chart• 12 VOLT• Maximum charge current must be limited to 1.2 amps•

[Gdetrailer]

HERE is the manual.

According the manufactures website HERE they are claiming a min of 4Ahr.