Battery issue, expert advice request.

Mine came in yesterday and man, much heavier duty than any of my other chargers. I have had jumper cables that weren't as big. LOL

The only thing I am not liking about the 3B version is having three sets of charge cables to manage and not allow to touch anything. The manual really didn't cover this issue but I would have to think each set needs to be isolated. The other question is about two batteries hooked together. They talk about is the batteries are in series, they need to be disconnected from each other but not is they are hooking in parallel. Having dual batteries under the hood, it would be nice to not have to disconnect them.
 
I'm with you on the 3 lead gig. Seriously considering returning it or selling it. It seems a waste to spend that kind of bucks to have to modify with Anderson connectors to prevent issues?
 
Mike said:
Mine came in yesterday and man, much heavier duty than any of my other chargers. I have had jumper cables that weren't as big. LOL

The only thing I am not liking about the 3B version is having three sets of charge cables to manage and not allow to touch anything. The manual really didn't cover this issue but I would have to think each set needs to be isolated. The other question is about two batteries hooked together. They talk about is the batteries are in series, they need to be disconnected from each other but not is they are hooking in parallel. Having dual batteries under the hood, it would be nice to not have to disconnect them.
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Dual batteries will be parallel, series would get you 24v. Parallel gets you 12v but cranks up the amperage.
 
Bob, I understand the difference. That's not the issue. It is, do I need to isolate the two batteries when charging, so each battery is not getting any input from the cross cabling.

When I had my M1010 and converted it over to a 12v only system, I put in an isolator relay between the two batteries, so one battery couldn't suck down the other. In the Dodge, both batteries are connect in parallel all the time. I have thought about doing the same thing like I did on the 1010, just haven't.
 
woody said:
I'm with you on the 3 lead gig. Seriously considering returning it or selling it. It seems a waste to spend that kind of bucks to have to modify with Anderson connectors to prevent issues?
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I have emailed them to ask about those extra leads and if they need to be isolated. I'll post up what I find out. This is a serious charger and having 3 of these batteries, I could actually use the 3 bank charging at times. Most of the time will be just the house battery though.


Here is the response I got from Odyssey (man that was fast!!!)

The charger is set up so that a single bank won’t charge unless the bank has a positive voltage of at least 1.0V. If it is less than 1.0V it will fault out automatically if you attempt to turn the bank on. It will not short out if the alligator clamps are touching because the reading will be 0 when the charger tests the bank prior to attempting to charge any battery. So no, they do not have to be isolated since they are dead circuits and no recognizable voltage is showing.
 
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Boy I hope they're certain or I'll be in the hunt gor a new rig tomorrow. Nice feature but would've been nicer if this gem was with the charger instuctions
 
Wondering if you could splice in a couple of big-bore anderson power-pole connectors so that the 2nd and 3rd bank cables could be disconnected.

We use these on the race cars:
Andrerson_SB50_120A_double_pole_power_connector_grey_16mm2_cable_1[2].jpg
 

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Mike said:
Bob, I understand the difference. That's not the issue. It is, do I need to isolate the two batteries when charging, so each battery is not getting any input from the cross cabling.

When I had my M1010 and converted it over to a 12v only system, I put in an isolator relay between the two batteries, so one battery couldn't suck down the other. In the Dodge, both batteries are connect in parallel all the time. I have thought about doing the same thing like I did on the 1010, just haven't.
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I had a feeling you knew that, I guess it was the way it was worded that made me unsure.
 
Herbie said:
Wondering if you could splice in a couple of big-bore anderson power-pole connectors so that the 2nd and 3rd bank cables could be disconnected.
Click to expand...

That was my plan A till Mikes revelation, now it's plan B. Not that I don't believe them but i'm going to throw a meter on them in a test case.
 
I did a follow up question with them about two batteries that are hooked in parallel and they did say they need to be isolated during charging.
 
Herbie said:
Tim is dead-on with this one. The Odyssey batteries need VERY high charging currents.

Here is their own recommended charger chart:
http://www.odysseybattery.com/documents/ODYSSEYapproved12VchargersMay2013_000.pdf

Note that the 100AH model is the PC2150

They recommend 40-50 Amps to charge that battery. Yes, that's a pretty hefty charge current. Using a smaller charger will likely not net you proper conditioning or a full charge on that battery.

I have the 50A charger because I too have the Diehard version of that battery as my "house" pack.
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Herbie what kind of fridge are running and how long will your battery run it with same settings?

M&M Overland Adventures
 
I charged the Diehard with the Odyssey charger and tested the fridge again this time lasted 38 hours.
Correction: Century charger was 15 amp not 20 amp.
Who can tell me how to test the fridge?
And do you have a similar setup?
If so what are your run times?

M&M Overland Adventures
 
I ordered the wiring harness from 4 Wheel Parts online 7/14/15.
They still don't even have an ETA
UNACCEPTABLE
Am I spoiled from amazon free 2 day shipping?
Twice 4 Wheel Parts said they would call back to advise and never do.
I think I will just dispute the charges and order from West Coast Differentials.
What's your experience with 4 Wheel Parts?

M&M Overland Adventures
 
Hey Matt try Northridge 4x4 in Washington State, great guys mostly jeeps but have a super in with ARB and QUICK.
 
DiamondBackMatt said:
I ordered the wiring harness from 4 Wheel Parts online 7/14/15.
They still don't even have an ETA
UNACCEPTABLE 
Am I spoiled from amazon free 2 day shipping?
Twice 4 Wheel Parts said they would call back to advise and never do.
I think I will just dispute the charges and order from West Coast Differentials.
What's your experience with 4 Wheel Parts?

M&M Overland Adventures
Click to expand...
I have not had good experiences with 4 Wheel Parts, so I just avoid them. My .02 worth.
 
Northridge 4x4 has in stock $44 plus 10 to ship usually 2 days till you get it 1-360-340-0282
 
DiamondBackMatt said:
Herbie what kind of fridge are running and how long will your battery run it with same settings?

M&M Overland Adventures
Click to expand...

Sorry for the late reply - been racing in Canada and just now getting back to the world.

I run the Diehard version of the Odyssey PC2150 (100AH) as my house battery. It powers our Edgestar 43Qt fridge and a few LED house lights. I usually have the fridge set to 36°, since there's a bit of hysteresis and it'll get below 32° and freeze some items if I set it much lower. I've only run it for a couple of weekends without the solar panel added to the system, but I can easily run 3 days on that setup, as long as we're not in/out of the fridge and adding warm beers too often. With the addition of a 60Watt solar panel and an inexpensive panel module, I'm very nearly on "indefinite" levels of charge. I suppose if we really added a lot of warm beer on a series of hot days, and weren't diligent about repositioning the panel into the sun or were using the lights more than normal, I could run it down, but power has been near the bottom of the list of things I worry about lately. I run out of weekend (or room in the portapotti tank) long before I run out of juice.

Granted, I try to use "best practices" with the fridge:
Pre-cool it on AC power before leaving home. Stock it with "already cold" items whenever possible, so the fridge isn't actively cooling down warm stuff on battery power. Keep the fridge loaded as full as is practical. Keep the fridge covered with a reflective cover and keep it out of direct sun when possible.

Hope that helps.
 
Thanks Herbie,
I too utilize best practices. I just added some reflective insulation to the snugpro shell window to help with heat and UV hitting the ArkPak. My fridge does have the insulation jacket also and is further in back of the shell so it doesn't get direct sun. I am using the Powerfilm 60 watt Solar panel with a Morningstar Sunsaver SS6 12v controller. So when I am stationary I've kept a good charge. When I am on the move I plug the battery and fridge into a surge strip that I plug into the rear bed outlet for charging. I did the 400 watt full time mod found on Tacoma World forum also.
I have conditioned the battery twice now and when I reinstalled it the ArkPak read it at 12.8 volts.
When I get and install the harness I will test again.

M&M Overland Adventures
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