Been browsing BY and came across Zig Units for camper /caravans.

The Zig Units CF6 / 8 is listed as having the following:

3 fused switches

battery condition monitoring

automatic self resetting

current overload and thermal trip

What exactly is the battery condition montior system - is it just a voltimeter?

Automatic self resetting - WTF?

current overload and thermal trip - Am I right in assuming that this monitors / protects the feed from the driver battery to the leisure battery?

Does the Zig act as a split relay, with a feed from the alternater latching the van power supply to the leisure battery?

On the Zig 8 what are the three switches on the front on the top right?

At the moment I have a simple split charger relay (with fridge supply)and a bank of 4 switches and 4 ceramic type fuses for leisure distribution.

I use my multimeter as a "battery condition monitor".

when i rebuild the interior of the van in the new year Im considering

using a Zig Unit to consolidate all the seperate switch fuses, split charger etc. 

Q1 - can someone explain all the above Zig functions?

Q2 - is it worth buying a Zig unit or keep the van in it previous leisure layout?

Thanks for reading

Confused BM

Hi BM,

I can't answer all/both your questions, but here's a start.  'Battery Condition' on my Zig (can't remember model and van is 5 miles away from this keyboard!) is a pair of LED's.  Green = OK, Red = Low.  The idea is that you run on your liesure battery until green turns into red, and then switch to your vehicle battery - but only for very low consumption until you charge the leisure, or, drive to the next camp and charge off your split charger.  Yopu can switch between batteries on the Zig.

Zig make (or at least did used to make) a unit to charge your leisure off the 240V hookup.  But I couldn't find one, so I have an 'Intelligent' charger that will float-charge the leisure off the 240V.

From here on in, try using the search on here, and go Googling.  I think Zig still exists, but you will have to google for it.

Hope this is at least a start.  Good luck.

PaulG

ZIG units are essentially switching units; they do a similar job to a household consumer unit. My experience of them has been mainly in touring caravans, and they vary enormously in quality. Most of them being crap IMO! The "battery condition monitor" can be an analogue meter or a LED system as PaulG says, but it's very primitive - just a voltage sensor. In most tourers, simply turning on the water pump will dip it into the red. Although that is because, in most tourers, the wiring is so puny and badly designed, there is usually a voltage drop over the long thin cable runs anyway! (Imagine a 20foot caravan, battery at the front, wired to ZIG at the back, through on/off switch next to door in the middle, then TV socket at the front - 60 feet of wire that is usually too thin to support more than a couple of amps - turn the tap on and the TV goes off as the voltage drops to about 9v!)

I've never met a ZIG with an integral split relay system, and the ones with an integral charger are not much cop unless you can get hold of an early one; sometime during the late 90s the charging voltage was reduced to 13.6v "for safety reasons" - meaning that they don't fully charge the battery! I have retained an old 80's Harmony unit for this very reason, as it still charges at 14.4v.

If your system works well as it is, and is safe and neat, keep it - the ZIG and those like it will not be any great advantage.

mmmm - overall, not a major advantage to have one fitted then!

From Zig, the CF8 is around 98 squid. Quite a bit of money for not a lot really. My mulitmeter makes a fine condition monitor! As for switch ing between leisure and drive battery - I can go to Maplins for a 50p switch!

Thanks folk, you sold my current system to me! With the adavantage that I have 4 switches as opposed to the 3switches on the Zig

Cheers folks

I fitted one when i rebuilt my van. I have to say i think its great, works really well, looks neat etc. Being a bit anal, i used armour wire (fire safe) and rewired the whole lot - see pics.

I have the CF8 (very similar to the CF6) manual / wiring diagram etc on a PDF. If you wnat me to send it, pm me your e-mail and i'll send it over.

Its 3 Nos and 1 yes. Im tending to agree with DW, that it is a glorified switching panel and that most parts are available from Maplins.

The only thing I havent got is Thermal Protection.

What is it and how does it work?

Surely as long as my system has suitable fuse ratings then Im pretty well protected. Plus a fuse is cheap as chips to replace.

Zig Unit idea still not sold to me.

CBs idea of armoured wire seems a good idea but is it not at a weight penalty?

keep up the opinions

BM

Each to their own, i got the Zig for £80, brand new, and i'm happy with that, its neat & tidy, & does all that i want it to.

No the cable is no heavier, its the insualtion (sleeving) that is clever, you can literally put a blow torch on it & it doesnt melt!

Good luck with whatever you go for though

Sorry to resurrect an old thread but I was searching on this very subject.