Silent battery charger - once and for all |
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86ClubJoker
Groupie Joined: 29 Oct 07 Location: Norfolk Status: Offline Points: 140 |
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Posted: 23 Nov 12 at 12:59 |
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Hi all
A couple of years ago, I replaced the original Westfalia BBB "black buzzing box" charger with a Sterling Power Products ProCharge 10 amp charger: http://www.sterling-power.com/products-chargers-procharge.htm The ProCharge 10A seems to do a good job of keeping the two batteries charged (both wet lead acid car batteries, as originally supplied by Westfalia), but it is actively cooled by a 40mm fan, which is quite noisy. Since the thing is under the bed, I often switch it off when I sleep, and find it annoying even when I'm awake. (OK, I admit I'm slightly obsessive about noises like this - over the years I've spent hours and days researching quiet components to build silent but fast PCs which don't sound like an aircraft on take-off). I've thought about swapping out the fan for a quiet one, but 40mm is a difficult size (too small!) to get a quiet fan giving a decent amount of airflow, and I'd rather not modify the charger for risk of overheating it, etc. - don't want a fire in the van. So... back to looking for the ultimate charger - a good quality multi-stage charger which is PASSIVELY COOLED - no fan. The Sterling ProSport PS1212 waterproof looks like it be good - waterproof seems overkill, but at least it means there are no fans. The Sterling website doesn't give much info, but suggests that it should be considered where the waterproof aspect is a priority - implying that there is a downside to it, but not saying what the downside is. Does anyone have any experience of the Sterling ProSport - positive or negative? Can anyone recommend a good charger, preferably with first hand experience, which meets these criteria? - 10A or more output, with 2 independent outputs for starter and leisure batteries - passively cooled - no fan - no coil whine or buzz (whine can be a problem with cheap switched-mode units) - well built, good quality - small size, to take up minimal space under the back seat Any help much appreciated, and hopefully this thread will be of use to other folks who just want healthy batteries and peace and quiet. John Edited by 86ClubJoker - 23 Nov 12 at 15:22 |
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AdrianC
Groupie Joined: 15 Apr 12 Status: Offline Points: 198 |
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With the exception of the twin outputs, we're very happy with the Ctek MXS we fitted last winter (we were living in the van until mid-October, so it's had plenty of use!). It's totally silent (and I sleep with my head directly over it). It's small and was dead easy to fit in place of the huge old BBB. http://www.ctek.com/int/en/chargers We went for the 5A version - and have had no problems with "gaining on it" - but they do a 10A and 25A version as well. The bigger ones include a temp sensor, which presumably needs to be fitted to the battery's case, so fitting will be a bit more involved. As far as the twin output goes, there's not really much need to float the starter battery, assuming you've moved the stereo/interior lights to the leisure - again, quick and easy. Once that's done, the starter battery just does the van electrics - anything "camper" is off the leisure. One other thing you didn't mention in your wish list - a "condition" mode, to desulphate partially coated battery plates and extend their life. |
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Adrian & Ellie
Zookeeper of a miscellany of motoring silliness, from 0.75bhp to 9ft tall. Living life on the road in an '88 2.1 Club Joker Hightop. http://WhereverTheRoadGoes.com |
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86ClubJoker
Groupie Joined: 29 Oct 07 Location: Norfolk Status: Offline Points: 140 |
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Adrian,
Thanks for the info and sharing the benefit of your (extensive!) experience. I don't use my van as often as I'd like, and certainly not as often as you, so the starter battery tends to get discharged. I'd like to have a built-in way of charging the starter battery (say, when the van is laid up for the winter) without driving. The CTEKs look good. One thing I've wondered about: do they just start charging automatically when you plug them in using the settings you last used, or do you need to press a button to configure them again each time and to start them going? Also on the CTEK list, there are some boxes which could work in combination with a single-output charger, the alternator, and two batteries, to share the available charging sensibly. I've gone against the brick-yard grain and not rewired my interior lights. My reckoning is that Westfalia got it right and put the low power drain items against the starter battery, and the higher powered ones against the leisure battery - to share the load, while giving priority to maintaining a charge in the starter battery. I run a power amp from the leisure battery, and the head unit doesn't power any speakers. This might all seem excessive for an old van, but I want the best for my van, and want to do this right, and only once more. Cheers John Edited by 86ClubJoker - 04 Dec 12 at 22:23 |
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86ClubJoker
Groupie Joined: 29 Oct 07 Location: Norfolk Status: Offline Points: 140 |
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More battery charging gadgetry:
http://www.smartgauge.co.uk/smartgauge.html http://www.smartgauge.co.uk/smartbank.html#advanced They seem recommended on other motorhome website around the web. I can't make much sense of the website information though, so despite having a degree in Physics, I can't figure out how they work or what precisely they do. |
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JonnyAtlantic
Yardie Joined: 04 Aug 08 Location: Hove Status: Offline Points: 342 |
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I've been reading about getting rid of the BBB box, and what people have done on here and Club 80-90 (but as mine is still working it's not a great priority).
Many have installed items like the ctek or Amperor or Numax. Some have used the existing wiring and just fitted a switch, to toggle between charging Starter and leisure. More adventurous have modified the charger for dual output. It's all here..... |
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1990 Westfalia Atlantic 1.6TD - Pop Top
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AdrianC
Groupie Joined: 15 Apr 12 Status: Offline Points: 198 |
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I dunno about "extensive" - the original BBB, and a grand total of one aftermarket solution... <grin>
That'll be the stereo memory doing that. If your starter battery's good, once you get any draws off it, it should stay charged all winter with no problem.
No need to touch anything. Just plug in, and forget.
Yep, or you could fanny about with putting the chargers output into the split-charge relay, or do any of a number of other things.
The problem with that logic is that the bits on the starter battery ARE the high-draw, in the main. If it's warm enough not to need the Eber, then you're only using the tiny amount of current required to keep the fridge on gas, together with the tap, off the leisure. I think you're over-thinking it. It seems to me that Westfalia left the original van wiring alone (and, of course, the stereo wiring and interior lights were part of that), and just added their own wiring (leisure with split-charge, fridge, water pump, Eber) to the back of it all on a separate loom, with as little actual modification as possible. I've moved my wiring over the simplest and most easily undoable way possible - a (fused!) flylead straight from leisure to fusebox, under carpet, with a male spade terminal on the end. Unplug radio/interior light fuse, plug spade in. Job jobbed. Took about ten minutes to do, and takes about five seconds to revert if required - unplug spade, insert fuse. |
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Adrian & Ellie
Zookeeper of a miscellany of motoring silliness, from 0.75bhp to 9ft tall. Living life on the road in an '88 2.1 Club Joker Hightop. http://WhereverTheRoadGoes.com |
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adeybruce
Newbie Joined: 26 Jan 13 Status: Offline Points: 6 |
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Would you be kind enough to let me know which terminal I should be aiming for on the fuse box to switch over the lights/radio to leisure? I've worked out which fuse does the business but cannot see which wire that relates to round the back of the fuse box! Thanks.
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VW T3 California 1989 1.6TD. Second Owner
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JonnyAtlantic
Yardie Joined: 04 Aug 08 Location: Hove Status: Offline Points: 342 |
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Just pull out the fuse (15 amp) and push the spade end of feed from leisure into the top terminal where the fuse went. You don't need to go round the back!
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1990 Westfalia Atlantic 1.6TD - Pop Top
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86ClubJoker
Groupie Joined: 29 Oct 07 Location: Norfolk Status: Offline Points: 140 |
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In the end, I fitted a Sterling Power ProSport 12A 2 output charger, which I'm pleased with so far. It's fitted under the back seat, and saves quite a bit of space compared to the original fitment Westfalia BBB. It does make a faint high-pitched whistle typical of (modern, efficient) switched-mode power supplies, but I can't hear this unless I have an ear up against the charger - a big improvement over the fan-cooled charger I had before. The extruded metal casing of the charger doesn't get hot, just warm, so I would feel OK about packing things in to the space around it.
I think a single-output CTEK would be a good option too, a bit cheaper, and by all accounts excellent quality. Perhaps a simple manual changeover switch to charge the starter battery (instead of the leisure battery) on the rare occasions when it's needed would be a good solution. Or even a second smaller (and cheaper) CTEK, just for the starter battery.
Edited by 86ClubJoker - 22 May 15 at 12:19 |
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