BUGA Community
Technical => Exteriors and Interiors => Topic started by: Kirk on August 01, 2008, 12:37:25 PM
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Ok well the plan is to have a mass of speakers of all types, with a 22inch flat screen and ideally i want some kind of light show (dont ask me how...cause i dont know), now im sure these use alot of battery power, and id like them to be able to run when the car isnt going, atleast for upto say an 1hr or 30mins minimum.....Now ive heard someone throw the word "deep cycle battery" around, will they do the trick? is there a different trick? it must be possible cause caravans and even other vehicles have this kind of think done....how do i?
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Get yourself a small main battery for starting and a deep cycle(100-120ah) to run everything else. You should be able to fit this combination in the factory battery compartment.
I'll do up a circuit diagram when I get a chance to show the best way to wire them up.
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Get yourself a small main battery for starting and a deep cycle(100-120ah) to run everything else. You should be able to fit this combination in the factory battery compartment.
I'll do up a circuit diagram when I get a chance to show the best way to wire them up.
Awesome, it currently seems to have a massive battery in there, ill look around for 1 of these "Deep Cycle" batteries, anywhere know a place?
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Any good battery shop will be able to help you out.
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run all your sound system/lights/tv off the deepcycle battery and link the two batterys with a low voltage cut out switch . when the voltage drops below a certain voltage it splits the batterys so you normal battery doesn`t go flat , once you start the engine and the voltage goes back up it`ll automaticaly link the two together so the deepcycle recharges . don`t have to wory about turning the battery isolator switch on and off
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run all your sound system/lights/tv off the deepcycle battery and link the two batterys with a low voltage cut out switch . when the voltage drops below a certain voltage it splits the batterys so you normal battery doesn`t go flat , once you start the engine and the voltage goes back up it`ll automaticaly link the two together so the deepcycle recharges . don`t have to wory about turning the battery isolator switch on and off
This is a good idea in theory and a lot of auto electricians do this as do 4x4 accessory shops, but it just doesn't work that well in practice.
When I get a chance I'll do a drawing showing the best way to run dual batteries.
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ill be interested in your plans too shane..
cheers
ben
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I'll see if I can quickly do something in paint.
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Here we go.
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So Shane, the relay switches the earth to the main battery on when the ignition is on, and the second battery is live all the time? seems like a simple solution.
Warren
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So Shane, the relay switches the earth to the main battery on when the ignition is on, and the second battery is live all the time? seems like a simple solution.
Warren
That's exactly how it works. This also allows you to only have a small main battery cause the only time it will ever be used is when cranking.
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Just in case its not clear to anyone else reading this -
deep cycle batterys can be run down flat , and then recharged without a problem.
your standard battery will have a much shorter life if its run flat and recharged too many times.
you can also get dual battery controllers which make sure the main battery is fully charged
before the secondary one gets any juice.
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Hi
Just wanting to clarify about where the relay actually goes. Does it connect stright up to the ignition wire.
Cheers
Phil
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The relay is switched on by the ignition.
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Hey Shane, just saw this thread.
Whilst interested, I have a concern..
Wouldnt the relay need to be rated to the number of amps required to turn the motor over? for instance, if my motor requires 500A to turn over, the relay would then need to be rated to 500A so the earth can feed this amperage thru?
I have my dual battery setup in, with kill switch, but not driving the van for 2 weeks still killed the battery as there is obviously a leak to earth despite MOST things being on the dead side of the kill switch.
Disconnecting the earth would be the best bet..
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You are correct about the relay amperage but remember solinode relays will have a much higher peak current rating than what they are marked as. A 300 amp relay will do the job nicely.
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or use one of these..
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How much did you pay for that? I have one here I'll happily sell.
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about $65-75 NZ i think..
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Hey Shane, just saw this thread.
Whilst interested, I have a concern..
Wouldnt the relay need to be rated to the number of amps required to turn the motor over? for instance, if my motor requires 500A to turn over, the relay would then need to be rated to 500A so the earth can feed this amperage thru?
I have my dual battery setup in, with kill switch, but not driving the van for 2 weeks still killed the battery as there is obviously a leak to earth despite MOST things being on the dead side of the kill switch.
Disconnecting the earth would be the best bet..
Would an amp meter. Between the earth terminal of the battery and the chassis detect if there is a current leak? Might need a digital unit that reads from zero to 30 amps as the larger needle type ones would hardly move with a small current. I agree a battery isolation switch is the best way to be sure,
Although some radio sets need standby power to keep the settings and time in the memory etc.
I have a growing collection of dead batteries because my van only gets used now and then and the charger seems to shorten their lifespan, I have since installed a voltage sensitive dual battery relay switch. not sure if this will solve my problems.
Cheers
Ian
Cheers
Ian