My SCA replacement was therefore fitted in the cabin under the passengers seat and has faithfully served my wet aux batt in the engine bay for 2 years without a hiccup.Ī lot of folks think they don't need such devices but the reality is that all vehicles made after are required to comply with ECE emissions standards which requires the charging system to shut off or disconnect the load on the engine in some way once the crank battery reaches what the boffins have researched to be an acceptable level. SCA had no issues with a refund or replacement.Īn auto elect tech in WA I sought help from said every DCDC charger he's ever seen fitted in an engine bay, regardless of brand (Redarc too), has failed prematurely in the outback heat. The bad thing is that the long run to the van may very well drop the voltage below this so that is simply doesn't work.įor me, the first one in the engine bay failed in the heat. The great thing about 12.8 volt turn on-off is this eliminates the need for a VSR. Unlike the two leading brands that charge all batteries the same, the SCA/Matson can be properly set for different lead acid battery chemistries. They are a Matson charger, made in Melbourne but with SCAs own branding. Have used that very model for a couple of years now. I'd be very much interested if anyone else has installed one in their van or camper and what their results have been.ĭon't fit it under the bonnet near high engine temps or it will die an early death. This also has an mppt solar controller onboard.īased on the install and the level of testing I've already put it through, I'm happy to report it appears to be doing the job just dandily.įor now though and until I get into further testing, based on the relatively high voltage suppl required, I think this one may be better suited to under the bonnet or in tug duties. I'll report back once I get the tug side of things sorted and let you know of any challenges that present themselves then.Ĭompare this to the projecta dcdc charger I have in the back of the pajero which operates 9-32v. So depending on your alternators output and the size of your cable run, you may be on or under that limit for it to work. So if you're looking at these, consider your installation carefully.Īs you will see in the video below, I applied various voltages to the unit to test this out and can confirm operation starts at 12.8 One challenge with this one is that it requires 12.8 - 16v input to switch on and commence the job. No different to any other brand of dcdc charger. The unit is very basic and takes an input from the alternator of your tug and boosts the voltage up sufficiently to charged your aux battery. I currently have a 125a/h battery doing duties for mostly lights and usb charging of various devices. It can handle lead acid, gel and calcium batteries. Tis a supercheap ridge ryder branded variant which is rated at 20amp. I finally got around to chucking the dcdc charger into the caravan this weekend.
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