
Advocate I
Prices are valid in Europe, and are in Euro. Depending on quality/brand they might vary, I chose some middle ground options to give you an idea.
Comments
Option A This works fine for dumb alternators for ex. defenders :) or vehicles older than 2008.
It charges relatively quickly. Before buying all this stuff make sure you have at least 13.5 V at the alternator with no load on it. An old fashion alternator in good condition should have between 13.8 - 14.2 V
Check the voltage required to open the circuit on the VSR. Most will operate only if they detect more than 13.3 V. If you are below that nothing will charge.
Option B .. very flexible can be upgraded easy , fits new vehicles with smart alternators as well . The charging time is unbelievable fast. With my red arc I get from 75 % at 100% in about 20 min of driving. With a 40 amp DC to DC you can charge easily even 2 large AGM's and also add a lot of solar..
For option A and B wiring and labor not included..
ready made wiring kits are available at about 50-70 euros including proper size wires, fuse boxes, fuses, connectors etc..
Option A with permanent roof solar panel you need a top of the line MPPT controller or you will kill your AGM much quicker..
vitctron 10 75 for example at about 100 euro. The issue is that many cheap MPPT controllers will keep pumping some current even if the battery is at 100 % . While with a foldable panel that you connect from time to time is not an issue, if you are parked outside 365 days per year you have a problem. The other option is to disconnect the panels when you are back from the trip, or every time you park some place more than 2 days and you will likely forget that at some point.
No matter what some AGM producers say, if you put your AGM leisure battery in the engine bay the life of it will be half. You will say yes I have a starter AGM 6 years old but the starter battery never goes under 80 % discharge... most of the times is arround 90%.. so not a lot of stress on it. If you look at the data sheet of any AGM the number of cycles decreases a lot with the increase of operating temperature.
most medium cost AGM's will have about 800 to 1000 cycles at 50%, but with solar this will rarely happen. You should get 2500 cycles and a lifespan of 6 years easy, if you take care of it.
My type of use is like this.
The AGM goes in the back of the pick up in the ready made box in April when the camping season starts for me. I take it out in October , stays in the garage connected to a charger/mantainer.
I power a 35l snomaster fridge, and charge small devices like phone/tablets. With a 200 W inverter I could charge a laptop easy as well, never had the need though. The Snomaster during a summer day works half of the time during the day, I drink a lot of beer and I rotate them often.. :) , plus I have the poverty pack Snomaster with the thin plastic insulation .
At sun down, with my panels connected the battery is still full. In the morning, at sun up I am at about 75-80 % charge. This insures I don't have many deep cycles and the AGM has a prolonged life. Strange enough I am pretty sure a bigger fridge will draw even less, because I will put warm stuff less often . That means even if I don't move I have enough power even on cloudy days.
Option C no skill need it, easy, light, you can remove it from the vehicle in minutes . The charge time is very long. Either shore power, 12v cigarette plug or solar, most will charge in minimum 4 h. Getting a bigger solar panel will not help, they just can't absorb the supplied power fast enough.
Solar generators kept in storage while charging, at 100 % for a long time, will die quickly. Many of them have a fine print that warns they should not be charged while in use, or you will considerably decrease their life. If you want them to last you need to go to much more expensive models than the 450 euro listed
Many can be used as well as jumpstarters and have inverters so you can power a laptop or other small consumers.
Recomended sites in english for dc-dc chargers and wiring kits for Europe. I am sure there are many others, but they are a good reference . You can search after specific components and maybe you get lucky and find a better deal.
Auto & Marine Electrical Components & Accessories | 12 Volt Planet
Simply Split Charge Store
SplitCharge.co.uk | SplitCharge.co.uk
DC To DC converters -
place them as close to the aux battery as possible.. more than 1.5m is not advisable.
Redarc - can be installed in the engine bay. a 1220 - a 20 amp will do fine.. but the price difference to a 1240 is too small.. might as well go for the 1240 one . It has profiles for all types of batteries. ~ 331 Euro
CTEK
The support form the company for technical questions is O. Very fussy with where the ground is connected. Do not put this in the engine bay. Not recommended for DIY unless you are a vehicle electrics wizard. It is cheaper at 261 euro.
Victron Orion-Tr Smart 12/12-30A Non-isolated. Can charge up to 30 amps, any type of a battery you can think of. Victron is one of the best there is, also comes with integrated BT controller and an app, where you can manage the things. No solar input, very good price at 217 euro. Victron is very well know in the RV market , they have awesome documentation and on RV forums you can find tons of advice. Also not for engine bay installations.
The no solar input is not a huge drama. If you opt for a foldable solar panel like you should ( park the car in the shade, put the panel in the sun ) , most of them have a solar controller integrated or you can get one separately and still arrive under the price of a redarc. Right now it would be my option number one.
Solar panels..
For foldable ones..I would look more at the construction of the frame, the protection of the case.. etc. The wires between the panel and controller should be the thickest you can get your hands on. If they come with some thin wires, replace them immediately. Many are sold with a crappy PVM controller.. just remove it and get an MPPT or connect straight to the solar input of the DC to DC.
You can get the top of the line panel and mppt controller, and even tough the amps are not so high and in theory you can use thin wires.. the performance drops a lot. Good quality foldable panels come with very thick wires, that is a sign you can look for when shopping.
I am at my 3 rd overlanding vehicle now and I had them all, with hands on experience with VSR, CTEK and Redarc, all installed by me. My wiring never looked pretty but did not had fires or other issues either .. :)
I don't want to start an endless debate with AGM in engine bay and the finer points of level of deep cycle on AGM's . P
Please look at this as only a general advice and my experience with the 3 options.
Option A and B are more future proof, easy to modify and upgrade. And you can start small get for example only a VSR and battery . If you don't draw to much power and move every day, you might not need a solar panel .
L.E. Connections for solar to controller, Fridge to aux battery try to use Anderson plugs.
Many fit a Anderson plug somewhere outside the vehicle, permanently fixed, to connect the solar panel.
In this case, the plug will be exposed to the elements and will break eventually.
For use on the exterior is better if you go for a DT series connector, known as deutche plugs
They are rated to IP68, which means the connection is rated up to 3 meters of submersion as well as being “Dust Tight” (No ingress of dust; complete protection against contact)
Option A | Cost | Option B | Cost | Option C | Cost |
VSR - voltage sensing relay | 35 | DC TO DC & solar | 330 | Solar generator aprox 40 amps | 450 |
90-100 Amp AGM battery | 170 | 90-100 AGM battery | 170 | Solar panel | 100 |
10 amp MPPT controller | 25 | ||||
Solar panel 100-120 W | 100 | Solar panel 100-120 W | 100 | ||
Total | 330 | 600 | 550 |
Comments
Option A This works fine for dumb alternators for ex. defenders :) or vehicles older than 2008.
It charges relatively quickly. Before buying all this stuff make sure you have at least 13.5 V at the alternator with no load on it. An old fashion alternator in good condition should have between 13.8 - 14.2 V
Check the voltage required to open the circuit on the VSR. Most will operate only if they detect more than 13.3 V. If you are below that nothing will charge.
Option B .. very flexible can be upgraded easy , fits new vehicles with smart alternators as well . The charging time is unbelievable fast. With my red arc I get from 75 % at 100% in about 20 min of driving. With a 40 amp DC to DC you can charge easily even 2 large AGM's and also add a lot of solar..
For option A and B wiring and labor not included..
ready made wiring kits are available at about 50-70 euros including proper size wires, fuse boxes, fuses, connectors etc..
Option A with permanent roof solar panel you need a top of the line MPPT controller or you will kill your AGM much quicker..
vitctron 10 75 for example at about 100 euro. The issue is that many cheap MPPT controllers will keep pumping some current even if the battery is at 100 % . While with a foldable panel that you connect from time to time is not an issue, if you are parked outside 365 days per year you have a problem. The other option is to disconnect the panels when you are back from the trip, or every time you park some place more than 2 days and you will likely forget that at some point.
No matter what some AGM producers say, if you put your AGM leisure battery in the engine bay the life of it will be half. You will say yes I have a starter AGM 6 years old but the starter battery never goes under 80 % discharge... most of the times is arround 90%.. so not a lot of stress on it. If you look at the data sheet of any AGM the number of cycles decreases a lot with the increase of operating temperature.
most medium cost AGM's will have about 800 to 1000 cycles at 50%, but with solar this will rarely happen. You should get 2500 cycles and a lifespan of 6 years easy, if you take care of it.
My type of use is like this.
The AGM goes in the back of the pick up in the ready made box in April when the camping season starts for me. I take it out in October , stays in the garage connected to a charger/mantainer.
I power a 35l snomaster fridge, and charge small devices like phone/tablets. With a 200 W inverter I could charge a laptop easy as well, never had the need though. The Snomaster during a summer day works half of the time during the day, I drink a lot of beer and I rotate them often.. :) , plus I have the poverty pack Snomaster with the thin plastic insulation .
At sun down, with my panels connected the battery is still full. In the morning, at sun up I am at about 75-80 % charge. This insures I don't have many deep cycles and the AGM has a prolonged life. Strange enough I am pretty sure a bigger fridge will draw even less, because I will put warm stuff less often . That means even if I don't move I have enough power even on cloudy days.
Option C no skill need it, easy, light, you can remove it from the vehicle in minutes . The charge time is very long. Either shore power, 12v cigarette plug or solar, most will charge in minimum 4 h. Getting a bigger solar panel will not help, they just can't absorb the supplied power fast enough.
Solar generators kept in storage while charging, at 100 % for a long time, will die quickly. Many of them have a fine print that warns they should not be charged while in use, or you will considerably decrease their life. If you want them to last you need to go to much more expensive models than the 450 euro listed
Many can be used as well as jumpstarters and have inverters so you can power a laptop or other small consumers.
Recomended sites in english for dc-dc chargers and wiring kits for Europe. I am sure there are many others, but they are a good reference . You can search after specific components and maybe you get lucky and find a better deal.
Auto & Marine Electrical Components & Accessories | 12 Volt Planet
Simply Split Charge Store
SplitCharge.co.uk | SplitCharge.co.uk
DC To DC converters -
place them as close to the aux battery as possible.. more than 1.5m is not advisable.
Redarc - can be installed in the engine bay. a 1220 - a 20 amp will do fine.. but the price difference to a 1240 is too small.. might as well go for the 1240 one . It has profiles for all types of batteries. ~ 331 Euro
CTEK
The support form the company for technical questions is O. Very fussy with where the ground is connected. Do not put this in the engine bay. Not recommended for DIY unless you are a vehicle electrics wizard. It is cheaper at 261 euro.
Victron Orion-Tr Smart 12/12-30A Non-isolated. Can charge up to 30 amps, any type of a battery you can think of. Victron is one of the best there is, also comes with integrated BT controller and an app, where you can manage the things. No solar input, very good price at 217 euro. Victron is very well know in the RV market , they have awesome documentation and on RV forums you can find tons of advice. Also not for engine bay installations.
The no solar input is not a huge drama. If you opt for a foldable solar panel like you should ( park the car in the shade, put the panel in the sun ) , most of them have a solar controller integrated or you can get one separately and still arrive under the price of a redarc. Right now it would be my option number one.
Solar panels..
For foldable ones..I would look more at the construction of the frame, the protection of the case.. etc. The wires between the panel and controller should be the thickest you can get your hands on. If they come with some thin wires, replace them immediately. Many are sold with a crappy PVM controller.. just remove it and get an MPPT or connect straight to the solar input of the DC to DC.
You can get the top of the line panel and mppt controller, and even tough the amps are not so high and in theory you can use thin wires.. the performance drops a lot. Good quality foldable panels come with very thick wires, that is a sign you can look for when shopping.
I am at my 3 rd overlanding vehicle now and I had them all, with hands on experience with VSR, CTEK and Redarc, all installed by me. My wiring never looked pretty but did not had fires or other issues either .. :)
I don't want to start an endless debate with AGM in engine bay and the finer points of level of deep cycle on AGM's . P
Please look at this as only a general advice and my experience with the 3 options.
Option A and B are more future proof, easy to modify and upgrade. And you can start small get for example only a VSR and battery . If you don't draw to much power and move every day, you might not need a solar panel .
L.E. Connections for solar to controller, Fridge to aux battery try to use Anderson plugs.
Many fit a Anderson plug somewhere outside the vehicle, permanently fixed, to connect the solar panel.
In this case, the plug will be exposed to the elements and will break eventually.
For use on the exterior is better if you go for a DT series connector, known as deutche plugs
They are rated to IP68, which means the connection is rated up to 3 meters of submersion as well as being “Dust Tight” (No ingress of dust; complete protection against contact)
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