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  • Herman4x4
    Valued Member
    • Oct 2009
    • 2231
    • Melton, Victoria

    DC to DC and solar

    Hello,
    I have fitted a DC to DC fire alternator charging, yet to fit up for solar.

    A solar question. When a solar panel is connected, does it charge the main battery first, then the aux battery?

    It's a Projecta 25 amp.

    Cheers,
    Andrew.

    Sent from my CPH1611 using Tapatalk
    Cheers,
    Andrew.



    2008 NS Diesel Auto - stock as a rock. Planning Tow bar, dual battery system, cargo barrier, bullbar, winch, lights, roof rack and suspension.
    Jayco Starcraft 17.58-3.
  • wazza5
    Member
    • Jan 2015
    • 65
    • WA

    #2
    You will need to read manual. With most dc to dc the main purpose is for the solar to meet any demand on the battery first, then charge the battery and once it meets the required level then it will charge main battery.
    The main purpose of the dc to dc charger is to charge the battery to which is connected to charge. Solar is another source to allow this, with the added bonus that it will charge the main if all other functions have been met.

    Comment

    • sharkcaver
      "2000"+ Valued Contributor
      • May 2009
      • 6270
      • Perth

      #3
      The Projecta and all dc/dc chargers I am familiar with that have solar input will only charge the aux battery.

      If you want to charge the starter, you will have to connect a regulated panel to that directly.

      And if you only want to charge the starter, you will need to disconnect the idc from the starter.

      Happy to be corrected on that.
      MY16 NX GLX5 with just a few bits added. MY14 D-max spacecab, also with a few bits added.

      My Journeys

      Comment

      • sharkcaver
        "2000"+ Valued Contributor
        • May 2009
        • 6270
        • Perth

        #4
        Ok, so I have been informed the dcc pro from intervolt will back feed solar to a main battery if the main battery is fully charged (>12.8v). Which is sort of useless anyway I would think??

        There may be others I do not know about.

        My IDC and Redarc will not backfeed solar to the main battery. They will only feed the aux battery.
        MY16 NX GLX5 with just a few bits added. MY14 D-max spacecab, also with a few bits added.

        My Journeys

        Comment

        • Kingbrown
          Valued Member
          • Apr 2012
          • 1776
          • Port Augusta - SA

          #5
          CTEK will definitely backfeed the solar input to the starter once the auxiliary has been fully charged.
          2012 PB Challenger LS Manual

          Comment

          • Herman4x4
            Valued Member
            • Oct 2009
            • 2231
            • Melton, Victoria

            #6
            Thanks for the responses. Might just connect to the main. The paj won't be getting used for a while so a good time to do it.
            Cheers,
            Andrew

            Sent from my CPH1611 using Tapatalk
            Cheers,
            Andrew.



            2008 NS Diesel Auto - stock as a rock. Planning Tow bar, dual battery system, cargo barrier, bullbar, winch, lights, roof rack and suspension.
            Jayco Starcraft 17.58-3.

            Comment

            • Mundy55
              Valued Member
              • Nov 2015
              • 917
              • Gold Coast

              #7
              Originally posted by sharkcaver View Post
              Ok, so I have been informed the dcc pro from intervolt will back feed solar to a main battery if the main battery is fully charged (>12.8v). Which is sort of useless anyway I would think??

              There may be others I do not know about.

              My IDC and Redarc will not backfeed solar to the main battery. They will only feed the aux battery.
              I have had an Intervolt dcc for several years and as far as I am aware and experienced, it does not charge the main battery but only the auxilliary when using solar. A great unit for a number of reasons but a limitation on solar input is it caps the charging voltage to 13.2V which greatly decreases solar panel effectiveness, notwithstanding it being an MPPT controller.

              From where did you get that info, Sharkcaver? I think I'll have to go and read the manual again.

              Comment

              • sharkcaver
                "2000"+ Valued Contributor
                • May 2009
                • 6270
                • Perth

                #8
                Originally posted by Mundy55 View Post
                From where did you get that info, Sharkcaver? I think I'll have to go and read the manual again.
                A forum member emailed me with a screen clip just after I posted. It appears to be from their manual. I just downloaded the manual from their site and its pretty basic in regards to solar, noting this is revision 2. The manual I was sent was probably the original manual. see scenario 2 in the attached clip:
                Attached Files
                MY16 NX GLX5 with just a few bits added. MY14 D-max spacecab, also with a few bits added.

                My Journeys

                Comment

                • Mundy55
                  Valued Member
                  • Nov 2015
                  • 917
                  • Gold Coast

                  #9
                  Originally posted by sharkcaver View Post
                  A forum member emailed me with a screen clip just after I posted. It appears to be from their manual. I just downloaded the manual from their site and its pretty basic in regards to solar, noting this is revision 2. The manual I was sent was probably the original manual. see scenario 2 in the attached clip:
                  Thanks, Sharkcaver. Having re-read my manual, what your friend did not indicate was that the info he provided was for 'voltage sense mode' in which the operation of the DCC-Pro is determined by the voltage of the main battery. However, the other mode available is 'ignition control mode' where the operation of the DCC-Pro is controlled by whether the ignition switch is on or off. This is the mode I have always used. In this mode, if the ignition switch is off, the main battery is isolated and the solar only charges the auxilliary. See scenario 3 in the attached. I had forgotten the about the first mode as I've never used it.
                  Attached Files

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