Why would I Need Power Management
- Out Whale Watching for the day in beautiful Hervey Bay
- Out fishing for the day on Coopers Creek in far Western Queensland
A guiding principle is that there should never be any drain on the main start battery when the vehicle is switched off.
An unintentional drain on the start battery when the vehicle is switched off is called a current drain and should be investigated
Any auxiliary device connected to the main battery should be wired through the ignition switch so that it turns off when the vehicle is turned off In both cases above the start battery would be fine but the cold beer in the fridge may not be cold
The answer is a dual battery system with or without battery management
Auxiliary or Dual Batteries
Start Battery Isolator
These work by automatically disconnecting the auxiliary battery when the voltage from the start battery drops lower than a preset value
Battery Isolators work well when the vehicles alternator is not managed by the Electronic Control Unit
Battery Charger - Direct Charger BCDC
The start battery in many recent vehicles is managed by the ECU The output from the alternator is reduced or turned off when the electrical requiremnts of the vehicle have been met
An Isolator is NOT suitable for these systems as the Battery Voltage may be less than the trigger voltage of the Battery Isolator which results in the Auxiliary Battery not being fully charged
In addition, a BCDC provides for multiple inputs, solar/wind/alternator, and various charging voltages to cater for differing battery chemistries
Battery Management
Battery Management System - BMS
Never find yourself with a flat battery ever again with REDARC’s state-of-the-art battery management system, the Manager30. Designed to charge and maintain the auxiliary batteries used in recreational automotive and marine applications, these battery chargers incorporate AC, DC and solar inputs to achieve the best charge.
