DCDC charger

[chris69]

I was just woundering what the best DCDC charger is brand wise i've fond a powertec brand at jaycar is the others worth looking at??????

[Out-Station]

Chris, I run a 40 amp enerdrive. Good unit, no problems. As far as my research went enerdrive and redarc were well regarded.
Scott

[NAGG]

Redarc or Enerdrive ......... top quality gear with good local support

Chris

[slickas]

Hi Chris, I am running a Renogy 50 Amp, I have had this for about a year and can't fault it and the price is reasonable.Attachment 125171Attachment 125172

[Lovey80]

Chris, I run a 40 amp enerdrive. Good unit, no problems. As far as my research went enerdrive and redarc were well regarded.
Scott

I am running this one also. It was really easy to install and did away with a separate MPPT for the solar. Having an all-in-one unit for the alternator and solar was what sold me.

[scottar]

I was just woundering what the best DCDC charger is brand wise i've fond a powertec brand at jaycar is the others worth looking at??????

Jaycar gear can be hit and miss. Enerdrive and Victron give a 5 year warranty, Redarc make good gear as do another Australian company GSL. I went Victron - partly due to being unable to source the Enerdrive at the time but in the end it suited my installation better being more compact and with set up via bluetooth rather than front panel. The app allows you to see what is happening real time in regards to charging as well.

[ozscott]

Redarc is excellent reliable gear with excellent tech support in Oz. However from memory Victron is the only one with Bluetooth just like their 240v chargers. I like Victron and the Bluetooth monitoring would tip it for me but if Redarc do Bluetooth monitoring I would grab one of those even if slightly dearer than Victron. Cheers

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[Dignity]

There seems to be lots of gear on the market going into boats that has Bluetooth capability. Seeing it has only a 10m range (so at home it won't work fromy shed) and only 1 bluetooth item can be connected at any time, I've never been able to connect more than 1 item, is it worth the hassle. How do you tech savvy guys manage it, I'm old fashioned and happy to look at a gauge directly.

[toecutter]

Victron's Bluetooth app handles all device connections so even though you can only connect to one at a time, the app handles this seamlessly. Their newer Bluetooth devices are also capable of communicating between themselves using the Bluetooth functionality. For example, the battery monitor can tell the mppt controller the battery state.

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[scottar]

There seems to be lots of gear on the market going into boats that has Bluetooth capability. Seeing it has only a 10m range (so at home it won't work fromy shed) and only 1 bluetooth item can be connected at any time, I've never been able to connect more than 1 item, is it worth the hassle. How do you tech savvy guys manage it, I'm old fashioned and happy to look at a gauge directly.

When you open the Victron app, every Victron device within range shows and you then select which one you want to check. Realistically I check it once a trip just to make sure everything is functioning as expected. Things like the Enerdrive B-Tec batteries are the same. I've recently fitted a couple of them into a house bank where due to wiring configuration and battery locations, fitting a shunt style gauge wasn't an effort effective option. The bluetooth Victron AC battery chargers are great for storage situations where they are fitted permanently in up out of the way dry locations - stand next to the boat and check the app. The other thing the Victron products do that is pretty cool is automatic firmware updates when you connect if you have phone service. A gauge - ideally a shunt based contents gauge, is still a great way to go but sometimes it's just not the easiest option.

[brett62]

I was just woundering what the best DCDC charger is brand wise i've fond a powertec brand at jaycar is the others worth looking at??????

Chris I have done many hours of reading and research on DCDC charging but more for marine use. I got down to the Enerdrive and the Victron units as the pick. I am going with the Victron in my situation because the other equipment such as inverter, solar and a few other items will all communicate with each other. The Victron DCDC charger is bluetooth through the phone app or tablet and at this stage they are only good for 30 amps. You can run couple of these units together if you want more charge for lifepo batteries as they can be charged at a much higher rate. The enerdrive is good for 40-50 amps and has the solar controller built in the unit which is great.*

In a vehicle I would be happy with the enerdrive dcdc. The Victron has more smarts and ideal for what I am running in the boat.

[toecutter]

The Redarc DC-DC units are designed to allow engine bay/compartment mounting if desired, something most other chargers are not suitable for. Even if not mounted in the engine bay, this gives them much better heat and dust/water tolerance. And they are made in Oz too, if that matters.

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[ozscott]

The Redarc DC-DC units are designed to allow engine bay/compartment mounting if desired, something most other chargers are not suitable for. Even if not mounted in the engine bay, this gives them much better heat and dust/water tolerance. And they are made in Oz too, if that matters.

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Mate I had forgotten about that. They are very robust. Cheers

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