brandta Report post Posted March 28, 2011 I have been reviewing some possible options for house battery charging. We have a bank of 6 6V flooded cell batteries in a 2004 Rexhall (Ford F53 chassis). Most of our outings are 1-2 week dry camping then off to the next site. Don't spend a lot of time in shore power situations and our converter/charger is one of the really "dumb" units. The Xantrex unit looks like it would take better care of the battery bank, but it is currently unclear to me from the documentation I have if it is a workable addition to the Ford alternator. Specifically is the Ford a P-type alternator and is the charging current really limited to 6 amp or is that a control circuit limit? Any experience would be greatly appreciated. Alan Brandt, Jefferson, OR. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wolfe10 Report post Posted March 28, 2011 Alan, First, determine if you have an EXTERNALLY REGULATED alternator. If so, the XAR Digital Alternator Regulator is an excellent choice. We are on our sailboat right now and it has a 120 amp externally regulated alternator and the XAR Digital Alternator Regulator. So, yes, I have a lot of first hand experience with the regulator. I installed and programmed it. And with that regulator, alternator output can easily "tap" the max output of the alternator. When "dry camping" (actually anchored out) in the boat, it is not unusual for us to see 70+ amps of charging at 1500 engine RPM's. If your alternator is externally regulated, or you modify your alternator such that it is externally regulated, let me know. About the only "secret" is to make sure the red wire (battery sense wire) is ON the battery, not alternator. This is particularly true if you have a diode-based battery isolator. The regulator can then send the full voltage (you set voltage based on battery type) to the battery. There are clear advantages to using a "smart" regulator to control your alternator, just as there are to having a smart charger vs a "dumb" converter. Advantages are that it turns your alternator into a true 3 stage charging system with bulk, absorption and float charge (voltage and amps) rates. So, for example if you have AGM batteries like we do on the boat, it starts charging (bulk rate) at 14.4 VDC, drops to 14.2 in absorption and floats at 13.4. So, it will both charge more quickly if the batteries are discharged and after they reach full charge, will not continue to overcharge the batteries as you drive all day. Brett Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
