Battery Isolators...
- Thread starter woody
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I understand the diffrent configurations, just not sure which one that will best suit my needs and which brands are truly up to my standards as I have never needed to purchase this type of equipment nor have I ever owned a boat. Thanks for the book title. maybe I will have someone read it to me.
Rich said:
Rich,
Coming into this a little late, but i'm on my second isolator (first one i thought was bad) and i'm experience the same voltage and amperage drop. With the accesories on my amps plummet to the point that my radio cuts out. Naturally, this is unacceptable, and so i've been searching a solution.
I have a 82 60 with the stock alternator (sucks) and a standard surepower 100 amp isolator. How would i wire it so that the voltage drop is not an issue?
TIA
Rob
Rob,
You would firstly need to get a wiring diagram for your alternator & voltage regulator. You then need to determine which is the sense line for the voltage regulator. In the wiring diagram the terminal or pin on the voltage regulator (or alternator, if the regulator is internal, I am not familiar with FJ60s) would be labeled "S". The wire that feeds the "S" terminal needs to be connected to only the battery side of the isolater. The voltage regulator uses the voltage on the "S" terminal as the current system voltage and outputs however many amps needed (within its capability) to keep the voltage sensed to be around 14.5 volts. So you would want to connect the sense wire to whichever battery is used to start and run the engine. The aux battery will not be sensed by the voltage regulator and will therefore just be "along for the ride".
Do note that other altenator problems could also result in lack of charge.
You would firstly need to get a wiring diagram for your alternator & voltage regulator. You then need to determine which is the sense line for the voltage regulator. In the wiring diagram the terminal or pin on the voltage regulator (or alternator, if the regulator is internal, I am not familiar with FJ60s) would be labeled "S". The wire that feeds the "S" terminal needs to be connected to only the battery side of the isolater. The voltage regulator uses the voltage on the "S" terminal as the current system voltage and outputs however many amps needed (within its capability) to keep the voltage sensed to be around 14.5 volts. So you would want to connect the sense wire to whichever battery is used to start and run the engine. The aux battery will not be sensed by the voltage regulator and will therefore just be "along for the ride".
Do note that other altenator problems could also result in lack of charge.
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Guys,
For those of you dealing with isolator voltage drop issues, we start building our new POWER-GATE isolator line starting Wednesday. NOT enough voltage drop to require jumping the regulator across the isolator. It's a perfect switch that automatically allows current to flow only one direction, and instantly opens the switch when current flows the wrong direction. With all due respect, POWER-GATE makes conventional isolators and solenoids the technical equivalent of rubbing two sticks together. Most of the pilot production run is pre-sold to the Marine Corp and as soon as we meet our initial obligation to them, we'll start selling to the public. We will also have pictures up on the new website at www.perfectswitch.com Naturally, TLC folks will have first crack at a special price.
For those of you dealing with isolator voltage drop issues, we start building our new POWER-GATE isolator line starting Wednesday. NOT enough voltage drop to require jumping the regulator across the isolator. It's a perfect switch that automatically allows current to flow only one direction, and instantly opens the switch when current flows the wrong direction. With all due respect, POWER-GATE makes conventional isolators and solenoids the technical equivalent of rubbing two sticks together. Most of the pilot production run is pre-sold to the Marine Corp and as soon as we meet our initial obligation to them, we'll start selling to the public. We will also have pictures up on the new website at www.perfectswitch.com Naturally, TLC folks will have first crack at a special price.
I'm almost done with this dual battery dilemma.. talked to the electrician and for simplicity decided to go with Slee's approach.. got most of the parts but there is a problem..
the optima batteries I've got are both designed to be installed on the right side under the hood.. hence if I install one on the left side the (+) would be closer to the body which might lead to a fire in case of accidents etc I was told.. so would it be a problem to keep my current starting battery and use one of the deep cycle optima's as an auxiliary battery?
another thing is the solenoid.. I've decided to go with blue sea.. if money is not an issue.. should I go with the automatic or manual ? what I understood from the site is that the automatic can also be overridden to manually separate the batteries..
the optima batteries I've got are both designed to be installed on the right side under the hood.. hence if I install one on the left side the (+) would be closer to the body which might lead to a fire in case of accidents etc I was told.. so would it be a problem to keep my current starting battery and use one of the deep cycle optima's as an auxiliary battery?
another thing is the solenoid.. I've decided to go with blue sea.. if money is not an issue.. should I go with the automatic or manual ? what I understood from the site is that the automatic can also be overridden to manually separate the batteries..
siglo said:
Both are good products. Your application should dictate what you choose. I chose the BlueSea automatic ACR model because it's automatic - I don't have to fool with anything, and if it senses a low condition in one of the batteries, it will automatically disconnect. It can be controlled from the dash - locked open, locked closed, or left automatic. I used a BlueSea Contura switch and mounted it in the dash knockout to the right of the steering column. An dedicated output can be used to power an LED status light on the dash.
As for the battery pole positions, I assume from your post that you have the type with both side and top power outputs. I used the type with top out puts only, and flopped the DS battery so the the negative pole was close to the fender. This is grounded to the body, and, in turn, to the block. I used Noel's stainless battery trays (they bolt to the stock holes in the body), and moved to oveflow bottle to a fabbed bracket on the PS battery hold down J bolt. Power flows through 1/0 welding cable, wrapped in corrugated split loom covers, and is anchored to the radiator support posts with HD zip ties.
Not difficult to install if you are OK with wiring basics.
M
Hi Siglo,
Optima makes a reverse terminal Red Top (34R) starting battery that fits the driver's side (LHD) battery tray, without the (+) terminal being too close to the body.
John
Optima makes a reverse terminal Red Top (34R) starting battery that fits the driver's side (LHD) battery tray, without the (+) terminal being too close to the body.
John
Sigo, since you are wiring the aux battery from scratch, I presume you are free to mount the battery with the positive terminal to the left or right, and would be able to adequately run the wiring either way. If this is true, then I would mount the battery whichever way gives you the most clearance from the positive terminal and body ground. So on one side you have the fender, and on the other, you have the radiator. If it doesn't cause any wiring complexities, I would install the battery whichever way give the most clearance between the positive terminal and a body ground (fender or radiator).
With respect to which Blue Sea solenoid to select, one major difference between the automatic and manual solenoid is that the automatic solenoid has built in to it the concept of a "primary" battery. It will always first fully charge the primary battery, and only after the primary battery is charged will it begin to charge the secondary battery. So this will work fine as long as your setup indeed has a primary battery. Many dual battery systems have one battery for starting and a second battery for aux loads, in which case the automatic solenoid may work well, with the starting battery being the primary battery.
For the system I will be installing, neither battery will be “primary” (as either battery, either singularly or in combination, will be able to supply all loads), therefore the automatic solenoid is not suitable for me.
With respect to which Blue Sea solenoid to select, one major difference between the automatic and manual solenoid is that the automatic solenoid has built in to it the concept of a "primary" battery. It will always first fully charge the primary battery, and only after the primary battery is charged will it begin to charge the secondary battery. So this will work fine as long as your setup indeed has a primary battery. Many dual battery systems have one battery for starting and a second battery for aux loads, in which case the automatic solenoid may work well, with the starting battery being the primary battery.
For the system I will be installing, neither battery will be “primary” (as either battery, either singularly or in combination, will be able to supply all loads), therefore the automatic solenoid is not suitable for me.
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Thanks again Rich 
as always, you've been very helpful and informative
The Aux battery that I intend to install right behind the right hand side head light fits just like you said.. positive terminal is at the farthest possible point from the body.. If I try to fit the other battery i have as a primary the positive will be very close to the body so I guess I'll leave my current battery as a starting/primary battery and the optima deep cycle as an aux battery..
as always, you've been very helpful and informative
The Aux battery that I intend to install right behind the right hand side head light fits just like you said.. positive terminal is at the farthest possible point from the body.. If I try to fit the other battery i have as a primary the positive will be very close to the body so I guess I'll leave my current battery as a starting/primary battery and the optima deep cycle as an aux battery..
Check with Optima regarding using two different battery types. On Optima's website they state to use identical batteries, both age and type, when wired in parallel. Tell them how you plan your setup and see what they have to say. You may need to call them, they have not been responsive to email.
mobi-arc said:Quick snap. My photography skills aren't so good.
Scott
ETA for non-Marines?
spressomon said:
Two weeks.
-B-
Well...at least it's only two weeks 
...or is that 2 weak? 
sl33py said:
Just be glad their spending a little time on the product development side of things. I've seen too many poorly planned and under-engineered products go to market and nearly put big, reputable companies out of business. If this thing was rushed out on the first take, lots of folks could possibly have their "babies" burn to the ground due to faulty electronics.
On the flip-side, mobi-arc should consider a different marketing strategy. Better to keep quiet about a product until you have a real grip on the production dates. It's hard to spend all that money on R&D and supress the urge to not try and sell the thing, but look at the attitudes here in this community - a target market no less - lots of eye rolling going on. It's not like anyone here is going to hold off on their dual batt setup on the promise of "two more weeks" when there are perfectly applicable substitutes, and the overall perception you've created for yourself is: "Over promise, under perform." And that's not good.
*back to lurking*