Dual Battery Setup (1 Viewer)

[weejub]

I will also have to do a starter power line extension . . . another topic to figure out

 

[Cruiserdrew]

Looks better. 2 suggestions.
1-Leave your stock wiring mostly alone. The alternator and starter should still come off the + post of your starting battery.

2-Don't fuse your winch cable. Instead, put it on a disconnect, like a Anderson SB175. Leave it unplugged, until just before you use it. OR, very carefully route the cable to the winch, tie it down, and encase it in that anti-chafe poly housing. Don't attach the hot lead to the battery, unless you're going on an off road trip. Otherwise, just leave it disconnected. That keeps it safer the 99.9% of the time when you won't be needing it.

The reason-winches draw so much instantaneous power that they will likely pop the fuse. They are kind of like starters. Very hard to get wire and fusing to be big enough to provide real protection. So you have to live with a bit of extra risk. I just leave my winches disconnected until I get to the trailhead.

 

[weejub]

Thanks.

1. Will do.
2. I bought the simple On/Off Blue Sea switch that I was hoping to use vs Anderson PP. I will remove the fuse.

Amazon.com : Blue Sea Systems m-Series Battery Switches : Boating Battery Switches : Sports & Outdoors

 

[concretejungle]

I used one of the heavier gauge anderson connectors for my solar panel. I just like how beefy and water tight it is.

 

[concretejungle]

Here is where i ran the accessory wires from under the dash, through the firewall and across the firewall over to the fuse block.

Here is my starter battery box. You can see the 150 amp breaker and the fuse for the alternator. I did the photoman alternator bracket upgrade so my alternator pushes out around 130 amps.

 

[concretejungle]

Here is my house battery box showing the location of the switch and the fuse block. You can see the switch and below it is the ACR. The only thing that i felt that i should of done different is wait for the larger dial switch that comes with the add a battery kit. This is a new one they have which is smaller but still handles the amps of the larger one. The negative about this switch is actually the fact that it is smaller. When you run heavy gauge wire to it, theres's not much room to connect the switch and all the wires.

 

[concretejungle]

Here's a shot of it all. I ran my positive cable across the front of the radiator. i used a couple of rivnuts to fasten the cable down with.

 

[weejub]

Thanks CJ - What a set up, and it all fits in there even with the supercharger

. . . . Here is my starter battery box. You can see the 150 amp breaker and the fuse for the alternator. I did the photoman alternator bracket upgrade so my alternator pushes out around 130 amps.

I'm assuming that my starter and alternator are all in the same terminal wire and that I won't want to change those lines. I will terminate those into a one of these: Amazon.com : Blue Sea Systems PowerPost with 18 Studs : Speaker Cables : Sports & Outdoors . . . And then run a 2 AWG line up to my starter.

Do you guys think I need a fuse in there somewhere? Wont the starter blow that potentially?

CJ - You did a fuse for your Alternator only, correct?

If I upgraded to the 130A Tundra Alt, I think my whole set up would be too "lightweight" to handle the upgrade?
Alternator - Toyota (27060-0F040-84) | fat.parts

 

[Cruiserdrew]

It will be fine. Your batteries can only accept charge so fast, and your alternator will virtually never be putting out full output, except maybe when winching. I wouldn't bother though, but that's up to you.

 

[Cruiserdrew]

Nice going @concretejungle where did you move your charge controller? It used to be on your firewall?

 

[weejub]

It will be fine. Your batteries can only accept charge so fast, and your alternator will virtually never be putting out full output, except maybe when winching. I wouldn't bother though, but that's up to you.

I was thinking it would be close. If the Alt puts out an actual 120 (likely less) and my relay is 120 AND we are running the Alt and Starter through the starter battery first, then I get it. Thx

 

[weejub]

Nice going @concretejungle where did you move your charge controller? It used to be on your firewall?

That was my next question Do you guys ever put them UNDER your solar panel exposed?? They are supposed to be as close to the panel as possible?

Not sure if I can bring a line down from the solar panel through the charge controller to my Circuit Breaker Block . . dangerous/ineffective?

 

[Cruiserdrew]

That was my next question Do you guys ever put them UNDER your solar panel exposed?? They are supposed to be as close to the panel as possible?

Not sure if I can bring a line down from the solar panel through the charge controller to my Circuit Breaker Block . . dangerous/ineffective?

Charge controller generally should be as close to the battery as possible, certainly NOT mounted on the panel, but...

I have experimented with mine mounted inside the cab of the vehicle and feeding the accessory fuse panel. It works great like that. I may give up a trace of charging efficiency but I don't have to leave the charge controller outside ever. Anyway, it will backfeed through the panel to the #2 battery and charge it, and when topped up, the ACR will close and also top up the #1 battery. When the fridges come on, the charge current flows direct to the fridges, and when they go off, the charge current resumes flowing cleanly into the batteries if they are not fully charged already. So for @weejub yes, it will run directly into your panel. The further away from your battery it is, the more line losses you will have.

I recently got a new charge controller. It can keep you informed of what it and your battery are doing on your cell phone via bluetooth. LOL.

Awesome new MPPT controller with bluetooth control for $99

 

[weejub]

Thanks, Andrew. I have saved that controller to my Amazon List

Cool - I might as well make sure I have space to mount a charge controller on my fuse/relay/breaker board then. Would rather just have everything there mounted.

 

[concretejungle]

Nice going @concretejungle where did you move your charge controller? It used to be on your firewall?

I actually used some adhesive and placed it inside my folding solar panels. It's all enclosed in the panels. Considering the gauge wire and that my panels are not more than 10' away i felt comfortable with it.

 

[concretejungle]

Do you guys think I need a fuse in there somewhere? Wont the starter blow that potentially?

CJ - You did a fuse for your Alternator only, correct?

If I upgraded to the 130A Tundra Alt, I think my whole set up would be too "lightweight" to handle the upgrade?
Alternator - Toyota (27060-0F040-84) | fat.parts

If you don't upgrade the alternator to a higher output alternator you should not need additional fusing. I upgraded to a higher output and that's why i fused. I fused because that was before i discovered the breakers. If i were to do it again i would probably use a breaker, just because.

When i did the dual battery set-up I had a surplus of heavy gauge wire. So i went ahead and made a new starter wire and a new alternator wire with 2guage. I have noticed a difference in starting right out of the gate. The starting seems much more responsive.. like new.

 

[weejub]

Got in my new battery boxes last night along with my black cutting board material. I have almost all materials now. I am missing some terminals for 6 AWG that are on the way.

I decided to move to 6 AWG for the line from the house battery vs the 8. I have other uses for the 8, anyway now

 

[weejub]

Cut and prepped the cutting board (HDPE) for install. Will connect the two boxes together along the sides back to back with terminals in. Drilled holes in the HDPE for bolts to tie together.

 

[CarolinaFJ]

Charge controller generally should be as close to the battery as possible, certainly NOT mounted on the panel, but...

I have experimented with mine mounted inside the cab of the vehicle and feeding the accessory fuse panel. It works great like that. I may give up a trace of charging efficiency but I don't have to leave the charge controller outside ever. Anyway, it will backfeed through the panel to the #2 battery and charge it, and when topped up, the ACR will close and also top up the #1 battery. When the fridges come on, the charge current flows direct to the fridges, and when they go off, the charge current resumes flowing cleanly into the batteries if they are not fully charged already. So for @weejub yes, it will run directly into your panel. The further away from your battery it is, the more line losses you will have.

I recently got a new charge controller. It can keep you informed of what it and your battery are doing on your cell phone via bluetooth. LOL.

Awesome new MPPT controller with bluetooth control for $99

This is my next delemma, my set up is a fuse panel in the rear cargo area running from my aux battery. I am thinking of a roof rack mounted solar panel and the easiest thing would be to mount the controller in the back by the fuse panel and have it feed from there. But I'm a bit worried about loss due to the run back to the battery. But if it flows directly to the fridge, maybe not a huge deal? May have to experiment with it.

 

[weejub]

I got my battery box in for my Odyssey PC680 and did the following to it as a spacer. This will be strapped down behind the ARB.