Dc to dc charging and solar charging

[Rhodeisland]

i have a SOK 200 amp lith. Battery charged with 400w solar panels. Works great. But going to a northern location where sunshine is not that often. I want to add a dc to dc generation from my Nissan Frontier. It has the standard altinator. Do I need a more powerful alt. And how do I add it to the solar system that I already have

 

[time2roll]

Limit your DC-DC charger to 20 amps output for reduced load on the vehicle electrical system.
The DC-DC unit should be mounted near the SOK that will be charged. Connect direct on the SOK battery as appropriate. Multiple charging systems are not an issue.

 

[rmaddy]

how do I add it to the solar system that I already have

Connect it the same way the solar charge controller is connected.

 

[Jordi]

i have a SOK 200 amp lith. Battery charged with 400w solar panels. Works great. But going to a northern location where sunshine is not that often. I want to add a dc to dc generation from my Nissan Frontier. It has the standard altinator. Do I need a more powerful alt. And how do I add it to the solar system that I already have

Find your question interesting. May I ask what you are aiming to do? Use the excess energy from your car battery for your home battery?

If you are coming to a northern European location like the Netherlands, get ready for 14 days straight of clouds. Horrible! Production is peanuts.

 

[mikefitz]

The DC to DC converter connects between the starter battery and the service battery. With a 30 amp unit you should not need to do anything with regard to the alternator. The diagram shows the isolated and non isolated version. Most vehicle installs can use the non isolated unit where the service battery is connected to vehicle body/chassis. ( on the diagram ignore the 24 12 30 notation on the unit , you will need the 12 12 30 device).
There are alternative DC to DC chargers with various power levels, from Renogy, Sterling, Votronic, Redarc, Nemo, Ctek, all connect in a similar way.



Mike

 

[Browneye]

I had a victron orion converter installed and was working great. They are fixed voltage output - you set the charge voltage you want with a manual adjust pot and it sends current to your target battery based on the voltage differential. When the pack reaches that charge current setting current flow stops.

I was told I got the wrong unit and needed a “smart charger” so I have one of those on order instead. They work the same way but have the BT app programming feature and stepped charging levels. $50 more.

I’m using the 12/12-18 one on a RV.

 

[Rhodeisland]

Find your question interesting. May I ask what you are aiming to do? Use the excess energy from your car battery for your home battery?

If you are coming to a northern European location like the Netherlands, get ready for 14 days straight of clouds. Horrible! Production is peanuts.

My aim is to keep my 200ah lith battery charged to run my fridge and led ceil lights. Newfoundland can have cloudy conditions that last a long time