Dual Battery Revisited

[ToNkA]

Thanks.

I am thinking I will get a smart solenoid to save future hassles. Can get one for around $100 REDARC.

Battery is going to have to live in the tray unfortunately as the 2.4 Diesel engine bay doesnt have an easy way to mount two truck size batteries.

[Area54]

Here's a tip to have a super accurate voltmeter - get a cheap dick smith digital multimeter, remove the probes and hard wire it into your system, can even monitor multiple batts with a switch and wiring changes, very cheap and very accurate. Most gauge voltmeters are not accurate enough to monitor voltage, and the LED gauges are just a joke. Oh look, at that, the LED voltmeter tells me that the batt is flat, woz wonderin why tha lights d'int work...

[Bluey]

dick smith multimeters start at 20 bucks and almost overkill just monitoring battery voltage. like the idea switching so can check on each battery. yeah, led gauges useless as tits on a bull.

if one battery in tray, make sure cable biggest possible and most direct route between the two

[David Lovejoy]

An old friend of mine has a multimeter fitted to his Patrol. It is used for Balloon chasing in North Africa so is expo equiped to the max. He he has four batteries for various things, like GPS/GIS mapping soft/hard etc.

He runs twin alternators (110amp) as the batteries are all Deta Blacks which are 1100CCA.

Using a military convoy switch from an LR he can monitor output/voltage on all the batteries and both alternators. He can also monitor via warning buzzer the GPS/GIS supply when parked... Nice set up. Mind you experience is the hardest and best teacher - as my Dad used to say...

[BeZeRK]

i got a pirhana? little LED thingy to monitor 2nd battery, it shows battery voltage and when running it shows what imput its getting.

pretty cheap and nasty but it tells me what i need to know!

also cost about 20 bucks!?

a switch like david said was my first though, but i am stupid and would forget to turn it on/off.

[turps]

My aux batt is wired + to + with a Terminal switch on the Aux Batt. So when in camp undo the green screw thing which disconnects the batt's. Then in the morn (dont usally camp in the one spot more than one night) drive for about half hour (or smoko) jump out pop the bonnet and join it all up again. Been like this for 4yrs and only prob has been when batterys hadn't been disconnect in 6mths and one of the batt's was on the outer I just needed a new batt (the old one was old - was there when I brought it 5yrs ago,so unknown age).
Cost was about $10 for 2 batt cables (1x long cable from right to left side of engine bay which is +, 1x short cable for -) and $10 for terminal switch.
then $100 for batterty and $??? for arb battery tray.

Turps
GQ TD42

[Bluey]

i know this is old, but have only just worked out how to resize pics

[Bluey]

not exactly working as planned.