Split charge systems

Post by **Jezziebx16v** » Thu Jan 18, 2007 4:19 pm

Following on from my dead alternator I was thinking about putting a battery in the boot and setting up a split charge system to keep my stereo happy.
Does anybody have any ideas about how this is done ? I am guessing it is not as simple as just wiring up the extra battery to the alternator/battery !

Thanks Jez

jayw · Post by **jayw** » Thu Jan 18, 2007 4:53 pm

No, it's not as simple as that. The 2nd battery has to be isolated so that it's current is only used for what it is fitted for (ie. the Stereo) and not for the starter etc.

A split charging relay will be needed, theres loads around & they're easy to fit. Try something like this: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/12V-Heavy-Duty-Sp ... 0069869789
There are cheaper versions, that was the first i found.

They do the job well as i had one in an old motor of mine a few years ago.

Post by **Vanny** » Thu Jan 18, 2007 5:15 pm

do a search for 'landrover split charge' in google!

Pretty easy, drop in a second battery, split charge and isolator! You can have both batterys in use at the same tme but it doesn't do you any favours! And might not be a total solution!

Split charge relays charge up the primary battery first, then the secondary, so if your alternator is goosed or you have a big draw problem then the second battery will never get charged and slowly go flatter than a pancake!

Post by **Jezziebx16v** » Thu Jan 18, 2007 6:04 pm

Cheers Guys, never thought of ebay for a kit Jay

but those Landy sites are the sort of thing i was after Vanny, all i need to get is the split charge relay, i have plenty of cable and connectors so it looks like a fairly easy job.
Thing is, if this don't cure the problem of things going dim when the tunes are pumping whats next ? surely a secondry battery will be better than a power cap.

Jez

Anonymous · Post by **Anonymous** » Thu Jan 18, 2007 7:05 pm

if you are putting a battery in the boot try and get a gel filled one, battery acid is not nice stuff should it leak and even worse god forbid that you roll the car over with a battery in the boot and get yourself covered in acid, plus gel ones can be fitted on there side so they take up less space keep considering moving the zx battery to the boot but can't be assed to run a heavy cable through the sills and im not going underneat with a power cable!

Post by **Vanny** » Thu Jan 18, 2007 7:39 pm

and im not going underneath with a power cable!

you know about what happens to mini's then!

Last mini i saw on fire cos of melted battery cables took 3 attempts to put out, eventually a girlie fire fighter came and showed the men how to do it

thanuttiscotsman · Post by **thanuttiscotsman** » Thu Jan 18, 2007 8:29 pm

hi there,
i put a second battery in my boot just 2 days ago. it is pretty simple but as the other guys says depends on what for. i just wanted more power throughout the whole system especially for the sounds. i already have my boot amp earthed via a bolt thats attached to the rear seats in the boot. so basically i put my extra battery in the boot beside the amp and connected the battery positive to the positive feed on the amp that comes from the other battery. then the boot battery earth also to the seat bolt to earth through the body. now my sounds are better and when im starting the car the starter motor turns over much much quicker and engine starts much faster. also car has more power when you put the foot down at lower rpm. very basic setup which works very well. and cos they are inter-connected both get charged from the alternator. also on starting i checked the amp wire that runs from the engine battery to the amp and it never heated up at all. so no worries there.

cheers rossco

jayw · Post by **jayw** » Thu Jan 18, 2007 8:46 pm

Jezzie, not being funny, but you must have some serious tunes to be flattening the battery to the point of causing damage.

I've got some pretty solid sounds/amps/DSP/DVD & screens & alarms and only run a standard 065 battery & alternator and have never had any issues, even with the car at idle for ages and sounds tumping.

Maybe you're alternator fault was coincidental or your battery isn't holding much of a charge, Or you've got poor connections somewhere and it wasn't charging well (which can also kill the alternator)? Other possibility is one of the remote powers is remaining on after you've powered down the system and slowly draining the battery stopping your battery fully charging?

Mike E (uk) · Post by **Mike E (uk)** » Thu Jan 18, 2007 10:00 pm

I agree with Jay, the standard BX alternator and a quality battery should be fine.
The alternator is already 25A overrated.
So long as it is all in good working order, and the wiring is up to the job it should be able to power any stereo you listen to whilst you are in the car.

I really don't like the idea of a second battery in the boot, it could easily start a fire.

Plus the fun part of the BX is largely due to its light weight.

Mike

Timmo · Post by **Timmo** » Fri Jan 19, 2007 10:58 am

Mike E (uk) wrote: Plus the fun part of the BX is largely due to its light weight.

your adding around 70-80kg to it every time you get in it lol!

adding a second battery isnt really ging to cause the car any weight issues though is it!
whats a battery weigh?? 10kg??? just think the difference between a 10 stone driver and a 15stone driver is going to be more than a simple second batery instalation!!

Jezzie has some big sounds though!!

when i ran my twin 12's in mine through my 600w amp, any thing over 25 on the volume would cut out without the engine running! simply wasnt enough power to the amp to cope with the bass drops! i know most will say but 25 is loud enough, true, but when at 30 for instance you can set of car alarms etc through the bass rumble its a lot more fun!

you dont always want to have the car running when your listening to the system!

thanuttiscotsman · Post by **thanuttiscotsman** » Fri Jan 19, 2007 12:55 pm

hi folks,
yeah safety is something i thought about when installing my second battery. but i have used proper battery leads i picked up from a 1.9d tipo in the scrappers. also iam going to put it on a steel battery tray then i will strap it to the side of the car. also my battery terminals are covered with the std battery terminal covers so im not worried about battery leaks or short circuiting.

cheers rossco

Post by **Jezziebx16v** » Fri Jan 19, 2007 3:53 pm

Not sure then really

All of my connections are good, there is no drain when the stereo is off because i use an isolator switch in the dash that kills the whole thing ! the battery is less than 6 months old not sure how long the old alternator had been on the car but it is at least 2 years.
Mike, only a risk of fire if i put a battery in the boot IF i make a bad job of the install or i use a wet cell and it tips over, neither of these will happen though

. and the weight issue is not an issue really as the car is a lard arse anyway (leather. aircon and all the ICE) good job i'm only 10.5 stone

Anyways hopefully the alternator will have cured it, if not i'll try the split charge plan and if that dont work well i am not sure but i'll get to the bottom of it.

Jez

Timmo · Post by **Timmo** » Fri Jan 19, 2007 7:05 pm

on a quick calculation, jezzie is instantly std car for std car 20kg on the lighter side than me due to person weights! (jezzie being 10.5 stone and me Weighing in at 13.5!) so effectively jezzie could add 20kg of ice to his car to equal mine with none! (obviously the aircon and hte leather would add a bit but not a lot more!!)
quite interesting realy looking into weight saving! think if you had a car with 3 of me's it woudl be equivalent to 4 of jezzie! so if your stripping down a car for lightweighted ness its worth taking into account the driver weight!
sorry for the slew off topic! just grabbed me as interesting!:D

Anonymous · Post by **Anonymous** » Fri Jan 19, 2007 7:09 pm

your adding around 70-80kg to it every time you get in it lol!

wish it was only that

jayw · Post by **jayw** » Fri Jan 19, 2007 7:38 pm

Timmo wrote:its worth taking into account the driver weight!

Guess i'd better start on the celery then (mind u, i only weigh 11 st so shouldn't be too much of a prob)

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Split charge systems

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