Fitting a Sterling Battery to Battery Charger

[Pausim]

On my Votronic B2B there is a dip switch to switch between D+ and voltage sensing. On D+ there is a short delay after the engine starts before the charging kicks in. I might have opted for the Sterling unit but the Votronic one had wiring diagrams and settings to make it compatible with the EBL I had at the time.

 

[DBK]

On my Votronic B2B there is a dip switch to switch between D+ and voltage sensing. On D+ there is a short delay after the engine starts before the charging kicks in. I might have opted for the Sterling unit but the Votronic one had wiring diagrams and settings to make it compatible with the EBL I had at the time.

My only criticism of Sterling is the complete absence of any guidance on how to fit the thing into a MH. You are left to your own devices to work out what to do with split charge relay system for example.

 

[Pausim]

My only criticism of Sterling is the complete absence of any guidance on how to fit the thing into a MH. You are left to your own devices to work out what to do with split charge relay system for example.

The Votronic instructions were good for an EBL but getting it right with my current CBE system was more challenging because the built in linking relay created a loop. This meant the B2B was back feeding the engine battery as well as charging the leisure one, so in effect it would have been feeding itself and distorting the leisure battery voltages too. There was something in the CBE manual about cutting a resistor from the circuit board but I like to leave things reversible, just in case something fails at an inconvenient time. My solution was a heavy duty normally closed relay on the CBE engine battery connection, set to cut the connection when the B2B is working. This seems to be working well and I haven’t lost any of the normal functions. If something failed on the B2B circuit I would simply pull the trigger wire off the relay and be left with the original set up.

 

[andy63]

Can I entertain you with my tale of woe..
I have a cbe system and fitted a battery to battery in preparation for a lithium install...
I decided to use a cbe 's simulated d+ signal..
I did much the same as pausim and installed a change over relay in the leisure battery feed..
I've checked all is well on 3 occasions and put everything back together only to find the engine run signal was missing..
I was loosing the will to live? and wondering what could be going on with the wring just because I'd boxed everything back up?
Well after striping everything for the 3rd time and crying into me coffee? I had a light bulb moment..
I've had the battery charger running on and off while I've been checking and working..
It appears cbe 's d± isn't present when you are hooked up and charging??? ..sounds simple now but caused some work and grief..
And took long enough for the penny to drop?
Andy..

 

[tacr2man]

Are these Sterling B2B chargers bi directional , or do you need two if you want to charge chassis battery from say a solar charged hab battery ?

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[Robert Clark]

Are these Sterling B2B chargers bi directional , or do you need two if you want to charge chassis battery from say a solar charged hab battery ?

Sterling make a small battery maintainer which will keep your engine battery topped up from your leisure battery

Sterling Power

Sterling Power is a market leader for battery to battery chargers, inverters, pro combi charger inverters, mains chargers.

www.sp-shop.co.uk

 

[andy63]

Are these B2B chargers bi directional

no ..

or do you need two if you want to charge chassis battery from say a solar charged hab battery ?

you wouldn't fit two battery to battery chargers.. the device been discussed here ..
you may be thinking of the small solid state devices that connect between two battery banks and allow one to trickle charge from the other.. like a van bit battery master, or a sterling battery maintainer and cbe do a version as well..
Andy

 

[Pausim]

Are these Sterling B2B chargers bi directional , or do you need two if you want to charge chassis battery from say a solar charged hab battery ?

I don’t know about Sterling but the Votronic 1212-45 has a setting for trickle charging the engine battery. If set it activates when the habitation battery has been sufficiently charged.

 

[Stealaway]

It might be worth contacting Sterling and ask if it will work with a Euro 6 engine or does it need the software updated - if that can be done.

I emailed Sterling today and they said ---

On the solenoid itself there is a live feed that shall be live only when the ignition is on, it goes to not live when the ignition is off.

No mention of Euro 6 engines or connections to the alternator.
It seems any switched live then - I'll check under the driver's seat first as it going to be the closest van electrics to the battery box and the B2B. The seat belt switch should do it.
I do have separate voltmeters for the start battery and the leisure battery so I should be able to keep an eye on the charging voltages.

 

[dulvil]

Which negative is the shunt connected to?

I am going to fit one. Of these ,but can you tell me politely what is a shunt

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[Pausim]

The shunt is the part of the kit that measures the electric current going in and out of the battery. To do this one end of it has to be connected directly to the negative terminal of the battery and ALL the other negative connections must be connected to the other end of the shunt. If any negative connections bypass the shunt then it can not give accurate information.

 

[MisterB]

I emailed Sterling today and they said ---

On the solenoid itself there is a live feed that shall be live only when the ignition is on, it goes to not live when the ignition is off.

No mention of Euro 6 engines or connections to the alternator.
It seems any switched live then - I'll check under the driver's seat first as it going to be the closest van electrics to the battery box and the B2B. The seat belt switch should do it.
I do have separate voltmeters for the start battery and the leisure battery so I should be able to keep an eye on the charging voltages.

the connection to the alternator would be a temp sensor NOT connected as an 'electrical' connection, there is also one to go to the leisure battery, however i understand they were for marine use.

 

[Stealaway]

the connection to the alternator would be a temp sensor NOT connected as an 'electrical' connection, there is also one to go to the leisure battery, however i understand they were for marine use.

You seem to be confused.
The feed to the B2B is simply a switched ignition live feed from any 12v source. It's an alternative to having the B2B connected with its link on Auto.
The temp sensor is a completely different item connected to the neg of the leisure batteries and monitored by the B2B

 

[Pausim]

I prefer a D+ trigger to a switched ignition feed. If you use a switched ignition feed the B2B can power up before the engine has started, which can put an additional heavy load on the engine battery when it needs it most. The D+ will only trigger the B2B when the alternator is already providing a charge.

 

[TinaLes]

Check out DBK posts on fitting a B2B,He is after the OP on this thread, have you read it?, loads of valuable info there about positioning of Shunt and disconnecting the feed to the cab battery from the split charge relay when the engine is running. This stops the alternator & the B2B trying to achieve the same task in charging the Cab battery, making the B2B non effective.
I seem to remember the phrase of without doing this the B2B is a just a useless box with flashing coloured LED's.
Another member got round this by fitting a normally closed 70amp relay in the line to the cab battery from the CBE charger, switched from the D+ when the engine is running,therefore isolating the alternator from doing the same job as The B2B, which makes sense to me.
LES

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[MisterB]

You seem to be confused.
The feed to the B2B is simply a switched ignition live feed from any 12v source. It's an alternative to having the B2B connected with its link on Auto.
The temp sensor is a completely different item connected to the neg of the leisure batteries and monitored by the B2B

i dont think i am confused. i have an older Sterling B2B that came with two temp sensors and the instructions and the info from sterling confirmed what they were but i was advised they are not needed as the B2B was 'designed' for marine applications. i would imagine the danger of overheating and catching/starting a fire would potentially be much more serious when at sea?

but then again, i am easily confused at times ....

 

[JockandRita]

i dont think i am confused. i have an older Sterling B2B that came with two temp sensors and the instructions and the info from sterling confirmed what they were but i was advised they are not needed as the B2B was 'designed' for marine applications. i would imagine the danger of overheating and catching/starting a fire would potentially be much more serious when at sea?

but then again, i am easily confused at times ....

I too had the older system Dave, (B2B1250) and was given the same advise from Sterling, re the use of the units in marine engine rooms, where the temperatures could be higher than normal, so I didn't bother fitting the temp sensors either. I did get one with the present B2B1260 unit I am hoping to fit, but as I understand from the instructions, the cut out defaults at a temp of 20 degrees anyway.

Cheers,

Jock.

 

[MisterB]

I too had the older system Dave, (B2B1250) and was given the same advise from Sterling, re the use of the units in marine engine rooms, where the temperatures could be higher than normal, so I didn't bother fitting the temp sensors either. I did get one with the present B2B1260 unit I am hoping to fit, but as I understand from the instructions, the cut out defaults at a temp of 20 degrees anyway.

Cheers,

Jock.

Hi Jock, if you havent got the cable sorted yet, i bought a set of heavy duty jump leads with 25mm cable. best result though was that i was able to carefully remove the alligator clips and utilise the ready made end terminals (after a bit of 'redesigning' them which involved simply snapping part of the fixing itself !!!)

it worked out a lot cheaper, quicker and easier than buying separate cable and then terminating the cable ends.

 

[JockandRita]

Hi Jock, if you havent got the cable sorted yet, i bought a set of heavy duty jump leads with 25mm cable. best result though was that i was able to carefully remove the alligator clips and utilise the ready made end terminals (after a bit of 'redesigning' them which involved simply snapping part of the fixing itself !!!)

it worked out a lot cheaper, quicker and easier than buying separate cable and then terminating the cable ends.

Thanks Dave.

I need a run of about 8-9 x metres on the positive cable from the starter battery to the B2B in the rear garage, where the 4 x leisure batteries are. The B2B1260 has cable inlet screw terminals, rather than the stud and nut terminals of the older units. I'm not sure yet what diameter cable I will need, but 25mm may be too big.

Cheers,

Jock.

 

[Pausim]

A 9m run with 30A on 16mm cable would give a votage drop of 0.58V equating to 4.83% which is above the recommended level of 3-4%. This cable sizing guide may be helpful.

Cable Size Calculator - Cable sizing and selection | 12 Volt Planet

Cable Size Calculator - Read our guide to selecting cable of the correct type and size for your automotive, marine or leisure wiring application. Auto and Marine Electrical Components from 12 Volt Planet

www.12voltplanet.co.uk

There is a very useful voltage drop calculator half way down the page.

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[JockandRita]

A 9m run with 30A on 16mm cable would give a votage drop of 0.58V equating to 4.83% which is above the recommended level of 3-4%. This cable sizing guide may be helpful.

Cable Size Calculator - Cable sizing and selection | 12 Volt Planet

Cable Size Calculator - Read our guide to selecting cable of the correct type and size for your automotive, marine or leisure wiring application. Auto and Marine Electrical Components from 12 Volt Planet

www.12voltplanet.co.uk

There is a very useful voltage drop calculator half way down the page.

Thanks Pausim.

I'll be restricted to the diameter of cable which the input terminal (third on the right) will accommodate.

On my old unit, I used 30-35mm sq welding cable for all connections (nut and stud) using crimped eyelet terminals.

Cheers,

Jock.

 

[MisterB]

On my old unit, I used 30-35mm sq welding cable for all connections (nut and stud) using crimped eyelet terminals.

Cheers,

Jock.

So Jock, who is the nut because obviously you are the 'stud' ......

 

[JockandRita]

So Jock, who is the nut because obviously you are the 'stud' ......

Que?

Jock.

 

[Rio340]

Hi great to see pictures, you could really do with flexible conduit around that cable as its 25mm thick and would cause a fire if it were shorted and not fused, most certainly most be fused as close to 60A as practical. Your explanation about the alternator switching to a lower voltage when the vehicle battery is fully charged is of course only applicable to smart alternators, and in many cases a decent load from your leisure battery should suffice to keep a smart alternator charging in most case. (unless its stop start). In other words all the B2B is doing is making up for any voltage drop in the wiring, which can normally be overcome with sensible rated wiring in the first place (EG 25mm) which it seems you've ended up doing in the event regardless.

 

[exupmonkey]

Hi Jock, if you havent got the cable sorted yet, i bought a set of heavy duty jump leads with 25mm cable. best result though was that i was able to carefully remove the alligator clips and utilise the ready made end terminals (after a bit of 'redesigning' them which involved simply snapping part of the fixing itself !!!)

it worked out a lot cheaper, quicker and easier than buying separate cable and then terminating the cable ends.

That's exactly what I did, £15 from Amazon, 4m cables....saved a fortune. Mister B, not sure if it was you that posted this info before but if it was..... thanks!

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[exupmonkey]

Thanks Dave.

I need a run of about 8-9 x metres on the positive cable from the starter battery to the B2B in the rear garage, where the 4 x leisure batteries are. The B2B1260 has cable inlet screw terminals, rather than the stud and nut terminals of the older units. I'm not sure yet what diameter cable I will need, but 25mm may be too big.

Cheers,

Jock.

Jock. I've just fitted a BB1260, 4m run and 25mm2 cable, no problem with the inlet screw terminals (with the cable I used).

 

[MisterB]

Thanks Dave.

I need a run of about 8-9 x metres on the positive cable from the starter battery to the B2B in the rear garage, where the 4 x leisure batteries are. The B2B1260 has cable inlet screw terminals, rather than the stud and nut terminals of the older units. I'm not sure yet what diameter cable I will need, but 25mm may be too big.

Cheers,

Jock.

You could buy a set of 6m jump leads and insert s fuse half way to join them up? Might want to add red tape rings along the length of the black cable to remind you or anyone else it's actually a + cable as opposed to a - cable though! Unless it's cheaper of course to buy a 10m length of cable?