The NorthStar AGM Battery + Voltage Booster Upgrade

External charging would be better either way. CTEK has many solutions for charging your starting or auxiliary battery banks.

 

^^^ Just checked and this price / link is still live.

G3500 was delivered today and is currently hooked up to to my 94ah AGM camper battery.
Going to let it do a charge / 24 hour cycle on there and then hook it up to the X2 on my truck. I'd say I'm still ~5 weeks out until my booster arrives from OZ.

 

I run a CTEK D250SA on my second battery.

I've had it about 6 months, and no problems.

 

@OVTune ,

The 3rd gen's alternator output is regulated by the ECU. Can this be made an OVTune user adjustment so AGM batteries can be used in the 3rd gens? I know you plan on releasing self tuning features in the future.

 

@crashnburn80

As of right now, there is no solution for 3rd gens to run a Northstar AGM at the correct charging voltage, is that right? Do you know if there is any AGM that a 3rd gen could properly run without the need to hook it up once a month to keep it fully charged? Also, as others have stated in this thread...will a once a month top-off from an external charger suffice?

 

No solution for the 3rd gen as discussed. AGMs wanting a higher voltage is a function of that type of battery chemistry. So all AGMs should want a higher voltage in theory

 

They can't have it. It's mine.

 

Correct, there is no plug and play solution for 3rd Gen. If one located the wire feeding voltage information to the ECU, in theory you could install an inline fuse holder and booster to have the same effect. As mentioned, AGMs require higher charge as a function of battery chemistry, so there won't be a low voltage AGM battery that is the same as a lead acid flooded battery. It seems once a month is typically suggested for AGM maintenance wall charging, though I haven't read that from an official source. I've asked NorthStar for their official maintenance charging frequency recommendation and also for their charger recommendations. I'll report back when they respond.

 

Here was peak voltage this morning with the booster set to 0.4v...looks pretty good to me. Outside temp was 34*F and the truck sat for around 12 hours overnight.

 

Nice! Track it over time to see if that is about the norm. It really helps to have data backed decisions. Are you running the NorthStar 27F?

 

Yes, I’m running the 27F. I agree, the data feedback is awesome...and easy to come by with the Bluetooth monitor. Hopefully it lasts a while!
How long did yours last before it shit the bed?

 

Only a few months unfortunately.

 

Nice work. Thanks for posting data. I've been running the same adjustable booster at 0.4v too. I just look at my ultra gauge at startup which is 0.05-0.1 volts higher than my USB gauge. Highest I've seen is 14.8v

 

I see a couple guys mentioning they’re running a ctk on their batteries for months with no problems. Do you mean it’s connected to your batteries at all times and keeping it charged and giving it the .5v spike in the 3rd gen trucks? I have the noco 5A maintainer/charger mounted inside my engine bay and it would be pretty simple for me to achieve doing this If it would be of any benefit wo overcharging my agm

 

I don't know much about NOCO units but believe they are similar to CTEKs, which are designed to dynamically adjust the charge they provide IAW what different batteries requires. These are not the chargers-of-old that simply applied static voltage and would eventually cook a battery. Here's an excerpt regarding the CTEK 7002 that's compatible with most 12V lead-acid batteries, including Wet, MF, AGM, GEL and Ca: "There is no need for any specific knowledge of batteries or their charging methods; the MULTI US 7002 will take care of that. Once you switch to the preferred mode, the charger takes its own readings and then begins to charge the battery in 8 steps, including pulse maintenance for best performance and service life (arguably the most caring mode for a battery connected for a long time - a CTEK patented system)... The MULTI US 7002 can also be connected for months..."

Assuming your NOCO is similarly designed, you should be able to leave it connected indefinitely with no ill-effect on your battery.

 

The highest the battery monitor has read is 14.74 when starting the truck in the morning in 30*F weather. Do you guys think it’d be worth upping the booster from +0.04v to +0.06v?

 

I’ve got the noco 5 and yes it’s very similar built and it actually is supposed to be able to stay connected 24/7 wo hurting the battery

 

No, you are well dialed in as you don’t want to go over 14.8v. It’s possible you could adjust it up in the summer and back down in the winter depending on what your monitor readings are.

 

Received my fuse yesterday from Australia that was quick

 

Right on. Thanks!