Wyoming B.S. Thread

From the documentation, it certainly appears to do exactly that.

From BlueSea:

ML-ACR Automatic Charging Relay - 12V DC 500A
7622
500 Amp magnetic latching (bi-stable) relay automatically combines batteries during charging and isolates batteries when discharging and when starting engine

• Manual control switch provides an added level of safety allowing control with or without power, and offering LOCK OFF capability for servicing
• Includes ML-Series Remote Control Contura Switch PN 2146
• Automatically manages the charging of two large battery banks
• Allows paralleling of battery banks for emergency starting
• 500 Ampere continuous rating to support high-output alternators
• Magnetic Latch (ML)—ACR draws very low current (<40mA to monitor terminal voltage) in the "ON" or "OFF" states, and draws moderate current for very short time when changing state
• Dual sensing—senses charge on both battery banks
• Start Isolation (SI)—can be configured for temporary isolation of House loads from Engine circuit during engine cranking to protect sensitive electronics
• Engine Isolation (EI)—can be configured for isolation of two engines while both are running to protect engine electronics and maximize alternator output
• Senses charging on two battery banks
• LED output to remotely indicate when batteries are combined, isolated, in voltage lockout, or in Start or Engine isolation
• 3/8"-16 tin-plated copper studs for maximum conductivity and corrosion resistance
• 7/8" (22mm) stud length accepts multiple cable terminals
• Silver alloy contacts provide high reliability for switching live loads
• Label recesses for circuit identification

 

Idk. Might be too big. Stick it in the diff and see.

 

@Blackdawg Found this in the dual battery thread.

 

well there ya go. That would explain it

 

Do you have any other advice for the rest of the setup? Knowing what you know now, are there any other things you would do differently, other than the controller?

 

Not really. I used some awesome wire by Kicker. No regrets other then the manual solenoid. And even then thats small.

 

What gauge wire did you use? Same size throughout?

 

Huge wire. 0/1 i think. Its about as big around as my thumb. Super flexable. I got it with my Kicker amp wiring kit from the huge stereo. And since it was laying how i have it now already i just spliced in the second battery pretty much. Very expensive wire by itself i think..for as long of a run as you're doing. May as well get that size. Same stuff you did the alternator with would be fine just bigger.

 

0/1 or 1/0? I guess it is all about how long the run is and how many amp might potentially go thru there.

My first reaction to one ought was that is overkill but after looking at this chart, I'm not as sure. I figure the run is 10-13 feet so 1/0 gives me 250-300 amps max to work with. Someone suggested 2 ga. was enough, but your saying naw to that?



For some reason, I recall 4 ga. is what we used for the alt. I kno that is what the winch power and ground are. Also the stereo amps are 4 ga.

 

yea we used 4ga on the alt. But i meant the same quality of wire is probably fine. THe kicker stuff is super expensive.

yea id go with 1/0 at least. not 2ga. the 0/1 will be fine. The alt and starter battery will supply the winch the most even if the batteries are linked due to the resistant of the long wire run. And if you link them to start the truck for a self jump, you won't need more then 200amp anyways at the most.

So 0/1 will be good.

 

Ah, gotcha.

You think a 200 amp capacity is enough? The chart says 2 ga. is enough for 200 amps. I think I need to nail down exactly how far it is between the starting batt and a batt in the bed.

 

Id just get 0/1. Save you the trouble of exact measurements and then you're good to 20'

 

holee-molee 1/0 is expensive. $100 + shipping for 25 ft, single color

Shit, the kicker stuff is even more. $350 for 50 ft.

 

Yea...not cheap haha the kicker wire is sooooo fucking nice though. I got the amp kit for like 200. Was a great deal considering all the wire I got. Don't think they sell the kit anymore sadly.

 

Jeez, didn't realize choosing a wire would be this complicated.

Next question, is it worth paying extra for super-flexible wire or is the "slightly less than super-flexible" Ok. And what about CCA vs. OFC type? Oxygen Free Copper is quite a bit more expensive than Copper Clad Aluminum.

 

Mine is ofc. Pretty nice that way and super flexible is totally worth it I think when dealing with bigger wire. For you. Probably Cca is fine Id bet. But id try and get flexible wire. Makes working with so nice.

Shame you didn't come to my place for this too. My dad got a sweet little hydraulic crimper for large gauge wire. Works awesome.

 

Here's some info on the difference...

 

Yea there's a reason it costs more..

 

There were a number of logistical reasons for no Christmas visit this year. One big one was I would not have had batteries to work with. In fact I don't have them yet. The group buy just closed so receiving those is still a couple of weeks away.

And you bring up a good point. Crimping is enough? No Soldering for those big joints?

Good info. Thanks.