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itolond



Member Since: 16 Jan 2016
Location: Singapore
Posts: 193

Singapore 1997 Defender 110 300 Tdi SW Alpine White
Multiple battery setup help
Hi forum
on my 97 110 defender, I am looking to have Aux battery (optima Yellow) as well as a high draw starter battery (optima RED).

Purchased a Bleu Sea Systems Add-A-Battery (for Alt up to 120A, Defender Alt=100A) which will handle the charging and isolation setup.

The wiring for 2 batteries seems pretty straight forward, What I am trying to get an handle on is Fuse / Breakers (prefer breaker switches)

What to use and where, Blue sea has a calculator but some information i don't have yet, power draw for starting a Defender TDI300, what if i add a winch later (or is this separate?)

any guides here would be great

Also have a very small 12v sealed battery (9 AH) on a trailer which when connected i would like to also charge.....

I am assuming i can tag this tailer battery along with the Aux battery ???
Post #502037 8th Feb 2016 10:57am
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Cupboard



Member Since: 21 Mar 2014
Location: Suffolk
Posts: 2971

United Kingdom 2011 Defender 110 Puma 2.4 HT Corris Grey
Read this thread:
http://www.defender2.net/forum/topic42887.html

If you're going for a non-standard battery I'd use an Odyssey but as I explain in that thread I would just use cheaper batteries!

Fuses close to the batteries as possible to protect the cables. If a cable has a battery at both ends (and is more than negligible length) then you'd need two fuses. You can use MCBs but they take up a lot more space than a standard automotive fuse box. Another option is something like this: http://www.beal.org.uk/electrical-products...00219.html

Winching you almost certainly want both batteries joined together with a nice beefy link. No reason you couldn't just take a separate isolator on for that to do emergency jump starting of yourself too.
Post #502056 8th Feb 2016 11:49am
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itolond



Member Since: 16 Jan 2016
Location: Singapore
Posts: 193

Singapore 1997 Defender 110 300 Tdi SW Alpine White
battery
Hi Cupboard,

appreciate the info,

placement understood, what about fuse / breaker rating, any guides?
Post #502061 8th Feb 2016 11:58am
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Cupboard



Member Since: 21 Mar 2014
Location: Suffolk
Posts: 2971

United Kingdom 2011 Defender 110 Puma 2.4 HT Corris Grey
Do a power budget.
What loads are you supplying, what size cable are you using etc.

Say you've got a 1A LED worklight, which you've wired using cable that's rated to take 16A because that's what you've got lying around. You could fuse that at 5A quite happily, but no reason you couldn't stick a 15A fuse on it either.

I haven't seen it done much for automotive stuff, but for mains electrics one thing you can do is say "I have a 1A load so want to use X sized cable, but it's going to on a 16A plug so it needs to be rated for the fault current, so I'll use 0.75mm2 cable which you wouldn't use to supply a 16A load but can take enough current to trip the 16A breaker". If you look in the Defender wiring diagrams they do that a bit, have one fuse supplying multiple loads and the fuse is sized for the loads and not the cables. So long as if there's a fault in the cable the fuse will blow before there's a fire you're fine.

Blue Sea do a neat little terminal mounted fuse block so you don't even need to think about the cable to the fuse box.

You need to do an energy budget for sizing your batteries too. Say that your battery has 50Ah working capacity (see the other thread for more details) but you need to run a 3A load for two days, that's not going to work. Equally if all you're trying to do is charge a mobile overnight and will be driving again the next day then you'll be using more energy faffing around with your split charge system than the phone will ever take.
Post #502107 8th Feb 2016 2:11pm
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itolond



Member Since: 16 Jan 2016
Location: Singapore
Posts: 193

Singapore 1997 Defender 110 300 Tdi SW Alpine White
calc
Thanks,

I wil need to measure however i searched and found the TDI300 has a 300A cranking draw and the optima red has a CCA of 750...

as for accessory load- not sure yet
Post #502129 8th Feb 2016 2:42pm
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Cupboard



Member Since: 21 Mar 2014
Location: Suffolk
Posts: 2971

United Kingdom 2011 Defender 110 Puma 2.4 HT Corris Grey
Sorry, what are you trying to fuse then?
Usually with an aux battery system you'd put a supplementary fusebox by the second battery to run the auxiliary loads off, things like work lights, fridge, radio or whatever you're putting the second battery in for. Not sure what that has to do with the cranking amps of a 300TDI?
Post #502135 8th Feb 2016 3:02pm
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itolond



Member Since: 16 Jan 2016
Location: Singapore
Posts: 193

Singapore 1997 Defender 110 300 Tdi SW Alpine White
reply
you need a fuse between the battery and the starter, correct?
Post #502136 8th Feb 2016 3:03pm
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Cupboard



Member Since: 21 Mar 2014
Location: Suffolk
Posts: 2971

United Kingdom 2011 Defender 110 Puma 2.4 HT Corris Grey
There often isn't!
The Puma has a 400A mega fuse.
But you shouldn't have to alter the starter circuit? That's already in and working I assume? All you're doing as adding a second battery and split charge system?
Post #502611 9th Feb 2016 1:40pm
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miker



Member Since: 13 Sep 2015
Location: Surrey
Posts: 1758

United Kingdom 1999 Defender 110 Td5 CSW Rioja Red
Generally you don't have a fuse between main battery, starter motor and alternator.

I wouldn't bother to change this unless you really need to!
Post #502674 9th Feb 2016 4:14pm
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