Where to buy Battery Charge Master (1 Viewer)

Jul 4, 2010
1,194
804
Essex / central France
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12,437
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Hymer Star Line 680
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9 years
Phoned CAK and they are out of stock (again?) of their Battery Charge Master BCM 12 (was CBE CSB-2), new stock due on or around the 27 January.

As we are leaving the MH for up to 3 weeks soon wanted to fit this before we went. There is a working solar panel fitted to the MH leisure battery.

So the question is, is it possible to buy this in it's original guise as a CBE CSB2 product either in the UK or Germany/France?

Thanks
 

Carol

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Try Dave Newall, pretty sure he has them.
 

Jim

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Jul 19, 2007
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This one is easy to fit and cheap as chips

Link Removed

Is that the right bit of kit? It says it's intended use is charging your leisure battery from the alternator. I thought the Link Removed was for keeping your engine battery topped up via your inputs of Mains hookup, gennie or solar panel. Or does this bit of kit do that as well. I wish I understood electricity:Blush:
 

Wildman

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May 30, 2008
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It connects between two batteries, when the first is fully charged (from whatever source) the excess charge is diverted to the second battery and diodes stop reverse current flow so a very useful bit of kit.

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Dec 6, 2011
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It connects between two batteries, when the first is fully charged (from whatever source) the excess charge is diverted to the second battery and diodes stop reverse current flow so a very useful bit of kit.


im confused now !! :RollEyes: not difficult to do that though:Doh:

i thought that this is what the vanbitz one did ???:Eeek:
 

lunarman

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Sep 23, 2008
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I too wanted one of the battery masters from CAK but they said that it would be at least 5 weeks before they had stock. So I put my hand in my pocket and phoned vanbitz they had them in stock and it was delivered to me within 24hrs. Fitted it yesterday so I can now leave the van in storage without worry.

Don't forget if you buy from Vanbitz you can get 15% funster discount.

Lunarman

P.S. Looking at the description I don't think the unit that Roger (Wildman) suggested is the right one

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Wildman

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May 30, 2008
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I too wanted one of the battery masters from CAK but they said that it would be at least 5 weeks before they had stock. So I put my hand in my pocket and phoned vanbitz they had them in stock and it was delivered to me within 24hrs. Fitted it yesterday so I can now leave the van in storage without worry.

Don't forget if you buy from Vanbitz you can get 15% funster discount.

Lunarman

P.S. Looking at the description I don't think the unit that Roger (Wildman) suggested is the right one
when on hookup your leisure batteries are charged, once they reach full charge the relay opens and engine battery then gets charged. now I don't have a vanblitz unit or any details of what it does, is it different? If so how please?
 

Jim

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when on hookup your leisure batteries are charged, once the reach full charge the relay opens and engine battery then gets charged. now I don't have a vanblitz unit or any details of what it does, is it different? If so how please?


The blurb on the one you posted Rog says its for keeping the leisure batteries charged from the alternator, whereas the BM keeps the engine battery charged, is it just a matter of reversing it?
 

paulmold

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Jun 15, 2009
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There's this one on Ebay, does the same as Battery Master

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Wildman

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The blurb on the one you posted Rog says its for keeping the leisure batteries charged from the alternator, whereas the BM keeps the engine battery charged, is it just a matter of reversing it?
I'll have to dig out the instruction sheet and post it thats the real answer. When I bought it I got it as a cheap alternative to a battery master. without compromising battery safety. I'll get some closeup photos of ther unit tomorrow as well as the instructions.
 

slobadoberbob

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I have no idea how.. but it works

I have no idea how it works.. but I have the VanBitz battery master ..supplied and fitted by them.. it works.. takes power from the house batteries to keep my engine battery charged.

I have the sterling inverter charger connected to the 240v supply (land line) and that way the house and engine batteries are all charged all the time.

does what it says on the tin

Bob

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Dec 6, 2011
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i had a vanbitz battery master on our last van.:RollEyes:. found the van with both cab and liesure batteries flat when went to pick up from storage last march:Angry:. a real pain.:shout:

i thought !! " wrongly i guess" :Blush: that battery master allowed trickle charge to the cab battery when it was being charged but did not allow the cab battery to completely flatten the liesure battery!

hope that makes sence!:Eeek:

anyone enlighten me, as i am considering a fit to the new van..::bigsmile:
 

jonandshell

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Dig deep and buy a Sterling Battery to Battery Charger if you want to do the job right!::bigsmile:
 

pappajohn

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could be wrong but the one Roger points to may be machine (alternator) sensed.

ie: only works when the alternator is spinning, and the blurb does state it switches out and isolates the batteries from each other when the engine is off, so regardless of engine and leisure battery charge states it shouldnt switch unless the engine is running.

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Wildman

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could be wrong but the one Roger points to may be machine (alternator) sensed.

ie: only works when the alternator is spinning, and the blurb does state it switches out and isolates the batteries from each other when the engine is off, so regardless of engine and leisure battery charge states it shouldnt switch unless the engine is running.
no comment wait and read the blurn tomorrow
 

Jim

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I have the Battery Master fitted, I trust VanBitz and would not feel happy with an Ebay thingamabob as its always working even when you leave the van, especially with my 360watts of solar panel so even when not on hook up, I am depending upon it to keep my engine battery in good nick but not cook it or worse.

Its allright for guys like Roger who are happy working with and understand electrics, but numpties like me prefer to rely on a quality product from a respected company so I will alway opt for the Van Bits jobby, especially when he gives us all that discount.

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Dec 6, 2011
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Jim... does it laways allow transfer from the liesure to the cab ( provided cab is lower voltage ) irrespective of the state of the liesure battery? :Eeek:
 

Jim

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Jul 19, 2007
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Jim... does it laways allow transfer from the liesure to the cab ( provided cab is lower voltage ) irrespective of the state of the liesure battery? :Eeek:

No, I think it only makes it available when the leisure are full.
 

pappajohn

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Jim... does it laways allow transfer from the liesure to the cab ( provided cab is lower voltage ) irrespective of the state of the liesure battery? :Eeek:

No, I think it only makes it available when the leisure are full.


i believe Jim is correct......

once the leisures are full the excess REGULATED charge is diverted to the engine battery at the rate of 1.1amps regardless of what your charger or solar panel is producing.

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slobadoberbob

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i think there is a limit to the transfer

If I recall when Eddie fitted my battery master that he said there was a limit the battery master could make up.. it is intended just to put a small top up charge in..

OK so where is Eddie.. clear it up for us.


Bob:Sad:
 

lunarman

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If I remember the description correctly (its in the van now so can't check) it says that if there is no external charging source (e.g. Solar Panel, EHU etc.) then if there is a drain on the vehicle battery then ultimately both the leisure battery and the vehicle battery would be discharged.

The battery master would detect a greater than 0.5v difference between the batteries and attempt to reduce it. If there is nothing to replace the charge in the leisure battery then it will ultimately go flat. Although the vehicle battery would have been kept at a higher charge for longer.

Lunarman
 

Techno

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As I posted in another thread
"The battery master was designed to support the cab battery at the expense of the leisure battery by transferring charge at anything up to 1.1 amps whilst ever the cab battery is half a volt lower than the hab.
This was primarily for storage situations with no hook up or solar BUT it will work with solar with the limitation of the small charge rate. Price circa £65 ebay inc delivery

The CBE is designed to maximise the benefit of solar by sending charge at up to 4 amps to the cab battery once the hab battery has reached 13.6 volts (it only has to reach that voltage for an instant to begin transferring charge) and continues to transfer charge until the leisure battery is sensed to have dropped to 12.6 (wont in daylight due to solar input) i.e. it doesn't switch off just because it drops to 13.5 . Before fitting one of these my cab battery was always a lower voltage than my hab but now they are all fully charged and ready to go.
Price circa £27 + P&P

Conclusion
The CBE is useless if you dont have solar or hook up

The battery master is perfect if you dont have solar or hook up"
 

pappajohn

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confused agai me!:Eeek:
Not really.....

put two unequally charged batteries on a bench.

connect a battery to battery charger to the higher charged 'primary' battery then to the lower charged 'secondary' battery....no other charging source.

the 'primary' battery will charge the 'secondary' battery until both batteries are equally charged
 
Dec 6, 2011
11,467
25,057
South Wales
Funster No
19,136
MH
Coach built Adria
Exp
Since 2007
Not really.....

put two unequally charged batteries on a bench.

connect a battery to battery charger to the higher charged 'primary' battery then to the lower charged 'secondary' battery....no other charging source.

the 'primary' battery will charge the 'secondary' battery until both batteries are equally charged


got it thanks... have now read the small print on Vanbitz site.. ( when all else fails... read the instructions! ) :Blush: so that means that with Battery master eventually !!! if there is some sort of load on the cab i.e. clock!! then both batteries willgo flat?:thumb:

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