Elektromatic LA110 Charger Capabilities

[jo10000_6]

Hi

I have the above in my 1993 Hymer B544.

I will be in the future asking some solar / extra battery questions and have done due diligence and read practically all the solar section and will have questions and be asking for advice soon.

Prior to this though, the above has written on it :

LA110
30 A/H
12V-7A

So I'm reading from this that its rated at 7 Amp?

My question is within my research as mentioned above it said on numerous occasions that the rule of thumb is that batteries are no bigger than 10% of charging capacity - so forgive my ignorance on electrical stuff but is that 10 x 7A making if 70 Amp as currently I have a 110 amp leisure battery installed which I'm not overly concerned about as it seems to do the job but perhaps adding a second battery would be asking too much ?

Any comments appreciated.

Thanks
Jo

 

[SandraL]

Yes it seems it is a max charge of 7 amps.

If you have a large battery, and need to recharge from a deep discharge reguarly, the charger will be running at full output for many hours. A larger charger will recharge quicker and so not be at max for so long, and so last longer.
If you are not on mains often and recharge via engine or solar I would not worry too much
If you need to recharge quickly from mains then a larger, or second, charger would be usefull.

 

[autorouter]

30 A/H

Let's get the detail right. It says >30Ah. That means the 'greater than 30 amp-hours', so that's the minimum leisure battery size recommended for this charger. Your battery is 110 Ah so no problem there.

There is no maximum battery bank size. The charger should limit the current to 7 amps max. If designed correctly is should be able to supply 7 amps indefinitely, 24/7. 7 amps at 12 volts is less than 100 watts, after all.

If the charger can supply 7 amps for 24 hours then it can in theory give you 7 x 24 = 168 amp-hours in one day. If you are using that amount of power or more, you will have problems in that the charger will not be able to put back the charge that you are taking out, so it will gradually run down.

You can add a second battery, especially if the intention is to simply last longer without charging. In that case you're not using more amps, but using the same amps for more hours. It will obviously take twice as long to fill two batteries compared to one, but it will take twice as long to empty them too.

I presume the LA110 is a fixed voltage charger, not a smart multi-stage charger. This is old technology that does not charge as quickly as a smart charger. I assume it's set to a fixed voltage, probably 13.8 volts. It's set to this level because it's safe to leave a battery at 13.8 volts indefinitely.

Smart chargers boost up the charge voltage and current, but monitor the voltage and current continuously, and drop the voltage back to about 13.8 volts when the charging is complete. Most modern chargers are the smart type, because they are now cheaper and more easily available than when your MH was originally made.

Typically a modern Hymer will have an Electroblok with built-in smart charger, capable of 14 or 18 amps, with a socket to plug in an extra charger if required. If you are adding solar panels and extra batteries I would imagine you will soon be upgrading the charger too.

 

[scotjimland]

As said by previous poster..

adding a second will make it work harder and take longer to recharge .. it says 35 - 70ah , so already over advised maximum ah

It's a really old Schaudt model, if you plan on adding a second 110ah. money spend on a more modern larger charger would be money well spent..

you should also consider replacing the old battery at the same time rather than having one old and one new .. the old will drag the new one down and waste power.

Fit a matched pair of the same ah , type (FLS, or Gel ) and maker.

if you want long life and a deeper discharge capacity.. a pair of Exide G80s Gels would be my choice .
Deep-discharged GEL batteries can be re-charged, stand up to repeated deep discharges. You can therefore use batteries with fewer amp-hours than equivalent standard batteries and still have access to the same amount of power.


Translated by Google.. for the Schaudt LA110 E

I've uploaded manual, it's only available in German but may come in useful

1. Description
The battery charger LA 110 E is used to charge 6-cell 12V lead-acid batteries with a capacity of approx. 35 to 70Ah.
These batteries can also be installed in 12V networks, so that the battery charger takes charge and supply.
1.1 Technical data 1.1.1 General data Dimensions (H x W x D in mm) Weight
Housing housing color
1.1.2 Electrical data
mains connection
Power supply value
Suitable batteries
Reverse current (without mains and with connected battery)
1.1.2.1 Battery charge
Charging characteristic Rule principle Load end voltage Charging current
Charge Conservation Voltage Recharge Cycle Protection Circuits
111 x 135 x 160 incl. Foot angle
2.8 kg
Aluminum, powder-coated
Hood blank, front light gray RAL 7035
* 230V (+6 / - 10%), 50Hz, protection class I * 100VA
* 6-cell lead-acid batteries from 35Ah
* <0.3mA
* WoU
* thyristor controlled * 14.4V
* 5A arithm. Average value (7A rms) at 230V mains voltage and a battery voltage of 13.0V.
The electricity is mains voltage dependent.
* 13.8V with automatic switching
* at a battery voltage <approx. 13.2V
* Protection against reverse polarity connection of a battery * Protection against short circuit
* Fuse 0.8AT in the mains input
* Overtemperature switch in the transformer

 

[Ivory55]

If someone wanted a bigger charger for odd times with a big battery bank. Would it be cheaper to get a ctek optimate charger free standing type rather than replace his charger and use that if needed ?

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[autorouter]

I presume the LA110 is a fixed voltage charger, not a smart multi-stage charger.

I presumed wrong. It's a 2-stage charger. Constant current bulk charge (7A) until the voltage reaches 14.4 volts, then switches to constant voltage of 13.8 volts for trickle charge.

Better and faster than a fixed voltage charger, but still not as good as a proper multi-stage charger.

 

[jo10000_6]

Hi Guys - I think I'm understanding a bit better so thanks to all !

My 110 Amp Battery is quite new - 6 months - the one in when I bought was shot and I just changed like for like without really understanding the charger.

I actually have an intelligent charger - external of motorhome - and I do tend to check the battery often and use this for a "proper" charge every so often.

One of my quandaries is my lovely motorhome is going to spend sometime in storage next year when I move house and don't have a drive - this makes me sad but also leaves me in a situation where I cant check the batteries as I would like (Cab and hab batteries - I'm paranoid after both needed changing !) so I'm thinking do I have a solar set up to look after the batteries ? I cant lie - I do fancy solar just because its cool to generate your own energy - but do I desperately need it ? -probably not - I can take the motorhome for a 30 mile drive and keep the hab battery on trickle every so often but a bit of free sun would probably make me feel better.

The other question is do I have a second battery even though I know its oversized for the charger ? or stick with the one big battery and solar?

I don't want to give anyone the impression I need to be off the grid - I don't - my needs are met with one battery as I'm using at the moment but I do like a bit of futureproofing and I do fancy solar even if I don't desperately need it "at the moment"

Thanks for your comments so far …..it helps me think about my options and what other people may do in a similar situation.

Jim - thanks for the German translation !!

 

[scotjimland]

The other question is do I have a second battery even though I know its oversized for the charger ? or stick with the one big battery and solar?

I don't want to give anyone the impression I need to be off the grid - I don't - my needs are met with one battery as I'm using at the moment but I do like a bit of futureproofing and I do fancy solar even if I don't desperately need it "at the moment"

I would get the solar fitted first , say a 150 watt or bigger, depending on available roof space and budget.. also fit an MPPT solar regulator , future-proof in size to take more solar if required.. then see if that's adequate for your needs.. you can always add another battery afterwards if required .. Victron come highly recommended

If you plan to be off-grid then money invested in a good solar system will pay dividends..

 

[jo10000_6]

Thanks Jim - I've been reading about MMPT regulators and their benefits - Victron and Votrovic both seem to get positive mentions from people of Fun.

I also picked up that its probably better to buy individual items to make your preferred kit rather than buying a standard kit.

Thanks Jo

 

[autorouter]

the rule of thumb is that batteries are no bigger than 10% of charging capacity

I think it's the other way round. If the battery is 70Ah then you want a charger with a capacity of 7 amps (which is 10% of 70)

If you are designing a system with a bank of 220 Ah, then you would be looking for a charger with a capacity of 22 amps.

Standard lead-acid batteries don't like being charged at an amperage more than about 20% of the charge capacity in amp-hours, so for a 220Ah battery bank that limit would be 44 amps.