Schaudt Electroblock + Solar + Solar (1 Viewer)

[EuroTrotters]

Morning!

Can someone help please?

In the past, I usually use solar charging via the habitations existing system.

For Example, with CBE, I used their OEM kit to add solar charging and with Schaudt Electroblock I have used their suggested solar regulators.

However, the EBL99 that was Hymer Factory installed in this motorhome, has a limited charge capacity of 10amps via their LR1218 solar controller (the LR1218 can handle 18amps - but the EBL99 will not).

Can I, via an additional Solar controller. Charge the batteries direct?. With the existing set-up of Electroblock EBL99 + LR1218 + Alternator?.

Any suggestions or questions welcome please?. Having a brain freeze moment.

TM

 

[JeanLuc]

My EBL 99 will handle 15 amps via the dedicated solar input block. I too have a LR1218 connected to it.

 

[Lenny HB]

The EBL 99 solar connections are straight though via a fuse to the batteries you can wire in any solar regulator and I think it is OK to increase the fuse to 20 amp. You can use a dual output regulator or a sngle output wit a solar split charge relay.

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[EuroTrotters]

But, to reduce charge load on the electrobloc, could I charge the batteries direct with an additional charger ?

 

[hilldweller]

But, to reduce charge load on the electrobloc, could I charge the batteries direct with an additional charger ?

I wired a conventional solar controller to the leisure battery. It's worked for at least 5 years now. The solar input does not show on the Schaudt ammeter but does of course on the BM1.

 

[EuroTrotters]

I think I did this with a stecca

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[Boringfrog]

I wired a conventional solar controller to the leisure battery. It's worked for at least 5 years now. The solar input does not show on the Schaudt ammeter but does of course on the BM1.

Does your engine battery charge via solar with this configuration?

 

[TheCaller]

The EBL99 is the basic model. It doesn't measure current flow in or out, so the only benefit of connecting the solar charge controller through it is ease of connection.

Are you sure about that 10A limit? I'm another who thought it was higher than that. My manual (EBL99 G) suggests 14A.

What is the wattage of your existing panel & what do you intend to add? Remember that a 100W panel should theoretically produce around of 7.5A at the start of the charging process, but it never will unless you are parked up on the equator at midday. If you are in the UK & Northern Europe, you should be ok up to 200W without getting close to overloading it.

I'm not sure what happens if you connect two controllers to the same battery. If one is pushing out a slightly higher voltage than the other, does the controller at the lower voltage think it's connected to a fully charged battery & switch to float mode, thereby leaving the other one doing all the work?

If you really do have to have another controller, I'd be inclined to go for one that will handle the combined load & sell your existing one. Get a dual output one (like the LR1218) or add something like a Battery Master to a single output one if you want it to keep the starter battery topped up as well.

 

[JeanLuc]

I can confirm that the current rating for the solar regulator input on an EBL 99 is 15 amps. In the installation instructions for the LR1218 regulator, it states that the correct fuse rating is shown on the front panel of the EBL to which the regulator is being connected. Attached is a diagram from the EBL 99G model. Mine is an EBL 99F and it is the same.

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[hilldweller]

Does your engine battery charge via solar with this configuration?

It does with a £26 gadget off ebay. From caktanks if I remember correctly.

 

[Boringfrog]

The EBL99 is the basic model. It doesn't measure current flow in or out, so the only benefit of connecting the solar charge controller through it is ease of connection.

My EBL99 shows flow via my Büstners control panel.

 

[TheCaller]

My EBL99 shows flow via my Büstners control panel.

That's interesting. Do you think your control panel is a Schaudt part or a Bustner part? The Schaudt panel normally supplied with the EBL99 only displays voltage.

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[tonyidle]

Mine displays up to 30A. The wiring diagram of the EBL99 suggests that the limiting factor is probably the shunt for the panel ammeter so JeanLucs reply makes sense. I'd connect via the EBL but if you are unconvinced then wiring via a separate regulator to the hab battery is fine. Multiple charging sources cause no issue - the one producing the highest voltage at any given time does the work. The EBL99 includes start battery charging.

 

[JeanLuc]

That's interesting. Do you think your control panel is a Schaudt part or a Bustner part? The Schaudt panel normally supplied with the EBL99 only displays voltage.

There have been various Schaudt panels over the course of the EBL99's life. Mine is an older model (IT992) with twin needle meters. It shows solar charging current provided via the LR1218 in the same way that it shows charging from mains or alternator.

 

[Boringfrog]

That's interesting. Do you think your control panel is a Schaudt part or a Bustner part? The Schaudt panel normally supplied with the EBL99 only displays voltage.

Same as @JeanLuc .

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[TheCaller]

There have been various Schaudt panels over the course of the EBL99's life. Mine is an older model (IT992) with twin needle meters. It shows solar charging current provided via the LR1218 in the same way that it shows charging from mains or alternator.

Same as @JeanLuc .

I feel all left out now

All I've got is the LT410 panel, which just shows the voltage as a series of lights. I thought that's what everyone got with the EBL99. I shall go & have a sulk in the corner.

 

[tonyidle]

Same as @JeanLuc .

Mine too.

 

[JeanLuc]

Did you fit the signal cable that came with the LR1218? It is required when the regulator is used with an EBL that has a DT/LT control panel. I.e. Those with LCD displays.

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[JeanLuc]

The LAS1218 is only effective for mains charging of course, it will have no effect on solar or alternator charging. Hymer fitted one on the larger S-Class models I believe, when they were also fitting 3 leisure batteries as standard. If your battery bank is not more than about 160 - 180 Ah I would not bother with the LAS1218.

 

[JeanLuc]

Not sure what the LFD nomination means but a 140 Ah battery is very heavy to manoeuvre in and out of its location. Whether you have one large, or two smaller batteries is irrelevant to the EBL: it will see two batteries in parallel as one battery.

 

[JeanLuc]

OK I understand. I wondered whether you were referring to Varta. I have 2 x LFD90 batteries and they are good. By the way, they are not 'safer' than gel batteries in the habitation area as they are still a wet battery. If you want the safest option then gel is still the best although it is a lot more expensive. Another advantage of gel is that they can be discharged to 20% of their nominal capacity (i.e. 80% usable amp-hours) whereas the wet battery (including the LFD range) should not be discharged below 50% of the nominal capacity. I would still go for two smaller batteries in preference to one big one, simply to make handling easier. Even the LFD90 weighs around 25 kg and it is quite a handful to lower into the battery tray without strain.
Final point, assuming you have a gel battery at the moment, do not forget to change the battery selector slide switch on the EBL if you switch to the LFD. This must be done with the EBL switched off.

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[funflair]

I'm not sure what happens if you connect two controllers to the same battery. If one is pushing out a slightly higher voltage than the other, does the controller at the lower voltage think it's connected to a fully charged battery & switch to float mode, thereby leaving the other one doing all the work?

If you really do have to have another controller, I'd be inclined to go for one that will handle the combined load & sell your existing one. Get a dual output one (like the LR1218) or add something like a Battery Master to a single output one if you want it to keep the starter battery topped up as well.

Two controllers onto the same battery bank work fine, when the batteries need the power the terminal voltage drops low enough so they both work 100%, when the batteries reach nearing full charge the terminal voltage rises and one controller does cut out but that is OK at that point as the remaining one can provide the float on its own, or that's how it works with our two Votronic MPPT controllers.

Martin

 

[tonyidle]

Two controllers onto the same battery bank work fine, when the batteries need the power the terminal voltage drops low enough so they both work 100%, when the batteries reach nearing full charge the terminal voltage rises and one controller does cut out but that is OK at that point as the remaining one can provide the float on its own, or that's how it works with our two Votronic MPPT controllers.

Martin

That is how it works more or less. The charging source with the highest voltage output will end up 'doing all the work' but at that point the battery will be close to fully charged and very little work is left to do. Using multiple charging sources is therefore absolutely fine and all will work correctly as designed.

 

[tonyidle]

The 18A output is there to run appliances. A battery will only draw anywhere near that for the first few minutes on EHU and only then if it is completely discharged

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