Community Forums

elkski · 08-24-2015, 10:26 PM

For a pair I think you will want to use 40/4 setting . There is also a charge voltage sequence choice in the settings.

mcbarsranch · 08-26-2015, 06:54 AM

I spoke with the tech at Don Rowe and tried resetting to factory default which did not help. I will be calling back today to get the warranty replacement started.
I have the converter in place and wired so it can be used as a backup. It had been upgraded to a Progressive Dynamics 9160 but no wizard. If I had known this prior to purchasing the Kisae Abos I may have bought a wizard and a inverter without charger.
The inverter and transfer switch portion of the Kisae works fine, it's just the charger section that is faulty.
Thanks for all the help.

elkski · 08-26-2015, 08:07 AM

how do you know the charger isn't working? or are your settings not staying where you select them? I found this odd as you have to select your setting then hold down the select button for 5 sec to lock in your selection?? and if you dont touch the reset or select button for 5 sec it goes out of programming mode.

mcbarsranch · 08-27-2015, 09:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by elkski

how do you know the charger isn't working? or are your settings not staying where you select them? I found this odd as you have to select your setting then hold down the select button for 5 sec to lock in your selection?? and if you dont touch the reset or select button for 5 sec it goes out of programming mode.

Changing the settings was not a problem. But when my batteries (two separate pairs, one new pair) was at bulk charge for 2 days with no increase in charge I figured the charger was faulty. The tech at Don Rowe agreed so I will be sending it back for a replacement.

elkski · 08-31-2015, 08:29 AM

Hope #2 unit works well. Mine is working fine.
Just brewed 8 cups of coffee and it took 7.5 mins @90 amps (12.4v after). the inverter fan kicked in for 8 cups but not when I do 4. the Fan added about .6 amps. my idle seems to be about .7amps.
This took my battery bank from 96% to 86%. trimetric set at 120 Ahr.
I have now brewed coffee three times without an error E6 Ac output has sensed high and is close to shutdown which I got the first two test runs? IT was warmer when I tested it the first two times.
Does 90 amps at 12.4 v mean I was using 1120 watts?
I may need to find a slightly less power hungry coffee pot?
PS I see that max operational altitude specified is 9843' (3000m)? can anyone toss out a theory on this? I was at 9000 ' or so the last trip.

mcbarsranch · 09-01-2015, 11:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by elkski

Hope #2 unit works well. Mine is working fine.
Just brewed 8 cups of coffee and it took 7.5 mins @90 amps (12.4v after). the inverter fan kicked in for 8 cups but not when I do 4. the Fan added about .6 amps. my idle seems to be about .7amps.
This took my battery bank from 96% to 86%. trimetric set at 120 Ahr.
I have now brewed coffee three times without an error E6 Ac output has sensed high and is close to shutdown which I got the first two test runs? IT was warmer when I tested it the first two times.
Does 90 amps at 12.4 v mean I was using 1120 watts?
I may need to find a slightly less power hungry coffee pot?
PS I see that max operational altitude specified is 9843' (3000m)? can anyone toss out a theory on this? I was at 9000 ' or so the last trip.

How long does your charger take on each stage during charging?

beenthere · 09-09-2015, 12:18 PM

amp hour of battery divided by charger rate equals time....not/// but math is not all its cracked up to be,,

beenthere · 09-09-2015, 12:20 PM

in other words if you have a 1000mah battery and charge at 1 amp it takes one hour....[1000mah = 1 amp] and remember one amp hour equals 1000 milliamp hours,,,,,,,

twinboat · 09-09-2015, 02:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mcbarsranch

How long does your charger take on each stage during charging?

The Bulk Charge Step
When a charge source is first applied to a well discharged battery, charge current begins to flow, typically at the maximum rate of the charge source. If a true 40 Amp charger is connected to an 8D battery which is completely discharged, about 40 Amps of charge current would flow for some period of time. Because most of the charge is delivered at the maximum charger rate, the first step of the charge cycle is called the bulk charge step. NOTE: During the bulk step, battery voltage will steadily rise.
The Start of the Absorption Step
At the instant battery voltage has risen to the maximum allowable voltage of the charge source, current through the battery begins to decline. This simultaneous event of reaching maximum voltage and the start of current decline marks the beginning of the absorption step.
For instance, if the 40 Amp charger is set to 14.4 Volts, then when battery voltage has risen to 14.4 Volts, the charger will now hold the voltage constant. Current through the battery will begin to decline. NOTE: The charger, (or alternator), is not limiting the current at this point. The battery is `absorbing' all it can at the voltage setpoint.
The End of the Absorption Step
The absorption step should continue until current through the battery declines to about 2% of battery capacity in Amp-hours as mentioned above. Without knowing what the current is through the battery, you can't know when it's full. Just because that fancy charger, (or inverter/charger), has kicked out to float is no sign that the battery is full ...there is no charger on the market that measures battery current!
It's a given, then, that you need to measure battery current to know when the battery is full. With a battery current meter, you can discover some very interesting details about the charge process. For instance, you can discover that once the charger voltage limit is reached, battery current begins to decline. If the current decline is rapid, either the batteries are nearly full, or they are NO GOOD! If the current decline is slow, then either the charge source has more output than the batteries can reasonably absorb, or the batteries are NO GOOD! Here's where Amp-hour instrumentation is particularly valuable.
Given enough time at the absorption voltage, charge current will decline to a steady-state value, that is, a low current that either stays constant, or declines very little. At the point where charge current has gone as low as it is going to, then the batteries are truly full. While 2% of Ah rating is close, good batteries will reach a steady state current at less than 1% of Ah rating.
The Float Step Once a battery is full, a lower voltage should be applied that will maintain the full charge. Depending on the type of battery, (liquid, gel), and the age of the battery, 13.4 - 13.8 Volts is appropriate as a float voltage.

elkski · 09-09-2015, 06:04 PM

I haven't watched mine real close. I do see the 14.6 V and then I see a 13.x or something. I may not have it set up for a 4 stage charger as I dont have a value for p 14 I think it is?
I really need to do some research on how to set up my programs. I did move my adsorptioin to 14.6v but I do have max V at 15.9 per the trimetric 2030 manual for a crown and most batteries. I admit to be a bit confused by all these program settings and slightly different definitions.

twinboat · 09-09-2015, 06:38 PM

You may not be running your batteries down enough, to stay in bulk mode, very long.

Probably have to get down under 70% or so, as a test.

mcbarsranch · 02-16-2017, 11:07 AM

This is an old post but thought I would update and ask a question.
The Kisae has been working fine for the past two years. We use it along with a Champion 3000 watt inverter generator during the day when we need AC and/or to charge the batteries. We mostly dry camp at our CAS events.
My question is since the Kisae only has a 3 stage charger would it be worth adding the charge wizard to my converter to get the equalization mode.
Also what is everyone doing when they have their trailers stored for the winter? I've been charging my batteries monthly with the Kisae's charger.

Thanks
Jeff