Common BCDC Tech Tips from REDARC

[@binqatami]

What is the best solution to isolate the orange wire with a switch so I can either use a lithium or switch to agm battery ?

[@REDARCElectronics]

Hi, You can use a standard on/off toggle switch installed between the Orange and Green wires of the BCDC. If you want the Lithium profile selected, have it so the switch is toggled one way and the opposite for AGM/GEL (orange disconnected affectively). Hope that helps!

[@gerinpgt]

Hi ! I’ve just bought a Waeco cfx 75 freezer fridge. I have a Toyota hilux 2018 I would like to know which Redarc is the best option for my dual battery system 1225 or 1240?

[@REDARCElectronics]

Hi Rogerio, thank you for your message. You will find a BCDC1225D will be more than suitable for this kind of setup. For any further assistance please be sure to contact our Tech Support Team at [e-mail]

[@strikemaster1]

G'day mate... good job. I already have the 1240N set up with caravan roof solar and car battery input. I want to add some folding solar panels to the mix.... how would I go about this? Can I piggyback this to the solar already connected to the yellow wire.... or some other way. I ask because I was thinking maybe too much solar input through what looks like 8B&S yellow wire might be dangerous.

[@REDARCElectronics]

Thanks for watching! When adding extra solar into the system as you mentioned all you need to do is add a extra connection to the yellow input wire. The 8 gauge cable coming out of the charger will be fine with the extra solar input.

[@mikeregan2135]

Awesome, thanks. I am also Strikemaster. from before. Sorry about that. Shoulda mentioned I have 240w solar on roof and will have a 200w folding blanket later. Only on cloudy days will they both be running at the same time anyway. Appreciate this helpful forum.

[@HAMMER_2.2]

Hi, I am planning a electrical system for a truck build that would feature a dual battery system as well as solar charging. This BCDC seems like the best solution. However, are there any limitations to what size Alternator can be used? I was looking at the high output 370A options from Mechman. Any issues with such a large output alternator? Cheers

[@REDARCElectronics]

Thanks for watching! There is no issue having a huge alternator on the input of the BCDC as it will only take what it needs to charge your 2nd battery.

[@matthalliday7446]

Far too high. fuses and wiring will have issues. Qualified mechanic 36 years. Only get qualified electrician or very good mechanic to do extra load on electrical system and instal midi fuses close to the battery as possible. Anthony from Fourby4Diesel is a very good reference for information, I usually go to him for info as i have found him to be very knowledgeable and like me has decades of experience. The main battery will be getting far more than the 85-100 amps and the wiring is so under rated for 370 amps.

[@CoreyHornby]

should the status of my redarc charger show the car and charging float while the car is off? i have the blue wire hooked up to ignition source when the car is off?

[@JasonfromBiripiCountry]

Hi Stuart, Mate I've wired up my BCDC charger ( orange wire not connected ). And with vehicle turned off & fixed solar panel wired in, charge profile light is on. ( Is this correct that the light is on with ignition off ? ) Along with charge status solar light on, and stage light is flashing once every few seconds.

[@DavidLedbetter12]

Is it possible to run a lead acid cranking battery and an agm as an auxilary cranking battery in a dual setup?

[@REDARCElectronics]

Hi David, thank you for your message. If you're looking to use a BCDC, then yes this would work fine. If you're wanting to use a Smart Battery Isolator instead, we would not recommend as you're not using the same battery type.

[@brucelines2391]

Hi Stuart, do you need to install a redarc isolator to a dual battery system when charging the second battery with redarc 1225d BCDC (Dec 2014 Prado GXL150) as I've seen two different setups of both. The AussieDrifter installation video doesn't have the isolator installed and it is a very simple installation.

[@brucelines2391]

Just another question associated with the second battery being charged by the Redarc 1225D BCDC, if I hooked up a solar input to charge the second battery when the vehicle isn't running, would it drain the first cranking battery in anyway?

[@REDARCElectronics]

Hi @@brucelines2391, The vehicle input of the BCDC Dual Input Chargers is protected from over-discharge at all times. In standard configuration with the blue disconnected - or blue connected to a vehicle ignition switched positive, with the ignition in the OFF position - the BCDC1225D will not continue to draw from the vehicle input once the voltage drops below 12.7V (unloaded). When the solar input is present this does not change the turn ON or OFF thresholds for the vehicle input. If you have any further questions please feel free to contact our Tech Support Team directly and they'll be happy to walk through in greater detail over the phone.

[@jonnywhite1000]

Hi. From this video, at around 2min 37 secs, it sounds as though solar will only start to used when the vehicle engine is running. Is this correct? Thanks.

[@REDARCElectronics]

Thanks for watching! Depending on the charger it should charge from solar without a car input, if you're experiencing any charging issues we would highly recommend to call our Technical Support Team on 1300REDARC (1300 733 272).

[@ryansmith9283]

Hey guys recently, my bcdc has stopped charging through the alternator and only charges off solar but only when the car is switched off. The engine has recently been rebuilt and I suspect something has been wired incorrectly, any idea as to what it could be ? Thanks

[@elitevbman]

We have the BCDC1220. Can you 100% trust these to act as an isolator?, I have put one in a portable battery box which is attached to the vehicle by Anderson plug. The anderson is attached directly to the battery through a fuse with no relays or switches. I generally unplug the Anderson when we are stopped because I am not sure if I can trust the 1220 to disconnect.

[@muzzgit]

You are correct the BC-DC will not have auto cut off if you have not utilised the 'ACC' cable. I have the same setup (although not with a Redarc). I have fitted a 12v battery isolator inside the battery box which will auto cut off when the supply to the BC-DC is below 12.4 volts

[@jasonburke7683]

I have installed a 1225D with 75 ah lithium battery in 2019 ford ranger I have the blue wire connected to the ignition it seems when the engine is running the idle drops down for a second every day 20-30 seconds have I done something wrong or is this normal now

[@REDARCElectronics]

Hi Jason, thanks for watching! Every car will act differently depending on the make, model and charging setup, if the REDARC charger is staying on and charging it could be something related to how the car's smart alternator functions. We would recommend contacting Ford as they should have more information on how the cars idle system works and what can affect it. For more information, please don't hesitate to reach out to our Tech Support Team on 1300REDARC (1300 733 272).

[@rahalati]

I am using my BCDC1225D to charge Optima AGM aux. battery and was working find. Recently I had some maintenance done on my vehicle and had to remove the aux battery. Now after putting back everything with the same old connection (no change), noticed the BCDC1225D LED indicates that it still charging from the vehicle even after the vehicle is turned off. That stays for ever.

[@REDARCElectronics]

Thanks for watching! The BCDC1225D will keep charging until the start battery voltage drops below 12.7v. Are you able to confirm your start battery voltage when this is happening? We would recommend calling our Technical Support Team on 1300REDARC (1300 733 272) as they will be able to guide you through some testing to get to the bottom of what is causing what you're seeing.

[@strikemaster1]

Check that the car starter battery is wired direct to the BCDC, and not (inadvertently) connected to the Aux battery +ve instead. If connected to the Aux battery, it will trick the BCDC causing car LED to be on, and also over heat the BCDC itself. Not a good position to be in. A quick indication of this is if the BCDC is hot to touch with the mains 240 connected and on.

[@OverlandArizona4690]

Recently installed the BCDC1225D in my FJ Cruiser. On the vehicle I have a 100 watt solar panel which is permanently mounted on the vehicle. I have not experienced any issues except for when the vehicle is parked in my garage during the day. I’ve noticed during the height of the day when a little sun is able to get in from a side garage door barely hitting the solar panel I’ll get all five LED’s flashing five times. This is the only time I get a fault code. Is this normal?

[@REDARCElectronics]

Hi Richard, Thank you for your message, and for your recent purchase! We can confirm that this is normal operation as the BCDC is recognising that the solar panel is producing some power, but not enough to facilitate a charge. If you do have further questions please don't hesitate to contact us at [e-mail]

[@OverlandArizona4690]

RedarcElectronics thank you for your quick response 👍

[@benwickert8269]

Hi Richard, I’m having some issues getting the solar to produce enough volts to make the charger kick in. But sounds like yours recognises even the smallest amount. I camp a lot with solar and don’t get this code at all when it’s cloudy. Does yours kick in quickly in the sun?

[@OverlandArizona4690]

Ben Wickert Yes, I live in Arizona and it’s pretty much sunny 330 days a year. Once I drive out of the garage the unit immediately kicks over to solar.

[@rickdeanshaw2938]

Hi ! I am installing a Redarc BCDC1225D in my camper trailer at the moment I have an Auxillary battery in my vehicle as well. If the vehicle is not connected to the camper will the solar take over and charge the camper battery ? I would like to disconnect and leave the camper at a static location.

[@REDARCElectronics]

The BCDC Dual Input Charger range will accept solar and vehicle inputs simultaneously, but also if either input is available at any time it will be able to use them independent of each other. For any further assistance please feel free to contact our friendly Tech Support Team on 08 8322 4848.

[@tannguyen5858]

Hi, i'm planning to hardwire a solar panel on the car. If the solar panel isn't drawing enough power while driving, will the BCDC automatically change to the alternator and vise versa? Thanks.

[@REDARCElectronics]

Thank you for your message, Tan. That's correct - the BCDC will select charge from solar first if it is available and if not, will then revert to charge via the alternator. If you have any further questions please contact our friendly Technical Support Team who are more than happy to assist.

[@garykildea6117]

@@REDARCElectronics But if, say, just 5 Amps was available from a rooftop solar panel, while driving, but 25A was available from the tow vehicle's alternator, does this mean that the BCDC [1225D] would reject the vehicles input altogether? Or would it take just 20A from the vehicle?

[@REDARCElectronics]

@@garykildea6117 the BCDC will take from Solar first and back-fill with Vehicle charge, correct. It will take the remainder of current up to the maximum of the unit’s output from the Vehicle; so as you have mentioned if the Solar is producing 5A, the Vehicle will be able to provide 20A.

[@UnpluggedOne]

Hi my lithium battery has a battery management system that protect against overheating however it does not have frost protection. Does the charger have any system like this in built I cannot find anything in the manual for the 1240d that I have recently purchased. Or will I need to purchase a low temp cut off sensor.

[@REDARCElectronics]

Hi Skully, in order to stop the BCDC charging at zero degrees and below you will need to install a low temperature cut-off sensor. Any further questions please be sure to contact our Tech Support Team.

[@robertj.b2494]

Low temp charge protection for lithium profile?

[@REDARCElectronics]

The BCDC will not attempt to charge a Lithium battery if the ambient temperature is below 0°C/32°F. This feature is designed to help protect your Lithium battery and maximise its service life. Lithium batteries have an internal management system, often referred to as a BMS. This is one of the great features about Lithium batteries as they can protect themselves in certain situations. One of the common issues REDARC technical support deal with is Lithium batteries turning themselves “OFF” to protect themselves from excessive discharge. This feature is ideal for protecting the battery but can be inconvenient as you need to “jump start” the battery to bring it back to life. If you have any further questions please contact our helpful Technical Support Team who will be more than happy to walk through this in greater detail over the phone.

[@jc65284]

Hi guys, I have a bcdc1225d installed in my prado set to lithium profile, am I able to charge a agm battey using the lithium profile? I have a optima agm battery i can use while I save for a lithium deep cycle, I dont want to damage anything, battery, charger, especially car, so I just want to be sure. Any information will be appreciated, thanks

[@REDARCElectronics]

Hello and thank you for your message. We recommend disconnecting the green and orange wires from each other so that the BCDC is set to profile A while it is charging the AGM battery. Once you get your lithium battery, it is recommended to reconnect those wires to set it back to a lithium profile. Any further questions please feel free to contact our helpful Tech Support Team on 1300 REDARC.

[@bubaloo331]

Hi, A red light flashing and the unite is not charging the battery can someone help please

[@REDARCElectronics]

Hi Adnan, The SBI12 has inbuilt fault detection and will indicate a fault by flashing the LED either 2 (Over-voltage) or 3 times (Voltage drop or excessive current draw). Please refer to page 4 of the user manual on our website for further detail or contact REDARC’s tech support team on 1300 REDARC.

[@bubaloo331]

@@REDARCElectronics thanks

[@beeragonewhere2819]

The music dude the music F it off

[@explorethebush]

Hey guys, which DCDC charger is best suited to an Enerdrive 200ah battery please? I want to keep it simple and won’t be buying a BMS. Cheers

[@REDARCElectronics]

Thank you for your message. We recommend the 50amp BCDC1250D. You can find out more information at www.redarc.com.au/dual-input-50a-in-vehicle-dc-battery-charger or contact our technical support team on 08 8322 4848 who will be more than happy to discuss further over the phone.

[@presidentmoose7828]

My charger stays on standby why is it doing this

[@REDARCElectronics]

If your BCDC is still in standby with the Vehicle running or a Solar panel plugged in, it could be due to the input voltage not being at the correct level to turn the charger on. With the Vehicle voltage, if it is either not up to/over 13.2V it will stay in Standby. Check to see that the voltage measured between the Red and Black wires, right at the unit are over this. Solar is a similar test too; measure voltage between the Yellow and Black wires - this needs to be over 17.5V at a minimum. If you have further questions please give our friendly Tech Support team a call on 1300 REDARC

[@CFazz]

Wish my cut out of the plastic was as neat as this one.

[@wceagles81]

It’s great when Toyota install your charger way down next the battery so you can’t even see the led lights on your BCDC charger.

[@strikemaster1]

Oh my goodness... surely not.

[@wceagles81]

@@strikemaster1 yeah they did, plus they used a starter battery. Not even a deep cycle

[@Corey-pd3mi]

A Bluetooth interface with app would be good

[@REDARCElectronics]

Thank you for the feedback, we'll be sure to pass on to our team as we continue to find ways to improve experiences for our customers.

[@brpnw4r94]

Until REDARC comes out with a BT interface a smart shunt (Victron comes to mind) could be placed on your output for such purpose. Correct me if I'm wrong, Stewart. Cheers. I have a 1225D ready for install in my 4R and this is a mod that I'll likely do instead of adding a guage somewhere in the dash.