I am installing four Orions 12-12 30 in parallel to charge my 600 Ah LiPo batteries off an alternator in my sailing vessel. Unfortunately the wiring of the motor control panel lets the control panel go on with all alarms, as soon as the altenator sees the starter battery directly. The original installation had the motor battery after a splitting diode. Secondly the regulator of the altenator is set to compensate the voltage drop over a splitting diode, so the voltage is too high for the motor battery if it is connected directly to the altenator.
The work around would be to leave the motor battery over a splitting diode and to install a 265 A microprocessor controlled relay between the altenator and the splitting diode. The Orions would then be after the relay and the input side would be powered up only when the altenator is producing power. When the engine is shut off the input of the Orions would be depowered.
Can one switch the Orion on/off via the input being powred on/off or is that a bad idea?
