The amperage from my alternator to my 12-12-30 Orion Smart isolated charger to my two LiFePo4 batteries keep jumping from 47 to 6. Amp meter shows 6 amps for 8 seconds, then 47 amps for 4 seconds. Over and over again, just keeps alternating between the two. The distance is about 14' and the wire gauge is 8 AWG. Why is this happening? Is there something wrong with this setup?
What do you mean from your alternator? The Orion input should be connected to your start battery, not directly to your alternator. Please post a photo and/or diagram of your setup so we can further assist.
Also - if your input-side round-trip distance is 14' from the start battery to the Orion input, the 8AWG is too small - you'd need 6AWG minimum to keep voltage drop under 3%. If it's 14' one-way, then it's actually dangerously undersized - but hopefully you did mean the round-trip distance.
