I am wanting to buy one of these new Victron XS 50A DC/DC chargers. The installation is in a catamaran boat and I have two engines. Thus I also have 2 x 115 Amp alternators to supply the charger. There is only one starter battery and house battery is 2 x 280A LifeP04 12v.
Is it possible for me to connect both alternators to the charger at the same time?
Both engines can run at the same time however once at sea it is more common to only use 1 engine for extended periods.
Best to connect the XS to the starter battery, then it will work regardless of which or both alternators are running.
I have a dual alternator set up on my motorhome with 2 x Bosch 80A (non Smart) alternators but one is 24v for the Truck starter batteries and the other is 12V for charging the 12v house system which is currently a 460aH Flooded Lead Acid. Grounds are linked.
I want to change to a 400aH Lithium battery and use a Orion XS 50A DC/DC (12v/12v) using the Alternator to charge the Lithium House batteries from the engine but there would be no remaining Lead Acid battery connected to regulate or smooth the unfiltered DC from the Alternator. Any thoughts or solutions or maybe full wave regulator and capacitor filtering??
Any ideas/solutions would be great. Thanks
I haven’t seen a specification from victron that days a battery has to be there, mybe ask your dealer ?
Or take a 12v 10Ah motorcycle battery
Thanks Ludo, I wondered about a small battery too. There is a bit of info in the Community Archive but not exactly the same issue as I have with duel alternators.
these are the Victron links: Alternator and DC to DC charger - VictronEnergy
And Video: Careful - Alternator Charging Lithium - Victron Energy
People who have connected DC to DC chargers report unstable battery voltages if there is no lead acid battery to buffer the system. The dynamics of the voltage regulator and DC to DC charger may be incompatible. Alternator to battery chargers that do not need an intermediate battery include extra control circuitry.
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