Renogy DC-DC Charger Review and Easy Ford Transit Installation
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- čas přidán 5. 10. 2021
- This week we wanted to share some tips on installing the Renogy DC to DC charger in your campervan. If you own a Ford Transit and have purchased the 40A version of this charger, then we have some very easy installation instructions for you that have served us well over the past few months of living in our van! (We used 4 AWG cables for this set-up, by the way...)
If you have purchased the 20A model of this charger for your campervan, we would recommend installing the recommended fuse immediately after the CCP in order to protect the input positive wire. If you purchased the 60A model of this charger, you will need to connect the input positive directly to the battery's positive terminal (please note that the starter battery MAY NOT be able to discharge more than 1C, so do your homework before installing that 60A charger - as tempting as it may be!)
We hope this video helped you get your house batteries charged up using your van's alternator, because why not hardness the power your van is already making while you drive to your next camping spot?
Interested in some of our van life essentials or items from our build? Visit our Amazon page (disclaimer: we receive a small commission if you purchase anything from this online store, thank you for the support!)
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We are a couple of full-time travel dreamers who decided to pack up our lives to explore the world - and then 2020 happened. After flying back home to Canada, building a DIY minivan camper, travelling Canada, and doing it all over again with a Ford Transit campervan, our full time van life adventures have now come to an end. We're prepared for new adventures, and of course a mountain or two!
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This is exactly how the D+ on a Renogy charger is not designed to be used. The purpose of the D+ wire is to prevent killing your starter battery. If you forget to turn off the switch, you will kill your starter battery. On a Ford transit, you can create a 12V+ engine on signal using the C-11 connector under the drivers seat and a relay. Ford provides a "live ground" when engine is on. There are threads on the Transit forums that detail this process.
YOU ARE THE BEST. thanks for this
i was about to say the same thing.... the entire reason for having a "D+" ignition wire is to only charge when your vehicle is running haha...
can you put a thread in here please to the ford threads
Threads on what website??
Did you not see the switch? That switch allows you to start the vehicle first let it charge the starter battery first and then you can switch the DC to DC unit on afterwards
Finally a video that shows the wiring connections in a Ford transit for DC-to-DC charging. Thank you so much!
We used a volt sensing micro relay to trigger the Renogy unit and added an override switch - it comes on at 13.4 and switches off at 12.8 volts -
We had the same trouble with the very same type of fuse - the plastic housing melted - I kind of reasoned the sprig housing was not making sound contact - like you I fitted a more substantial one that the fuse bolts into and have had no more issues
Thanks so much for the video. I just installed my dc to dc charger today. I didn’t know about the positive output on side of seat. Saved so much time and installation was painless.
What size nut did you use to secure it?
@@JBD5391
I used a 10 mm nut to secure it.
@@JBD5391
I used a 13/32 socket to tighten down.
Extremely helpful! I went down a rabbit hole trying to figure out how to connect the D+ cable to a starter relay and was kinda bummed I'd have to order a special kit from Ford or engage in a wiring project above my skill level. The connection to the CCP with a driver accessible switch solves our problem.
Get a vsr (voltage sensing relay) for the D+ wire. That takes care of forgetting/remembering to switch it on and off. Works great for me.
Why didn't you just wire the D+ to a vehicle source that is only hot when the ignition is on such as the radio or 12V aux power (cigarette lighter)? You wouldn't need a separate switch as the D+ power would get cut off when the ignition is off. If the current draw for D+ is too high for that source, you could run it through a relay triggered by the ignition source. It's the same idea as the remote turn on wire of a car stereo amplifier.
We looked at what you described, but it required an additional connector in addition to the relay and accessing a fuse panel under the driver’s seat. Plus we don’t want the unit on every time the engine is running.
@@RichandKirsten why wouldn’t you do both? Run it through a fuse that is only hot when the car is on, and add a toggle switch along the way to override it if you choose to? I’m thinking of doing this to my van as well..
@@RichandKirsten i’m thinking I would just run the D+ wire to the charger side of a 100 amp breaker I installed between the auxiliary battery port you noted, and my battery charger.
That way, I have control like like you noted, but instead of using a switch I just use the breaker.
Hi great video! Helped us install on our printer. Question: how many amps are you actually getting when the battery is charging? I’m only getting about 4/5Amps and we have a Lithium 200Ah leisure battery as well.
Could you link the switch that you used? Thanks, this video is helpful ❤
Hi, thanks for the informative video. I am currently installing the same charger. Do I still need a 12v switch between the D+ wire if I have a circuit breaker between the starter battery positive and charger input? The D+ wire would not be going through the circuit breaker so I am wondering if it would still turn on with only that signal.
Your video is brilliant. I’ve watched it about 8 times for a year now while I’ve been searching for the correct size nut for the CCP post with no luck whatsoever. Do you remember what size bolt you got for yours. 5 is too small and 6
Is too big and I’ve ordered 5.5 online but there came absolutely tiny😢. I’ve even tried ones with rubber inserts but they’re too big also
Thanks 🤟
Hi! Thanks for the GREAT video! Which fuse did you need to change? I got everything working and the green light went out an hour after the install. Thanks!
We had to chance the one from DC charger to house unit because the fuse was poorly made. Purchased a higher quality one and never had another problem! Your unit could also be overheating and shutting off - we had that problem a few times when it was really hot out.
What size nut did you put on the bolt on the seat where you connected the positive and d+?
If I was going to wire the d+ connection with a switch instead of to the ignition, I would use a rocker switch with a light on it in plain view so as to avoid accidentally forgetting to turn it off!
Aux 12 Volts ( D+ ) on the ford Transit 2016 can be found under the passenger Seat.. Cheers
There's two types of the DC to DC charger 30 amp and 50 amp I bought 50 but now I think it might be too much for my old Ducato camper 1992 what you think ?
Thanks for the video. I have the 40 Amp model and the fan runs constantly, Quite noisy ! Is this normal? Anyone?
i think thats cool that you connected the d+ to a switch and the customer connector.
could you have also connected that to the leisure battery instead ?
If the leisure battery is deeply discharged, or has a lot of loads, it might not have enough voltage to turn on the charger.
Does anyone know if you can install these so that they're laying flat if you know what I mean?
I just got one and didn't know about the ignition switch 🤷♂️
This install is for a van, maybe a motor home. I didn't hear any instruction about setting up the dip switches!
You donhave to connect to the ignition, instead the trigger wire can be connected to one of the camper's side lights so when you turn them on it activates the dc to dc.
Does this mean you have to turn the dcdc charger on and off at the switch when you’re driving vs stopped?
Yes
Do you know if the terminal post on top of the positive terminal you found on the side of the front seat is negative post?
I went online and found the answer if anyone is interested. The smaller post CCP1 supplies 60A max and the bigger post CCP2 supplies 175A max. Both of them are hot.
Correct - ours only has the 60A post and there’s no negative on the driver’s side. There’s a negative by the driver’s feet, which I didn’t want to use myself.
Did you need to chassis ground any of the connections?
Nope, we used negative from the starter battery for input side and house negative for output side
@@RichandKirsten 2022 ford transit BEMM does not recommend
connecting direct to the negative battery terminal due to the possibility
that it will interfere with van battery volt sensors.
instead connect to the chassis. the chassis has ford approved points of connections.
@@oscarcruz-ts5qy Hi Oscar! I am looking through the 2020/2021 BEMM and I interpreted that recommendation for when you are adding additional batteries, not necessarily connecting something to the CCP. Am I misunderstanding something? I'm not sure where I would ground the 12V to DC charger near the driver side otherwise. Thanks!
FUSES and circuit breakers r 1 of the things you definitely can "cheapout" "save some $on". They r all made the same except Blue sea which is way over priced stuff for like Sail boats! What I mean by same is they r all over ebay Amazon and I've had an issue with 1. I have 6-7 circuit breakers and multiple car audio fuse products. It's all about solid connections and good crimps and corre t wire and fuse size. The Renergy 40 Amp DC to DC a tally can take up to 50% more current in on the input because the voltage is lower. So amps increase to equal watts needed. Amd that's why ther were issues with the circuit breakers or FUSES blowing. Read the manuals.
bro - you need to fuse that 18ga wire down to 5A or so if it's on the 60A CCP and btw you can use pin 6 'ignition on' in the 10 pin connector under the seat which has a 10A fuse already on it. This way it goes on and off when you need it to. This video is kinda not good advice.
I cannot for the life of me find that connector! i have a 2017 transit custom and the connector isn't under my seat or near the fuse box under the steering wheel! any advice?
I'm interested in this option (in the reply above) but having trouble understanding it. Do you have a good resource or video. I have a Ford T 250 2020.
I like this video. Most understandable thing I've seen but understand the draw back of having to use the switch.
@jessyrushing1413 Are you wondering where the 10 pin connector is?
@@andrewswingler maybe, my fuse tap did not work so I need to try a different so how to do the other connection under the seat like CE33 or something. Yes, I think understanding how to use the connecter.
I strongly suggest a manual circuit breaker
I'd love to hear why...
@@marionsutcliffe1119 research it yourself I’m no expert
@@paulystp great answer! Some people be setting up for an argument 😂
Nice videography, but you completely buggered the D+ install. For anyone looking for this info, just watch Renogy’s own video here: czcams.com/video/8F2sn43PcJc/video.htmlsi=TxVovM2XNBoCc61A