al bundy royal flush award for vdo.................

[Bruce]

Needed a pair of hour meters. Stock anymore is crap so supplier sent what they had, vdo a2c59510876-3. I had to run up the hours to 14 so it didn't matter one meter had 1.1 hours and the other .4. Package was secure so don't think they were returns.

Anyways hooked up on the bench to run up hours and a red led just above the vdo logo started to flash. Read paper work, no info and 5 of the 8 wire plug are not used. Okay no big deal on wires but that led....doh.

Called vdo tech support, nice guy couldn't tell me so he took my number and called back. Apparently it is used to display the electronic count one a second.

Now I asked if anyone on the design team ever ran a boat at night and dealt with flashing lites in front of them? He chuckled and said it had come up in the design meeting but the design manager wanted to keep the feature.
Since these will be mounted in a closed panel and not on the dash, they will work in this instance.

But overall I give the vdo design manager the al bundy royal flush award because everything that stinks should be flushed.

A company that supplies products to an industry should have a clue how the end user operates his product instead of the typical now a day, oh look at the pretty flashing lites.

[IRGuy]

Bruce...

Two years ago I installed a new Xantrex 3 circuit 40A battery charger, along with an optional remote display/control panel. The charger is in the engine room near the batteries.. the remote panel was installed about waist high in a cabinet panel in the cabin. The panel has several LED indicator lights that display various functions and charge rates. I found the LEDs so dim and difficult to read that I sent the panel back to the supplier and received a new one. The same problems existed with the replacement. Upon looking closely I found that the tiny LEDs were mounted behind the face of the panel on a small PC board.. the problem was the board was so far behind the face that you had to look directly at the panel to see through the small windows and line up directly with the LEDs to see them. A terrible design.

I called Xantrex customer service and complained.. I was told the panel had been in production for several years with no customer complaints. I persisted and eventually was able to speak with a product design engineer.. he first said there were no known complaints about the panel, but while we were on the phone he fired up an identical panel and agreed the LEDs were essentially impossible to see. He said they had been selling the design for a very long time and was astounded that their design was so poor.

He then informed me that they were in the process of redesigning both the charger and remote panel, and this issue would be addressed, and when the new items were released they would take my original charger and panel back and replace both with the new designs at no charge.

About 8 months later the new products were released and after I contacted them they in fact did send me a new charger and panel at no charge. Good response from a customer service point of view.. but another example of designers and manufacturers selling products that were never field tested.. ie: couch engineered.. there are likely hundreds (thousands?) of the poorly designed panels installed in boats and RVs. All it would have taken in the panel initial design phase was for the original designers to fire up a test panel and look at the thing to see it was useless.

[Rawleigh]

I have one of those old panels Frank and I agree that it sucks. The charger is the best that I have even had though.

[Charlie J]

i just went thru my second xantrex charger.
went with pro mariner 20 amp 3 bank, half the price, and waterproof.
time will tell

[mike ohlstein]

I know that I've said this dozens of times in dozens of posts, and that there are those who disagree, but......

A wet boat is no place for a non-waterproff battery charger. In fact, seeing as how there exist in the world waterproof battery chargers, I will go one step further.

Any boat is no place for a non-waterproof battery charger. In fact, a boat is no place for ANYTHING where there is a waterproof option. Anything that can't be waterproof should be stainless. If it can't be stainless, it should be brass. If it can't be brass, it should be aluminum. If it can't be aluminum, it should be plastic. If it can't be plastic, it should be teak. If it can't be teak, it should be mahogany. Etc, etc, etc, until you get to cardboard. Once you get past cardboard, you're really in trouble.

[Bruce]

Having been a dealer for crown chargers and mdc chargers who were the top two in the days before chinese designed crap hit our shores, I worked on some rusted, corroded chargers that had been thru some crap but kept going 20 years after they were installed.
Open frame cases that were about as water proof as a screen door on a sub.

I wouldn't give 2 cents for the crap they push out today American made or not cause even American made crap is controlled by pencil pushers trying to compete with overseas garbage.

A charger that's water proof, not water resistant is going to have issues with component cooling. While they don't have the ferro resonant transformers as yesterdays did, electronics give off heat. That heat in a sealed box will degrade component life.

I agree with your concept Mike to a point but would also add common sense on location is a plus. Chargers need circulated air to cool. Mounting them inside a cabin under the v bert or dinette seats leaves no way for air to circulate and cool rather than be exposed to moisture and heat in an engine box.

I replaced more chargers over the years in dry locations than in damp ones, just saying.

[bob lico]

My charger is under dinette seat draws unlimited coolest /driest air from cabin bilge and vent directing on sidewall of seat allways cool just dust every 5 Years or so. 40amp. Charger is there 11 years working 24/7 / 365 except for 5 days during hurricane sandy.maintains 4 AGM batteries install 8 years ago. I have already posted in past if you don't mind putting your computer in engine compartment than go ahead and put the charger there under those conditions (makes no sense at all salt air,hottest place on boat,fumes,oily air,vibration,etc.) " you can lead the horse to water but you cannot make him drink in this case wack him over the head with a 2" x 4". Cause they is nothing else to say!

[bob lico]

Vented directly in front of charger.with air flow directly to tiny charger fan air circulates under drawer to cabin bilge and open to cabin air directly in back of galley.

[Bruce]

Hey Bob, thats why I used the phrase common sense. How many install a vent like you did? Not many.

If you have the proper venting, inside an enclosed space is not an issue.

[Carl]

The thing about Common sense is that is not so Common...

[Kevind767]

Have found my ProMarnier 1240i+ battery charger fried. (Going to send back to see if it's repairable)
Has been on port side wall of engine room, in front of engine.

Hot and dusty, but has not gotten wet.

Have read the posts above, and I am in particular agreement with Bob about moving it into the cabin for better cooling and air circulation.
Boat is in Middle East and now the summer daytime temps are 100+ daily.

Any recommendations on a brand, and what considerations I should think about before beginning this project?
ie. Temp monitors for the battery box, or any other ideas/suggestions.

Have lost 2 Oddessey batteries in the last 4 years, and can't get them over here.

Thanks,
Kevin
38' Bert

[bob lico]

Kevin what style Bertram 31 do you have? This information is pertinent to FBC,sportsman,sedan,express, but not Bahia- mar . You can mount the battery charger anywhere you want as long as it is mounted under dinette 6" beyond closed drawer.there is a circular air circulation from under the draw across the cabin bilge to the floor opening in back of galley. Warm air will always travel to cooler area(bilge) and then rise behind galley which is open on both ends (head vanity) and ( v-berth open draw.you should add vent just in front of charger to draw fresh air over charger fan.i am going in depth with this post so there will be no more " my charger fried" the charger will also be much closer to it's 120 volt supply and by flipping the bottom cushion in dinette over you can see/ hear/ monitor the charger operation.there is nothing more to say the word stupidly comes to mind after this ------NO CHARGER IN ENGINE COMPARTMENT !

[Bruce]

Bob,
Remind me to never go glider flying with you.

[bob lico]

No problem Bruce just watch your altimeter , those backwards air currents can be hazardous to your health. Actually warm air of charger riseing thru vent while being replaced by cool air being draw in from bilge and drafted by open floor in back of galley. ( glad you got my back).

[Kevind767]

Bob I have a 38 Convertable III.

I have room in side walls, but will probably have to install a small fan to bring in cool air from the house.
I have to have portable A/C units running all the time to keep the boat cool.

If I run my main house unit, I would be cleaning the strainer about daily with all of the marine growth this time of year.

[bob lico]

That 38 convertible is one of the sharpest design boat on the water,perfect lines.cooling can be done with tower computer type fan as long as there is air movement ,no salt water mist,ant engine heat.

[Kevind767]

Yes she is a 83 model and have had her for going on almost 19 years now
Still have the original Cats. Rebuilt them about 11 years ago and running good still.

Any recommendations on a brand of charger now that I have to replace the old one?