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Posts: 483
| hello guys, i installed a minnkota MK2DC on the fly charger and the alternator power light is faint but on (not the charging trolling batt light ) all the time witout the motor running until i turn on the cutoff swith then it shutt off! i traced the source to the positive wire between the starting and trolling batterys that is used for boosting in emergencys! it is not in circuit unless i put the cutoff swith on all batterys ! did anything like that happen to anyone with this charger ?
Edited by danlaboucane 8/19/2016 10:03 AM
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Posts: 410
Location: With my son on the water | I have helped many people install these but I am not following you 100%. You will have 2 lights, one is (I believe green on most units, the top light) which should be on all the time when the key switch is on (even without the motor running) and it will still be on when the big motor is running. This green light will only turn off when the key switch is in the off position or is seeing zero volts.
The other light (I believe is yellow, the lower one) it will turn on only when your starting battery is fully charged and at 13.6 volts. The MK2DC charger then reads that the voltage on the starting battery is high enough to deploy amps from the big motor to the trolling motor batteries and then the yellow light comes on indicating the system is working (or deploying amps to the trolling motor batteries).
If the starting battery is not at 13.6 volts the MK2DC will read this and not deploy amps to the trolling motor batteries and the yellow light will not come on. This is so your starting battery always gets charged first.
So if you are doing lots of short trips and not using your big motor much but your are running the electronics on your boat the system may not do much as your starting battery will go down and the system charges that first. To help this, go put a 1.5amp trickle charger on your starting battery and keep your starting battery fully charged all the time.
I am not following you when you are referring to cut offs? But it is entirely possible that everything is wired correctly and functioning correctly but the yellow light will not come on because the starting battery is below 13.6 volts.
Mine is hooked up to a merc 150 which kicks out 60 amps per hour. My electronics draw a total of 3 amps per hour (2 x 9" Humminbirds). So 3 minutes of run time per hour tops off my starting battery and then the extra goes to the trolling motor batteries so I never have an issue of my starting battery going down.
So are you doing lots of short trips?
What is your big motor, the smaller the motor the less amps/hour it puts out.
If you need more help or have questions please ask.
Brad |
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Posts: 286
Location: Eagan, MN | I s/w a Minn Kota factory technician after installing my unit who told me that, while your motor may put out 60 amps/hr. while running across the lake, the DC charger has been designed to limit the charge to 10 amps/hr. The reason for the limiter is so not to damage the batteries, as high amps would tend to do. So, just to manage expectations, you are getting no more charge into your batteries from the alternator charger than you would from a battery charger that plugs into the wall. That was insightful for me as my expectations were not quite in line with my actual performance based on my assumption of the current that my motor was producing at WOT vs. the current actually being used the charge the batts.
Brian |
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Posts: 483
| thanks guys ,but i think i am causing the light being on by the way i have the battery system wired ! |
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Posts: 286
Location: Eagan, MN | The light should be on only when the ignition switch is turned on. When the ignition switch is turned off, the light should be off. I can't tell for sure, but the wiring you described sounded a little goofy. Run the purple wire up under your dash and connect into a hot wire for something that is only on when the ignition is on, like the tachometer. |
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Posts: 483
| the purple wire is ok ,its the way the dual battery swich is wired that cause thelternator power on/ check alt connection
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