Electrical Ideas on battery setup

Chriso100

Chriso100

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Hey there all. Really enjoying all the content here on the forum. I am looking to install batteries and charger into our new edition to the fleet. 2006 expanda. I have some experience in this, as I have installed the dual battery system in our car. What I have been searching for on the forum is a thread or post detailing someone's setup. Could anyone point me in the right direction of a battery and charger setup in their expanda?
Chriso
 
mikerezny

mikerezny

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that seems strange. How do your interior lights work. They are usually 12V and in Jaycos there is a 240V / 12V power supply / battery charger called a Setec ST25 or similar installed to provide 12V to power the lights, stove igniter etc. Adding a battery is then just an optional extra.

I have attached a photo.

Take care
Mike
ST35-II.jpg
 
Chriso100

Chriso100

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Rosebud Victoria
mikerezny said:
that seems strange. How do your interior lights work. They are usually 12V and in Jaycos there is a 240V / 12V power supply / battery charger called a Setec ST25 or similar installed to provide 12V to power the lights, stove igniter etc. Adding a battery is then just an optional extra.

I have attached a photo.

Take care
Mike
View attachment 65049
Click to expand...
Oh yeah! I have one of those! So do I just add a battery somewhere?
 
mikerezny

mikerezny

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Hi,

I was pretty sure you would have one.
You now need to get the model number from behind the fuse door. It will most probably be a ST25-II or ST25-III.
The difference is very important.
Armed with that information, do a search on Google and download the manual.
If you have trouble getting the manual, give me a shout.

Yes, it is not hard to add a battery. But there are still some things you will need to know.

take care
Mike
 
Chriso100

Chriso100

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mikerezny said:
Hi,

I was pretty sure you would have one.
You now need to get the model number from behind the fuse door. It will most probably be a ST25-II or ST25-III.
The difference is very important.
Armed with that information, do a search on Google and download the manual.
If you have trouble getting the manual, give me a shout.

Yes, it is not hard to add a battery. But there are still some things you will need to know.

take care
Mike
Click to expand...
Thanks very much Mike. I get some info and some photos organised tomorrow. Appreciate the help...
 
Drover

Drover

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Have a look in the space under your seats or the bottom of a wardrobe @Chriso100 look for some wires going no where, they could white and black that will be the battery cables form original, they could be tucked out of the way if they have never been used, also does the Setec have a light switch near ? If it has the Setex fitted then it should have the wires for a battery just have to find where they are, not all vans came with a battery it was an optional extra. My 14.44 had the battery storage at the bottom of the wardrobe hidden away below the it.
 
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mikerezny

mikerezny

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Hi,
you have a Setec ST series II.
Can you post a photo of the top of the Setec showing all the connections?

You will have to remove the wooden protective cover shown on your first photo to get to the top of the Setec.

Can you confirm that there is no battery switch in the vicinity of the Setec?. It would probably look like an ordinary old 240V architrave light switch.

Jayco usually supply a battery install in two parts. The first is battery provisioning which is the battery switch, all the wiring, and a battery box.
The second is the battery itself.

If you have no switch, and no battery box then it is most likely your van was not optioned with battery provisioning.

cheers
Mike
 
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Chriso100

Chriso100

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mikerezny said:
Hi,
you have a Setec ST series II.
Can you post a photo of the top of the Setec showing all the connections?

You will have to remove the wooden protective cover shown on your first photo to get to the top of the Setec.

Can you confirm that there is no battery switch in the vicinity of the Setec?. It would probably look like an ordinary old 240V architrave light switch.

Jayco usually supply a battery install in two parts. The first is battery provisioning which is the battery switch, all the wiring, and a battery box.
The second is the battery itself.

If you have no switch, and no battery box then it is most likely your van was not optioned with battery provisioning.

cheers
Mike
Click to expand...
Cheers Mike, that's awesome info. When I get back to work tomorrow I'll take another look.
Chriso
 
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Drover

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You may not be able to remove the wooden top off as it will be fastened from inside the cabinet, the black fascia comes off and the unit can slide out of the cavity, make sure no 240 plugged into van, then you can have a look at the terminals which should be named, remove it carefully as jayco use the minimum length of cable and things may be tight, having some yellow spade connectors and a decent crimper handy as often poor crimps will mean the a cable may come away from the connector, if the battery terminals have a connection then follow the leads, if not you have found the spot to plug into and will need to find a spot for a battery, GEL or AGM only preferably AGM and run some 8 B@S cable to the Setec with a switch so you can isolate it.
Have a look at my 14.44 thread I may have a pic of the unit as I had to fix it once... https://www.expandasdownunder.com/threads/drovers-14-44-3.4502/
 
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Chriso100

Chriso100

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Here are some pics of what I found. Does this mean I can connect battery to some of these terminals?
 

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mikerezny

mikerezny

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Hi,
as @Drover said, you need to run two cables from these terminals to your battery.
But, be careful, the metal cover is very close to these terminals and care must be taken to get the correct quick connect terminals with an adequate shroud to
prevent the connectors from touching the case.
The positive lead should be run to a 240V architrave light switch mounted close to the Setec and then to an inline fuseholder with a 20A fuse. This should be wired in as close to the battery as possible for the best protection against a short circuit somewhere.
The negative lead goes directly from the Setec to the battery.

The battery switch is necessary as when the van is not connected to 240V , the Setec draws some current and, over time, will flatten the battery.
Switching the battery off when the van is not in use will also prevent other 12V appliances from draining the battery.
Note that the battery switch needs to be on for the Setec to charge the battery

I have attached the Setec ST series II manual which has instructions for connecting the battery. But it does not show the external battery switch.

take care
Mike
 

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Chriso100

Chriso100

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mikerezny said:
Hi,
as @Drover said, you need to run two cables from these terminals to your battery.
But, be careful, the metal cover is very close to these terminals and care must be taken to get the correct quick connect terminals with an adequate shroud to
prevent the connectors from touching the case.
The positive lead should be run to a 240V architrave light switch mounted close to the Setec and then to an inline fuseholder with a 20A fuse. This should be wired in as close to the battery as possible for the best protection against an short circuit somewhere.
The negative lead goes directly from the Setec to the battery.

The battery switch is necessary as when the van is not connected to 240V , the Setec draws some current and, over time, will flatten the battery.
Switching the battery of when the van is not in use will also prevent other 12V appliances from draining the battery.
Note that the battery switch needs to be on for the Setec to charge the battery

I have attached the Setec ST series II manual which has instructions for connecting the battery. But it does not show the external battery switch.

take care
Mike
Click to expand...
Thanks again Mike. Which terminals in particular? Is it image 0405 that you are speaking of?
 
mikerezny

mikerezny

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Hi,
shown on the diagram on page 5 of the Setec manual. They are marked BATT + and BATT -.
BATT - is shown in your first photo and BATT + is shown on your second photo.

Take care
Mike
 
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Chriso100

Chriso100

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Finally I understand. Awesome stuff. All this info has taken a big load off my shoulders! I thought I was in for a much bigger job. I will get a battery tomorrow and get it all underway. Thanks to all for running me through it....Chriso
 
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