A few SETEC questions

Paul75

Paul75

Active Member
Jul 28, 2013
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Mike7 said:
I dont think there is a whole lot to be gained by connecting the Aux to the car as when the setec receives power thru the aux in it is only capable of trickle charging the batteries. The dc-dc you mentioned is the better option.

Cheers
Mike
Click to expand...

G'day Mike. The setec manual says that when using the aux in (ie car alternator) it will float charge the batteries and that trickle charge is still available. So depending on what model setec you have you will either get 10A (ST20) or 15A (ST35) into the battery.
Is your experience different to this? Have you only been able to get a trickle charge into them whilst charging from the car?

Regards,
Paul.
 
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Mike7

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Nov 10, 2011
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Gday Paul,

I remember when I was going thru this process the manual states that the unit will float charge and then trickle charge the battery but I was not sure about this process so I rang setek in Melbourne. My question to them was how do I limit the charge current going into the setek if Im connecting it to an alternator and they had no idea. Since the Aux-in is not governed in any way I was too scared to give it a go.

My assumption was as soon as you connect the aux-in to the alternator the batteries in the van are going to draw whatever they need and the current would be high with flat van batteries so you would always exceed the 15A in my case (mine is the st35) and damage the unit or blow the fuse.

I dont know of any way of attaching a current limiter between the alternator and the setek to keep it under 15A so I went with a direct connection Ctek D250S Dual which solved all my problems of charging/solar/isolator etc. The batteries in my van are Ritar 100AHx2 that have a max charge current of 30A so I was hesitant to go straight from alternator to the batteries as again I would exceed the max of 30A, my car has a huge alternator output.

Ive had another read of the manual and your are right (good pickup) i think you could charge the batteries via the aux-in as long as you could somehow use something that limits the current into the setek to <10A.

Cheers
Mike
 
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Mike7

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Nov 10, 2011
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Quick update Paul, I just spoke to the guru on the Setek down in Setek Melbourne (was bugging me that I didnt know the answer for sure) and he just confirmed that the unit will only trickle charge using the Aux-in and thats all its designed for.

Hope this helps.

Cheers
Mike
 
Paul75

Paul75

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Jul 28, 2013
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Thanks Mike, great clarification.

My other question about the setec is with 240v connected, the Estes internally rectifies and steps it down to 12vdc for the 12v appliances. When not connected to mains how does the van battery power the 12v stuff? Does it also have to be connected to the setec aux-in?
 
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Mike7

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Nov 10, 2011
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The Setek is already connected to the batteries so when you disconnect 240v it automatically goes over to the batteries and vice versa. Its operation is automatic.

Cheers
Mike
 
Archie

Archie

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Aug 6, 2012
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Perth WA
Just thought I'd post a final outcome on the Setec issue. Jayco replaced the second unit under warranty. This time around I'll run the power from the tug via a 25 amp DCDC charger and not go through the Setec at all. Mazda advised that the variable volt alternators can put out 15 volts or slightly more. The Setec manual says anything over 14.8 volts can damage the circuitry so I don't want to risk it. I know others on the site have been using the same or similar rig without problems so maybe I was just unlucky.

See you out there

Archie
 
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blacky

blacky

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Sep 17, 2013
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Hey gurus!
I need some advice....
Picked up my new van the other day, 17.56-2OB and spent the night in it... had a great handover with the guys at ryans caravans dubbo, but we live an hour 1/2 away and being a long weekend, im stuck for help til next week o_O
We have solar and aux battery, and a setec (not sure which one, im at work and cant look :ambivalence: ) and the drifter control panel..
So on 240v, and seperated from the tug, everything works great. All good.
But.. disconnect 240v and i have nothing! I switch the drifter switch for battery on, and the drifter says battery on.
However on the side of the setec, on 240v when i switch battery on/off (on the drifter panel) the lights change indicating all is good. When i was playing with it, it was a nice sunny day so should have had solar input, however as mentioned, disconnect 240v and i have nothing.. no lights anywhere.
Tonight was my second nightshift of the swing, so tomorrow i'll take some tools home and have a play and try work this out. Any suggestions on where to look would be great :)
I have 4 night shifts to go then we are off on our maiden voyage!

Cheers
 
Hubble80

Hubble80

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Nov 22, 2012
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@Peter Black Welcome to the forum mate! Saw your rig on the Facebook Group, very nice. I have a 17-56-2OB as well so I might be able help out. First I would look at the fuses in the front of the Setec and make sure none of them are blown. Also (don't want to ask silly Q's but I am sure we have all been caught by this!), check to ensure your light isolator near the door is on and that the battery isolator is on also.

Next are you not getting 12V from anywhere or just lights. Try plugging in a cigarette plug (phone charger, or something with a LED...) to check this. If you have 12V at your sockets but no lights I would be checking fuses, if you have no 12V or lights or anything I would be looking at Setec unit. Hopefully for your sake it is only a fuse. Don't forget to check the main fuse too!

@Archie just wondering, do you have a dual battery system in you BT50, if so what separates the batteries ie relay, VSR. Have you tried putting a voltmeter across your battery and had someone start the car to see how high the voltage gets?? Be interesting to see. Did Jayco have the unit looked at to see how the Setec failed?
 
blacky

blacky

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Cheers hubble, after night shift last week i had a look (at the time of writing the above, i hadnt had a chance to really check it out...) and found....

A missing fuse! Inside the battery box theres a bunch of fuse holders, and voila, there was one AWOL.. Plugged in a 15a for good measure and away we went. Took off on tuesday morning with the ski boat and van to wyangala dam on our maiden voyage, and apart from another little problem, we had a ball! Now i have no display on the drifter control panel, though the battery and pump switches work fine. Hmm ryans can sort that out when i get around to taking it back to dubbo. I've stashed a basic tool bag in her now, with fuses, wiring, terminals, multimeter and a few other goodies as a bit of a 'survival kit'!
 
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Mike7

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Gday Peter, Glad you found the issue.

Mate off topic but how was Wyangala dam? Ive always wanted to head up that way and just wanted to ask if you recommend. Any piccies?

Cheers
Mike
 
blacky

blacky

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@Mike7 we love Wyangala, we go there a fair bit as its only 2 hrs from here at worst. The facilities are great, clean, neat and tidy, with everything you need there. There's a servo at the main park entrance which has a bit of a general store (comes in handy!) and does take away etc. Prices are great, it cost us $20/night for a powered van site (five of us), and the staff out there are helpful and nice too. We take the ski boat with us, and have no worries about any gear getting knocked off or anything if we go for a drive. There's plenty of 4x4ing to do, plenty of places to explore, and a club in the town (2minutes away) if you fancy a meal out. Love it, go check it out buddy :)
 
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Mike7

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Thanks Peter, Ill have to check it out.Its been on my list for ages but just havent been able to get there.

Cheers
Mike
 
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norm walker

norm walker

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Oct 21, 2013
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Hi fellows when I get my new van can I diconect the charger that comes whith the van and charge it whith my own smart charger as I have a agm battery to put in it thanks norm:)
 
Adam G

Adam G

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Jul 28, 2013
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As long as 240v is not connected to the van I see no reason why you would need to disconnect the OEM charger
 
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Mike7

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Nov 10, 2011
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@Norm. Mate I have the same setup. All you need to do is connect (in my case) a CTEK charger directly to the batteries, when you are at the caravan park just switch the battery switch off. This isolates the battery so the CTEK can charge only the batteries and not power the van. With the battery switch turned off the SETEK is disconnected from the batteries and will not interfere with any charging..

Your 12v stuff in the van will still be powered thru the SETEK 12v transformer, which will be connected to 240v park power. When you are off grid then turn on your battery switch.

You do not need to do any rewiring/disconnecting of physical wires.

Cheers
Mike
 
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