Not sure what this is for ???
- Thread starter Rod.F
- Start date
Hi mate, that's the brake away unit that applies the brakes to your van if it separates from your tow vehicle!
Ok do I have to put it on charge because it has test battery level & and is on low if I can charge can it be done with a normal car charger ???
Ok I'm no expert at how theses things charge but apparently they charge from your tow vehicle providing you have a hotwire in your plug. No reason why you can't take out the battery and charge with a small charger to get it charged up. If the seller didn't use the van for 18 months it's possible the battery needs replacing.....not very expensive though!
The tow car is wired up to run fridge while towing so maybe it might work of the same wiring but I will open it up and have a look
Thanks for you help .
Thanks for you help .
You can by a charger (from breakaway) made for the unit for about $30. It simply plugs into the 240v point and attached to the +ve and -ve terminals. Most caravan dealers should sell them, only takes 5 minutes to install and stays permanently attached, so every time you hook up to mains it will charge the battery.
Hi Rod it looks like all of the documentation is available here http://rvelectronics.com.au/image/data/BREAKSAFE SERIES 5000 AND 5000XP OPERATING INTRUCTIONS.pdf. It tell you how to check on charge and how to external charge.
Ok it makes more sense now to me what it is for thanks guys for your info on this I no why the battery is flat as the previous owner used the breakaway as a security device he had the pin removed the whole time it was parked which the instructions tell you it will flatten it in hours looks like I also now need to place that battery I have 1 day to try to get 1 before our trip.
When we picked ours up we were told it is already setup so when the van is plugged inot 240v, it will also charge then.
I haven't used my van for 6 long months and checked it on Friday and still tested good.
I haven't used my van for 6 long months and checked it on Friday and still tested good.
You can hook your charger up to the terminals on the front, however you ,ust use the power supply setting on the charger. The multistage charge setup won't work. Try hooking up the electrics to your car and if it is charging there will be a bright orange LED on the fron of the unit.
I had to research this because I had the same problem as Rod.F - breakaway battery flat but not charging from the SETEC power supply used to charge the main caravan battery. In normal circumstances, the breakaway battery should trickle charge via your trailer plug while you're driving to keep it topped up. However, if the van is stored for several months, it will eventually go flat even if you keep 230V connected to charge the main van battery. In this case, you can buy the RV Electronics charger or buy a simple (single stage) 15V plug pack battery charger (used to charge portable booster batteries) from your local auto accessories supplier.
Knowing a bit about batteries, I assume the reason why the breakaway battery must be charged separately is that the breakaway unit only uses a simple trickle charge circuit (e.g. a resistor in series with the battery) which, if left permanently connected, would sulphate the battery and eventually destroy it. Thus, while the SETEC II unit may be left switched on permanently to keep the van battery fully charged because it is a sophisticated multi-stage charger, the breakaway battery charger should only be left on for a day or so and then switched off because the battery should be fully charged by then. A battery in good condition should only need a topping charge every 3 months or so.
The SETEC II unit actually automatically disconnects the charging voltage once it detects that the battery is fully charged and restarts automatically when the battery terminal voltage falls below a predetermined value (13.2V I believe). Now, if the breakaway battery was also connected to the SETEC, there would not be enough voltage (at 13.2V) to trickle charge it fully via a resistor and you would otherwise have a large capacity (100ah) battery and a small capacity (7ah) battery, each with slightly different chemistry and very different electrical characteristics, connected to a charger designed to charge one battery or two similar batteries.
Hope this helps.
Knowing a bit about batteries, I assume the reason why the breakaway battery must be charged separately is that the breakaway unit only uses a simple trickle charge circuit (e.g. a resistor in series with the battery) which, if left permanently connected, would sulphate the battery and eventually destroy it. Thus, while the SETEC II unit may be left switched on permanently to keep the van battery fully charged because it is a sophisticated multi-stage charger, the breakaway battery charger should only be left on for a day or so and then switched off because the battery should be fully charged by then. A battery in good condition should only need a topping charge every 3 months or so.
The SETEC II unit actually automatically disconnects the charging voltage once it detects that the battery is fully charged and restarts automatically when the battery terminal voltage falls below a predetermined value (13.2V I believe). Now, if the breakaway battery was also connected to the SETEC, there would not be enough voltage (at 13.2V) to trickle charge it fully via a resistor and you would otherwise have a large capacity (100ah) battery and a small capacity (7ah) battery, each with slightly different chemistry and very different electrical characteristics, connected to a charger designed to charge one battery or two similar batteries.
Hope this helps.