Quote:
Originally Posted by tentcamper
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Nicely done device, with twice as much Maximum Amps. But list price is almost twice the price I just paid for the Ctek D250S, so I suspect that it's unlikely be found for less than $325. The diagram (thanks for the link
) shows an external switch for the two input sources - that's a manual switch, unless you add their RK1260 as the switching relay device. (And the RK1260 only automates the switch, you're still not using Solar and TV power simultaneously.)
The MPPT Voltage limit causes the same limitation as Ctek - Panels must be wired in Series, not Parallel.
The BCDC1240 clearly "wins" is the situation of big TV wiring and alternator, capable of providing a lot more than 20A. But note that I don't insist on having big batteries in the TM to enjoy this Redarc advantage - even if the batteries shouldn't be charged at more than 10A, you'll be using the "extra" power into the Fridge.
With a TV capable of 35A or more, and adequate TM wiring, the BCD1240 could run the Fridge
and charge the batteries, while the D250S would be limited to only about 3A per battery while the DC Firdge is running its heater.
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New, 11/8/15: I found some measurements in other forums, by AU camper people, showing CTek performing
very badly in Boondocking with Solar Panels alone. These measurements date from 2012, 2013, and one post talked about a firmware upgrade "solving the problem". But when one Ctek user upgraded to Redarc, he found that Redarc performed very well in both configurations (running from TV power, and running from Solar power).
So it's "Buyer Beware" with Ctek's Solar performance. I will be using it only with TV-supplied Bargeman power. I'd have to do a lot of ugly reconfiguration to even test the Solar functionality (using 2 of my 3 Solar Panels, rewired). My biggest panel is totally incompatible (with both Ctek and Redarc), so I will be staying with my separate Solar Controller.
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BTW, I might have been confused by the large number of smaller strands, but it looks to me as if the Bargeman cable "+12V" wire
might be bigger than 10AWG. I don't need even 30A down that cable, so didn't actually measure it.
