CTEK d250S DC/DC Smart Charger *SOLD*

[mumstruk Member Find all posts View Profile Close mumstruk]

ITEM:Ctek D250s Smart Charger
CONDITION:New
REASON FOR SELLING:Surplus, bought this by mistake
PRICE AND PRICE CONDITIONS: $330 . I can supply a tax invoice if required.
EXTRA INFO: Solve all your second battery charging issues in your 120 Prado. I have one in mine and it works faultlessly. Typical Ctek quality. Suits a wide range of batteries, auto sensing. IP56 rated. Forget about solenoids, poor charging, incorrect charging and shortened battery life. Will take solar panel input up to 22v and features maximum power point tracking to get the best from your solar set up. comes with a 2 year warranty.
LOCATION: Northern NSW. pick up or post.
PICTURES: See http://www.baintech.com.au/chargers/cte ... ry-charger

ITEM NOW SOLD. Thanks to all who replied.

[PradOz Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close PradOz]

Re: CTEK d250S DC/DC Smart Charger

can you explain how you have the one in your prado set up please.

your sale is rather timely as i am looking into these as i was advised by a "battery specialist" that this is what i need in my situation (but now not so sure???)

I (will) have: battery isolator between starter battery (1) and aux battery (2) in prado then advised to put ctek between aux battery (2) in prado and agm battery (3) in the caravan

problem is i am hearing and reading many other comments saying the ctek wont work well in that set up, hence the reason i am interested in how you have your setup done before i purchase one - thanks

[mumstruk Member Find all posts View Profile Close mumstruk]

Re: CTEK d250S DC/DC Smart Charger

Hello Pradoz

It is very simple. The Ctek has three connections plus a temperature probe. One is for a negative connection, Another is power in, the other power out.

In my Prado I have run a wire from the start battery positive, through a 30 amp circuit breaker ( which is as close to the battery positve terminal as possible ) to Power In on the Ctek. I go from Power Out to the positive terminal on my second battery (I have a 30 amp inline fuse here, close to the positive terminal) On the Ctek side of this fuse I have run a 10mm wire to rear of my car to the socket outlet to run our fridge. I have run a negative wire from the start battery negative post, to the Ctek Negative and from here to the negative post on my second battery. You could also simply pick up the negative from the body of the Prado. I also have a heavy negative strap from the second battery bolted to the body of the Prado. I also ran a negative 10mm wire to the socket outlet for the fridge. The 10mm is overkill to run the Evacool and so is the negative wiring but I have about 100 meters of red and black left over from a previous job. I also have the option of using this supply at the rear of the car to power other stuff.

You are able to connect a solar input into the power in/ negative terminals of the Ctek as it will operate as a solar regulator as well ( features MPPT).

The Ctek will not discharge the start battery when you are stopped. It auto senses all types of lead acid batteries eg wet cell, gel cell and AGM.

Secure the temp probe to the battery case as close as you can to the positive terminal of the battery you are charging. The Ctek will compensate the charging process according to battery temp and shut down if the temps are outside the safe setting.

Hope this helps. I will try to post pics.

[mumstruk Member Find all posts View Profile Close mumstruk]

Re: CTEK d250S DC/DC Smart Charger

I just re-read your post. What you need to do is install the Ctek in the van as close as possible to the battery ( to negate any volt drop problems). The D250s will do this as long as the voltage that the Ctek sees is not lower than 12 volts. Use some heavy cabling from your solenoid and a 50 amp anderson connector at the back of your Prado. Use an anderson connector on your van and the same heavy cabling to the Ctek to prevent volt drop. In my camper I installed the new 250s Dual. This unit has a dedicated solar input. This allows you to charge the van battery with the alternator and a solar panel at the same time. I have an 80 watt panel on the roof of my van to do just this. The 250s Dual will charge with the solar panel only when you have set up camp. These chargers feature Maximum Power Point Tracking that adjust panel voltage and amps to extract the maximum amount of power that is available from the solar panel and match it to the load that is applied to it. Lesser solar regulators burn off excess energy produced by the panels with dummy loads and other electrickery.