Piranha Dual Battery

DUAL BATTERY MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS

As we enter the 2lst century the 4WD vehicles we are driving have changed, what with Twin Cam, Fuel injection, coil springs and four wheel discs, so have charging systems. Long gone are the old 35 and 45 amp alternators. Just as crank handles have long departed, so have the old methods of battery isolation. Piranha is the only Australian Owned company with a full range of battery isolators to suit any vehicle including diesel, petrol EFI, turbo, internally or externally sensed voltage regulator Etc. We also have a full range of complementary Equipment to suit.

All the products Piranha build have a 2 year warranty. Piranha stand behind the products they make

Piranha manufacture right here in Australia the most extensive range of steel, not plastic, auxiliary cradles of any company today. Their product is engineered to high standards to ensure reliable operation in tough Australian conditions. Not only do they do auxiliary but also replacement cradles for original equipment units.

The second major component is the choice of batteries. These fall into three groups.

Car Batteries: Ideal use - starting motors, light electrical accessory use and light winch application. Its best feature is price (fairly cheap).

Truck Batteries: Ideal use-heavy duty starting application, winching work, light accessory work. Best feature;- tough reinforced plates, high cold cranking amps (CCA) capacity, reliable starting and great for winching work.

Deep Cycle Batteries: Ideal use-fridge, CB, HF Radio, camping lights, inverters, in fact any low amp drain over a long period of time. Best features;- long life, and can be flattened many times without significant damage to plates.
When choosing a battery style we must think of the comparison as a truck versus sports car. They are both motor vehicles but they are designed from the ground up for different purposes. In a truck or car battery we have 12 - 17 plates per cell giving us a huge area in contact with the acid thus giving a enormous capacity to produce power CCA in a rush, but little staying power.
A deep cycle may have as little as 4 plates per cell however they are much thicker and denser, therefore the acid penetrates more slowly giving a lower CCA but much better staying power.

Each system has its benefits but, in a nutshell, manual/solenoid Isolators parallel the batteries for charge & discharge if required. No other system has this feature. It has its down side as paralleling shortens battery life and increases recovery time, but it can be great for some winching applications.

Note: solenoids, manual switches create voltage spike, thus they are NOT recommended on EFI Systems.

The main problem associated with solenoid or manual systems is: by paralleling two batteries, one fully charged and one flattened (by running accessories), we must allow both batteries to equalise, (like tanks of water) before they recharge. They then charge up as one enormous battery (very slowly).

The major disadvantages with diode systems are that the batteries compete for power during recharge and the voltage drop associated with the use of blocking diodes.

Consider this: If the standard diode isolator allows the main battery and auxiliary battery to recharge simultaneously, what is the problem? First, the main starting battery should be given priority while recharging. Secondly, once the main battery is topped up then all available charge should be directed to charging the auxiliary battery. Such a simple charging procedure would minimise the number of times you are left stranded in the back blocks because the critical starting battery is dead flat. No point scratching your head because you thought the starting battery should have been recharged yesterday while travelling. What you forgot was the auxiliary battery was competing for power.

Advantages of Solenoid Isolators

Enable power to be drawn from both batteries at the same time. This may be useful for starting a large diesel motor of winching.
Simple to install.
Simple to wire up.
Simple method of battery isolation.
Doesn't change the original wiring loom

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