#12,876 in Automotive
Reddit mentions of PAC PAC-80 80-Amp Relay Battery Isolator,BLACK
Sentiment score: 0
Reddit mentions: 2
We found 2 Reddit mentions of PAC PAC-80 80-Amp Relay Battery Isolator,BLACK. Here are the top ones.
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Mobile Audio Relay and Battery IsolatorGreat for isolating a second batter making it dedicated to the stereo systemDoes not create a voltage drop to the second battery like conventional isolators80 Amps at 12V Continuous Power Handling150 Amps Surge Power HandlingHandles 80-Amps Continuous and 150-Amp SurgesDurable Weatherproof ConstructionFor Switching Power Sources and Systems with Heavy Current DrawKeeps Primary Starting Battery from being DrainedDoes Not Create any Voltage Drop to the Secondary Battery
Specs:
| Color | BLACK |
| Height | 6.2 Inches |
| Length | 8.4 Inches |
| Number of items | 1 |
| Release date | November 2020 |
| Weight | 0.66 Pounds |
| Width | 2.2 Inches |
maybe im missing something here but my whole setup was like $250 at most. I got my deep cycle battery on offerup for $40, used this $15 isolator (bigger ones arent much more expensive), and this $20 box. Then i also added this voltage meter/usb port/ power socket to the box for $10. Then all the wiring and fuses were maybe $100 total.
From what I can tell from this article, the smart alternator only charges the car battery when needed (voltage < 13.8V). The reason this would mess up a typical VSR is that from the point of view of the alternator, when it's done it's job charging the starter battery (and possibly the leisure battery) it would stop, closing the VSR. It's also possible the VSR would never open in the first place because there would be no excess voltage to detect.
Normally the VSR would activate when a surplus voltage is detected (probably > 14V) indicating that the ("stupid") alternator would be running and that the car battery would already be topped (otherwise the voltage would be less as it would be charging). With a smart alternator this would never happen as the alternator would shut off once the battery was charged.
I believe what you could do would be to use a regular 12V automotive relay and get it to activate when you switch the ignition to the ACC position (when all your car electronics come alive). Think of your circuit as wiring a car stereo that turns on when you turn on your car, except the stereo is a battery. When the car is off, your leisure battery would be on a separate circuit and when it's on it would charge. It would also have more amps to crank your engine :)
The reason it would charge when connected is that from the smart alternator's point of view, it would simply see a larger than normal battery to charge, since both the starter and leisure battery would be connected in parallel
This would probably work
*EDIT: just realized, if you hook it up to ACC, it might also make your car worse to start if the leisure battery was drained since it would put more load on the starter battery. You could just wire it to a switch on the dash.