Hi Mike,
Have you thought about using a small DC-DC converter to power your PakTrakr off 48V?
Here's one that's available, and you can find many others that aren't packaged for much less.
http://www.belktronix.com/dcdc7wR2.html
I initially ran my LinkPro (10mA at idle, 24/7) from the first four cells of my 16 cell bank, and the imbalance it caused was very apparent. A 48V-12V converter solved that problem.
If you go this route, be aware that some cheaper converters will not maintain isolation between your propulsion bank and your house bank. I'd avoid those.
-Tom
--- In electricboats@yahoogroups.com, Mike <biankablog@...> wrote:
>
> I got some good news as I continue to investigate the status of the most negative AGM battery in my boats 48 volt string. Previously it had passed the Centech battery anyalyzer test and a load test but, was not able to be fully charged by the Dual Pro charger or an external charger that I had connected to it. Since this is the battery that the Paktrakr takes it's 12 volt operating voltage from I suspect this parasitic load (along with the additional data recorder cable I added recently) was causing some problems over the winter layup. So I disconnected the Paktrakr load and let solar panels via the Morningstar Controller charge the bank. The Morningstar does provide some type of equalization in it's charging algorithem. So two weeks later I go back on the boat and plug in the Dual Pro charger:http://biankablog.blogspot.com/2012/03/battery-investigation-part-five-some.html
> and lo and behold three minutes after pluging in the charger the suspect battery is up with the other three batteries according to the Dual Pro display. It also reached a fully charged condition a few minutes after the other three in the bank finished charging. The final voltage is still lower than the other batteries in the string but, things seem to be moving in positive direction. It's been very puzzling trying to figure out what is going on. It passes a load test and the battery analyzer test which shows a low 2.3 milli ohm internal resistance. Yet two battery chargers intially said it could not be fully charged. But, now it can and is not lagging to far behind the other three batteries in doing that. I'm keeping the Paktrakr disconnected and hoping to see further improvements in this battery with the parasitic load removed during my next visit. Any thoughts on what's happening with this battery?
>
> Capt. Mike
> http://biankablog.blogspot.com
>
>
>
>
> ________________________________
> From: Mike <biankablog@...>
> To: ELECTRIC BOATS <electricboats@yahoogroups.com>
> Sent: Monday, February 20, 2012 9:21 AM
> Subject: Battery issue cont'd
>
>
> I took Arby's suggestion and bought a battery analyzer from Harbor freight. You can see some of the preliminary test results and also how my Dual Pro Quad battery monitor is working here:
> http://biankablog.blogspot.com/2012/02/battery-investigation-part-three.html
>
> Previous links are here:
> http://biankablog.blogspot.com/2012/02/assault-on-battery.html
> http://biankablog.blogspot.com/2012/02/more-battery-trouble-shooting-of-48.html
>
> The analyzer shows lower capacity in the suspect battery (most negative in the string) but, still not totally dead. Though the Dual Pro charger timed out in trying to charge it. I still wonder if adding the Paktrakr data recorder cable had done something or if it's just coincidence. I would have suspected it added just minimal load to the basic draw (25ma) of the Paktrakr. Still this problem did not appear until I connected the recording data cable onto the Paktrakr. I've disconnected the Paktrakr for now. Next time I'm on board I plan to disconnect the batteries let them rest for 24 hours and then do a load test. Comments or suggestions?
>
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