[C320-list] Xantrex Truecharge 20+ Replacement of ProMariner Flyback 20-3

[Robert E. Sloat]

A few comments on installing the Xantrex Truecharge 20+ which replaced the second Flyback 20-3 on my 2002 Hull 894. Many of the previous Xantrex post were helpful and a few additional comments on the installation are in this note. ProMariner has an upgraded battery charger that must compete with the Xantrex.  On the basis that two of the ProMariner Flyback 20-3's have failed since commissioning and that Catalina no longer uses this brand, I decided to make a change to Xantrex.

The Xantrex appears to be a more modern design than the Flyback 20-3 and offers the following features that the Flyback does not have:  (1) a battery temperature monitor which shuts down the charger if the battery it is attached to gets too high in temperature; (2) a remote panel display which can be mounted near the electrical panel to keep an eye on battery charge and voltage when the charger is turned on, but not underway; (3) the ability to equalize flooded batteries with a simple push of a button; (4) the ability to optimize battery charging depending on a preselected battery temperature (hot, medium or cold); and (5) choice of three operation modes - bulk/absorption/float, bulk/absorption and fixed 13.5 volts.

Like the Flyback it can work on up to three of the same type of batteries (flooded, gel or AGM).

I needed a longer mounting board (16" high X 10" wide) for the Xantrex since its mounting height is longer than the Flyback.  I mounted the board directly over the original one for the Flyback unit. 

 The ground and battery connections on the Xantrex are much smaller than the Flyback which has been noted by previous post.  My solution was to not remove the original crimped eye fittings from the battery cable connectors used for the Flyback installation.  I was able with the help of a good sheet metal cutters and a file to cut and shape the eyes down to a spade shape which fit into the Xantrex battery and ground connections.  It took a reasonable amount of patience to get this done.  To do this, cut the end of eye off leaving a stub and then cut and file the stub to the required spade shape.  Keep cutting and filing until the spade fits into the Xantrex connectors and can be tightened down with the connector screws without shaking loose.  This eliminated the clutter of a buss bar which needs to be protected from contact with any metal in the port cockpit locker.

The cable connectors were covered with shrink tubing near the original crimped connectors so no metal was exposed other than the spades which fit into the Xantrex connectors.  The formed spades were slightly bent so the ground and battery cables when inserted into the Xantrex connections would clear a 3/4" thick strip of wood placed horizontally across the bottom of the mounting board used to hold the cables in place.

As in a previous post, 3/8" nylon cable clamps were used to mount the ground and battery cables near to the strip of wood at the bottom of the mounting board so they would not shake loose if hit by any flying objects in the port locker.  A few 1" nylon cable clamps were used to hold the three battery cables along the inside of the hull in place.

The AC lines on the C320 are 10 AWG which is much larger than the AC wires on the Xantrex which are 16 AWG.  The crimp connections supplied by Xantrex did not work so I used a set of insulated spade and female connectors -one side was crimp size for 10 AWG wire and the other side was for 16 AWG wire size. 

Overall, this installation looks like the clean factory install for the Flyback without any additional connections or equipment or wires needed.

Bob Sloat
Savannah Hull 894