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

[Robert E. Sloat]

Bruce-Good morning.  I will take some pictures and post them on the C320 
site along with some technical talk.  When this is done I will post a note 
here.

I assume from your hull number you also have the Flyback.

Bob Sloat
Savannah Hull 894
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Bruce Stanley" <brucestanley36 at gmail.com>
To: <C320-List at catalina320.com>
Sent: Wednesday, May 14, 2008 5:21 PM
Subject: Re: [C320-list] Xantrex Truecharge 20+ Replacement of 
ProMarinerFlyback 20-3


> Hi Bob
> Thanks for this most interesting Xantrex Truecharge installation report.
> Any chance of posting it on the C320 site ..........with as many photos as
> possible? ....... the modifications to the cable connectors, the final
> installation, the 10 AWG / 16 AWG connections, and any other pointer to 
> help
> illuminate this successful upgrade.
>
> thanks
> Bruce Stanley #1084
> Sydney Australia
>
>
> On Thu, May 15, 2008 at 6:00 AM, Robert E. Sloat <resloat at comcast.net>
> wrote:
>
>> 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
>>
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