Hi Guys,

I have just bought the jaycar kit to install an extra battery in the kombi.
Has anyone actually installed one ?

The electronics look fairly straight forward to build the kit, but the instructions dont cover actually wiring it to your car.

If anyone can provide basic instructions like "Take the + lead off your main battery and attaced it to..." It would be a great help.

Dude get onto Jaycar where you bought it from. They should have included Instructions. If there just ain't any then request them or get onto there website and have a look there for Answers or ordering of Instruction (you'd think that'd be free of charge??)

I can't help you dude, never done it. Will be soon though. Got two landing lights to fit to the front of mine, which means I think either 2nd battery or better alternator ?

Good luck

There are instructions - but only on how to build it - they dont give instructions on how it connect to the car.

Anyway I think I have figured it out and will post a description and pics when it's going for the benefit og anyone else.

:thumb

yeah mate do u rekon u could post sum of them pics if u took any. and let me know if it is worth having

I've been really busy and haven't had a chance yet - but will do soon

can you tell me more aboutthis jaycar system.....how does it work?

i've got a second battery in my kombi, but its not wired in yet. was just going to put a solonoid isolater switch in (piranha model), but keen to know more about the jaycar system.

The Jaycar System first charges up your main battery then charges your second, if the voltage of your second is below 10.5V it will trickle charge until it reaches 10.5 and then charge at the full rate this reduces damage to your battery.
When you turn your ign off it isolates your 2nd battery.

thanks fatboy....keen to hear / see how you go installing yours. i'm not so keen on building or installing, but guess an autoelectrician could help me out.

did you look at the piranha systems? they have a solenoid switch isolator (~$120 installed) and a diode pack battery isolator (~$300 installed). I was going to get one of the solenoids this week, but after hearing about the jaycar setup, might wait and see how you go with yours!

It should be obvious from the circuit diagram where the wires go.

I built a Dick Smith kit and it goes like this:
There should be one beefy high-current wire to the main battery +ve and another beefy high-current wire to the auxilliary battery +ve (make sure you get them the right way round), there should be one little wire to ground (i.e. anywhere on the body) and one little wire to the auxilliary +ve. The big wire to the main needed to be long and coiled to provide a tiny bit of resistance.

Hi "fatboy",
Did you install it yet?

Any feedback on operation?

Anyone else install one of these, or the Dick Smith equivalent or a "commercial" type?

I'm looking for feedback for a forthcoming note on the
http://www.aussiekombicampers.com/ 
website.

TIA.

I bought a dual battery kit from whitworths marine store for $90, its designed for use on boats but wired into my kombi easily and works very well.
Alex.

Thanks Alex, I'll look it up. Whitworths have some interesting gear, including supplementary fuel tanks.

Any other takers...?

My Dick Smith one failed.

I replaced it with a heavy-duty relay (50A) from a caravan spares shop. The relay acts as a switch in the big fat wire running from the main to auxilliary battery. The relay is controlled by a small current from the heater blower +ve (which is already wired appropriately) so that the relay is only on when the ignition is on.

The relay is bullet-proof, it'll last forever. You don't get the trickle-charge thing that a semiconductor kit does, but it's way more reliable.

The other good thing about the relay is it makes it very easy to jump-start yourself. If you ever get a flat main battery (eg headlights left on) you can jumpstart yourself just by connecting a wire from the auxilliary battery +ve to the relay control +ve to close the relay. Simple!

Interesting how the simple setups often prove most reliable and satisfactory.

Jump-starting with a smart isolator looks to me to be a little fraught- it seems bound to surge the electronics;

Thanks,

For more info, try doing a search of some of the 4 x 4 sites.
Here's some for you
http://www.pajeroclub.com.au/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=5260&PN=1 

http://203.147.170.134/Forum/Archive/2001/246.asp

http://www.exploroz.com/Forum/Archive/2003_1/3073.asp 

Check this out for the circuit referred to by Purple Martin.

http://www.globalserve.net/~jrivers/aux-batt.htm

Note that they suggest using a 10 or 12 gauge wire for the charging wire to the auxiliary battery to avoid a high surge current when the car starts.

The wire that activates the charging relay in the circuit can be connected to the alternator light or the heater blower (if you have one) as they both connect to the same point.

Thanks Jenny & mnsKmobi,
Off to do some more homework...