one more isolator question

[oldschoolpgfan1]

I viewed a isolator called surepower and they have a 240 amp isolator and it is not reccomended for Gm CS alternators... could someone tell me if the PG mbg-240 is compatiable with the GM CS alternator?

[ttocs]

short of that being a 3 battery version, an isolator is an isolator is an isolator. Doesn't matter what alt/battery they hook up too. Not sure what it does for a 3rd battery that would be different then the 2 battery(or more) that most others are. Most of the time the additional batteries are all hooked up to one specific accessory that they are trying got more power for so you either need them all charged or not at once.

I have to ask, why are you going with that style rather then the relay/solenoid way? The advantage you get with the diode version is that you get the dependability of solid state electronics that can last for years and years but it is at the cost of .7v that ALL diodes burn off in operation. When you take that into account on a 12v system, and that relays/solenoids are also very reliable, much much smaller, and do not burn off any voltage. I thought everyone here was going with the diode style just to stay true to the PG name since that was what made more of but if your going with a different brand I really would recommend the relay solenoid style. When I went dual battery as much as I wanted to use the isolator I had already bought I just could not make the sacrifices on space/voltage losses.

[oldschoolpgfan1]

Will the pg isolator give a better charge to both batteries? i need total isolation and charge to hold up during big current demands. Is the stinger solenoid new technology? I have one but i would feel safer if i had a true isolator. Im basically trying anything i can in yhis piece of shit regal i dumped all my hard earned money into just to find out its my
motor ? A damn v belt is crushing my dreams of hearing my zpa amps at there fullest potential. At this point ill try anything. Hopefylly this isolator keeps everything totally seperate and has enough back up to keep them charged so the alternator has less stress. either way Im probably wrong but its worth trying anything is at this point. its even more complicated than that with this stupid car. but it would just take too long to explain... and Im the one who just bought that mbg-240 relay off ebay....

[ttocs]

well like I said diode isolators automatically burn off anywhere from .4-7volts in the form of heat which is why they have heat sinks on them. That means that if your alt feeds 13.5V out your batteries(neglecting any other loss from wire/connections/fuses) will see 13.1-12.8 volts on a perfect day. The advantage of the diode system is that the rarely ever fail....

A solenoid will still isolate the battery just as well but it is absolutely NOT new technology, they have been used for decades now.... A solenoid is nothing more then a high current relay. All that is, is a coil of wire, a switch, and a few contacts. What happens is that when the coil is fed power it makes an electro-magnet, which pulls the switch and makes/brakes contact on the switch. now because these have been used for soooo long they are still considered a reliable piece, just not as reliable as the solid-state diode technology has as that is VERY reliable. The moving parts in the solenoid will eventually fail someday but you should still see many many years of use before its a problem.

So yes, your batteries will see more power with a solenoid then with the diodes, they are just fine with high current demands(assuming you buy one for the current you need), and isolates the batteries just as well as a switch can(doesn't get much better).

I too have a pg isolator in my extra parts bin as I was wanting to go all PG in my install, but after weighing the voltage loss, size savings, and performance I bought a stinger solenoid and a pac SPR-200 to make sure that it keeps everything charged. It sucks but it is what it is.....

The solenoid is basically just a large current relay.

[oldschoolpgfan1]

So are you combineing both the relay and the pac 200 in one vechicle? If so what are the advantages of using both? Would you reccomend that for me as well?

[ttocs]

the pac monitors the batteries and makes sure the isolator is on/off enough to keep both batteries charged.

[PhuckinGood]

stinger solenoid and a pac SPR-200 to make sure that it keeps everything charged

Whats a 'pac SPR-200' mate? I am just collecting bits for my split charge, its a basic two battery set up and I have been looking at the Stinger SGP32 relay and SPV70 battery, am i missing something?

[ttocs]

http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_187 ... R-200.html

Its the box in that add. it monitors the battery voltages as well as the alt voltage and ensures that everything is charged.

[PhuckinGood]

Ah I see... didnt realise I couldnt let the second battery voltage drop too low, that was kind of the reason to have it, so I could play the system with the engine off and if I run it flat it doesnt matter. Seems it does matter then.

I will see if I can find something like that over here as I havnt seen them before, thanks.

[ttocs]

that is the reason I have mine as well. But if you don't charge the 2nd battery, it isn't there to help you when you want it. This little box just makes sure everything is happy and the batteries are at full charge.

[oldschoolpgfan1]

So how is everything wired? The relay obviously in front after battery, but pac 200 where?

[ttocs]

physically I have mine mounted by the radio using its constant/ignition/ground as well as a true ignition(stays energized while cranking starter like your fuel pump power wire) from the steering column hrns. It needs to be able to know if you are just turning the key on for the radio, or if you are cranking the motor over