One of the best ways to ensure your 4WD’s auxiliary battery is topped up and ready to go when you arrive at camp is get yourself a DC-DC charger. In simple terms, these chargers use power from the 4WD’s alternator to charge the secondary battery, boosting the voltage input to the battery to ensure it is charged when you arrive.
BMPRO has long supplied the MiniBoost DC-DC charger for the caravan’s house battery. But many people also run a separate battery in their 4WD to power various appliances, particularly their portable fridge. While a roof-mounted solar panel is a good investment, it’s sometimes not enough on its own. And that’s where BMPRO’s brand new ProBoost comes in – it can simply charge off the car or just use solar… or even both.
WHY PROBOOST?
The ProBoost is available in both 25A and 40A variations. According to BMPRO’s 12V guru, David Bayliss, the company was finding that customers were increasingly opting for large battery systems, necessitating the 40A unit.
With its IP66 rating, the ProBoost can be mounted anywhere, even under the bonnet of the 4WD – it is a fully sealed unit, so exposure to water and heat from the engine won’t be a problem. In fact, it has an operating temperature of -20°C to 80°C. However, this unit is really designed to be fitted anywhere in the 4WD, whether it’s in the engine bay, behind a seat or in the canopy of a ute.
ProBoost offers a full range of charging profiles. Whether yours is a lead acid or lithium battery, it provides multi-stage charging while offering a number of protective safety features, such as over-temperature, over-voltage and under-voltage protection. It’s also compatible with smart alternators – particularly important for newer 4WDs.
Essentially, it will take the voltage from the alternator and boost it to the correct voltage, using pre-programmed algorithms to take the battery that it’s charging through the bulk, absorption and float stages.
Why use a DC-DC charger? At the end of the day, without one, you’ll never get your auxiliary battery charged to 100 per cent – about 70 or 80 per cent state of charge is the best you could hope for. That would make powering your portable fridge, spotlights, not to mention your various charging points, etc., unrealistic.
One of the big advantages of the BMPRO ProBoost, however, is that both the 25 and 40A units contain a MPPT solar regulator. What does this mean? Well, aside from charging your auxiliary battery off the 4WD’s alternator, it will take charge from an unregulated solar panel you happen to have mounted on the 4WD and put it into your auxiliary battery – it’s the most efficient system you could hope for.
While the 25A ProBoost has a maximum charging capacity of 500Ah, the 40A ProBoost can manage up to a massive 800Ah.
INSTALLATION OF PROBOOST
As mentioned, the BMPRO ProBoost is designed to be mounted anywhere on the 4WD. While BMPRO has tested it in the engine bay around the High Country without any problems, we were shown a brilliant install by No Limit 4×4 in Dandenong, Vic.
One of the challenges with setting up a 12V system in a 4WD is finding room for everything, particularly the battery. Modern battery technology to the rescue. Behind the back seat of his BT50, Pete from No Limit had performed a particularly neat installation of a ProBoost 40 along with a slimline lithium battery – they fit perfectly in the otherwise ‘dead’ space behind the seat.
Theoretically, it could be done as a DIY installation; however, BMPRO recommends having it fitted professionally. This should ensure the correct gauge of wiring, etc, is used to ensure optimum performance. On this theme, we noticed Pete had fitted circuit breakers instead of fuses – that’s the professional touch.
SUMMING UP
If you haven’t jumped onto the DC-DC bandwagon, we highly recommend you do. We know from experience the difference they make. Being able to arrive at camp with a battery charged to 100 per cent (whether in the caravan or the 4WD) gets you off on the right foot. Nothing will spoil your happy hour faster than warm beer or spoiled cheese.
Whether you opt for the 25A or 40A ProBoost range will depend on your battery setup and the appliances you need to power… but this slimline device is clearly well thought-out and built to withstand hostile conditions. A quality DC-DC charger will change your camping life – give the ProBoost a look.
