After reading about all the Trik/Amp-L-Start installs on this forum, I wanted to use one in my 2020 Unity MB to keep the chassis battery charged, since it sits idle for months at a time. For 2020 Unity models, LTV started using the Sterling DC/DC charger to charge the house batteries. It interferes with the Amp-L-Start charger, which is used to charge the chassis battery. There’s a thread with more info here, but the basic problem is that both the Sterling and Amp-L-Start want to run at the same time, making an infinite loop of current.
I’m going to try manually disconnecting both the chassis and house batteries from the Amp-L-Start with a switch and relay. When the RV is being used there’s no reason to use the Amp-L-Start, assuming it’s not parked for weeks in one spot. In fact, I found that the Amp-L-Start can draw significant current while I’m trying to charge the house batteries via solar panels, even if I drive every day, unnecessarily reducing amp-hours going into the house batteries. I added the on/off switch to the side of the passenger seat where there were already 3 switches for the awning.
The other parts of the circuit are located under the passenger seat, except for a wire I ran directly to the chassis battery (schematic attached). There are channels for wiring between passenger and driver seats, and then from the driver seat into the battery compartment.
There are still things I don’t like, such as when the Sterling turns on briefly every few minutes when the Amp-L-Start is charging (I thought the Sterling turned on only when the ignition is on). Since I’ll use Amp-L-Start only when parked for a long time, usually plugged into shore power, this probably isn’t a big deal.
If anyone has used the Amp-L-Start with a Sterling charger, how did you make it work?
I’m going to try manually disconnecting both the chassis and house batteries from the Amp-L-Start with a switch and relay. When the RV is being used there’s no reason to use the Amp-L-Start, assuming it’s not parked for weeks in one spot. In fact, I found that the Amp-L-Start can draw significant current while I’m trying to charge the house batteries via solar panels, even if I drive every day, unnecessarily reducing amp-hours going into the house batteries. I added the on/off switch to the side of the passenger seat where there were already 3 switches for the awning.
The other parts of the circuit are located under the passenger seat, except for a wire I ran directly to the chassis battery (schematic attached). There are channels for wiring between passenger and driver seats, and then from the driver seat into the battery compartment.
There are still things I don’t like, such as when the Sterling turns on briefly every few minutes when the Amp-L-Start is charging (I thought the Sterling turned on only when the ignition is on). Since I’ll use Amp-L-Start only when parked for a long time, usually plugged into shore power, this probably isn’t a big deal.
If anyone has used the Amp-L-Start with a Sterling charger, how did you make it work?
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