Charge 12v battery using ProPower?

[Eskram]

So, intoxicants aside, I realize this might be a dumb question..

Could one plug a 12v battery charger into the truck's 110v system to charge the 12v battery?

Or is that like plugging a power strip back into itself?

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[Snakebitten]

I might want to try some of whatever you had. ?

 

[Eskram]

Yeah.. So my thought process (if you want to call it that) was plugging a 12v trickle charger into one of the outlets to top up the battery.

That said, probably not much thought in that. Heh.

For your other question, Gorilla Glue #4.?

 

[Snakebitten]

OK. I'm going to give you a hint.

You have a Powerboost ?

Generator mode.
AC fan on 5
Nothing plugged into any outlet
Leave fob in truck and door closed

Walk away

 

[Eskram]

OK. I'm going to give you a hint.

You have a Powerboost ?

Generator mode.
AC fan on 5
Nothing plugged into any outlet
Leave fob in truck and door closed

Walk away

You and your knowledge..

 

[ReverendQ]

OK. I'm going to give you a hint.

You have a Powerboost ?

Generator mode.
AC fan on 5
Nothing plugged into any outlet
Leave fob in truck and door closed

Walk away

@Snakebitten , but having cords running about looks cooler.

 

[imnuts]

Could you? Sure. There are more efficient ways to get the battery to charge though.

 

[HammaMan]

You'd need to supply better than 15v at ~30a to achieve anything. The truck's base 12v load depending on factors can well exceed 30a so you'd have to have the right conditions to achieve anything.

Oh, and when you unhook it the truck will eat the 12v batts back down to where it wants them w/out fob in it it and blower on 5. I have an LFP batt in the aux box and it just eats the battery otherwise. Can't even charge it w/out the blower hack which is how I discovered it.

 

[PaulGrun]

OK. I'm going to give you a hint.

You have a Powerboost ?

Generator mode.
AC fan on 5
Nothing plugged into any outlet
Leave fob in truck and door closed

Walk away

I've been successful at recharging a dead 12v battery by doing this without pushing the hvac blower motor to 5. I simply left the truck in the driveway "idling" for an hour or two, and thereafter everything is fine. As expected, the ICE would fire up for a couple minutes a few times per hour.
I don't presently have any method for monitoring battery voltage / currents / SOC etc, so I can't say at what voltage level the 12v battery (batteries, plural, I suppose) were charging. just that it restored my truck ('22 XLT Powerboost 302a) to health.
The battery originally died due to a lengthy (6 week) layup period. To get it restarted, I simply jump started it. Fired right up.
That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

 

[Snakebitten]

You don't have to use the fan speed hack. But it definitely stops the charging strategy from decreasing the float voltage.

 

[Borchelt]

I just use a Noco Battery charger... Not as self contained as you would like but easier

Added a NOCO Genius 10 charger permanent battery connect. I hate having to route an extension cord, open the hood and deal with positioning the clamps and then unhooking. I added a NOCO permanent battery connection and NOCO extension routed to the driver's side since that is closest to the workbench outlets. Hate having cords on the floor. When connecting to the battery, make sure you connect the black (neg) eyelet above the BMS module as shown by green arrow. If you connect to the negative terminal on the battery directly, it will bypass the BMS - Red Arrow. Might do a custom job and route the charger connection out through the fender XLT badge for a cleaner look and totally out of the weather. The end cap should protect it for now (garage kept) until I get some time for a custom fab.

 

[BluePB]

This brings up a related question for me: Maybe something I don't know about the PB design -- how is the 12V accessory power and battery system powered when the gas engine is off? My knowledge of other HEVs (and battery-only EVs for that matter) is, when in full power mode, they use a DC-DC converter to power 12V accessories and keep the 12V battery charged using power from the HVDC traction battery. This is essential for any vehicle capable of running in a full power mode from a traction battery, because you can't count on spinning an alternator to power the 12V system. Of course, in an HEV, the gas engine eventually has to start to keep the traction battery charged. How does PB manage?

Second related question: My PB will sit for a few weeks sometimes, in which case I just put on a 12V battery maintainer plugged into AC wall power, like I would any other vehicle that sits for a while. Any reason to do anything other than that?

 

[Snakebitten]

The Powerboost will do the same in accessory mode as it does in "Ready" mode. The DC/DC converter (digital alternator) is in play.

However, and it's a BIG However, it can only draw voltage from the HV battery if the HV battery is at or above the required SOC. So once it hits that threshold, the 12V battery is no longer being assisted from the DC/DC converter, and thus a similar plight as an ICE vehicle in accessory mode.

 

[Gros Ventre]

You could do that... But why? The running engine & the truck's electrical system is already charging the 12VDC Battery..........

 

[Snakebitten]

Lots of us turn on accessory mode for a few seconds BEFORE starting the truck. Theory being giving the "network" a chance to wake up everything while ensuring the 12V side of the truck is flush with healthy current supply, as well as a few seconds delay to accommodate any necessary handshakes.

Otherwise known as the 2-step Powerboost starting technique.

And it turned out to be a good stop gap workaround for the guys suffering occasional SSN events.

I personally fire up the PIDs and witness the pathetic 12V voltage drop that can occur just by taxing the battery when the running boards drop, the door opens, the lights fire up. As soon as I hit accessory power, immediately the 12V voltage will jump from say.... 11.9-12.1v to 14V

I feel so much better about THEN sending the Start command. I feel like I'm giving the truck the best opportunity for success. ?

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