Both the D3 and the Range Rover Sports have an advanced battery charge and power usage monitoring system.
This system has so many interconnected operations and setting up the wrong Dual Battery system can result in system responses that at the time may seem like device failures but are actually self protection operations.
To give you an idea of what can happen, if you have the wrong set up and try to recharge the wrong type of battery you may have something as simple as the sound system turning off or as major as the air suspension compressor being shut down.
Also as the two vehicles run Calcium/Lead Calcium batteries, the charging system is optimised to charge these types of batteries and can supply charge voltages of between 13.5 volts and 15.7 volts. This 15.7 volts is way too high for many other types of batteries and will result in the shortening of the auxiliary battery’s operating life.
Hi Watteau, the very reason I have been able to get at this information is because LRA asked us if we could modify one of our products to meet their requirements for the D3 and RRS.
This we have done and the device was tested by LRA and based on the info gained was submitted to LR in Britain.
At this time I have received verbal approval from LR and LRA for the new unit to be used on D3s and RRSs and while we are waiting for written conformation, we are in the midst of putting together a full kit including the Dual Battery Charge controller, all cables, battery securing bracket and all hardware required to fit a Dual Battery set up with a minimum of effort.
We will not be supplying the battery but we are looking into what type of battery would best suit the purpose.
So if you can wait a short time we should be able to help you.
By the way, the original post was not intended to drum up business, it was purely intended as a heads up on what you should look out for.
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Hi folks, we have been somewhat busy over the last few months but I am now making this a full time priority.
The biggest advantage we have is that we were already working on an advanced Dual battery system before the D3 request came from LRA so a lot of development and testing time has already been carried out.
I would be interested in hearing form you on how you intend to use your dual battery systems and how you would like it set up in your vehicles and any optional operations you might think could be an improvement over existing systems.
To give you some idea of what we are working on and please note this may all change by the time it goes into production.
The unit being designed for the D3 and RRS will be a Plug-and-Play set up. There will be no holes to drill for wiring or screw mounts. We plan to use the existing available mounts in these vehicles and you will simply secure the new cables to the existing battery and to the new battery. The installation should be very simple and very quick.
Basic operation will be a Cut-Out voltage which isolates the two( 3 ) batteries. A Cut-In voltage and both an Over-Voltage and Over-Current Shut-Down designed to protect both batteries and the vehicle’s electrics.
One of the ideas we are working on is a second output from the unit that will be able to be used to either charge a third battery and / or power for accessories.
This second output will allow the second and third batteries to remain connected after the main battery ( and the vehicles electrics ) are isolated by the Cut-Out voltage. Once the second output voltage drops to a lower level then the third battery ( or accessories ) will then be isolated, protecting the second battery from being over discharged.
We are also planning on having a dual colour LED indicator that can be mounted in a number of places and indicate what state the system is operating at, which will also indicate if either the cranking and / or the auxiliary batteries are in need of charging.
Last but not least, almost all automotive batteries require a minimum voltage of 13.8 volts to be able to fully charge them and should not be allowed to have a continuos charge voltage higher than 14.7 as this will damage the battery. As Penguin posted, you are not going to get a high voltage reading at idle, Once the initial start charge is replaced, most vehicles will have an operating voltage of 14 to 14.3 volts
One of the exceptions to this is the Calcium/ Lead calcium battery, as used in late model D2s, all D3s and RRSs.
In given conditions, these batteries can be charged from 13.5 volts to 15.7 volts without being damaged.
The problem is that the D3 and RRS electric’s are set up to work with calcium batteries and by putting any other form of battery in this system, can cause a “ Conflict of Interest “ situation. The main intention of our unit is to isolate the auxiliary battery(s) when there is likely to be a “ Conflict of Interest “ situation and therefore protect both the batteries and the vehicle.
The device that we currently have that LR OKed for use, the SC40-LR is available but as posted earlier, this device will protect the vehicle and vehicle’s battery but will not protect the new battery.
The SC40-LR will most likely work in 95% of applications but will not protect the auxiliary battery if continuos high voltage charging occurs.
To our knowledge, there is nothing on the market that can cater for the D3 charging system, approved or otherwise.
We will be installing the first production prototype in the next week or so and then we will have so idea of when it will be available.
Sorry it’s taking so long but we decided to develop a complete system requirement device rather than just the standard dual battery set up.
Developing the full system device was decided after a large number of requests were made for our device to be able to be used for different types of set up situations.
The new unit will virtually be two devises in one and be able to be simply programmed by the installer ( or owner ) to operate in a number ways to meet different user requirements.
It will not only protect the D3’s cranking battery from being discharged but it will also protect the auxiliary battery from over charging, high currents, low discharging and can be set up to allow a third battery to be charged and the device can be set up to operate the two auxiliary batteries in a number of configurations, depending on customer requirements.
Again, sorry for the delay but it should be ready soon.
Hi folks, I’ve been carrying out tests on my D3 to aid in the development of our new dual battery charge controllers for the D3s and RRSs and a major part of our R & D is based on info supplied to us by LRA, which included info about symptoms relating to incompatibility problems that these vehicles are suffering from when dual battery systems are fitted.
This is my opinion and only based on these tests we have have been conducting, but I am rapidly coming to the conclusion that batteries capable of rapid high current charging may very well be overloading the charge capacity of the D3 and RRS.
In test I have done, and I will have to get them confirmed by LRA, the D3 needs 20 to 30 amps just to maintain the vehicles electrical needs at idle and with the headlights on and in high beam, the current requirements regularly exceed 50 amps.
If you then have a rapid high current charging battery in a low state of charge, throw in a few driving lights, add the fact that the D3 and RRS can produce well over 15 volts and you can see how the system can be very easily and quickly be overloaded.
As you can imagine, this is all making our job a little harder but the end product should be worth all the work.
Hi bohnhead, it would, except that Calcium / Lead Calcium batteries, if used as auxiliary batteries, will have a very short operating life as they do NOT like being continually deep discharged and was one of the main reasons LRA approached us and asked us to come up with a system that would protect the vehicle’s battery.
If only you could use the Calcium / Lead Calcium batteries as an auxiliary battery then our work would not be needed, but as post above, we have to cater for batteries that can be deep cycled and be safely used in the D3 and RRS.
Cheers.
Just a side note. One of the problems LRA pointed out to us is that down the road, when the vehicle’s battery eventually needs to be replaced, LRA envision seeing a lot of people have problems when they DON’T replace the vehicle battery with another Calcium / Lead Calcium battery.
LR3 Electrical
