"Voltage Booster" for 31M AGM Battery

[Sleeter]

"Voltage Booster" for 31M AGM Battery

My HKB fuse arrived today (ordered 4/19, delivered 5/12). My issue was my second battery (AGM) was not charging very well while traveling. I heard about these boosters and thought I'd give it a shot. I'm running the NL smart dual battery controller, OEM starting battery, and Optima blue top 2nd.

https://www.hkbelect.com

Install was supper easy, if you can replace a fuse and run a multi-meter you should be good to go.

Below a pictures of my meter before installation and after:

OEM Battery just after starting no voltage booster

Optima after NL system connects (5min after start)

OEM just after starting HKB voltage booster installed.

Optima after NL system connects (5min after start)

OEM at idle 5min after start with HKB fuse installed.

OEM at 1500 RPM with HKB fuse

Optima at 1500 RPM with HKB fuse

I'll see how this performs this week and report back

Here are some pictures of the install

Fuse itself

Fuse installed

OEM

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[e60ral]

Do you have a link to the fuse?

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[Sleeter]

Do you have a link to the fuse?

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

https://www.hkbelect.com

Added link to my post above, additionally autocorrect changes "HKB" to "HRB"...

 

[ADVnut]

[MENTION=137555]Sleeter[/MENTION], thanks for the write-up and info. This was the info I was looking for when I started the thread and intended to to do. I ordered and received two of the HKB boosters. About the same time, the 270XP alternator group buy started and I went that route instead.

I will admit, I had a "magic beans" thought when I received them. :biggrin1:

Glad to see it worked out.

:cheers:

 

[Sleeter]

[MENTION=137555]Sleeter[/MENTION], thanks for the write-up and info. This was the info I was looking for when I started the thread and intended to to do. I ordered and received two of the HKB boosters. About the same time, the 270XP alternator group buy started and I went that route instead.

I will admit, I had a "magic beans" thought when I received them. :biggrin1:

Glad to see it worked out.

:cheers:

How did the 270 work out?

 

[ADVnut]

How did the 270 work out?

Nowhere near as easy to install as the HKB booster, and way more bloody knuckles. The 270XP wasn't necessarily hard to install, just in a very tight area with hard to reach bolts. I upgraded the wiring as well. I do wish that there was a way to attach the wiring loom as on the stock alt.

With the extra amperage, I also upgraded the Cole Hersee 85amp solenoid on the National Luna to the 200amp solenoid.

Only negative is that right after I installed the 270XP I developed a weird vibration noise only when in drive, stopped, with the AC on. The AC compressor or something is vibrating with the new, larger alternator. It drives me crazy, but hasn't changed in well over 10K miles. It's on my list to address.

I wasn't sold on the booster, wanted to maintain stock. So much for that. Thanks again for your write up!

:cheers:

 

[Jeremy556]

Perhaps I have read this all wrong, but is this a resistor in place/addition to a fuse, which tricks the charging system into putting out more voltage by giving it a false, low reading from battery voltage? If so, that sounds like a bad idea.

Why not just plug into a shore power charger once in a while to top up the secondary battery?

 

[flyrv9]

Smoke and mirrors! Less than a volt difference in all those readings. You don't get something for nothing and in a regulated charging system there is not really any boosting going on. If you feel good about it great - I hope you didn't spend much.

 

[Sleeter]

Perhaps I have read this all wrong, but is this a resistor in place/addition to a fuse, which tricks the charging system into putting out more voltage by giving it a false, low reading from battery voltage? If so, that sounds like a bad idea.

Why not just plug into a shore power charger once in a while to top up the secondary battery?

Yeah that's the idea, trick the internal regulator into pushing more volts.
For the last year I could only go 3-4 day long trips before my 2nd battery was almost critical. I'm hoping this allows some charging to take place while I'm traveling. As you can see from the readings my 2nd battery was only receiving 13.65v which is barely enough to maintain the charge under load.

I appreciate your concerns but after researching this solution it appears to very successful across the pacific in Australia.

 

[Sleeter]

Smoke and mirrors! Less than a volt difference in all those readings. You don't get something for nothing and in a regulated charging system there is not really any boosting going on. If you feel good about it great - I hope you didn't spend much.

Any more than a volt difference and it could damage the system. I only need this to help charge my AGM battery, this fuse does not help with total amps if that is someone's particular issue.

I wouldn't call it smoke and mirrors because all it is doing is telling the alternator to push more volts. I'll see how it performs this week and report back.

 

[derek_flint]

Instead of voltage boosters why not a smart isolator for yoiur dual battery setup?
Battery Doctor Isolator | 100 Amp Battery Isolator
http://www.batterymart.com/p-acc-20092-battery-isolator.html

150 amp version is the one I use. No problems and I use a 24f and 31 agm batteries.

 

[rayofsi]

ordered the hkb one for now. put in a 31AGM battery, and dont think its charging properly

 

[e60ral]

Instead of voltage boosters why not a smart isolator for yoiur dual battery setup?
Battery Doctor Isolator | 100 Amp Battery Isolator
Battery Doctor 150 Amp Battery Isolator: BatteryMart.com

150 amp version is the one I use. No problems and I use a 24f and 31 agm batteries.

How does that solve the problem of the voltage not being high enough to charge the battery? That just looks like an iolator, it serves a completely separate purpose

 

[e60ral]

Smoke and mirrors! Less than a volt difference in all those readings. You don't get something for nothing and in a regulated charging system there is not really any boosting going on. If you feel good about it great - I hope you didn't spend much.

it gets the voltage into spec for the battery

I am worried about it not being enough though, i haven't seen mine ever charge at 14V so I would need more of a boost

 

[Sleeter]

it gets the voltage into spec for the battery

I am worried about it not being enough though, i haven't seen mine ever charge at 14V so I would need more of a boost

Yeah that's what I'm worried about also, sweet spot for AGM is 14.4v -14.6v and I'm only seeing 14.2v at my 2nd battery.

 

[Sleeter]

Instead of voltage boosters why not a smart isolator for yoiur dual battery setup?
Battery Doctor Isolator | 100 Amp Battery Isolator
Battery Doctor 150 Amp Battery Isolator: BatteryMart.com

150 amp version is the one I use. No problems and I use a 24f and 31 agm batteries.

I'm already using one, National Luna Smart dual battery system. It does not help th voltage situation.

 

[Gabex35]

Sub'd interested to hear the results of the Fuse and other ideas.

 

[derek_flint]

How does that solve the problem of the voltage not being high enough to charge the battery? That just looks like an iolator, it serves a completely separate purpose

It is an isolator. I forgot to point out ( my bad) that I have zero gauge for both batteries and 30a fuses along the battery run to protect everything. I am also using Northstar AGM batteries as well. My setup was professionally installed and I was told I did not need a higher output alternator. I also had the vehicle grounds more robust which helps out as well.

I hope this clarifies if I made a wrong conclusion.

 

[e60ral]

It is an isolator. I forgot to point out ( my bad) that I have zero gauge for both batteries and 30a fuses along the battery run to protect everything. I am also using Northstar AGM batteries as well. My setup was professionally installed and I was told I did not need a higher output alternator. I also had the vehicle grounds more robust which helps out as well.

I hope this clarifies if I made a wrong conclusion.

Higher output alternator and voltage booster are not the same thing, one is amps (and maybe also volts) and the other is volts. You probably don't need more amps unless you've added a lot, but if you have a marine or deep cycle battery you probably need more volts. You'll need to check the stats for your Northstar battery but I bet it wants about 14.4V; the stock charging system as is provides less than 14V. The problem with not having hig uhh enough voltage is that your battery won't be full6 charged which means you will get salfation which will prematurely kill your battery

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[Airgazm]

Perhaps I'm missing something here, but shouldn't a dual battery setup, equalize it's voltage automatically. With two batteries installed, it's like having one large battery provided they are not isolated. I would think the batteries would simply equalize after time. A normal battery will charge up with anything greater than 12.6 volts right, and the voltage is how you control the rate of charge. If you have a dead battery and jump and start, you will have a high voltage like 15-18 volts charging up the battery, that voltage will slowly creep down back to 13 something over time.

As far as amps, I don't think that has anything to do with it, deep cycle batteries should not be charged at greater than 10amps anyhow, so any alternator will output that and almost all of the time, your alternator isn't putting out hardly anything, until you turn on your headlights which take more than everything else combined. Looking into dual battery setups and deep cycles, I was more concerned with charging the battery too fast, compared to not charging it at all. Perhaps the AGM deep cycles can be charged at a faster rate, but normally deep cycle fast charge is a no no. A normal car battery will charge up in less than an hour usually, they are built to charge up extremely quickly, but should never go below 50-75% charge or damage will start.