[Wisconsin_Mike]

But that is the question. We know that it is not wired directly to the battery (unless you are talking about running your own wire to the trailer plug). The 12v is not on at the trailer plug until after the ridgeline is on. Are you thinking that it is just a relay and otherwise wired directly to the battery? And then also, why is it limited to only a few amps at the trailer plug? I am just trying yo figure this out myself. I would like to be able to have a greater amperage output as well.

I don't think I'm understanding what you're saying. The charge pin on the Ridgeline 7-pin connector is fed from a relay in the Ridgeline and is only on when the Ridgeline is on. That circuit is fused in the Ridgeline at 20A. So you should safely be able to draw up to nearly 20A from that pin.

In most campers, that pin IS virtually directly connected to the camper battery. It may pass through a circuit breaker and possibly a disconnect switch, but otherwise it just connects from the charge pin on the 7-pin connector to the camper battery.

The problem with all this is that because the Ridgeline has a "smart" alternator, the Ridgeline system voltage (and therefore the voltage on the charge pin of the Ridgeline 7-pin connector) may fluctuate anywhere from around 12.5V to around 14.5V. This is where the Victron Orion XS 12/12 50A comes in. No matter what the input voltage is in that range, the Orion XS will output it's own voltage appropriate to charge the camper battery, following a pre-defined charge profile. And you can set the maximum input current on the Victron Orion XS 12/12 50A to something under the 20A rating, say 18A. No, this will not charge the camper battery as fast as it could (the Victron Orion XS is rated at 50A), but even 15A will charge a fully drained 200Ah battery (like the Li-Ion battery @McChizzle has) in about 14 hours. And it's WAY better than virtually not charging the battery at all, which is what will happen when the Ridgeline system voltage falls to 12.6V if you don't have a charger like the Orion XS. My camper has a deep cycle lead acid that's only rated at around 85Ah. 15A charging an 85Ah battery would take less than 6 hours from completely dead.

 

[dbbd1]

I understand all of the above.

My question is why or what is limiting the output charging current (it seems to be nominally @ 3 amps)? And where do you tie in (or cut-and-splice) the output of the dc-dc charger?

 

[Wisconsin_Mike]

My question is why or what is limiting the output charging current (it seems to be nominally @ 3 amps)? And where do you tie in (or cut-and-splice) the output of the dc-dc charger?

There can be multiple things limiting the charging current.

First, the Ridgeline voltage. If the Ridgeline system voltage falls very much, the charging will be greatly impacted. Note that whenever the Ridgeline is in PARK, the system voltage should jump up to a higher voltage, around 14.4V, I think. So for testing your charging issues, sitting with the Ridgeline in PARK should produce good results.

Next, the circuit resistance. There's a fairly long run of wire from the Ridgeline alternator through the Ridgeline fuse box to a relay, then all the way back to the 7-pin connector, then through the connector and onto the camper pigtail, then to your camper terminal block, then through your camper wiring to the battery. Any resistance at any splice or connection or even through lower-than-optimal wire gauge will cause some resistance and therefore some voltage drop. This is easy to check for with a handheld volt meter. Just meter across the Ridgeline battery to see what the Ridgeline voltage is. Then meter across the camper battery to see what the camper voltage is. If there's any difference between those two readings, then you have voltage drop somewhere. Tracking that voltage drop down can help improve battery charging. But if the Ridgeline reads 14.4V across the battery and the camper also reads very close to the same, then the charging issue isn't a Ridgeline problem. The Ridgeline is outputting as much voltage as it safely can and it's making it all the way back to the camper.

Then there's the state of charge of the camper battery. As the camper battery charges, it's voltage will increase leading to a smaller and smaller voltage difference between the charger voltage and the battery voltage. As that voltage difference decreases, the internal resistance of the battery becomes a bigger and bigger player in limiting the charge current. So applying 14.4 V across a nearly dead battery that measures 11V will yield a very large charge current. But applying the same 14.4V across a charged battery that measures 12.6V will yield a very small charge current.

There's also the possibility that the camper battery is simply old and no longer has very much capacity. A low capacity battery won't accept current like a new battery will.

As far as where to connect the aftermarket battery charger... I described that just a few posts ago. On the camper, you will want to disconnect the charge pin and feed it into the charger input. Then connect the charger output to the same terminal where you disconnected the charge pin. This isolates the Ridgeline charge pin from the camper so that the Ridgeline charge pin is ONLY feeding the aftermarket charger. Then connect the charger common to the camper common.

 

[dbbd1]

Okay, got it.
Thanks

 

[McChizzle]

mdshw5, when your DC-to-DC charger is active on your Ridgeline, do you notice a decrease in MPG, beyond what you would normally loose when towing? In other words, is there a fuel penalty in using a DC-to-DC charger that would only be pulling maybe 18A from the 7-pin (small draw from the battery/alternator)?

 

[kylewalk]

There can be multiple things limiting the charging current.

First, the Ridgeline voltage. If the Ridgeline system voltage falls very much, the charging will be greatly impacted. Note that whenever the Ridgeline is in PARK, the system voltage should jump up to a higher voltage, around 14.4V, I think. So for testing your charging issues, sitting with the Ridgeline in PARK should produce good results.

Next, the circuit resistance. There's a fairly long run of wire from the Ridgeline alternator through the Ridgeline fuse box to a relay, then all the way back to the 7-pin connector, then through the connector and onto the camper pigtail, then to your camper terminal block, then through your camper wiring to the battery. Any resistance at any splice or connection or even through lower-than-optimal wire gauge will cause some resistance and therefore some voltage drop. This is easy to check for with a handheld volt meter. Just meter across the Ridgeline battery to see what the Ridgeline voltage is. Then meter across the camper battery to see what the camper voltage is. If there's any difference between those two readings, then you have voltage drop somewhere. Tracking that voltage drop down can help improve battery charging. But if the Ridgeline reads 14.4V across the battery and the camper also reads very close to the same, then the charging issue isn't a Ridgeline problem. The Ridgeline is outputting as much voltage as it safely can and it's making it all the way back to the camper.

Then there's the state of charge of the camper battery. As the camper battery charges, it's voltage will increase leading to a smaller and smaller voltage difference between the charger voltage and the battery voltage. As that voltage difference decreases, the internal resistance of the battery becomes a bigger and bigger player in limiting the charge current. So applying 14.4 V across a nearly dead battery that measures 11V will yield a very large charge current. But applying the same 14.4V across a charged battery that measures 12.6V will yield a very small charge current.

There's also the possibility that the camper battery is simply old and no longer has very much capacity. A low capacity battery won't accept current like a new battery will.

As far as where to connect the aftermarket battery charger... I described that just a few posts ago. On the camper, you will want to disconnect the charge pin and feed it into the charger input. Then connect the charger output to the same terminal where you disconnected the charge pin. This isolates the Ridgeline charge pin from the camper so that the Ridgeline charge pin is ONLY feeding the aftermarket charger. Then connect the charger common to the camper common.

What is your recommendation for charge settings for the Victron Orion XS? I have a 2017 Ridgeline, and a 100ah LiFePo battery in a camper trailer. On my first road trip after installing the Orion XS, I saw that the voltage on the truck was low enough while driving that the charger (in default “smart alternator” settings) remained off most of the time. I manually changed the engine shut-off detection settings down to like 12.6V, and the charger was running more frequently, but still infrequently and in short bursts. The output voltage was also below 14V, even though I have it set for 14.4V per my battery recommendations. Thoughts?

 

[stevem5215]

Welcome to the forum - Valid user

The charging circuit in these trucks is a smart version to save gas. Not much can be done for it.

 

[Wisconsin_Mike]

What is your recommendation for charge settings for the Victron Orion XS? I have a 2017 Ridgeline, and a 100ah LiFePo battery in a camper trailer. On my first road trip after installing the Orion XS, I saw that the voltage on the truck was low enough while driving that the charger (in default “smart alternator” settings) remained off most of the time. I manually changed the engine shut-off detection settings down to like 12.6V, and the charger was running more frequently, but still infrequently and in short bursts. The output voltage was also below 14V, even though I have it set for 14.4V per my battery recommendations. Thoughts?

I think that all G2 Ridgelines including your 2017 have the "smart" alternator system. This system uses careful battery measurements to automatically vary the Ridgeline system voltage in an attempt to squeeze out a little more fuel economy once the Ridgeline battery has been sufficiently recharged. What that means to you is that at any time, your Ridgeline can automatically drop your system voltage down below your Orion XS shut-off detection level.

The Orion XS shut-off detection is designed to prevent running the tow vehicle battery down. When it detects that the tow vehicle voltage has fallen below a predetermined setting, it shuts the charger off. But as you've found, this feature doesn't play well with the Ridgeline smart alternator system. Fortunately, the Ridgeline actually switches the 7-pin connector charge pin on and off, so the Orion XS shut-off detection isn't needed at all. When you shut your Ridgeline off, the charge pin is also turned off so there is no risk of draining your Ridgeline battery from continuing to charge your camper battery when the Ridgeline is off.

I would disable the Orion XS engine shut-off detection, or lower the voltage setting very low, like 12.0V or lower. This way even when the Ridgeline system voltage drops down to below 12.5V (which my Ridgeline does regularly), your charger will continue to work.

Likely the reason that the output voltage was below 14V even though you have it set for 14.4V is due to its internal current limiting. There should be an input current limit setting in the Orion XS. The Ridgeline charge pin is fused at 20A, so I would set the Orion XS to draw somewhat less than 20A - maybe something like 18A - to protect the Ridgeline wiring and fuse. If your camper battery needs recharging it could draw more current than the Orion XS can provide when it's limited to 18A on its input. Specifically, if your Ridgeline system voltage is 12.4V and you've limited the Orion XS to 18A input, then that's about 223 Watts. If the Orion XS is set to output 14.4V and is 90% efficient, then at 200W that limits it's available output current to just under 14A. As your camper battery charges, it's voltage will come up and and its current draw will go down and eventually your voltage should increase to 14.4V (it may just take a while).

 

[kylewalk]

I think that all G2 Ridgelines including your 2017 have the "smart" alternator system. This system uses careful battery measurements to automatically vary the Ridgeline system voltage in an attempt to squeeze out a little more fuel economy once the Ridgeline battery has been sufficiently recharged. What that means to you is that at any time, your Ridgeline can automatically drop your system voltage down below your Orion XS shut-off detection level.

The Orion XS shut-off detection is designed to prevent running the tow vehicle battery down. When it detects that the tow vehicle voltage has fallen below a predetermined setting, it shuts the charger off. But as you've found, this feature doesn't play well with the Ridgeline smart alternator system. Fortunately, the Ridgeline actually switches the 7-pin connector charge pin on and off, so the Orion XS shut-off detection isn't needed at all. When you shut your Ridgeline off, the charge pin is also turned off so there is no risk of draining your Ridgeline battery from continuing to charge your camper battery when the Ridgeline is off.

I would disable the Orion XS engine shut-off detection, or lower the voltage setting very low, like 12.0V or lower. This way even when the Ridgeline system voltage drops down to below 12.5V (which my Ridgeline does regularly), your charger will continue to work.

Likely the reason that the output voltage was below 14V even though you have it set for 14.4V is due to its internal current limiting. There should be an input current limit setting in the Orion XS. The Ridgeline charge pin is fused at 20A, so I would set the Orion XS to draw somewhat less than 20A - maybe something like 18A - to protect the Ridgeline wiring and fuse. If your camper battery needs recharging it could draw more current than the Orion XS can provide when it's limited to 18A on its input. Specifically, if your Ridgeline system voltage is 12.4V and you've limited the Orion XS to 18A input, then that's about 223 Watts. If the Orion XS is set to output 14.4V and is 90% efficient, then at 200W that limits it's available output current to just under 14A. As your camper battery charges, it's voltage will come up and and its current draw will go down and eventually your voltage should increase to 14.4V (it may just take a while).

Thank you for the thorough reply! I will try turning off the engine detection settings, or turning them even lower. As long as the Ridgeline switches off the 7pin charging on its own when the engine is off, I should be okay.