High voltage panel

[Biljol]

 

I am switching to lithium battery’s and am redoing the high voltage panel.

 

So what I have so far i am good with remove the blue item, remove the green item, remove the boot Solenoid big one in the center.

I am not concerned with the boost option.

I just don't know what to palace on the other three terminals. From the current wires.

 

 

[K9 Exec]

Hi Biljol,

I am installing a large Battleborn lithium bank as well, that is a battleborn BIM I am pretty sure.  The picture is pretty grainy when zoomed In on. 
 

From what I recall, the upper left silver bolt is IGN (ignition), the center is gnd (ground), and the right is SIG (signal) which is the “battery boost” I believe. It is all labeled on the BIM.  On your current solenoid, since it is not labeled- you are going to have to do some work. 

1. Grab your voltmeter and check the small terminals on the solenoid first, as a base line to make sure they are dead/hot until the key is in the on position. 
 

2.  Have someone in the coach turn the key to the first click, or ignition position, on one of the wires you should have switched 12vdc. This is your ignition wire. You can have them turn it back off then on a time or two just to make sure this is it, for your own peace of mind.  

3. I believe the BIM should have the ign wire fused from what I remember, (5amp fuse?) but do your due diligence, don’t take my word for it. Check, recheck, then check again. 
 

4. The SIG terminal should be the “boost” Feature       On your BIM and will be the last small gauge wire on your solenoid.  Same process for this, someone in the coach, while you are applying your probe to The old solenoid terminal, have them press the boost switch and when  you have your 12vdc- and they release it, it should go back to zero, you have your last connection. 

This is all low voltage DC, but high current. Use caution as you normally would and if you don’t feel comfortable- STOP! Get qualified help. Safety first!

If you have any other questions, please feel free to reply to the board or shoot me a message, I am glad to help.

***safety first, this is just a helpful reply, I do not know your technical level and am not responsible for your actions, proceed at your own risk***
 

Good luck sir,

Nic

 

[Biljol]

Your on par with the terminals I think you answered my questions. The biggest one was the ign wire I was not sure where to get it from did not know the boost solenoid had and ign wire to it, I don’t plan on using the boost feature so can I leave that not connected?

 

Or maybe you can help on this I have a ism 500 my starting battery’s are 2 1000cca would the boost do anything for me? Someone on another forum said the boost is not enough current and time so would not really help.

[K9 Exec]

Hi Biljol,

The boost is a cool feature and usually does help, one issue people have when they press, they don’t give it a few seconds to allow the current to flow from the other bank of batts that are charged, so the engine slowly turns over.  It is kind of like a quick charger since you have such a large gauge cable going from one set of batts to another. You can definitely leave it off and do not have to use it, but if you ever are in a pinch where the coach won’t start,  and don’t have a battery charger- you will wish you did:). I have a buddy that repairs RV’s for a living and has seen so many cheap isolators go bad from one or two uses so when folks press the button and they still can’t start the engine, they believe  the boost feature isn’t working.  I am confident the Battleborn BIM is quality and we won’t have issues. The cheap Import (Chinese) isolators are Atrocious, I was purchasing  what I thought was good years ago for a project and he talked me out of it. Back then it was roughly $150 from JC Whitney when they sold RV supplies. I miss those days...

 

Hope this helps, and please let us know how it all works out:). 
 

Nic 

To add one more point That I totally forgot in your last post, yes- your 2 1,000 CCA batts are good but in extreme cold and if those batts were not kept “topped off“, you could potentially have a starting Issue but unlikely. If you full time and are always moving or using starting the coach, figure replacing the starting batts every two years, just to be safe. Most of the interstate and alliance batts made for starting have a warranty of either 18-24 months for that class of battery, and I have had a set for bad after 2 years. It’s kind of like cheap insurance, at $100-150/ea, do I really want to be in the middle of no where at 0200 and my coach won’t start, heck no. Lol

I did have to pay for a road call from a truckstop and that was $200-300 plus over priced batteries when everyone was closed, go figure, that’s my luck. 
 

One of the batteries decided to blow a hole in the plastic, shocker because I have never seen that one before.  
 

Nic 

[Biljol]

My chassis battery’s are Duracell ultra platinum agm with a 4 year free replacement. 
 

also will always have my toad to charge the chassis battery’s if need but thanks for in input, 

this project is set for next aug. So been trying to get all the ducks together.

[K9 Exec]

Ah, nice. I have only found alliance with an 18 mo warranty and I was a fan of the interstates, until a batt died and they wouldn’t warranty it. Just curious what class of battery do you have in your coach?

Originally, this had two sets of four and they installed them in different bays for weight management. Where did you get the Duracell?

Btw, there used to only be 4 or 5 manufacturers in the US that made all the batteries so I am kind of shocked to find one with a 4 yr warranty. Even if it’s $50-60 higher, a non prorated warrantied batt would save money in the long run as long as that unit will outlast the warranty. 
 

Thanks for the Info!

Nic