jamiedenny Posted August 10, 2013 Report Share Posted August 10, 2013 Hi, I want to charge a second 12v battery 7.5ah (its for lamp and NV). If there is a straight forward way to charge it in the frontera it would be really helpful as I can then do that whilst driving around duing the day ready for night (or a second battery for longer sessions). I have a Tow bar with two power connections on it. Could I just cut the cord on a trailer cable so one end is plugged in and the other is on the battery charging it?. I assume the power must cut off when the ignition is off but the battery will never stay connected so I don't need to worry about it draining the main battery. Any other cheap ideas or thoughts on my cowboy idea would be great :-). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fib new Posted August 10, 2013 Report Share Posted August 10, 2013 I have a semi-traction battery for lamping. Lasts about 40 hours when fulltime charged. No need to charge it while lamping -works a treat! Charge it at home, but takes about two days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mad1 Posted August 10, 2013 Report Share Posted August 10, 2013 Deben do a incar charger just connects from the cig lighter to your lamp battery ... There will be a free way of doing it but I'm no good with electrics .... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neil82 Posted August 10, 2013 Report Share Posted August 10, 2013 trace the 12s wiring (normally grey outer sheath) into the car, tap into the red wire for live and white for earth and use insulated crocodile clips to connect to your battery, this should only be live when the split charge relay senses the extra voltage when the engine is running, only thing to be wary of is how to secure the battery in the boot while its charging Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamiedenny Posted August 11, 2013 Author Report Share Posted August 11, 2013 trace the 12s wiring (normally grey outer sheath) into the car, tap into the red wire for live and white for earth and use insulated crocodile clips to connect to your battery, this should only be live when the split charge relay senses the extra voltage when the engine is running, only thing to be wary of is how to secure the battery in the boot while its charging 12s wiring ? This sounds like my kind of solution :-). No point in paying for an overpriced solution ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luckyshot Posted August 11, 2013 Report Share Posted August 11, 2013 Your best bet to do this properly is to fit a split charge system which if done yourself (very easy) will cost you £10 for parts and a couple of hours to do it. Its the safest and easiest way of doing it without cutting into your existing wiring. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neil82 Posted August 11, 2013 Report Share Posted August 11, 2013 Your best bet to do this properly is to fit a split charge system which if done yourself (very easy) will cost you £10 for parts and a couple of hours to do it. Its the safest and easiest way of doing it without cutting into your existing wiring. if he`s got two trailer plugs then there will already be a split charge relay in the system, 12n is a standard socket, 12s is for caravan wiring Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamiedenny Posted August 11, 2013 Author Report Share Posted August 11, 2013 Ah thanks, I have two plugs so I guess one for trailer and one is for caravan. Ill just tap into those as you suggested. I use small batteries as I can't go everywhere in the truck otherwise I would just have a huge leisure battery or run it off the cig lighter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ferguson_tom Posted August 12, 2013 Report Share Posted August 12, 2013 I would buy a 12s male socket, couple of meters 2 core power cable and some crocodile clips and make myself up a little cable with just the charge and the earth pins wired up. Then plug it in to the socket on your towbar put the cable through the back door and just close the back door on the cable. That way can disconnect it when not in use and no need to chase and cut wires in your motor. 2 core cable isnt very thick so should be able to easily close it in your boot door without damaging it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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