Sterling, Adverc or Driftgate

[Hunter34]

Is there any difference between what different makes or alternator regulator do or does it just come down to whos cheapest?

Any advice welcome.

Thanks
Andrew

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[pvb]

Adverc...

There's not a lot to choose between them but, in my experience, Adverc has excellent after-sales service and a very informative website. I've fitted Advercs on several boats, with very good results.

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[steve6367]

The Adverc pulses the high charge rate to reduce gasing in the battery, other than that I think they are all very similar. I have a sterling and you do need to keep the battery topped up, but it does what it is meant to with no problem.

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[robind]

I Have a Sterling and it does exactly what it says it will do. As for the after sales service I dont know! as it has never been needed, I did make one telephone call however and spoke with someone who new all about them, unfortunatly he didnt suffer fools gladly (me) and was extremly grumpy. I cant reccomend them too highly.
Rob

<hr width=100% size=1><A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.rejuvanu.com>RejuVanu</A>

 

[snowleopard]

sorry to disagree with everyone but...

sterling and adverc work on totally different principles. the sterling works like a conventional switch-mode charger, i.e. bulk charge at constant current, top up at constant voltage then drop back to float charge at reduced voltage. adverc on the other hand bashes out 14.4 volts all the time, dropping back to 14.0 at intervals to reduce gassing.

i have an adverc and had to scrap a set of batteries after 18 months. i can't be sure what the cause of the failure was but because i do a lot of motoring, sometimes several days continuous, i suspect the continuous high voltage may have contributed to the problem.

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[TonyBrooks]

Re: Adverc...

I also have an Adverc and I can not understand why it appeared to ruin a set of batteries because once it senses close to full charge it drops back to the alternator's regulator. I suspect teh Adverc was fitted to try to cure/coverup a problem that new batteries would have solved in the first place.

If such controllers are to cause a problem (from my undwerstanding of how they work) it would be for inland boaters who have to keep stopping and re-starting their engine in locks. This re-sets the controller so it goes back to teh begining of its charging sequence. Having said that, the first symptoms would be overcharging - the need to constantly top the batteries up with water, and I hardly ever have to top mine up unless a cell is begining to fail.

The post about Stirlings causing the need to top batteries up gives me cause for disquiet - its not the first time I have heard this said, but again it could be caused by trying to use a controller to solve a faulty battery problem.

I also beleive the Stirling is a digital unit, and my information is that programable memory devices have a mtbf of about 15 years (I stand to be corrected), so some will fail well before that. I am not prepared to pay for technology that apperas to need programing yet no mention is made of how this can be done in their litrature.

I am probably a ludite though.

I can not comment on the Driftgate device because I have no information on it, but take care. Ensure that what you buy does not simply hold the initial charge at an artificially high level for a prolonged pre-set period of time, and then simply drop back to the alternator's controller. Both the Stirling and Adverc are far more sophisticated than this, so should give good results.

Tony Brooks






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[snowleopard]

Re: Adverc...

where did you get the info that the adverc drops back in voltage at full charge? perhaps it's a new feature. i asked the designer about that at libs and was told 'you'll be alright as long as there's a bit of load eg. nav lights'.

certainly there's nothing in the literature i got to suggest it does anything but keep blasting out 14.4v and that's what my charge computer tells me too.

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[pvb]

How do you think the Sterling does that?

The Sterling claims to produce a constant-current output, but there's no apparent way that it can measure the current. So how does it do it?

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[muchy_]

I have the Sterling and I think its a great piece of kit. I too have spoken to the grumpy man when I phoned and asked if the alternator should get very hot, but he said that it does because its being made to work a lot harder.
As for batteries failing.....I put all new batteries on when I put the sterling gadget on and have had no problems what so ever (touch wood). Could it be that if the batteries are old ones then the charge rate is to much for them and kills them? Dont know, just saying like......

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[Heckler]

Re: Adverc...

my sterling is the pre digi one and gives the choice of charging regimes for different batteries, the instructions are quite plain, if you set it for lead acid it bashes out the highest rate of charge and also says you will have to add water a lot more frequently
stu

<hr width=100% size=1>http://www.beneteau-owners-association.org.uk

 

[kesey]

Re: Adverc...

snowleopard, according to Adverc's literature "These voltages are cycled above and below the gassing point of the battery(s) to a given programme, also compensating for changes in ambient temperature, thereby achieving fast and safe charging." "Adverc cycles between 14.0 and 14.4v at the batteries. There is no forced feeding of the batteries".

I have not as yet used any Battery Management System other than what came with my boat. I'm checking things out at the moment to see which system I will go with.

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[andyball]

Re: Adverc...

Some smart regulator blurb makes grand claims for telling when the batteries are fully charged & reducing the voltage at that time etc etc.

Do these systems include two current shunts....one for alternator out, one for battery out? & if not, how can the electronics really tell whether a reduction in current at a constant "bulk" charging voltage is due to the batteries being almost charged, or that you just switched off the microwave....or stopped using the electric windlass ?.


According to adverc's site : <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.adverc.co.uk/technical/technical-functional.asp>here</A>, theirs starts cycling from the off: 5 mins at 14.0, 15 mins at 14.4...then after four cycles has a rest at 14.0V for as much as 40 mins, then starts again.....which they obviously think (& there are many satisfied customers) is a reasonable compromise compared to the obvious extra expense of measuring current in & out of the battery.


Drifting slightly..... wasn't sterling laughed at for suggesting in pbo or mbm that cheapish lead-acid batteries were the best bet for most boats ? I only ask having read adverc saying
As with most things, everything comes down to choice and what you want to pay. Our view is that heavy-duty truck batteries provide the best compromise in terms of capacity, performance, price and are therefore good value for money

my motor trade lists show "heavy duty truck" batt's as some of the cheapest wet lead acid's around.



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[PeterGibbs]

Re: or Balmar!

Why not go to the next generation - Balmar of the USA. Spot on!

PWG

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[TonyBrooks]

Re: Adverc...

My ammeter & voltmeter actually, also teh fact that my batteries DO NOT need constant topping up - which they would do if the Adverc insisted on continuing to chareg at its higher rate.

In answer to a later post. The Adverc effectively shorts out the alternators own regulator and then regulates at a higher voltage for the high charge part of its cycles. It then shuts its own regulator down and allows the alternators own regulator to regualte at the lower votage.

They do not use shunts - the alternator regulator (and I suspect the Adverc as well) uses a zenenr diode to sense voltage and uses this to turn the alteernator rotor current on and off at (I was taught) about 60 times a second, altering the mark space ratio to control the effective magnatism in the rotor, and thus the output volatge.

Tony Brooks

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[johnneale]

Re: Adverc...

I installed an adverc last year and did 1000 miles motoring around the greek islands for about 4 or 5 hours a day. Batteries didnt need topping up and were much better charged than before. I have a bit of a problem in that the batts are quite a distance from the engine and I get a voltage drop of about .4V (under load)
And yes the alternator does get hot ... but it got hot before anyway (and I carry a spare)

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