TRAXIDE - RV

This is the NEXT GENERATION SC80 Dual Battery Isolator with new additional features.

SC80 is $160.00

Click here to download the SC80 Installation & Operating Manual

The ORIGINAL SC80 Dual Battery Isolators is one of the most versatile and unique dual battery isolators on the market today and the NEW SC80, which is a direct replacement for the SC80-CB, now has even more advanced features.

The new SC80 now has TIME-OUT, REVERSE CHARGING and a BATTERY CAPACITY INDICATOR

The NEW SC80 offers many advantages not found with other brands of isolators, but the single largest advantage to having an SC80 in a dual battery set up is the speed with which used battery capacity is replaced.

Because of the way the SC80 operates, by keeping all batteries connected after the ignition is turned off, and sharing 12v accessories power requirements over both the auxiliary battery and the cranking battery, if you use the same amount of battery capacity that ordinary dual battery system uses, using only a single auxiliary battery, the batteries in an SC80 up set will only be discharged to half the depth you would have to discharge a single auxiliary battery type setup, as used in ordinary dual battery systems ( including DC to DC type Dual Battery Systems ).

SC80 SHARED Mode Cut-In ( Turn ON ) at 13.1v, Cut-Out ( Turn OFF ) at 12.0v.

By Cutting Out at 12.0v, the cranking battery is still left with 50% of it's capacity, which is more than enough to start the most stubborn motor on the coldest morning and as the SC80 is used in countries all over the world, including many up in the Arctic Circle, this unique operation has been well and truly proven as being reliable in all types of situations.

NOTE, the CCA rating of a battery is maitained in a battery until it is discharged below 40%, at 0C. So the SC80 will always leave your Cranking Battery in a safe state of charge.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The SC80 isolator is designed to make the unit easy to install and an easy upgrade replacement for other types of isolators.

Also because of the unique way the SC80 isolator operate, unlike all other isolators where they must be located as close as practical to the cranking battery, or they will oscillate if there is any significant voltage drop in the cabling, the SC80 isolator can be located anywhere in the system, including in a caravan or camper trailer and will still operate as designed to.

This ability to be located away from the cranking battery can be a major advantage with newer vehicles where space in the engine bay is not available to mount an isolator or where access to the cranking battery may be difficult, such as in a number of European vehicles, where the battery is mounted in under seats in the cabin or in the rear of the vehicle.

The SC80 isolator makes this kind of installation much easier.

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Battery discharge comparisons in Chart 1.

This chart shows the average likely recharge times for each type of set up.

Now add to this the fact that the average alternator can easily recharge two batteries in around the same time it take to recharge one battery.

So this means with an SC80 set up, you will only take about two thirds the time to fully recharge  the two batteries ( to 95+% or higher ).

This makes a dual battery set up using an SC80 the fastest way to replace used battery capacity and this means you will fully charge your batteries in a shorter driving time than is needed by any other dual battery set up.

Another major advantage that comes with installing an SC80 is the cost benefit, because of the instant increase in the amount of available battery capacity.

There will be at least a 50% increase in the total capacity available for running accessories, whereas with any other dual battery set up, this can only be achieved by having to add a second auxiliary battery, which amounts to a much greater cost, loss of space and additional weight.

Battery capacity comparisons in Chart 2.

This chart also includes the comparable cost of the different set ups to achieve the same amount of usable battery capacity.

While the SC80 has now been in production for more than 25 years, there is still no other dual battery set that can give the advantages an SC80 dual battery set up offers.

Here are some of the other advantages that only an SC80 dual battery system can offer, particularly if you are a heavy power user.

Quicker Recharging of Batteries, which means shorter driving times needed to replace used battery capacity.

This means your batteries are far more likely to be in a fully charged state at the end of a days drive than can be achieved with any other dual battery set up ( including DC/DC type set ups ).

Shared Current Loads. By spreading the load over two batteries, neither battery is discharged as low as a battery in an ordinary dual battery system ( including DC/DC set ups ).

So your batteries are much more likely to have a longer life span.

Again because of an effect known as “Peukerts Exponent”, where the higher the load put on a lead acid battery, the actual usable capacity reduces. So with the way the SC80 literally halves the current load, you will get more usable power available than an ordinary dual battery system ( including DC/DC type set ups ) can provide. 

Auxiliary battery Reverse Discharging into the Cranking Battery. This is a particularly useful advantage, especially now days with Calcium/Calcium cranking batteries.

One of the most common problems suffered by cranking batteries is under charging and this is usually caused by what we call the “Shopping Trolley Syndrome”, where vehicles are continuously driven for short periods of time, each time the motor is started.

Because of the unique way the SC80 keeps the cranking battery and the auxiliary battery connected after the motor is stopped, and the fact when driving around town, most auxiliary batteries are usually fully charged, with the SC80, this means when the motor is stopped, if the cranking battery is low, the SC80 allows the auxiliary battery to discharged back into the cranking battery, helping to raise the charge state of the cranking battery.

The next time you start your motor, you will be charging two batteries at the same time and as such, you are able to replace twice as much used battery capacity in the short drive time, so over just a few day after fitting an SC80, even your cranking battery will be in a better state of charge.

While this wasn’t a design factor when we developed the SC80 over 25 years ago, with the ever increasing number of vehicle makes that now have a lower operating voltage, this ability to allow the auxiliary battery to help top up the cranking battery is proving to be a real bonus.

For example, many new Land Rovers, with their lower operating voltage, often get “Low Battery Voltage” messages being displayed when the owners go to start the motor.

While the motor will start without problem, but once an SC80 dual battery system is fitted, within days, the cranking battery’s level of charge is increased and the messages cease and Toyotas also have lower operating voltages and again, an SC80 duel battery system also helps to improve the charge state of their cranking batteries.

TIME-OUT. This is a new feature for the SC80.The Time-Out feature is designed to avoid wasting energy if a vehicle is not used for some time.

The Time-Out counter starts when ever the voltage at the input of the SC80 drops below 12.7v. If the voltage remains below 12.7v for 72 hours ( 3 days ) from when the voltage first dropped below 12.7v, the SC80 Times Out and shuts down. 

Any time the voltage at the SC80 rises above 13.1v, the TIME-OUT counter is reset and suspended and the SC80 will turn on again.

REVERSE CHARGING, for SOLAR and BATTERY CHARGER Connections. Again, this is another new feature for the SC80. If the SC80 is still ON and you connect solar panels ( via a solar regulator ) or a battery charger to either battery in an SC80 dual battery set up and all batteries will recharged at the same time.

If the SC80 has turned off, either via the TIME-OUT feature, or because the voltage dropped below 12.0v, if you connect solar panels ( via a solar regulator ) or a battery charger to the AUXILIARY battery, the SC80 will first charge the AUXILIARY Battery to a near fully charged state and then the SC80 will turn ON and charge the CRANKING Battery.

If you have an Anderson plug mounted at the back of your vehicle, you can make your solar or battery charger connection through the Anderson plug and again, all batteries in an SC80 dual battery set up will be able to be charged.

BATTERY CAPACITY INDICATOR. The SC80 now has a basic PULSE COUNT Battery Capacity Indicator to allow you to keep an eye on the state of charge of your batteries while you are camping.

The LED on the front of the isolator gives up to 5 RED Pulses to indicate the amount of energy left in your batteries. The chart below shows how it works.

In a nut shell, fitting an SC80 isolator is a WIN WIN situation. A WIN for your auxiliary battery and unlike any other dual battery system, the SC80 is also a WIN for your cranking battery as well.

Fitting an SC80 as your battery isolator means you will actually save money long term and this pays you back the cost of fitting an SC80 in the first place. No other type of DBS gives you this financial benefit.

All our isolators are supplied with a 5 year Parts and Labour warranty and a Lifetime Repair Guarantee.

USI-160 - $199.00

The USI-160 is a Microprocessor based Dual Battery Isolator and has a continuous operating current rate of 160 amps and a make/surge current rate of 240 amps.

The USI-160’s high current switching capacity and unique operating features makes the USI-160 ideally suited for just about every form of dual battery system requirement, from basic automatic auxiliary/house battery charging, right up to joining the auxiliary and cranking batteries together for high current winching operations, all done with one Isolator.

Installation of the USI-160 could not be easier. Two screws mount the small Relay unit and one of these is used to earth the unit. positioning a velcro strip is all that is required to mount the compact In-Cab Module.

The tennis ball in the picture below gives you an idea of just how compact both the Relay Unit and In-Cab Modules are.

The USI-160, is a 160 AMP ULTRA SMART ISOLATOR that can be used as a simple Fit-&-Forget dual battery isolator or it can be set up to work in any of the 4 User-Selected operating modes, all controlled from inside the cab, using the IN-CAB LED & SWITCH module supplied with the Isolator.

In a Fit-&-Forget set up, the USI-160 Unit will operate as a stand alone fully automated dual battery isolator and you don’t even need to install the IN-CAB LED & SWITCH module.

In a User-Selected set up, the USI-160 Isolator has 4 User-Selectable operating modes, and these are :-

IGNITION ON Mode

Cut-In at 13.1v, Cut-Out at 12.6v ( similar to other isolators )

SHARED Mode

Cut-In at 13.1v, Shared mode 12.7v, Cut-Out at 12.0v

See full details of the advantage of the SHARED Mode on the SC80 Isolator page.

JUMP START Mode

Manually selectable between 10.0v and 12.7v

WINCH Mode

Manually selected above 13.1 ( motor must be running ), but once selected, will operate down to 10.0v

TIME-OUT, energy saver.

The USI-160 also has a Time-Out feature, designed to avoid wasting energy if a vehicle is not used for some time.

The Time-Out counter starts when ever the voltage at the input of the USI-160 drops below 12.7v and Times Out and shuts down after 72 hours ( 3 days ) from when the voltage first dropped below 12.7v

Any time the voltage at the USI-160 rises above 13.1v, the TIME-OUT counter is reset and suspended.

The USI-160 Ultra Smart Dual Battery Isolator is designed and manufactured in Australia to meet the harsh conditions often found in off roading situations in Australia.

One of it's advanced features is that of the WINCH mode function. When other isolators link batteries together for winching, they simply use a switch to bypass the isolator's Voltage Sensing and electrically link the batteries together.

With the USI-160, when you want to select WINCH Mode, the motor must be running ( voltage must be over 13.2v ), then the switch tells the isolator's Microprocessor that you want to link the batteries.

The Microprocessor will then link the batteries, but during the winching operation, if the voltage drops below 12.7v, a 5 minute time commences. If the voltage rises above the 13.2v level again, the time is reset. If the voltage remains below 13.2v for 5 minutes, the Microprocessor switches the isolator from winch mode to isolator mode and turns the isolator off.

This function means that, unlike other isolators, where if you forget to turn off the override switch, you can end up with two flat batteries. This is avoided by the automatic monitoring function of the USI-160, where if you forget to turn off the WINCH function, 5 minutes after you turn the motor off, the USI-160 automatically reverts back to isolator mode and turns off, separating the batteries.

SOLAR and BATTERY CHARGER Connections.

Again, with the unique way the USI-160 operates in the SHARED Mode, you can connect solar panels ( via a solar regulator ) or a battery charger to either battery in a USI-160 dual battery set up and all batteries will recharged.

If you have an Anderson plug mounted at the back of your vehicle, you can make your solar or battery charger connection through the Anderson plug and again, all batteries in a USI-160 dual battery set up will be charged.

But if you have a specific need to only charge your Auxiliary Battery, then by selecting IGNITION Mode and connecting the solar panels or battery charger to the Auxiliary Battery, you will be able to charge it, while the Cranking battery remains isolated.

The USI-160 Ultra Smart Dual Battery Isolator is not waterproof but is water resistant and will safely tolerate deep river crossings and a good hosing down after some muddy 4x4ing.

The USI-160 comes with a 160 amp RELAY unit and a small IN-CAB LED & SWITCH module.

The Relay Unit is very compact and only requires two screws ( 2 x Stainless Steel Screws are provided ) to mount the Unit and one of the screws is used to earth the Unit.

There are two 8M Studs for connecting the cables, one cable from the Cranking battery and one going to the Auxiliary/House Battery(s)

The Relay Unit has a pre-wired 3 metre long, sheathed 4 wire loom which you run into the cabin and connect to the LED and Selection Switch In-Cab Module. The USI-160 does not need to have the In-Cab Module connected for the isolator to work. If the In-Cab Module is not connected, the USI-160 will automatically operate in the SHARED Mode.

The Isolator also comes supplied with a length of 7mm Split Tube, to protect the sheathed 4 wire loom, and two Rubber Terminal Covers.

The In-Cab Module does not require permanent mounting on or near the dash. The module has a Velcro pad and is designed to allow you to position the module where it's convenient to see and use when you need it and when not required, you can detach it and put it out of the way.

The Switch on the In-Cab Module allows the user to control which mode the Isolator is required to be in.

The LED goes way beyond just telling when the Isolator is on or off. The LED gives a full diagnostic readout of the Isolator’s operating modes and the state of the cranking battery.

The Installation Instructions also include details for setting up your own LED and switch connections. This is handy if you have a switch to match your vehicle’s dash switches and the wiring for the In-Cab Module is specifically set up so you can not harm anything if you mix the wiring up or the 4 wires come in contact with each other.

As an additional safety feature, once the motor is running and the Isolator is on, the LED glows constantly. If everything is working as it should be, 1 minute after the Isolator switched on, the LED changes from bright to dull, so as not to distract the driver during night time driving.

SAFETY OVER-RIDE Mode

If cranking battery is in a very low State of Charge, the LED flashes rapidly to indicate a problem.

Or if the charge voltage goes too high, the isolator will turn off and again the LED flashes rapidly to indicate a problem. This feature is particularly useful to protect your cranking battery if you are using an older style single stage battery charge or if you are using a solar panel with out a solar regulator to charge your auxiliary battery.

Here are the 3 main functions of the USI-160 isolator.

POWER CONSUMPTION.

ON = 320ma

OFF = 10ma

All our isolators are supplied with a 5 year Parts and Labour warranty and a Lifetime Repair Guarantee