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To me a concern is that we put a lot of thought & effort into getting a 4 or 5 stage charge controller for the solar system and doing our best to get the max output of the panels to the controller, but simply accept the 'stupid' power coming from the alternator. Regular alternator regulators do not use a 4 or 5 stage charging algorithm, they simply set the charging voltage and pump the amps into the battery regardless of the SoC. I've mentioned before that I looked into marine alternator regulators as they employ multi-step charging algorithms, but those come at a real premium! Some sample links:
http://www.balmar.net/?product=regulator-ars-5-h (West Marine: http://www.westmarine.com/buy/balmar--ars-5-12-volt-regulator--7807969?recordNum=1 )
http://www.sterling-power-usa.com/ProReg-DW-waterproofalternatorregulator.aspx
An advantage would be that the starting battery(ies) would also benefit from multi-stage charging and should last longer.
I hadn't dug into the C-Tek Dual 250S enough to notice that it wasn't configurable. Assuming it would work out of the box with your batteries it can be connected to both solar and to the alternator charge wire. It uses the same 4 stage charging scheme with the strongest input of the two. Which means that it also will function in place of any truck/camper isolation methodology so it would replace that need as well as the solar charger controller need. Until this recent revelation about lack of setting ability it was looking like a clear winner, now I'm not so sure.
My admittedly limited understanding of the Smartpass is that it's basically a 120VAC driven battery charger designed to work in conjunction with the 250S, but their literature is less than clear about that.
With regard to a wind generator, there are telescoping aluminum poles made to be RV flag poles. 8' to 25', travels in an ABS tube mounted under the bed rail over-hang of the camper. I got it on clearance and use it for a radio antenna mast, but a wind generator could easily be mounted on top of it too. I would be tempted to look into disabling the built-in charge controller and use it with something mounted in the camper closer to the battery(ies). My extremely limited understanding of wind generators is that they don't work well with most (all?) solar charge controllers and need something specific.
http://www.balmar.net/?product=regulator-ars-5-h (West Marine: http://www.westmarine.com/buy/balmar--ars-5-12-volt-regulator--7807969?recordNum=1 )
http://www.sterling-power-usa.com/ProReg-DW-waterproofalternatorregulator.aspx
An advantage would be that the starting battery(ies) would also benefit from multi-stage charging and should last longer.
I hadn't dug into the C-Tek Dual 250S enough to notice that it wasn't configurable. Assuming it would work out of the box with your batteries it can be connected to both solar and to the alternator charge wire. It uses the same 4 stage charging scheme with the strongest input of the two. Which means that it also will function in place of any truck/camper isolation methodology so it would replace that need as well as the solar charger controller need. Until this recent revelation about lack of setting ability it was looking like a clear winner, now I'm not so sure.
My admittedly limited understanding of the Smartpass is that it's basically a 120VAC driven battery charger designed to work in conjunction with the 250S, but their literature is less than clear about that.
With regard to a wind generator, there are telescoping aluminum poles made to be RV flag poles. 8' to 25', travels in an ABS tube mounted under the bed rail over-hang of the camper. I got it on clearance and use it for a radio antenna mast, but a wind generator could easily be mounted on top of it too. I would be tempted to look into disabling the built-in charge controller and use it with something mounted in the camper closer to the battery(ies). My extremely limited understanding of wind generators is that they don't work well with most (all?) solar charge controllers and need something specific.