# Shaudt and Inverters



## teemyob (Nov 22, 2005)

Hello,

Many of you may have seen the issues (including mine) whereby an inverter cannot be connected to the same battery(ies) as the caravan Elektoblok.

I decided to separate two battery systems and have one dedicated to The Schaudt for 12v system and the other for use for 240v main via the inverter.

However,

After dealing with Schaudt for several months now. There is now an option for some Schaudt users who do not wish to do this.

You can ask Shaudt to put a new program on your DT220 without Ah's. You would have to send the unit into Schaudt.

Hope this helps?

TM


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## wakk44 (Jun 15, 2006)

teemyob said:


> ...................
> Many of you may have seen the issues (including mine) whereby an inverter cannot be connected to the same battery(ies) as the caravan Elektoblok.
> TM


Pleased I have spotted this as it is exactly what I am thinking of doing,must have missed your previous post about it,can you put a link to it please ?


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## teemyob (Nov 22, 2005)

*inverters*

Here is the battery one

The Shaudt issue is discussed here

As I said, I have split the batteries. So the Shaudt is staying as it is.

TM


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## wakk44 (Jun 15, 2006)

Well I now have 2 separate 12 volt systems,after trawling through all the information available I decided not to fit my 2000 watt inverter to the schaudt electroblok as apparently some folks have fried their electroblok with larger inverters.

I originally intended to replace the 2 existing 90 A/H gel leisure batteries with an elecsol 270A/H lead acid and fit the 2000 watt inverter to it with a changeover relay and monitor the system with a Nasa BM1 unit.

I e-mailed the Hymer experts Peter Hambilton engineering with my ideas and got this reply............

''Thank you for your email. We're not saying it's not possible, but it isn't something that we would undertake. It wouldn't really be compatible with the Schaudt (Hymer fitted) Elektroblock because the inbuilt battery charger would be working overtime to charge a battery of that capacity and would, I suspect, soon burn out. Therefore, you would need an auxiliary charger. Also, the monitor panel takes its information from the Elektroblock, so fitting an extra monitor panel through a shunt directly to the battery would confuse the Hymer one. So, as I said before, I'm not saying that it's not possible, but that it isn't something that we would do.''

Best Regards
Peter Hambilton
Hambilton Engineering Ltd.

I now have the original Hymer 12 volt system-2x90A/H gel leisure batteries wired to the on board elektroblok and coupled up to an 80 watt solar panel.

Running alongside and completely separate is a 270 a/h elecsol,connected to the 2000 watt inverter,connected to another 80 watt solar panel and regulator and monitored with a Nasa BM1 unit.

Hope you are still with me,it gets slightly more complicated as I am having second thoughts  

Having spoken to a couple of folks who confirm they have had no problems using a large inverter with the schaudt elektroblok system-this is with power hungry appliances like hair dryers and toasters and even a kettle. I am considering reverting to plan A and remove the fitted gel leisure batteries and replace them with the big 270 elecsol.

Taking the Hambilton engineering response into account,they think the charger will not be man enough and some sort of auxiliary charging is required.I have now got 160 watts of solar so I think that should be enough.

They also say the BM1 monitor shunt will confuse the fitted schaudt current display,this doesn't really matter as I will have the display on the BM1 which I have found to be accurate on the old truck.

If I go ahead with it I will probably put both solar panels through the fitted 20 A regulator on the 270 A/H battery,use the BM1 monitor and have a changeover relay to automatically supply the 240 volt sockets when off grid.

I also have a battery master for conditioning the engine battery but not sure if this will be necessary as I think the electroblok has the same facility inbuilt into the system.


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## listerdiesel (Aug 3, 2012)

I know that consumer chargers are not continuously rated in many cases, but there seems to be a growing need for the motorhome builders to take into account the ever-increasing (and heavy!) additions to the battery supply and system.

I cannot see why the charger should burn out just by fitting a bigger battery, it will have to work longer but should be current limited to protect itself, so shouldn't be an issue.

Ventilation is another sticky point, probably the charger is sited in a cupboard with little airflow.

Peter


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## erneboy (Feb 8, 2007)

Am I missing the point here?

My inverter is connected to same batteries as my Schaudt. The only problem with that is that any power the inverter uses isn't counted down by the Schaudt. Mine had been that way for almost 5 years without problems, Alan.


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## wakk44 (Jun 15, 2006)

erneboy said:


> Am I missing the point here?
> 
> My inverter is connected to same batteries as my Schaudt. The only problem with that is that any power the inverter uses isn't counted down by the Schaudt. Mine had been that way for almost 5 years without problems, Alan.


The point is Alan that some people have had problems with large inverters interfering with the sensitive electronic components in the schaudt elektroblok.

I seem to recall somewhere that schaudt themselves recommended a maximum inverter rating of 800 watts which is why I have put in a separate 12 volt system to power my 2000 watt inverter.

Pleased to hear that yours has been trouble free for so long,what size inverter do you have installed.?


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## erneboy (Feb 8, 2007)

It's a 1500w Sterling. I probably wouldn't have bought it had I known about this possibility, Alan.


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## listerdiesel (Aug 3, 2012)

Looking at their website picture:










You can see that the Electroblok is at the centre of all the electrics on a motorhome so fitted, and I can see why fitting other bits and pieces may well upset it.

Integrating all of this in one unit is fine as long as it isn't disturbed or added to, but the ramifications of building extra battery capacity etc etc are a bit of an unknown quantity if you haven't got access to the controlling software that it undoubtedly has inside the microcontroller.

I think, having seen that diagram, that I'd go for separate additions, entirely isolated from that controller as already suggested. To lose that unit would be a bit expensive!

Peter


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## wakk44 (Jun 15, 2006)

erneboy said:


> It's a 1500w Sterling. I probably wouldn't have bought it had I known about this possibility, Alan.


I shouldn't worry too much if you have had 5 years trouble free service from it.I have spoken to a couple of m/homers recently who have large inverters fitted with the elektroblok system and similarly suffered no problems whatsoever.

Perhaps Schaudt and Hambilton engineering are erring on the side of caution.I have also spoken to 2 reputable installers who would have had no qualms about fitting a 2000 watt inverter to the system.


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## SilverF1 (Feb 27, 2009)

I have had my Sterling 1800w modified sine-wave inverter connected to the (2) leisure batteries on two different Hymers. This has been over a period of 4 years. Both vehicles fitted with the Elekrobloc 99 unit.

Not had any issues so far. The problems related by others may relate to the specific model of Elektrobloc, (100,101?).


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## teemyob (Nov 22, 2005)

*inverter*

This is something I posted as I had a long drawn out topic regarding the issues of using an inverter with Schaudt, hence why I posted it.

I did a lot of diagrams and research and ended up with two separate 12v systems (I will give more information when I get chance).

After I had gone down the twin 12v set-up and after many emails with Schaudt. They came up with the offer of re-programing the 220 part of the system with no Amps. This then would have meant fitting an additional monitor for the amps/ah's. Glad I went down the 2 system route in the end.

Erneboy:

Our System had 1 x 150w and 1 x 300w Pure inverters connected to it when I bought it. But it was messy and confusing to everyone. This setup worked with no issues. It was only when I fitted a 1500w inver that I started to have problems (story of my life).

TM


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## teemyob (Nov 22, 2005)

*ds250*

I fitted a D250S connected to the Chassis battery.

See Here

From my understanding, what happens now is...

The Solar and or EHU charges both the Leisure and Chassis battery via the Schaudt and Schaudt Solar controller I retrofitted. When the the Cab battery is charged, the system then charges the second (inverter) leisure battery.

On the Move, the Second (inverter) battery is charged by the alternator when the chassis battery is full.

The existing systems are also charged by the alternator.

Time will tell how good it all is!?

TM


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