Nordelettronica NE287 12 Amp Fixed Leisure Battery Charger

Discussion in 'Van Accessories' started by mikedjames, Apr 23, 2021.

  1. mikedjames

    mikedjames Supporter

    I purchased one of these to replace a 10 amp charger built into an inverter I bought a few years back. The battery charger eventually failed when called on to deliver 9.5 amps continuously even though it had a cooling fan.
    As the inverter/charger was NLA, and the inverter/UPS function still worked, smoothly switching over to inverter if the mains hookup fails, I decided to strip the battery charger function out of the inverter (desoldered a few key components) and fit a separate battery charger.

    I wanted to buy a charger that could be fixed wired into the installation, rather than needing to be clipped on.

    My coolbox plus fridge draws a maximum of 9.5 amps when both are running (normally only from hookup or while driving)

    I also wanted a battery charger with a supply function as I did not want to have to keep on resetting the charger.

    A CTEK 10A or a Nordelettronica 12A charger fitted the requirement.

    On searching 12voltPlanet, I found a selection of chargers.
    The key points that made me buy a Nordelettronica charger.
    • Low drain when mains is off - it has an internal relay operated by mains power that disconnects its output.
    • It comes in a range of charger ratings , 12A, 17A and 21A. The 12A and 17A chargers do not have or need cooling fans.
    • European supplier with proper CE markings and good radio frequency interference suppression built in.
    • As fitted to motor homes as standard fit (apparently)
    • Battery temperature sensing to control charge
    • Supports SLA and wet cell and a desulphate program
    • Desulphate program can be initiated by automatically detecting battery being isolated (does not work with a load on the battery, uses detection of isolator switch opening with an extra wire)
    • Has a 12 volt mains on status output for driving relays or other electronics.
    • Has status indicator LEDS intended for viewing from below but they can also be seen through the grille covering the circuit board of the charger, so it is possible to see them even with the charger mounted vertically near the bottom of a panel.
    • It was in stock while the 21A version (same size, £114) also from 12VoltPlanet was out of stock and a bit too big (the larger one also has a fan which I did not want)
    Many of these features are common with the CTEK, but I preferred the more "industrial" styling of the Nordelettronica charger, and the lower price for a slightly higher output current.
    I bought the 12Amp NE287 charger for £105 + carriage and fitted it in the bus.
    It arrived within 3 days from 12 Volt Planet.

    https://www.12voltplanet.co.uk/nordelettronica-ne287-12v-battery-charger-12a.html




    It is a fairly solid bit of kit with quite a large number of substantial electronic components inside it.
    Compared with the quite good quality Taiwanese 10A basic charger I had before, it is much more substantial, weighing 1.5Kg, rather than about 0.2Kg for the charger part of the inverter I was using before.
    Both sides of the housing are heatsinks with a punched metal cover over the circuit board. It does not have a high enviromental rating , it is IP20, so a spilled coffee would kill it..

    I installed it, and it has now been working perfectly keeping batteries charged since purchase in early April.

    It easily coped with the 9.5 amp load, just becoming slightly warm.
     
    Last edited: Apr 23, 2021
  2. nicktuft

    nicktuft Supporter

  3. Where did you fit it Mike, under the R&R bed?


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
     
  4. Alternatively you could get one of these and learn to appreciate warm beer? ;)[​IMG]

    Sent from my MotoG3 using Tapatalk
     
    SeanOC likes this.
  5. mikedjames

    mikedjames Supporter

    In fact its on the rear of the Devon sink unit on the slider side of the bus. A bit agricultural but it gets good air flow there, the Epever solar charger sits on the side of the bus, and the inverter behind it.
     
    SeanOC likes this.
  6. mikedjames

    mikedjames Supporter

    I considered the much less expensive Numax but it was reported as having a noticeable reverse current drain when the hookup is off - the relay in the Nordelettronica stops that. The Numax needs to be disconnected. I didnt want to have to wire a relay connected to 240V AC to disconnect the charger.
    From the Numax data sheet " After use, do not leave the battery charger disconnected from the mains and connected to the battery to prevent the battery from dis-charging."
     
  7. nicktuft

    nicktuft Supporter


    Thanks for the reply Mike.
    So when parked up and not on hook to the mains but the charger is still connected, the leisure battery is slowly draining itself. Interesting , looking forward to a solution at techenders. I do have one of these between the batteries though, which keeps the main battery topped up when the leisure is "full" or so I believe.
    https://www.reimo.com/en/camping-sh...ies/17178/charging-system-for-starter-battery
     
    Last edited: May 3, 2021

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