RSCDC30 Battery charger

Ring RSCDC30 DC-DC & MPPT battery charger: Key Information

Key information:

Product: RSCDC30

Cost: £180

Months installed (at time of review) : 16

Where installed : Motorhome

Ring RSCDC30: Product Description

The Ring RSCDC30 DC to DC smart battery charger is a sophisticated multi stage charger which ensures the vehicle’s leisure battery can reach a full state of charge quickly. The charger takes an input from the vehicles own electrical system as well as from roof mounted solar panels, thus providing a 1 box solution.  The unit is delivered with instructions and a temperature sensor as pictured.

Unboxing Ring RSCDC30 charger and MPPT controller for use with motorhome or boat 12v 24v systems
Ring RSCDC30 Battery Charger in box

Ring RSCDC30: Why did I choose this model?

My motorhome conversion is a recent model which incorporates a smart alternator. This is great for improving the vehicles fuel economy, but a pain for me when wanting to install a leisure battery. Consequently I needed a DC- DC charger. For more information regarding smart alternators and chargers please read my article DC-DC battery chargers & smart alternators.

I also had fitted two large solar panels to the roof of my van and so needed a quality MPPT Charge controller. Again, you can read about MPPT chargers in my article explaining  Solar Charge controllers.

My research showed that there was actually very little choice in finding a DC-DC charger which incorporated a MPPT solar charge controller. The only alternatives I could find were those made by C-Tek such as the D250SA. In my situation this was not suitable as the maximum solar input voltage for the C-Tek is 23v compared the the RSCDC30’s 50v input. My panels would be producing 31v and so this for me was the deciding factor.

If you do not intend to charge the leisure battery from the vehicle’s electrical system, or if it is an older vehicle with a split charge relay installed then there are many more alternatives. A stand alone MPPT charge controller such as the EPEver Tracer series is ideal and considerably cheaper! As it happens, I have one of these installed in my boat where it has been happily working for 2.5 years. Please read my review or watch my video review of the: EPEver Tracer.

Ring RSCDC30: Review

I installed the RSCDC30 in my motorhome around 16 months ago and have found it to be extremely reliable. It is very much a fit and forget device which I like. The charger itself has an LCD screen which displays useful information such as current target battery voltage and charge current. It also displays information regarding the power output of the solar panels, useful for determining how much power is being produced at any given time.

The RSCDC30 is rated at 30A. I have the charger linked up to two 110Ah leisure batteries which I often drain considerably of an evening. Fortunately, I regularly see the charger operating at its full output of 30A when I run the engine. I should add here that cable thickness is important, I over sized these to ensure there was minimal voltage drop.

My vehicle has 360 watts of solar panels installed on the roof which equates to a theoretical maximum of 30A at 12v. However, being in England achieving 360 watts is very unlikely. The highest output I have seen so far is 200 watts during a clear summers afternoon, a figure that I am very happy with!

Ring RSCDC30: Ease of installation

The charger has three sets of screw terminal connections:

Vehicle battery input: Positive / Negative

Solar Panel input: Positive / Negative

Target battery Output: Positive / Negative

In addition, the RSCDC30 charger has a remote temperature sensor to measure the temperature of the target battery. I found that the cable was a little short, however after a bit of re-routing managed to get it connected!

Wiring in the charger was very straight forward and anyone with good DIY skills should have no problem. The instructions provided by Ring suggest using 4mm2 cable, however I used 6mm due to the longer cable runs. As an extra safety measure, I fitted a 50A fuse on all three positive connections.

Here is my RSCDC30 installed in the base of a cupboard.

Ring RSCDC30 DCCharge30 DC-DC battery charger with MPPT Solar charge controller installed in a self build motorhome
RSCDC30 Battery Charger installed

 

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