12v Stereo work ok in 24V GQ?

[Ricardo00]

Hi

Having not owned a 24v vehicle before I guess the first question I should ask is is it bad practice to use 12v devices in a 24v truck?

I've recently purchased a 92 LWB jap import Safari which doesn't currently have a head deck hooked, should the standard head deck wiring be 12v or 24v? If 24v should there be a 12v circuit I can connect to (I have an existing head deck I'd like to use) for this and any other 12v accessories I might want to run?

Thanks

[Ade]

Gday mate,

Standard stereo on a 24v Safari is 12v. But it's a good idea to carry a simple check to the wiring just to be sure. There should be a small factory 24v-12v reducer mounted inside front passenger side kick panel (Safari with manual tranny) or inside the left hand side rear panel (auto). This reducer should be able to support single DIN head deck but I don't think it can support deck with LCD monitor as these deck draws higher amp.

I used 2 volt reducer, 12 and 25 amp each to run my 12v accessories at the moment. Charge equaliser is another option..

Ade.

[Ricardo00]

that's exactly what I needed to know, thank you very much :).

[Yendor]

Charge equaliser are a better option then buying voltage reducers.

http://redarc.com.au/products-and-services/ce-series-charge-equaliser

[Ricardo00]

Because they draw power from both batteries as opposed to one?

[Yendor]

The 12 volt feed is more stable and clean.

[Ade]

Yup..they are better than reducer.

Yendor (Rodney?).. is it possible to run an inverter from the 24v and plug in a battery charger (like the Bosch C7) to it to charge a 12v battery?

[Ade]

Maybe not such a good idea I think but the reason I asked this because I have a running 1000watt inverter in my rig to run few ac stuff and I also have the Bosch C7 battery charger in the garage so I just wondering if it sufficient enough to charge an AGM battery like the Optima to run my fridge and radios..

[Yendor]

Sorry Ade,

I don't know anything about the Bosch C7 charges, the quick Goggle search I did only showed units that run from mains power.

If this what you are referring to?, if so there is a lot of wasted energy in stepping up 24v to what ever your mains supply is and then running a battery charger from it.

A better option (yes it's RedArc again) would be something like this.

http://redarc.com.au/products-and-services/dc-battery-chargers/ce-13.8-series-24v-to-12v-charger

Cheers Rodney

[Ade]

Yup..thanks Rodney. I believe that Redarc battery charger would be the best option. Which amp rating should I choose if I am to run a fridge and couple of radio from the AGM?

[Yendor]

This depends on how much current your devices draw and how often you use them.

I would be looking at the 10amp or possible the 20amp.

[eliurquhart]

I have the RedArc in my Safari, works sweet, I can check what amp I have Ade if you would like to know.

[Ade]

I have the RedArc in my Safari, works sweet, I can check what amp I have Ade if you would like to know.

You meant you have the Redarc charge equaliser? Yup please..what amp is yours? What sort of 12v stuff you are running in your Safari?

[Ade]

This depends on how much current your devices draw and how often you use them.

I would be looking at the 10amp or possible the 20amp.

Thanks Rodney. Planning to run couple of radio and the ARB freezer from the 12v battery and maybe on average of 3-7 days of trip, 5-7 hours of driving/day..?