12v Battery Perpetual Charger (while truck is on)

[John Becker]

For many years and multiple threads on this forum, I’ve read about the problems with Ford’s inability to keep the LVB properly charged.

Behold my Kentucky engineering: It was as simple as plugging in my NOCO Genius 10 into the frunk’s 120v outlet and clamping it onto the 12v battery.

Let me know if I did something wrong. The red clamp is directly attached to the + terminal. The black clamp is attached to the BMS(?).

It draws 160 watts.

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[Lightning Rod]

The truck has to be "ON" to use PPO right?

Is it OK to charge 12v battery while the truck is ON?

 

[John Becker]

The truck has to be "ON" to use PPO right?

Is it OK to charge 12v battery while the truck is ON?

The short answer is yes. The truck has to be on to use PPO.
I hope it is okay to charge the LVB with the truck on. There are a lot of smart people on this forum who can answer that.

 

[bmwhitetx]

When the truck is on, the DC-DC converter is also on and will put out anywhere between 13.6-14.6ish volts to charge the battery and power all the 12V loads you’ve turned on. The Noco is somewhat redundant.

With the latest powertrain update being released, 22-23’s can have the ability to have ProPower on with truck off and the Noco 160 watt draw would meet the minimum load requirement.

 

[chriserx]

When the truck is on, the DC-DC converter is also on and will put out anywhere between 13.6-14.6ish volts to charge the battery and power all the 12V loads you’ve turned on. The Noco is somewhat redundant.

With the latest powertrain update being released, 22-23’s can have the ability to have ProPower on with truck off and the Noco 160 watt draw would meet the minimum load requirement.

Yeah, I mentioned it in another thread, I tried this and the DCDC seems to stay on so long as PPO is, you can check it for yourself if after about 5 min it switches to float mode it would be the case, it should switch to <90W at that point. You may want to check that you have the charger on the right terminal as well.

 

[mr.Magoo]

With the latest powertrain update being released, 22-23’s can have the ability to have ProPower on with truck off and the Noco 160 watt draw would meet the minimum load requirement.

The truck isn't off just because it's off.
While charging for example, if the truck is off, all the modules are still alive, including the DC/DC converter.

Technically the ignition is off (so accessory power in the truck is not on) whereas with remote start/climate-on the ignition is turned on as well.


So I think OP is only charging his LVB when the truck is already charging it as well which could result in all sorts of interesting things.

Now, you could stick a giant UPS in your frunk and power the Noco from it (leaving ppo off when the truck is off) and you might have solved the mystery of 12V charging, or get a solar tonneau cover.

There's also the option of simply not worrying about it as much, but...

 

[John Becker]

There's also the option of simply not worrying about it as much, but...

Well, I'm anal. I overthink everything.
Also, I was getting mysterious power off messages to preserve the battery (or something like that.)

 

[mr.Magoo]

Well, I'm anal. I overthink everything.
Also, I was getting mysterious power off messages to preserve the battery (or something like that.)

Oh trust me, I know that feeling all too well - I just spend the last couple of days rewriting the code for my black box from running a node-red cobbled up mess to a "real" implementation with a proper node and a python backend.
Is it the "right" way to do it ? Absolutley (well, some might argue you should do a C++ implementation instead, but hey, I'm not really a programmer).
Will it run better - oh hell no.

Overall I don't think it's much to worry about anymore (early on it was a bigger issue).


If you do get the warnings, then either something is drawing power (dashcam, OBD reader activly reading data, etc.) or your battery might actually be toast, have Ford check it (especially since you might still be under warranty).

If you use a clamp meter (not all can measure DC current but this one can) to check the current draw/use when everything is off.

 

[jwrezz]

I was thinking of doing this but felt it would just keep the truck "on" and then the DC-DC would be active anyway defeating the purpose of the NOCO. I must say I got the power saving mode warning twice, but since a few weeks of plugging in the NOCO every nite, it hasn't happened since Dec. I keep the NOCO in the frunk for justin. Have the jump pack under the back seat for Justin Justin. I got a solar charger that I'd like to put on the hood when it's in the sun and we have more than the winter amount of sunshine time. I keep one on my tractor all year and always have a good battery. I keep on on the roof of my 1996 explorer that gets started maybe 6 times a year and that battery is also always ready to go. The solar panel would look tacky on the Lightning tho. I gotta find an inconspicuous place to mount it, AND get the wires to the battery. The bed cover would be fine, but then the wire-run would be the issue!

 

[chl]

All of the above point out what I would have said.

About the BMS sensor: here is where the negative connection should be for any maintainer (or to a ground point), downstream from the sensor.

Another idea would be to have some kind of auxiliary energy storage box w/inverter that you could keep in the frunk that is charged up with the 120v ppob when the truck is on, but that you could plug the maintainer into when the truck is off and parked.

That was what another poster came up with in another thread somewhere.

If you have the ability to have PPOB on when the truck is off, as some do, I am not sure if the DC-DC converter is on or not in that condition. It might have to be to run things involved with controlling and reporting etc. re the PPOB.

But anytime the DC-DC converter is on, the maintainer is superfluous and won't do any good, or harm.

The maintainer should sense full voltage and turn OFF (float mode), so no danger of overcharging the battery. No DC current can go "in reverse" into the maintainer either.

 

[mr.Magoo]

Another idea would be to have some kind of auxiliary energy storage box w/inverter that you could keep in the frunk that is charged up with the 120v ppob when the truck is on, but that you could plug the maintainer into when the truck is off and parked.

"auxiliary energy storage box w/inverters" are commonly referred to as UPS uninterruptible power supply.

 

[jwrezz]

"auxiliary energy storage box w/inverters" are commonly referred to as UPS uninterruptible power supply.

And in that case, just carry a spare 12v battery!

 

[Maquis]

And in that case, just carry a spare 12v battery!

I call it a jump pack!

 

[mr.Magoo]

And in that case, just carry a spare 12v battery!

Doesn't that mean I now have TWO batteries to worry about !!!???

Maybe we should all just get a hand crank generator and you'll never be without power again.

 

[chl]

Doesn't that mean I now have TWO batteries to worry about !!!???

Maybe we should all just get a hand crank generator and you'll never be without power again.

That thought crossed my mind too. lol!

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