Redarc In-Vehicle BCDC Battery Charger - Dual Input - DC to DC - 24V - 20 Amp
(94 reviews)
Price: $585.00
Redarc In-Vehicle BCDC Battery Charger - Dual Input - DC to DC - 24V - 20 Amp
Item # RED46FR
Retail:$643.50
Our Price: $585.00
You Save: $58.50
Need help with installation?
Locate installers near me- All Info
- Reviews (94)
- Q & A (0)
- Videos (1)
- Photos
Redarc Battery Charger - RED46FR
- RV/Camper
- Trailer
- 24V
- Battery Charger
- Redarc
- Solar Panels to Auxiliary Battery
- Vehicle Battery to Auxiliary Battery
- Charges/Maintains
Maintain the charge on your RV's battery with this dual-input, DC-to-DC smart charger. Unit installs in your vehicle or trailer and pulls power from your solar panels or your vehicle's battery. Great for boondocking and dry camping.
Features:
- DC-to-DC battery charger draws power from your vehicle to provide power to an auxiliary battery on your trailer or RV
- Ideal for smaller battery banks rated less than 75 amp-hours
- Dual-input device can pull power from 2 sources
- Connect red wire to solar panels (sold separately) or to 24V start battery
- Multi-stage charging algorithm ensures a complete charge on secondary battery without overcharging
- Boost stage - provides a constant charge while monitoring auxiliary battery voltage
- Absorption stage - keeps voltage stable to avoid overcharging while bringing battery up to 100-percent charge
- Float stage - maintains charge on auxiliary battery
- Solar power capable - solar panels sold separately
- Built-in MPPT regulator ensures most efficient power transfer possible in all conditions
- Fully sealed construction with fan-free operation ensures durable performance under harsh conditions
- Tested to ensure operation in temperatures as high as 176 F
- Protects sensitive electronics from water, dust, and shock
- Fault recognition technology prevents damage to batteries from voltage spikes, overheating, and reverse polarity connection
- Battery isolator function prevents charger from pulling power from start battery when vehicle is off
- Multiple mounting options for convenient installation
- Secure the unit in the cabin of the vehicle, along a chassis frame rail, in the engine compartment, or on your trailer
- Cables, fuses (331-FK60 - sold separately), and connectors sold separately
- Made in Australia
Specs:
- Application: 24V vehicle systems with standard, fixed-voltage alternators
- Battery types supported: AGM, gel, standard led acid, calcium, and Lithium ion (LiFePO4) batteries
- Overall dimensions: 6" long x 4-3/4" wide x 1-1/2" tall
- Battery capacity range: 75 amp-hours - 200 amp-hours
- Maximum charging voltage: 30.6V
- Output voltage: 24V DC
- Output power: 600 watts
- Output current rating (continuous): 20 amps
- Input current (maximum): 20 amps
- 2-Year warranty
The Redarc BCDC dual-input battery charger allows for easy charging of a DC battery while you're on the move. Most battery chargers require that you plug into an AC outlet, but this DC-to-DC charger pulls power from your vehicle's start battery instead. The BCDC also has solar power capability so that you can keep your secondary battery charged while you're parked at a remote campsite. This means that you can go off the grid without worrying about being without power.
This charger connects directly to your battery, rather than pulling power from your vehicle via the trailer connector. This is to ensure that it's able to fully charge your auxiliary battery. A standard 7-way trailer connector is limited to 10 or 15 amps of current, which will not be able to fully restore a battery for use. But this charger can transfer up to 20 amps of current to both charge and maintain your auxiliary battery.
Solar Power Compatible with MPPT Regulator
This charger can pull power from 2 different sources. The first input accepts charge from your vehicle's battery. The second input on this dual-input unit is designed to receive power from solar panels (sold separately). The built-in maximum power point tracking (MPPT) regulator on this unit ensures that the charger will get the most power possible from your panels at any given time. An MPPT regulator is able to determine the point at which your solar panels reach their maximum output. Then the regulator can simulate that load on the panels to effectively draw the most power possible. This type of regulator is more effective than traditional ones at gathering power from solar panels and at drawing power in low-light conditions.
3-Stage Smart Charger
The BCDC battery charger can be used to charge AGM, gel, standard lead acid, calcium, and Lithium ion (LiFePO4) batteries. An LED on the front panel of the unit will illuminate to show the charge profile, confirming that you've wired the charger correctly based on your auxiliary battery type. This LED will be solid while the unit is charging, and it will flash when the unit is in standby mode. Additional LEDs on this panel indicate where the charger is pulling power from, and what stage of the charging process the unit is in.
This smart charger completely and efficiently charges your auxiliary battery in 3 separate stages. This ensures that the battery reaches maximum capacity without being overcharged.
The first stage of the process, the boost stage, begins when you start up your vehicle. In this mode the charger will maintain a constant current to the auxiliary battery to quickly help it regain power.
Once the unit detects that your auxiliary battery is nearing its maximum charge, the charger will move into the absorption stage. In this stage it will slowly supply the needed current to safely reach 100-percent capacity on the auxiliary battery.
The final stage is known as the float stage. In this stage the unit monitors your auxiliary battery for drops in power and supplies the needed current to keep it fully charged. If a drop in power is detected, it will revert back to the first stage and begin the charging cycle over.
Versatile Mounting
This unit can be mounted in a variety of places to best suit your application. Use the 4 mounting tabs to secure the unit in the cabin of your vehicle, along a chassis frame rail, in the engine compartment, or on your trailer. The charger should be mounted as close as possible to the auxiliary battery being charged to prevent current loss. The farther the current has to travel, the more amperage is lost. A larger diameter wire will allow more current to flow through it, which can offset the current loss that occurs with longer lengths of wire. As a result, it is recommended that you use a heavier gauge wire to cover longer distances.
BCDC2420 REDARC In-Vehicle BCDC Battery Charger - Dual Input - DC to DC - 24V - 20 Amp
Video of Redarc In-Vehicle BCDC Battery Charger - Dual Input - DC to DC - 24V - 20 Amp
Videos are provided as a guide only. Refer to manufacturer installation instructions and specs for complete information.
Video Transcript for Review of Redarc Battery Charger - Battery Charger - RED46FR
Jeff Hello everybody. This is Jeff at etrailer.com. Today, we're gonna take a look at this Redarc in-vehicle three-stage 24-volt battery charger. Now this will let you maintain the charge on your RV's battery, with this dual input, DC-to-DC smart charger. Application is for 24-volt vehicle systems with the standard fixed voltage alternators. And this is a dual input device, so the unit installs in your vehicle or trailer, and it pulls power from either your vehicles battery, or your solar panels.
Now, this is great for boondocking and dry camping. It is solar power capable. So it does have a built-in MPPT regulator to ensure most efficient power transfer possible in all conditions. It has the battery types that it supports, or the AGM, gel, standard lead acid, calcium, and even the lithium ion batteries. Battery capacity ranges 75 amp hours to 200 amp hours.
This is a DC-to-DC battery charger, which will draw power from your vehicle to provide power to an auxiliary battery on your trailer or RV. It's ideal for smaller battery banks rated less than 75 amp hours. Does have multi-stage charging algorithm, which ensures a nice, complete charge on your secondary battery, without overcharging. Offers a boost stage, which provides a constant charge, while monitoring auxiliary battery voltage. Has an absorption stage, which keeps the voltage stable to avoid overcharging, while bringing the battery up to 100% charge.
And it has a float stage, which maintains the charge on your auxiliary battery. Now the front panel right here, let me just zoom in so you can see it closer. But on this front panel, you can see it features six LEDs to display the charge profile, and the charge status. Now, this is a fully sealed construction. It's a fan-free operation to ensure durable performance under harsh conditions.
Has a fault recognition technology to prevent damage to the batteries from voltage spikes, overheating, and reverse polarity connection. Does offer a battery isolator function. Prevents the charger from pulling power from the start battery when the vehicle's off, and it gives you multiple mounting options, for a nice, convenient installation. Does come with this nice set of instructions that'll describe how this installs, and how it operates, but you can basically secure the unit in the cabin of your vehicle, along a chassis frame rail in the engine compartment, or even on your trailer. Specs on this unit. Maximum charging voltage 30.6 volts, output voltage 24 volts DC, output power 600 Watts, and the output current rating continuous is 20 amps, input current maximum 20 amps. And the last thing I want to do is just give you the overall dimensions on the unit itself. The width of it, one end to the other, is six inches. And this way, including the mounting, is going to be four and three quarter inches. And the overall height for the unit. The very top is one and a half inches tall. That should do it for the review on this Redarc in-vehicle three-stage 24-volt battery charger..
Customer Reviews
Redarc In-Vehicle BCDC Battery Charger - Dual Input - DC to DC - 24V - 20 Amp - RED46FR
Average Customer Rating: 4.8 out of 5 stars (94 Customer Reviews)
Maintain the charge on your RV's battery with this dual-input, DC-to-DC smart charger. Unit installs in your vehicle or trailer and pulls power from your solar panels or your vehicle's battery. Great for boondocking and dry camping.by: Matthew07/29/2023
Product works as expected to maintain marine battery installed in car hauler. Battery powers winch and interior lights. Redarc charges the battery while towing without overloading charge circuit on truck. Installation was easy. Installed for one year. Very pleased.
by: Patrick 04/14/2023
Using this as a current limiter to charge an auxiliary battery on my auto hauler. Wiring is extremely simple for a standard 14v application. Small unit that fit easily in the tongue box.
by: Dan 11/27/2022
I installed this on my 2015 Airstream with my 2020 F-150 and love it! The 96 FR will work with the 7-pin trailer harness and the F-150, so there is no need to run bigger wires. The truck has a 25 amp fuse on the charging circuit to the 7-pin trailer harness, and the 96 FR is current limited to 20 amps, which is perfect! The F-150 has a smart alternator that reduces the output voltage when the truck is under load, so without the 96 FR the truck would do very little charging of the trailer batteries while driving down on the road. I love it!
by: Dusty04/22/2021
This unit has worked fine for me. Once wired up I can pretty much forget about it and know that it's charging my house battery whenever I start my vehicle. Probably more important is the automatic disconnection it makes from my starting battery & vehicles charging system when I shut down the vehicle. As well the convenience of adding a solar panel to the system to charge the house battery while the unit still AUTOMATICALLY chooses the best option to charge and disconnects anytime I shut down the vehicle. There are a LOT of different devices/ electronics to accomplish this but the Redarc seems to combine many features/connections in one convenient unit. I have not had the solar portion hooked up yet BUT my understanding is that when I get ready to do so I will NOT need to order a separate MPPT charge controller as that is a built in feature of the unit. These units are a bit pricy for up front cost but seems to provide a lot of features all in one compact unit with a fairly simple wire connection to get it up and charging.
by: Nick 02/07/2024
I have put close to 50k miles on my trailer after installing this unit running hotshot. It worked great for keeping the battery charged off of the truck power. I actually have another trailer I have been planing to order another one for so I'm able to hook up a batter and run utility lights in as well as battery chargers.
by: Randall02/23/2021
The charger works great. Here is a picture of the system I built for it. The battery is a Battle Born 100 amp hour LiFePo, it’s also charged by (2) 100 watt flexible solar panels. It has (2)- 12 volt receptacles, (2)-dual USB receptacles, and a 750 watt modified sine wave inverter. It runs a small refrigerator, led lights, and various other electronic devices flawlessly. I’m very satisfied with the Redarc unit.
by: Chris J.07/29/2019
Thanks etrailer for bringing this product to the USA market. I found the REDARC chargt talked about on Australian “caravan” blogs before etrailer had it for sale and considered trying to buy it from an Australian vendor. I use the BCDC1225D to charge my 200 amp hour lithium battery in my truck camper. I have 350 watts of rooftop solar and ran 8gauge wiring from the truck battery through a bed mounted Andersen connector. The very compact size of the unit allowed me to tuck it away in a small space in my camper. I wired it up just as suggested in the instructions and it worked perfectly. I’m getting the full 25 amp charge that the solar panels will provide at midday and get the added benefit of being able to charge at the same rate while driving in the dark. The thing works great. Thanks again etrailer for bringing this product to the USA market
by: Paul 09/07/2022
Great product…works as advertised
Very rugged construction and you can mount it anywhere
Mounted this into the battery box on my 2021 Airstream
Fabulous customer support from Redarc
Endorsed by Battleborn
Well worth the price
by: Phuong11/30/2018
I have 300ah Lifepo4 batteries from Renogy..
300 watt solar.. this unit will charge via solar or vehicle.. one or the other .. whichever has more power.. I see the lights on and see it working.. the reason I like this unit is because my batteries are only being charged from one charging source. This is safer and will improve battery life.
I just wish it could have a battery and voltage meter.. I guess I need to buy a battery monitor.. This is almost the perfect device.. it needs a display for battery life and voltage.. I would love to know what it is doing.
by: Bill H07/03/2020
This unit has performed as expected. My batteries are mounted inside a plywood box in the back of my van. All the connections for the Redarc are inside the box so it has a very clean install on the exterior of the box. The two DC switches in the picture allow me to disconnect the input line to the Redarc from the vehicle's electrical system and the second disconnects my Battle Born batteries from everything. I only shut off the system when I take it into the van dealership for maintenance, and that is only precautionary.
by: John E Davies03/10/2021
I installed this in a 2017 Oliver Legacy Elite II travel trailer, because I had installed Battle Born lithium batteries and there was no way my truck was going to charge them properly. The actual installation was fairly painless, but I had to run bigger wires from the front of the trailer back to the batteries, which are located over the axles. I get a solid 10.5 amps continuously now, even though my Land Cruiser is only putting out 13.5 volts when connected. It works as advertised and I do recommend it. I took one star off because I think it is over priced, but that is be expected for an Australian import.
by: Mspenc4507/03/2020
This thing is just great. It is rock solid in construction and function. Everywhere I go now in my Arctic Fox slide in and F350, bu two 100AH LiFePo4 batteries are charging at 45 amps along the way. The fact that the Redarc is weather proof allowed me to mount it outside under the camper skirt running my 4awg battery cables along the bottom of the camper right to it.
by: Indy Fritz06/08/2023
This gadget is awesome. It solves two problems. (1) How to charge your camper battery when it is at the end of a long line from car to camper with attendant voltage drop. The Redarc boost the voltage back up to a proper battery charge level. (2) When you shut the tow vehicle down, the Redarc protects the tow battery from discharge into the camper system. Has worked fine for me.
by: Ralph11/15/2018
I installed a BCDC1240D (with optional fuse kit) in my Winnebago Revel (Mercedes Sprinter). The instructions are clear and I was able to figure out the wiring requirements pretty easily. I wired the Redarc with a switch to change between profile C (winter) and B (summer). The batteries are mounted below the vehicle so I probably need profile B at higher temperatures in the summer.
I have included a picture of the Redarc installed in the passenger's seat pedestal in the van. Most of the wiring in there is Mercedes and Winnebago. You should be able to identify the Redarc (bottom center), and the two fuse holders (fuses not yet install) near the blue tape.
by: Ronald 09/06/2023
Received the product as expected. Super simple hook up, already have 4 gauge wire tan to the truck. Plugged it in and it’s charging the batteries as expected.
by: Nicholas05/05/2021
I highly recommend it. Adding a dual battery setup and using the Redarc BCDC1225D to charge it was the best addition to my rig. Very simple to install and etrailer.com customer service is Tier 1.
by: Dan03/17/2021
Works well, good hardware solution for second battery charging- only wish it could use the second bat as a jumper for primary- solar charge is a nice feature.
by: Richard02/20/2021
The right product for new Ranger with a Four Wheel Camper.Install was easy, compact , maintains two deep cycle agm batteries and monitors 100 amp solar for a complete package. Was able replace my 3 way fridge with a 2 way for better service.
by: Mike05/30/2023
This is a game changer. Charging 2 100 Ah batteries in 4 hrs or less of driving is really nice. For my style of travelling, I don't need anything else to keep my batteries charged.
by: Micheal05/15/2018
Easy to install. Instructions that come with all Redarc products are straightforward. It's working great so far charging a 105 Ah battery that is running a fridge/freezer, some lights, and assorted other gadgets.
by: Sam 01/11/2023
I installed the 40amp BCDC dual charger in my 40 ft fifth wheel a year ago.
I added 430 watts of solar and it has been working as advertised. My battery bank is at 100% when arriving at my destination. I have a residential refrigerator and a GO Power IC3000 on my rig. All is running great.
by: Michael 05/14/2023
I searched long and hard to find something like this. Strangely enough its not easy to find unless you contact etrailer. In no time they recommended this charger and it was spot on for my needs. Etrailer will get my business in future
by: its.eh.boler09/18/2021
This is a fantastic unit. Very easy to hook to the camper batteries, using both the solar and alternator charging functionality. Used this without any issues on a 14 day trip. The instruction manual is well written and very clear.
No more worries about the state of charge of my batteries even after a long day of driving with the camper because the battery charge level will be greater than 90% when arriving at campsite despite having a refrigerator running in the camper. Will now be able to leave solar panels at home for a short 2 day camping trip.
A few times, the battery level was in the 60%-65% charge level and it was charged back to 80+% within a few hours of driving. Just be aware that getting the lead-acid batteries from 90% to 100% takes a much long time because it has to be a constant low current.
Purchasing from etrailer was an excellent experience - received it in Canada within 2 days or order.
by: Les02/13/2023
I’m only giving an average rating due to the UPS slow delivery. The charger is what I expected when I ordered. I haven’t installed it yet so I can’t comment about it but my expectations are high. Redarc makes an excellent product. etrailer has been very good at speedy service and I will continue to use them. However, UPS delivery is very poor in my town and slows my ability to receive my orders from any supplier. Otherwise this would have been a five star review.
by: Randy 04/06/2023
Keeps the camper battery bank charged. Easy to install as I was a mechanic for 30+ years.
25
94
Show More Reviews
See what our Experts say about this Redarc Battery Charger
- Parts Needed to Allow Tow Vehicle Battery to Charge Trailer Battery While DrivingYour tow package would already use a 12 gauge wire, so going up to a 10 gauge honestly isn't going to gain you much. Installing a battery isolator solenoid is a smart idea, though. It will prevent the battery on the towed vehicle from drawing on the tow vehicle battery when the tow vehicle's ignition in shut off. You could install a DC to DC charger like the Redarc # RED46FR to keep your battery charged during travel. The charger will accept input directly from the alternator or through...
view full answer... - Location of 12-volt Power Feed To Trailer Fuse on 2015 Ram 3500The fuse for the 12-volt accessory circuit feed to the 7-way is a 30 amp fuse in location F30 in the fuse box in the engine compartment. Keep in mind that due to the distance between the alternator on the tow vehicle from the trailer battery and the small wire gauge used in that circuit limits the amount of amperage that can be delivered on that circuit. You can maintain a battery but there won't be enough available amperage to charge a depleted trailer battery. If shore power is available,...
view full answer... - 12-Volt Accessory Circuit from Trailer Connector Not Keeping Trailer Battery ChargedFor starters, be aware that the limited wire gauge feeding this 12-volt circuit from the 7-way plus the distance the two batteries are away from each other means that although the tow vehicle battery can provide a maintenance charge to the trailer battery, it won't have sufficient power to charge it once it's discharged or nearly so. A good battery charger like the NOCO # 329-GENIUS5 should be used to fully charge the battery when shore power is available (which it sounds like you're doing...
view full answer...
Do you have a question about this Battery Charger?
Info for this part was:
Edited by:
Lindsey S
Installed by:
Jeff D
Written by:
Alexander C
Updated by:
Alex H
At etrailer.com we provide the best information available about the products we sell. We take the quality of our information seriously so that you can get the right part the first time. Let us know if anything is missing or if you have any questions.
Product Experts Available Now!
Call 1-800-940-8924
Thank you! Your comment has been submitted successfully. You should be able to view your question/comment here within a few days.
Error submitting comment. Please try again momentarily.