Redarc or ...?

[REDARC_Ryan]

We've been using a Redarc dc-dc charger in our 4Runner for a couple years now and couldn't be happier with its performance. It's something we never even have to think about. It does its job flawlessly and never gives us any "hic-cups". HIGHLY recommended.

Thanks for the shoutout! I've been following your channel for a while for tips and tricks on my FJ. That's a great install video!

 

[Bluesman]

I have been very satisfied using the Redarc 30 BMS with a 1000W Wagen Pure Sine Inverter. I have an AGM starter battery and Battle Born house battery. I upgraded to 170A alternator and added 200W solar panels. Primary draw is the 65L Dometic.

 

[nudavinci64]

I am still going back and forth on this topic myself. I currently have a mix of both Victron and RedArc. I really like Victron's mobile app. I am using the Red Arc 1225 and do have an SBI12 I need to install.

I am rethinking my entire setup and plan to add a larger house bank of 200ah for the bed. With that, I want to uplevel the overall management. I like the concept of the separate units and upgradeability, but also like RedArc Products' footprint.

In terms of space-saving, RedArc has the edge but not having used RedVisions or Manager 30 I am wondering how much of it is worth it.

RedVision is there more benefit than turning on things and overall system switch? All my accessories are powered by Switch-Pros, so that feature is less of a wow factor.
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I have not run into too many people with a good comparison of both except the high level. Def wish I had more hands-on with them to gauge.

 

[Speric]

I like the concept of the separate units and upgradeability, but also like RedArc Products' footprint.

I'm just about to put my system together and I'm going the Victron route because of the modularity of it. Sure it might take up more space but if something fails, it's just that one component and not "everything". This is going in the back of my truck, so space is less of an issue. Also, by sticking to 1 system, I think all the parts will communicate better.

 

[socal66]

I think that in many use cases for an overlanding vehicle a RedArc system or similar is overkill in terms of both capability and cost and that those types of systems are better suited for a more complex and use intensive application such as a large RV. In my case I have a fridge and the need to keep up charges for electronic gear such as tablets, drones, cameras, camp lights, etc in my Jeep. I have a Genesis dual battery setup under my hood. The secondary battery is the "house battery" which powers my 12V devices and power ports including a fridge and a charging up a small Bluetti AC50S. This second battery also serves as the battery for my winch and on-board air compressor. I have some solar panels on my roof top which just use a low cost PWM controller to feed power as it gets it to the secondary battery. The AC50S serves as a power source at camp outside of the vehicle. My fridge is a Dometic 35 CFX which is pretty energy efficient. I find that I have more than enough power for all my needs and between the alternator and 100W of solar my batteries are usually charged to max every day. In some respects my setup is overkill for what I need and yet it is a lot less expensive and complicated than a full RedArc system.

 

[Mike W]

Can't go wrong with redarc. Victron makes great systems but its generally more parts to get everything going. But lets listen to the other posters here for a second and go back to simple. I think these days most people can actually get by with the "solar generator" (i hate that name) style boxes that have lithium batteries, dcdc chargers, solar mppt, inverter all in one. They are simple, plug and play and if all you really use for electrical loads is a fridge and you drive quite a bit, then they are enough. They generally have the downside that they charge slower than purpose built systems, but they do have a lot of capacity compared to an AGM/lead acid setup. (my dual AGM setup only actually added less than 50 ah of usable power and it killed batteries constantly even with constant shore power charging). Not to mention the voltage drops dealing with lead acid/agm just sucked. Any large load like a rv water pump or my air compressor would drag voltage down enough to reboot my HAM radio sometimes.... I run a lot of stuff so lead acid had to go. Not enough capacity given the weight and system complexity and tie in to vehicle charging systems. And constantly killing batteries with real world use. (which is why im generally not a fan of dual agm battery setups. Having a Redarc dcdc between two AGM is way battery than using solenoid or simple bridged systems that rely solely on the alternator directly charging them.)

So think about that simple option before going dual battery because you really do get more capacity and all those components in one go. Cost/value wise I don't think its possible to beat that.

Now if you have heavy power requirements, want to run lots of loads, electric heat, etc then I think a purpose built rv-like/camper-van system with discrete components makes sense. My setup is fun to show off, but I always fully admit upfront that its costly, excessive and just generally cuckoo... but I love it... haha.

For me the holy grail is in-cab LiFePO4 house batteries (2x Renogy 170ah LiFePO4) and components. wagantech 1kw Inverter, victron 25amp shore power charger, victron mppt for solar blanket (which i don't really use anymore), redarc DCDC 50 amp for a majority of charging needs, plus some nice victron bus bars (lynx power in) and victron smart shunt to manage monitoring. It leaves the vehicle start battery largely alone, isolated when the alternator isn't running which keeps it healthy.

 

[Eric Haltom]

I am a fan of the Redarc, I have the Redarc Redvision system in my truck, but there are pros and cons to everything, here is my experience with it.

Pros:
Works well and does the trick
Easy to use and configure
built well, quality is good

Cons:
No surprise here - expensive
Software limitations (I am a software engineer and see some missed opportunities)
I mounted the screen in the bed of my truck about 10 - 15 ft from the dashboard and sometimes, that is too far to connect via bluetooth
An additional head unit is $500
For the price, only having 10 total outputs and 3 total inputs seems lacking

Would I buy it again?

I probably would, but I'd be holding out for a discounted price. I do believe that this system is geared to RVers 100%, and there is a lot of opportunity to improve this product for the overlander.
Possibly if redarc or any other manufacturer is reading this, perhaps a TVMS specifically built for overlanding.

 

[rtexpeditions]

I use a Redarc BCDC1240 (in my case, the LV, low voltage sense version) with a relay for solar charging.
I bought it before they added Overlander tax to them for about half the current price.
A solenoid to connect the batteries would not work in my vehicle because it has a smart alternator.

I'm very much into the keep it simple.

All of the appliances connected to the batteries have low-voltage cut-off (either internal or external) so the batteries are never fully discharged.

You can't fit more batteries than you have space or carrying capacity. You can't fit a bigger solar panel than you have space for.
If you run out of power, your only options out in the wild are to run your engine or just go without for a bit.

All the monitoring, only makes you anxious because your options are still limited if you run low on power.
As for systems monitored via an app on a phone, I expect my power systems to survive longer than any app

 

[Overland True North]

My wife and I have been trying to decide if the Redarc RedVision set up is what we should get for our 2013 Jeep JK 4dr. I currently get by with one battery in the engine bay and a Goal zero 400...(you can read that as being pathetic). I have, from front to back...Winch, ARB air compressor, Ham & GMRS radios, Roof front side and rear lighting, rock lights, engine bay lights, and a 12v plug for the ARB fridge. Additional needs are electric run for charging Drone batteries, cell phones, iPad, various cooking things like a small blender would be great :). AND the need to power a CPAP at night in the rooftop tent.
And I do not feel solar is for us since we 95% never stay anywhere longer than the night then move on down the trail....

If that was your criteria what would you use?

 

[nudavinci64]

My wife and I have been trying to decide if the Redarc RedVision set up is what we should get for our 2013 Jeep JK 4dr. I currently get by with one battery in the engine bay and a Goal zero 400...(you can read that as being pathetic). I have, from front to back...Winch, ARB air compressor, Ham & GMRS radios, Roof front side and rear lighting, rock lights, engine bay lights, and a 12v plug for the ARB fridge. Additional needs are electric run for charging Drone batteries, cell phones, iPad, various cooking things like a small blender would be great :). AND the need to power a CPAP at night in the rooftop tent.
And I do not feel solar is for us since we 95% never stay anywhere longer than the night then move on down the trail....

If that was your criteria what would you use?

Depends the red vision is an all in one with fuses shut off and all that. The manager 30 paired with it brings in the shunt to help tell you how much is left etc. you can monitor water and other things. You will always have the option for solar if you choose. Def having a dc charger is a must in my opinion and this will give you that. You could get a bcdc1225 and be fine that what I was running. But long game I tend to be gone for lengthy time and what the backup to power to a of stuff for longer periods of time. I recently picked up red vision/manager 30 and will be adding a lithium house battery bank. if your only going for short trips what you have works and could be just fine. More things to lower means you want more battery the rest helps keep it topped off and let you k ow what’s left.

Send me a PM if your interested in the RV I found a spot that could get you a deal.

 

[OTH Overland]

My wife and I have been trying to decide if the Redarc RedVision set up is what we should get for our 2013 Jeep JK 4dr. I currently get by with one battery in the engine bay and a Goal zero 400...(you can read that as being pathetic). I have, from front to back...Winch, ARB air compressor, Ham & GMRS radios, Roof front side and rear lighting, rock lights, engine bay lights, and a 12v plug for the ARB fridge. Additional needs are electric run for charging Drone batteries, cell phones, iPad, various cooking things like a small blender would be great :). AND the need to power a CPAP at night in the rooftop tent.
And I do not feel solar is for us since we 95% never stay anywhere longer than the night then move on down the trail....

If that was your criteria what would you use?

We have the RedVision with manager 30 in our 2013 JKU and absolutely love it! Yes the initial cost was significant, but the flawless performance and simplicity of operation made me quickly forget what I paid for it. We have a Switch Pros unit that controls all of the 'vehicle' functions such as lighting, communications etc, and the Redvision/manager 30 take care of the 'house' functions including camp lighting, fridge, water pump, inverter etc. We have everything mounted in the space where the 40% rear seat used to be along with inverter and 100ah lifepo battery. The manager30 charges the house battery so fast we removed the portable solar panels unless going to be in one place for several days. We have mounted the RedVision control panel on the end of our ARB fridge so its handy while in camp and working in the kitchen area. Also have control of the functions from the tablet in the cockpit. We were missing a couple of connectors from our kit and RedARC customer service in Australia was right on top of it, connecting me with Ryan thier local sales rep (also a OB member) and had the parts in a couple of days along with some install advice. The 1000 watt inverter is more than enough power for our charging needs and would not go any bigger.

Things we are going to change (and would do differently if starting from scratch)

• RedARC did not have a US approved inverter when we installed the system so we went with a 1000 watt Renogy unit. (works fine but would be nice to be able to control the on/off of the inverter thru the RedVision for full integration. Will be re-purposing the Renogy to our WJ and installing a RedARC unit when we make the other changes this year.
• Would not have installed all the electronics low down where the seat used to fold again, no issues so far, but hindsight being 2020 would like it higher in case of water intrusion from a possible failed extra deep water crossing. Also I could use the space down low for heavy tools/recovery stuff to lower center of gravity. Plan on moving all the electronics other than battery to a new cabinet on the backside of the drawer system.
• RedARC has been promising a new smaller TVMS system that is way smaller works with the current display and has most of the function of the current RedVision unit, only 1" thick, with some less tank level monitors and 40 amp capacity rather than the 80 amps of the current unit. Most of my loads I control are small amperage and we only need to monitor one tank. Was supposed to be out this spring, will be changing the current unit out to save space and weight as soon as it comes out, and will repurpose the existing unit to our future RAM truck build out which will need the larger load and monitor functions.

 

[REDARC_Ryan]

My wife and I have been trying to decide if the Redarc RedVision set up is what we should get for our 2013 Jeep JK 4dr. I currently get by with one battery in the engine bay and a Goal zero 400...(you can read that as being pathetic). I have, from front to back...Winch, ARB air compressor, Ham & GMRS radios, Roof front side and rear lighting, rock lights, engine bay lights, and a 12v plug for the ARB fridge. Additional needs are electric run for charging Drone batteries, cell phones, iPad, various cooking things like a small blender would be great :). AND the need to power a CPAP at night in the rooftop tent.
And I do not feel solar is for us since we 95% never stay anywhere longer than the night then move on down the trail....

If that was your criteria what would you use?

We have the RedVision with manager 30 in our 2013 JKU and absolutely love it! Yes the initial cost was significant, but the flawless performance and simplicity of operation made me quickly forget what I paid for it. We have a Switch Pros unit that controls all of the 'vehicle' functions such as lighting, communications etc, and the Redvision/manager 30 take care of the 'house' functions including camp lighting, fridge, water pump, inverter etc. We have everything mounted in the space where the 40% rear seat used to be along with inverter and 100ah lifepo battery. The manager30 charges the house battery so fast we removed the portable solar panels unless going to be in one place for several days. We have mounted the RedVision control panel on the end of our ARB fridge so its handy while in camp and working in the kitchen area. Also have control of the functions from the tablet in the cockpit. We were missing a couple of connectors from our kit and RedARC customer service in Australia was right on top of it, connecting me with Ryan thier local sales rep (also a OB member) and had the parts in a couple of days along with some install advice. The 1000 watt inverter is more than enough power for our charging needs and would not go any bigger.

Things we are going to change (and would do differently if starting from scratch)

• RedARC did not have a US approved inverter when we installed the system so we went with a 1000 watt Renogy unit. (works fine but would be nice to be able to control the on/off of the inverter thru the RedVision for full integration. Will be re-purposing the Renogy to our WJ and installing a RedARC unit when we make the other changes this year.
• Would not have installed all the electronics low down where the seat used to fold again, no issues so far, but hindsight being 2020 would like it higher in case of water intrusion from a possible failed extra deep water crossing. Also I could use the space down low for heavy tools/recovery stuff to lower center of gravity. Plan on moving all the electronics other than battery to a new cabinet on the backside of the drawer system.
• RedARC has been promising a new smaller TVMS system that is way smaller works with the current display and has most of the function of the current RedVision unit, only 1" thick, with some less tank level monitors and 40 amp capacity rather than the 80 amps of the current unit. Most of my loads I control are small amperage and we only need to monitor one tank. Was supposed to be out this spring, will be changing the current unit out to save space and weight as soon as it comes out, and will repurpose the existing unit to our future RAM truck build out which will need the larger load and monitor functions.

Glad you’re loving your system! Keep an eye out for some exciting news in the next month or so

 

[Overland True North]

We have the RedVision with manager 30 in our 2013 JKU and absolutely love it! Yes the initial cost was significant, but the flawless performance and simplicity of operation made me quickly forget what I paid for it. We have a Switch Pros unit that controls all of the 'vehicle' functions such as lighting, communications etc, and the Redvision/manager 30 take care of the 'house' functions including camp lighting, fridge, water pump, inverter etc. We have everything mounted in the space where the 40% rear seat used to be along with inverter and 100ah lifepo battery. The manager30 charges the house battery so fast we removed the portable solar panels unless going to be in one place for several days. We have mounted the RedVision control panel on the end of our ARB fridge so its handy while in camp and working in the kitchen area. Also have control of the functions from the tablet in the cockpit. We were missing a couple of connectors from our kit and RedARC customer service in Australia was right on top of it, connecting me with Ryan thier local sales rep (also a OB member) and had the parts in a couple of days along with some install advice. The 1000 watt inverter is more than enough power for our charging needs and would not go any bigger.

Things we are going to change (and would do differently if starting from scratch)

• RedARC did not have a US approved inverter when we installed the system so we went with a 1000 watt Renogy unit. (works fine but would be nice to be able to control the on/off of the inverter thru the RedVision for full integration. Will be re-purposing the Renogy to our WJ and installing a RedARC unit when we make the other changes this year.
• Would not have installed all the electronics low down where the seat used to fold again, no issues so far, but hindsight being 2020 would like it higher in case of water intrusion from a possible failed extra deep water crossing. Also I could use the space down low for heavy tools/recovery stuff to lower center of gravity. Plan on moving all the electronics other than battery to a new cabinet on the backside of the drawer system.
• RedARC has been promising a new smaller TVMS system that is way smaller works with the current display and has most of the function of the current RedVision unit, only 1" thick, with some less tank level monitors and 40 amp capacity rather than the 80 amps of the current unit. Most of my loads I control are small amperage and we only need to monitor one tank. Was supposed to be out this spring, will be changing the current unit out to save space and weight as soon as it comes out, and will repurpose the existing unit to our future RAM truck build out which will need the larger load and monitor functions.

Well I hit enter, and purchased the Manager30/RedVision and the 1000w inverter TODAY! I’m now trying to decide if I am going to go with a Expion 360 100ah battery, Lion Energy 100ah, or the Dakota Lithium 100ah…. I will be installing in the rear of my JK up on the Vector shelf I have installed already. I will be able to fabricate a nice plywood boxed environment for the system. Looking forward to starting this project.

 

[OTH Overland]

Well I hit enter, and purchased the Manager30/RedVision and the 1000w inverter TODAY! I’m now trying to decide if I am going to go with a Expion 360 100ah battery, Lion Energy 100ah, or the Dakota Lithium 100ah…. I will be installing in the rear of my JK up on the Vector shelf I have installed already. I will be able to fabricate a nice plywood boxed environment for the system. Looking forward to starting this project.

Awesome! I ended up with a Li Time Lifpo4 battery from Amazon for $350. figured I would take a chance had a couple of good reviews for build quality from YT and way cheaper than some of the name brands. I figure it is not starting my rig or doing any heavy work so if it crapped out would not be the end of the world. a bout a year and half into it and no issues or complaints. If it last 5 years I will be more than happy lol Good luck with your build and look forward to seeing some pics. Might get me off my rear to relocate my electronics to a better location this year.

 

[JackAttack]

If reliability above all else is what you want then Redarc or Victron is what you want. Out of the two I'm more inclined to Redarc as their equipment is generally less complex to install and the Australian made pride.

In any case, the setup to get is a DCDC charger w/ solar input and an appropriately sized LiFPO4 battery & solar panel. Redarc and Victron can both supply what you need for this setup.

 

[bgenlvtex]

I have a RedArc Manager 30 in my trailer. It works well and I would buy another for that application.

I have a RedArc brake controller in my Jeep, it is unreliable, buggy and overall problematic. Would not buy again.

 

[Overland True North]

Awesome! I ended up with a Li Time Lifpo4 battery from Amazon for $350. figured I would take a chance had a couple of good reviews for build quality from YT and way cheaper than some of the name brands. I figure it is not starting my rig or doing any heavy work so if it crapped out would not be the end of the world. a bout a year and half into it and no issues or complaints. If it last 5 years I will be more than happy lol Good luck with your build and look forward to seeing some pics. Might get me off my rear to relocate my electronics to a better location this year.

I went ahead and got the EXPION 360 100ah and the battery tray hold down they have...Now its pencil, ruler, and tape measure time...I will post pics when I'm done.

 

[NoMoreGreen]

This thread got me reading and considering redarc products. I see two limitations from my reading, Redarc does not charge the vehicle battery? Also, Redarc does not posses the ability to join the batteries to be jumped?

 

[Overland True North]

This thread got me reading and considering redarc products. I see two limitation from my reading, Redarc does not charge the vehicle battery? Also, Redarc does not posses the ability to join the batteries to be jumped?

I am NOT a RedArc expert….That being said, Your alternator recharges your vehicle battery As you are driving. We have done all of our overlanding with the jeeps only battery for years. Never needed to have my Jeep jumped because we didn’t use its power after we turned the Jeep off. We relied on a GoalZero. IF we ever had need to jump the Jeep we had a charged NOCO battery jumper. You could run a lithium battery in the back that has a 650cca or better and jump your car with jumper cables I suppose. I’m pretty sure Dakota Lithium has one that can do that.

The best solution might be a dual battery setup order the hood and the Redarc Manger 30 & Revision system in the back. THE DUAL BATTERY SYSTEM UP FRONT takes care of everything from the driver forward and the Redarc setup takes care of everything behind the driver.

 

[Viking1204]

@REDARC_Ryan might be able to answer your question. Not sure why you would need it to charge your starter battery since the cars alternator already does that.