When you have a 230 V network on board, you need an electrical panel to protect the installation. This one is often quite simple with a 30 mA differential circuit breaker and circuit breakers for each of the 230 V equipments: water heater, inverter, sockets. To simplify the installation, the manufacturer Cristec decided to gather everything in one single product: a battery charger and an electrical panel.
Available in 40 and 60 A
On the YPower Shore-power unit, the battery charger is available in 40 or 60 A. With traditional lead-acid batteries, it is considered that a charger should produce about 10% of the capacity of the battery bank to be charged. A 40 A charger is therefore suitable for a 400 Ah battery pack, and a 60 A for 600 Ah. With lithium batteries this percentage rises to 30%, as the batteries can withstand a higher charge. Thus the 60 A is suitable for a 200 Ah lithium battery bank.
At the cutting edge of technology
The YPower charger is quiet because it does not contain a fan, but is cooled by natural convection. Avoiding this forced air flow, less moisture passes through the device, limiting corrosion, increasing the life span.
The YPower also has 4 outputs. It can charge 4 different battery banks. This is increasingly the case on boats with a twin engine, two starter batteries, a service battery bank and a bank for the thruster or windlass. Note that each output supports the nominal load of the charger. A 40A delivers 4 x 40A
Bluetooth compatible
Sign of the times, this charger is also compatible with a smartphone via Bluetooth. Cristec has developed an application, running on iOs and Android, to monitor and control the charger. In addition, a CAN bus, connection to a CAN network, is provided in series.
Initially thought for the first assembly in the building sites, the Cristec charger rationalizes the purchases and facilitates the assembly by limiting the interventions, a good point for this 100% French company which produces its devices in Brittany. Note that Cristec chargers are all repairable, even the old models.
The YPower Shore-power Unit is available from 1064 Âeuros TTC (price 2022).
