I am considering the use of a DC-DC charger that would allow me to charge two Battle Born 100AH lithium batteries from the hitch connections on my tow vehicle. I have a couple of questions.
1) I could potentially use the "non-smart" Orion, but I would need to set the potentiometer so that the voltage from 12.2V to 14.2V. Can I do this? I gather that there is only one stage, so that I would not be able to set a float voltage... correct? Would I need to shut off the DC-DC converter after two or three hours to make sure that I did not overcharge the batteries?
2) Can I use a Smart Orion with bluetooth to configure the absorption voltage, float voltage, and the absorption time limit? I would enable the device through my ignition switch. Would the absorption time limit get set back to zero each time I took the keys out of my truck? I have two small dogs and they require alot of rest breaks. I would hate to think that I'd be overcharging my batteries because we took too many rest stops!
3) The user manual for the "non-smart" Orion says that it has an "internal input fuse" that is "not replaceable". This doesn't sound like a feature... what good is a fuse that isn't replaceable? I would plan to put fuses or breakers on either side of the Orion, but the non-smart Orion does not mention anything about fuses (or amperage values) other than this non-replaceable one. If I were to use the non-Smart Orion, should I use the fuses mentioned in the Smart Orion manual?