To anyone reading this and thinking "not this one again" apologise.

Have been searching for days now and still can't find the information im after on Battery Support Units in one thread. Just bits here and there.
What are people using to maintain their voltage while using SDD. Do I really need to spend 700+?

I own a 2014 LR2 Dynamic with Meridian Highline audio,DAB,SAT NAV, Hands free etc. Want to upgrade to premium.
I have SDD v157 with a genuine DA dongle j2534.

Question here is. What are you using with SDD to maintain healthy voltage? Keep your battery icon green?

Personally I use a 240v power supply that will allow me to adjust dc output voltage to around 14v, never had an issue writing to the CCF. Others just use a good battery charger.

Nick (Now Sold). 2008 Freelander 2 (Nazca Sand) SE TD4 Auto. Statutory write off & on WOVR for hail damage but still road legal.
171037Km as of 09/05/22
Superchips Bluefin Flash
Nanocom Evo II (also sold)

Thanks Nick. What is the current output. I have a NOCO G15000 but it's only 15amps output. SDD recommends 25amp.

Off the top of my head, I think it's 20amps & as I said I've never had any issues with it. (Now Sold). 2008 Freelander 2 (Nazca Sand) SE TD4 Auto. Statutory write off & on WOVR for hail damage but still road legal.
171037Km as of 09/05/22
Superchips Bluefin Flash
Nanocom Evo II (also sold)

I’ve been looking for a power supply and best I can find at reasonable cost £100 ish are ham radio power supplies
They seem to fit the bill loads on eBay

This is identical to what I use.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/AC-240v-To-DC-C...SwYgxaztH3 (Now Sold). 2008 Freelander 2 (Nazca Sand) SE TD4 Auto. Statutory write off & on WOVR for hail damage but still road legal.
171037Km as of 09/05/22
Superchips Bluefin Flash
Nanocom Evo II (also sold)

https://www.jhmbuttco.com/doctor-charge-50-support-unit.html
Have found this but still more than I want to pay.

Great topic, one I have a bit of experience in but I'm still not decided on the best course of action.

If you disconnect the car battery and put an industrial power supply on, with ignition on and HVAC off, the freelander 2 will draw a peak of around 20amp (my car settles to about 15amp after a short while). HVAC will put another 10 to 30amp, PTC will add another 40 to 60amp.

So without a BSU, HVAC off, you'll be drawing a reasonable bit of power from the battery and you'll see a decent voltage sag (compare voltage across the battery with ignition off (CANbus asleep) and ignition on). This is why a BSU is recommended, static power consumption is different on the various models, I've seen new cars draw 110amp peak with ignition on.

So what happens when the battery voltage drops, sort of depends on the module. Nearly all modules are rated to 9.7v, but crank voltage is usually specified between 11 and 12v. If you drop below the upper voltage the module will block a reflash (awaiting an engine crank), if the voltage drops below 9.7, you'll probably find most modules have shut off completely and won't turn back on until they see a healthy voltage.

Will a low voltage even brick an IPC or BCM during a CCF flash, well it depends when the voltage goes low. If the voltage sags when flashing the SBL, the module is going to be bricked, but not broken. If it sags while flashing the actual CCF you can probably recover it, but I'm not sure what will happen with the security system.

So what do I do, well despite having a 60amp 20v industrial power supply, I usually use a 6amp CTEK and hope for the best, or worse, periodically start the engine to boost battery voltage.

I know I should use a BSU, but a decent, reliable BSU is going to cost at least £450.

I use this for any programming

https://shop.aes.group/gysflash-10012-batt...zsQAvD_BwE

Thats what I have for use in a specialist workshop, though that's probably a bit overkill for the DIY enthusiast

All it takes is one failed download, and you could potentially be in for a £1k bricked module. At that point, a good BSU is worth every penny

It's also worthwhile noting that a 20A+ charger IS NOT the same as a battery supply unit

Thank you Vanny. Great input. This is the kind of info I've been struggling to track down.

Mikey:
This is the kind of BSU I've been looking at but have been trying to find out if I really need to purchase.

So many threads on this forum and many others on how they have upgraded this and modified that with CCF edits flashed. Threads on SDD but still looking for leads on how to get started without causing too much damage. Guess maintaining voltage is first and foremost.

I have started with a NOCO genius G15000 which is my battery charger and is 15amp. It maintains the battery but does flit between green and yellow battery state when using SDD. Not red yet. It has a 13v power constant setting but is only 5amp rated.

This is the reason for seeking advice on best BSU at best price. Hence the question on what others are using.

Mikey wrote:

It's also worthwhile noting that a 20A+ charger IS NOT the same as a battery supply unit

Mikey wrote:

It's also worthwhile noting that a 20A+ charger IS NOT the same as a battery supply unit

this is interesting, as its probably the main reason that I don't play with SDD more than I would like too.

I have been looking at these

https://www.amazon.co.uk/R%C3%B6hr-Battery...mp;sr=8-44

(also looking at the smaller one listed at the bottom)

I know these are chargers and not supply units, but in my head its got to be better than a wing and prayer?

The lack of a proper BSU is probably the reason most of us shouldn't play with SDD, but we DIY'ers do

Last edited by Lewis_d on 1st Sep 2019 11:13 am. Edited 1 time in total