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ECTIVE

Leisure batteries and DC-DC charging

A battery and the charger that fills it from an alternator — two halves of the same job.

Why a DC-DC charger exists

A modern vehicle alternator is managed by the engine computer and does not hold a steady charging voltage. Connected straight to a leisure battery, it undercharges it for years and then the battery dies early.

A battery-to-battery charger takes whatever the alternator gives and produces a proper charging profile from it. That is what the second product here does.

The AGM battery

Absorbed glass mat: the electrolyte is held in a fibre separator rather than free liquid. That makes it sealed, spill-proof and tolerant of vibration — all three of which matter in something that moves.

It is also less tolerant of deep discharge than lithium, and heavier per usable amp-hour.

What the pages check

Capacity, cycle life at a stated depth of discharge, and whether the charger has a profile for the chemistry it is being asked to fill.

ECTIVE in this catalogue

  • ECTIVE BB 20C PRO, 20 A adjustable, 12 V to 12 V

    5, 10, 15 or 20 A selectable · 12 V to 12 V · engine detection not described · AGM, gel, flooded and LiFePO4, for 10–200 Ah banks · no solar input · cable not specified · fuse requirements not published · Bluetooth, CI-Bus and CAN-Bus

    A 20 A DC-DC charger with the output current selectable at 5, 10, 15 or 20 A, Bluetooth monitoring and both CI-Bus and CAN-Bus interfaces for integration into a caravan system.

    Best for: A caravan with an existing bus system, where the charger should report into it rather than stand alone.

    ≈ €199

  • ECTIVE DC80, 12 V 80 Ah AGM, up to 55 % usable

    80 Ah at 12 V · AGM, maintenance-free · up to 55 % usable capacity · up to 700 cycles · low internal resistance · sealed and vibration-resistant

    A 12 V 80 Ah AGM deep-cycle battery rated for up to 700 cycles, and the only battery in this catalogue whose listing publishes a usable capacity figure.

    Best for: A van fit-out where the working capacity, rather than the rated one, is what the budget is built on.

    ≈ €128

A price quoted in the text of a PowerVerdict page dates from the day that page was written; the live figure beside each product is fetched while you read and replaces it.