The Rudman Regulator
Voltage controlled bypass regulator.
Protect your advanced lead acid AGM batteries from over voltage conditions. Modern AGM type batteries fail to equalize their charging voltages when charged in a series string. A Rudman Regulator on each 12 volts battery or block of batteries will protect them from over voltage damage during the last phase of a charge cycle.
The easiest way to maintain a equal charge on any single battery during a charging cycle is to regulate it's voltage. If all the batteries in your series string are at the same voltage during the Float stage of charging, then they will be equalized as much as possible. AGM type batteries capacity vary during manufacture, and they tend to get out of equalization during use during heavy EV cycling. The first battery to "fill Up" has a higher resistance and then robs the other batteries of the charging current that they need to be totally charged. Then during discharge the same happens to the first battery to be completely empty. So some batteries get damaged from over voltage and thermal, and some get damaged from cell reversal and never fully charged. An AGM string has very little "give" to it while finish charging. A battery bypass regulator gives the string the "give" it needs to protect the first to get full, and to pass the unneeded power along to the batteries that still are charging.
Photo of Mk0, Mk1, and Mk2 regulators. (209K) These are here for historical reference. They are no longer being manufactured.
Photo of Mk2b regulator. (207K) These are the current model
The New Mk2C Rudman Regulators have a few nifty new tricks:
First the Reg Buss is now part of the main PCB, and get this!!! it's the same size!, But the bolt patterns are a little differrent. Dimensions are 4.500 by 2.500 (Same as old MK2) Mounting holes are 4.200 by 2.200.
With the second Fet installed they can be run internal loaded, And external loaded, and the external load can drive a fan. So the fan drive trick is now stock.
They come with a on board ATO fuse holder, use 5 amps please!
They can be jumpered for Fast analog cutback mode. It lets us crank back the charger before the regs over heat.
The external load is connectorized Not fastons. Read 2 pin molex header.
The kelvin SENSE pins are now just solder pads. NOT fastons. Most folks never use this feature, so I minimized the footprints.
The RegBuss end still has the Temp sensor port for analog pull back, or HOT battery sensing. This gives us a Hook for thermal ruanaway sensing.
The total thickness of the Reg is the PCB plus the RJ connectors, or the PCB plus the fuse height. The Rj has a total height of 0.780 inches tall. This includes the PCB. We are down from 1.500 inches tall with the old Mk2 and the RegBuss installed on top of the Reg.
This page last updated on 22 August 2004 by Joe Smalley
