Can anyone help me with a wiring diagram?

[Brett Hays]

We're finishing up a party bus with a sound system and led lighting, etc. in the back. I need to charge the main bus batteries (2) and a deep cycle in the rear from the bus alternators or from a gas powered 12vdc generator I put together with a honda motor and an alternator. Here's how it should work:

- When bus is running: alternator should charge both front and rear batteries

- When Generator is running: it should charge the batteries

- If generator nor bus running: isolator should protect main batteries from being run down.

I am unsure what needs to go to chassis ground, vs negative battery terminal, etc. Can someone connect the dots for me?

here's the drawing without connections: http://www.flickr.co...air/6944679259/

Here's the stereo diagram: http://www.flickr.co...air/6944679301/

And here's the manual for the isolator: http://www.abt.com/d...C200_manual.pdf

Can I ground the battery in the rear to chassis or do I need to run all the way back to the front batteries negative posts? I really appreciate any help.

[DRCinc]

from what i can tell

ground everything in the back to the rear battery and the rear battery to chassis

[larrys95civic]

Why not just use a generator with a 12 volt charger?

[Brett Hays]

Why not just use a generator with a 12 volt charger?

Everything on the bus with the exception of two lcd tv's is 12vdc so it made much more sense to run an alternator on a small gas engine as power when parked.

Thanks for the reply. Here's what I had come up with. The switch on the ground side of the isolator I am not sure I need. I want the system to be fully automated, ie if the bus alternator or the alternator on the little gas engine is producing power, the system would run on all three batteries. If not, the system would run just on the gel cell in the rear. There will never be times when both would be running that I can foresee. The plan is simply to run the generator (small engine powered alternator) when parked.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/98183180@N00/6800175800/

Is there a danger in the two alternators back feeding one another or causing a problem that way?

[95legwagon]

i would think the 2 different alts would interfere if they had different voltage set point ie: 1 charges @ 13.6v and the other charges @ 14.4..... ran into this problem running 2 different alts on my car....i was advised not to connect them in the same circuit as it could cause potental problems....fire. but if voltage set points are the same all the way up the rpm range or at least as close as possible i dont see a major problem....but still wouldnt advise it.( if your running the 2 alts @ the same time) if you do decide to use 2 different alts use fuses.

why not connect the bus batts to one side of isolator. then connect the generator to accesory bat and wire the isolater's second charge post up to that .... then run the ignition wire post on the isolator to a wire that connects between the generator and the ignition on the bus so that when the bus is running it charges all batteries.....then when the generator is running its doing the same.....but when nothing is running it'll run off the accesory battery ( if you connect everything to that battery for entertainment)

seems logical.... i think ill make a paint diagram

edit: sorry for my fail of a schematic but this is how i would do it.

[95legwagon]

another thing ...i just looked at your isolator and thats a wierd style.... the one i used grounded through the case.... basically where you mounted it had to be clean bare metal..... and i had 4 posts (1.) bat post 1... (2) charging post....(3) bat post 2 .... and (4) ignition for the isolator to turn on.