Date:         Sat, 25 Aug 2012 16:27:06 -0700
Reply-To:     Don Hanson <dhanson928@GMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Don Hanson <dhanson928@GMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: battery kill switch
In-Reply-To:  <CANMEa3jtW8S+ymTCwvOGDhrW_gkBU6tmx5AJCuKHu03ddQ4QCg@mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1

  Well geeze, guys....sorry I bothered you trying to help by posting an
option that I know exists.   sigh...

   I don't know the specific (part #?) switch that might go into any
particular application.  There are lots of them listed with various
configurations and specs.  You'd have to read up and decide.  There seems
to be room for most all of the offerings in that Pegassus Racing or Summit
Racing, or JC Whitney and yes....even Harbor Freight.

   The thing about Harbor Freight and JC W.....their quality control sucks!
  If you are actually going to use something, depend on having it work
every time, I'd skip Harbor Freight...

  For something like a Battery cut-off switch...on a race car they are
tested at each track outing at the Tech Inspection .You drive up and the
Tech guys reach out and switch off your "Power" switch, to see if it
actually will work, just in case  a corner worker has to use it later in
the day to prevent an explosion or something, should you crash or be
crashed......    Say you mounted  one of the H.F. ones and it doesn't
work......You fail the tech inspection, right there...You'll then miss your
race...Dumb.  You could be out a whole lot of time and money because you
tried to save a few bucks on a cheap switch.....Or your car could 'not
start'  Yeah, there isn't much to a switch...but HF manages to screw up
even bulb sockets with NO moving parts, so....

    I don't need to kill all the power in my vanagon very often, and when I
do it doesn't bother me to pull the battery terminals...Yeah, a external
main battery switch would be handy..but I haven't found the time or a
pressing need for one yet.

  If I ever do, I think I will probably select a marine type Battery switch
with positions for  "Batt A/ Batt B/ Both batt/ and Batt OFF"
options...Those are clunky and big and expensive but they do the things I
would want....For now, I get by with a mechanical relay ala Ford
pickup/camper option and pulling the terminals of the battery's.

  Don Hanson
On Sat, Aug 25, 2012 at 7:52 AM, Tom Buese <tantonbz@gmail.com> wrote:

> Those kill switches look identical to ones @ HF which I believe I paid
> about $3 for a battery shutoff switch.
> Must be the difference between an Apple & a Samsung?
>
> YMMV,
>
> Mr. BZ-never got around to installing
>
>
> On Sat, Aug 25, 2012 at 9:43 AM, Alistair Bell <albell@shaw.ca> wrote:
>
> > oh that's all great don, but why not tell us which models fit vanagons,
> > especially vanagons with battery under front passenger seat.
> >
> > alistair
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > On 2012-08-24, at 9:46 PM, Don Hanson wrote:
> >
> > >  Most of the racer supply houses have main electrical switches that can
> > > take all the power from the vehicle.  They are required on racecars.
> > Lots
> > > are activated with a pull handle that is wired to be accessable outside
> > the
> > > vehicle in the event of a crash where the driver might be unconscious,
> > > etc....The track crew can see this red handle clearly marked, jerk it,
> > and
> > > all the power is cut...
> > >
> > >   Many of these switches have a removable "key"..too.     It would be a
> > > simple task to install one near the passenger seat, into the main
> battery
> > > area....with the wire pull for use to the outside of a race car, you
> > could
> > > also have a mechanical 'remote' switch.....
> > >
> > >  If this link works....
> > > https://www.pegasusautoracing.com/group.asp?GroupID=SWITCHBATT
> > >
> > >   They even have some that have a feature to save your
> > > alternator...whatever that means....
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > On Fri, Aug 24, 2012 at 4:52 PM, Derek Drew <derekdrew@derekmail.com>
> > wrote:
> > >
> > >> How many amps is that thing rated for?
> > >>
> > >> Also, have you got a before and after voltage drop during starting?
> > >>
> > >> If we get positive answers to these questions, I think this is really
> > >> a great device, and may even be better than a bucket full of relays,
> > >> isolators, and combiners.
> > >>
> > >> The reason I say this is because I have been using this method for
> > >> years, only instead of a switch, I have just been grabbing the
> > >> terminal and shoving it on and off the battery as needed and to my
> > >> astonishment, it seems to work really well to do it that way however
> > >> goofy it sounds.
> > >>
> > >> And I used to use relays and love relays! But it is hard to find good
> > >> practical relays relay rated at 400 amps. (Winch, 30amp inverter).
> > >>
> > >>
> > >> At 06:29 PM 8/24/2012, you wrote:
> > >>
> > >>> The recent posts on Yahoo syncro group and the Samba about serious
> > >>> electrical faults causing fires and or van moving by itself, plus a
> > >>> timely trip to Princess Auto got me a kill switch for main battery
> > >>>
> > >>> http://shufti.wordpress.com/**2012/08/24/vanagon-main-**
> > >>> battery-kill-switch/<
> > http://shufti.wordpress.com/2012/08/24/vanagon-main-battery-kill-switch/
> >
> > >>>
> > >>>
> > >>> alistair
> > >>>
> > >>
> > >> ______________________________**_________________
> > >> Derek Drew
> > >> Washington DC / New York
> > >> derekdrew@derekmail.com
> > >> Email is best normally but...
> > >> PHONE: 202-966-7907 (Call the number at left normally)
> > >> (alt/cell for diligent calling only): 703-408-1532
> > >>
> >
>
>
>
> --
> Tom Buese
>