The Victron Argodiode 180-3AC charges three banks from one alternator using Schottky diodes, dropping around 0.3V to 0.45V.
This is a diode isolator rather than a FET one, and the voltage drop is the difference between them. Around 0.3V at low current and 0.45V at rated output, against under 0.1V for the Argofet range. Schottky diodes improve on conventional ones but do not eliminate the loss.
That drop has to be compensated for at the charging source, so alternator or charger voltage may need adjusting. Without that compensation the banks charge to a voltage lower than intended, and over years a lead-acid bank left permanently short loses capacity.
A hundred and eighty amps across three outputs is a substantial rating for the diode range. Where the charging source cannot be adjusted, the FET-based Argofet is the better choice since it needs no compensation at all. Explore more battery isolators and charging relays.
- Diode isolation: 0.3V low, 0.45V at rated output
- The Argofet range drops under 0.1V
- The drop must be compensated at the source
- The FET version needs no compensation
