G'day Hamish,

This has an existing built in battery charge, so generally you won't need anything extra - however, if your new Prado has a smart alternator you'll need to invest in a DC to DC charger.

G'day Dominic,

As long as the 240v output on the Engel Battery Box covers the input charge requirements of your laptop, there's no issues using your laptop whist its charging.

G'day Andrew,

Engel has addressed this one in the product manual which we have loaded as a PDF online, I encourage you to have a read through that for further info, but I'll pop the details below:

Q. Can I charge the battery using the external terminals or accessory sockets?

A. Yes you can as long as the main isolator switch is in the “on” position. This type of
charging is not controlled by the on-board microprocessor since the charge current will
flow direct to the battery via the main isolator switch. If an external voltage regulator is
not used there is a risk of overcharging and damaging the battery. Please also consider
the accessory sockets are fused at 10A so a current flow higher than this will blow
the fuse.

The accessory socket part isn't relevant, as you're talking about using the external Anderson terminal rated at 50A.  You'll be needing a DC to DC charger, just make sure its compatible with your chosen battery chemistry.

G'day Paul,

Good question, Engel don't address charging with smart alternators in the product manual. I think the best bet will be to give Engel a buzz and double-check with their technical team, as it may depend on the make of the vehicle etc. You can reach them on 1300 302 653.

G'day Roy,

I've just had a squizz at our display battery box and double-checked on those measurements.
Essentially there are small ridges of plastic moulding inside the box, which prevents any battery from sitting right up again the external wall of the box.
The internal measurements listed are the size of the battery area, not the full length of the battery walls.
As long as your battery is no larger than the measurements you've stated, it should just fit inside the battery allowance.

Hope that helps.

G'day Natalie,

Yes, the Smart Battery Box can be used to run a fridge/freezer offgrid, although you'll also need a way to keep the battery charged (solar is usually the best option). Generally, we recommend picking a fridge size that will suit your needs, for two people this will usually be about 30-50L capacity, for families, usually 40-80L capacity. We sell a wide range of sizes and brands, you can find them all here: https://www.snowys.com.au/portable-fridges

G'day Tracy,

Unfortunately not, they have a 300W maximum, so you won't be able to attach a hairdryer. Hair Dryers, unfortunately, use a lot of power and aren't really suitable for portable off-grid power usage.

G'day Matthew,

There is just the 1 x Anderson Input/Output, and as far as we know you won't be able to use it for input and output with a double adapter, we'd recommend using the positive/negative terminals on the end to connect the solar panel if you're wanting to use Anderon for output. The Hard Korr Crocskin 200W Panel is a popular combination with this battery box.

G'day Alex,

Good question, Engel don't address charging with smart alternators in the product manual. I think the best bet will be to give Engel a buzz and double-check with their technical team, as it may depend on the make of the vehicle etc. You can reach them on 1300 302 653.

In terms of isolating - the 12V charger plugs directly into a 12V cigarette socket, so if your accessory sockets automatically turn off with the vehicle you should be ok, if not, then you'll be at risk of flattening your battery. Engel indicate that you can use these in a dual battery set up, and they can be set up to isolate, however they recommend getting an auto-electrician to wire this up.

G'day Toni,

The battery box already has a DC-DC charger built into it, so there is no need to buy one.

G'day Ethan,

Your battery box will need to be turned on in order to charge it. You can leave the battery box on charge, however, if you're not actively using it will just enter the float stage of the charge cycle.

G'day Pete,

Yes, the Battery Box is supplied with a 12V cigarette plug lead so you can charge from the 12v outlet in your vehicle.

G'day Kevin,

Unfortunately, we have no stock to go and measure to double-check this for you, however, the listed specifications have been provided by Engel and match their website too, so they should be accurate. I think you might struggle to fit the battery you're looking at as they're not overly forgiving. We'd be happy to measure for you when they're back in stock, however giving the degree of margin you're looking at I'm not sure we could give an accurate measure down that small sorry.

G'day Andrew,

There aren't any specific numbers provided by Engel on the charge time via 12V DC as there are a few variables. Best bet will be to have a look through the Instruction Manual (available for download at the bottom of the specifications section). The inbuilt smart charger cycles through a range of stages to optimise charge performance, so you could be looking at a few hours, to a few days, depending on how much you're running your engine, and how depleted the battery is. If you're wanting to wire the unit as a second battery option Engel suggests discussing this with an auto-electrician. 

G'day Andrew,

Your best bet will be to double-check the instruction manual that you can download at the bottom of the specifications section to check battery size, but yes, you should be able to fit a maximum 140Ah LiFePO4.

The Posi-Fit plug is specific to Engel, Wade. You can probably make up something that will convert it to a standard cig socket, although a more secure way about it would be to convert the cig socket to a Posi-fit. You'll probably need to search around some electronics and 12V shops to find the bits you need though.

G'day James,

Good question, it's not something that Engel address in the product manual. I think the best bet will be to give Engel a buzz and double check with their technical team, as it may depend on the make of the vehicle etc. You can reach them on 1300 302 653.

G'day Darrell,

The Smart Battery Box can be used with batteries from 60Ahr to 140Ahr. So you shouldn't have a problem with your 80Ahr or 98Ahr battery.

G'day Peter,

Great question, you can use the battery box to jump-start a car, there are a few things to consider. If you use a cold cranking battery in the box you can just connect it and then start the engine. If you use a deep cycle battery in the box then you'll need to connect it for an hour to charge and then start the engine. On the left hand end under the little hatch there are standard battery terminals you can connect your jumper leads to.

G'day Rod,

The Engel Smart Battery Box can be connected to solar by an Anderson plug, the battery box does not have its own regulator so your solar panel would need to have its own regulator in-line. You can find the Anderson plug outlet on the side of the unit. 

G'day Jez,

The Engel Battery Box is not internally regulated for solar. An external Lifepo Lithium regulator is required. 

G'day Joe,

I've not been able to get a direct answer from Engel however everything in their User Manual stipulates they are only compatible with batteries up to 140AHr so unfortunately, I don't think it's going to be compatible with your 145Ah battery.

G'day Casey,

If your fridge and lights both have a normal 12V cig-plug you could grab yourself a double cig-plug adapter from somewhere like Jaycar, this should be fine as long as you don't exceed the limit of the adapter (usually around 10AMP). Alternately you could grab an Anderson to 12V cig adapter and run one of them from that output.  

G'day Lyn,

The Engel Smart Battery Box Series 2 is just an inverter box so doesn't actually have an internal battery, you would need to purchase a deep cycle battery separately to use in the unit. If you're needing to run a 12V fan while away from your vehicle then you could grab a CoolPower RAPS44 Power Pack, Goal Zero Yeti 150 or Companion Power Pack 44Ah depending on how many amps your fan draws and how long you'd like to run it for.

G'day Adrian,

Providing you have a regulator or charge controller on the solar panel, you should have no issues charging simultaneously. 

G'day Annette,

You can use as large a sized solar panel as you like with the Engel Smart Battery Box Series 2, as long as the solar panel has an inbuilt charge controller, which most will have these days.  Hope that helps.

G'dau Greig,

I've just double checked this and I can confirm that the Smart Battery Box Series 2 comes with a 12v and 240v cable.

G'day Billy-Ray,

Yes, you absolutely can charge and discharge at the same time. Its really important to note though, if charging your Engle Smart Battery Box Series 2 with solar panels, the charge goes directly to the battery and NOT through the Smart System.  In this case, you will need to use any solar system with a regulator.

G'day Darren,

The maximum continuous power the Smart Battery Box can tolerate 300 watts, with a spike output power of 900W. So in short, no you won't be able to charge a 400-watt hour lithium bike battery with this unit.

G'day Steve,

There is both a standard cigarette style 12V plug and an Engel 12V socket, so there won't be any need to replace or remove any of the ports.

G'day John,

Yes, you can charge the Engel Smart Battery Box Series 2 using a solar panel. You'll just need to make sure your solar panel has a regulator and can connect via an Anderson plug.

G'day Tom,

We've double checked with Engel, and the Smart Battery Box Series 2 can be used with LiFePO4 batteries. The lead supplied will be able to charge all battery types used in the unit.

G'day Steve,

I've just consulted the tech experts and the Engel Smart Battery Box Series 2 doesn't have an overcharging protection mechanism so you'll need to use it with a solar regulator. Most Solar Panels have these inbuilt and attached to the back of the panel.

G'day Jeff,

Engel indicate that the Smart Battery Box Series 2 is compatible with a range of battery types: LiFePO4, Gel, Calcium, AGM or lead acid. There isn't a specific battery they suggest but a battery specialist like Battery World will be able to run you through the features of the different battery types and help you to choose the best option.

G'day Alex,

Sorry mate but I'm not entirely sure I know what you mean by externally vented or sealed? I've run it past a few of the staff and I think we'd prefer you gave us a call just so we can clarify what you're after to get you the right answer. Feel free to get in touch on 1300 914 007.

G'day Patrick,

It would depend on which battery you put into the Engel Smart Battery Box Series 2. A lead acid battery with take a different amount of time to charge than a calcium or lithium battery. Best bet would be to check the battery you choose for charge times, and to check the amperage of your 12V ports in the vehicle you're planning to charge from. 

G'day Colin,

I've given Engel a buzz to suss this out for you. They told me that the Smart Battery Box Series 2 just has the one Anderson outlet that you can use to both charge or run things from your battery but being only one outlet, you can't do both at the same time. It also doesn't come with a low voltage cut out, so will run your battery dry if you're not careful. 

G'day Justin,

We don't stock the ArkPak 730 but having just done some research online, I reckon they are exactly identical in their functionality to the Engel Smart Battery Box Series 2. 

G'day Paul, 

We're not entirely sure what you mean by BCDC charger, but the Smart Battery Box can be charged via 240V mains power (adaptor included) from a vehicle's DC socket (cord included) and on 12 or 24 volt DC.

I hope this answers your query, but if not then please feel free to give our customer service team a buzz on 1300 914 007 and they'll be happy to help. 

G'day Roland,

The Engel Smart Battery Box Series 2 has a modified sine inverter and doesn't use an MPPT controller, no.