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Ok to connect truck to a 12V power supply for OTA installs?

pavementends

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Like many others, my truck received Power-Up 3.5.2 almost two months ago and nothing since. In anticipation/preparation for the MASSIVE OTA Power-Up 3.5.3, I've been connecting a Noco Genius 10 up to the battery/terminals on the truck using the 12V POWER SUPPLY mode overnight lately. I'm doing this because low temps have been in the teens (F) and I want to avoid update(s) failing due to insufficient voltage. The 12V POWER SUPPLY mode on the Genius 10 supplies 13.6V continuously. I'm decent with electronics and have a basic understanding of electrical systems (I'm only a civil engineer 😆), but I'm drawing a blank on this: will leaving my truck connected to a 13.6V power supply source do any damage to my battery (ie overcharge it)? For the battery it's the same as being charged by the alternator, but I suppose without the rectifier function to prevent overcharging, right? The power supply function is intended to keep a vehicle's electrical system energized during battery swaps, and I'm fairly certain dealers hook up a 12v power supply to diagnose or force updates in FDRS, but I'm unsure if there's a problem with keeping it connected for 12+ hours overnight. The Genius 10 case is cool the touch in the mornings lately - doesn't seem like it's working hard at all. Thanks for any input.

Ford F-150 Ok to connect truck to a 12V power supply for OTA installs? Genius10_FRONT_RENDER
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I use a battery tender. Have it hard wired. All I have to do is open hood and plug it in. As long as whatever device you use has circuitry that turns it off when the battery is full you will be in good shape. If you look for fordtechmakuloco on YouTube he has a recent video on this and how to properly connect a charger/maintainer to the battery so the BMS knows that you are charging it.
 

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It appears that for one reason or another Ford isn't pushing 3.5.3 right now, or at least nobody on this forum is getting it pushed to them successfully anyways. You might hold off until we all see it being pushed regularly again.
 
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pavementends

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I use a battery tender. Have it hard wired. All I have to do is open hood and plug it in. As long as whatever device you use has circuitry that turns it off when the battery is full you will be in good shape. If you look for fordtechmakuloco on YouTube he has a recent video on this and how to properly connect a charger/maintainer to the battery so the BMS knows that you are charging it.
Thanks, he does good videos for sure. I've seen most of them, but not that one yet. He does a good job of explaining Ford's BMS basics and how the battery "sensor" he calls it (aka a "shunt") is involved with the vehicle calculating the SOC. Even though my commute is only 12-14 minutes each way, my truck hasn't ever displayed a low battery notification. I think my situation is a little different; I want to keep my battery topped of just in case an OTA comes through, especially during the winter months. Maybe what I'm asking is whether it's better to use the 12V (AGM) CHARGING mode or the 12V POWER SUPPLY mode for this purpose. Either way, sounds like I should connect at or downstream of the shunt, just so the vehicle's BMS correctly tracks the amperage input...

 

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It appears that for one reason or another Ford isn't pushing 3.5.3 right now, or at least nobody on this forum is getting it pushed to them successfully anyways. You might hold off until we all see it being pushed regularly again.
I concur with this. Also, the few people that got it didn't know they were getting it and weren't on a battery charger when it came in and installed. Right now, I don't think it is worth the hassle of putting it on a charger every day. Once it starts getting rolled out, if you are concerned about the climate affecting your ability to get it to install properly, then perhaps you can do it. However, seeing as no one on here or in F150forum (which I monitor closely, as well) has reported getting in weeks, I would save the effort.
 

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Thanks, he does good videos for sure. I've seen most of them, but not that one yet. He does a good job of explaining Ford's BMS basics and how the battery "sensor" he calls it (aka a "shunt") is involved with the vehicle calculating the SOC. Even though my commute is only 12-14 minutes each way, my truck hasn't ever displayed a low battery notification. I think my situation is a little different; I want to keep my battery topped of just in case an OTA comes through, especially during the winter months. Maybe what I'm asking is whether it's better to use the 12V (AGM) CHARGING mode or the 12V POWER SUPPLY mode for this purpose. Either way, sounds like I should connect at or downstream of the shunt, just so the vehicle's BMS correctly tracks the amperage input...

According to the manual that came with my NOCO Genius GenPro 10x1 it says to connect the negative terminal to a body ground which is how I installed it (see attached picture). Anyone know if that's the right way to do it? When I first hooked it up I did it as shown in this video but then after reading the manual I moved it to a body ground.

Ford F-150 Ok to connect truck to a 12V power supply for OTA installs? IMG_5102
 
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pavementends

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According to the manual that came with my NOCO Genius GenPro 10x1 it says to connect the negative terminal to a body ground which is how I installed it (see attached picture). Anyone know if that's the right way to do it? When I first hooked it up I did it as shown in this video but then after reading the manual I moved it to a body ground.

IMG_5102.jpg
Yes, that is correct. You want to be at or downstream of the shunt, which that is (y)
 

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Yes, that is correct. You want to be at or downstream of the shunt, which that is (y)
So you don't think it really matters if it's connected to a body ground or on the terminal on top of the shunt?
 
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pavementends

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So you don't think it really matters if it's connected to a body ground or on the terminal on top of the shunt?
Nope, it's the same circuit. Just don't connect it directly to the terminal clamp, which would bypass the shunt so the vehicle's BMS would track SOC incorrectly.
 

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pavementends

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pavementends

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FYI in case anyone has the same product and question - sounds like regular 12V AGM Charge mode is best...

Ford F-150 Ok to connect truck to a 12V power supply for OTA installs? Screenshot_20221130-165847
 

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Does yours have a POWER SUPPLY mode? Or just charging?
It's a waterproof charger, maintainer and desulfator with temperature compensation, but it doesn't have power supply mode. I wanted something I could permanently mount in the engine bay so I wouldn't have to pop the hood to charge it. I just have to make sure I don't back out of the garage with it plugged in. For now I put a Post-It note on my steering wheel as a reminder, but I need to come up with a better way.
 

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It's a waterproof charger, maintainer and desulfator with temperature compensation, but it doesn't have power supply mode. I wanted something I could permanently mount in the engine bay so I wouldn't have to pop the hood to charge it. I just have to make sure I don't back out of the garage with it plugged in. For now I put a Post-It note on my steering wheel as a reminder, but I need to come up with a better way.
I have the same charger mounted in just about the same spot on my Powerboost. I ended up running an extension cord permanently to it and coming out by the engine block heater plug. I added a Noco dual-plug adapter as well. Dropped some photos and details here:
https://www.f150gen14.com/forum/threads/battery-tender.11792/post-263506
 

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