September 5, 2022
I’ve been wanting to post a review of this regulator for a long time now. Every time I have to deal with it in any way, I seem to get more and more angry (that should give you a hint as to which way this review is going – also the big BOO above!).
We’ll start with reliability, or rather lack thereof.
(Remember, all of this is just the opinion of one person, all be it a person with a lot of experience with boats and electronics. Don’t sue me for speaking my mind Balmar!)
In ten years of cruising on this trip, we are now on our third Balmar regulator. The first one was an MC-612 model. The second, short-lived regulator was an MC-614, as is the my current regulator. I just don’t think this is an acceptable lifespan for a product like this.
A quick Google search shows prices between $500 and up to $1,000. Ridiculous. If I knew I was buying it only once and that it would last many years, that’d be one thing, but $200 or $300 per year for voltage regulators is just too expensive.
The second issue I have with these units is the ridiculous way you have to program them. They come with a small magnetic screwdriver that you have to hold up to a red dot that’s above a magnetic switch. You have to hold it there long enough but not too long, and you have to release it over the correct cryptic display shown on an archaic LED alpha-numeric display.
Here’s an example of the procedure to program the bulk voltage…
Touch the screwdriver to the red dot. When the display says Pro release it. When you see three dashes on the display (—), touch the dot again. The display will cycle through AP0, AP1… AP5. Release it on AP5. Now the display will cycle through the advanced programming options. Touch the magnet when you see Bv (but the display has no “v” so it’s really Bu). The set voltage will display and slowly increase, a tenth of a volt at a time. Release the magnet when you see the value you want. If you want to go down instead, release the magnet. When Bu is displayed, touch the dot again and the reading will cycle down. Release the magnet when you get where you want to be. Then the unit will cycle through everything again three or so times before it saves your changes. There’s no way to know when this happens if your not watching it constantly so just leave your engine running and go to lunch!
During my last update, I had to change a setting from 3 to 50. For some reason, this setting moves very slowly, like one unit every 15 seconds. So there I am, hanging over the sharp lip of the lazarette for what felt like an hour to make this change.
The above is real. I’m not kidding. I wish I were. This is the 21st century and someone thinks this is a good user interface. I can see only two reasons for this.
- Complete incompetence (or maybe stupidity).
- Whoever designed this is sadistic and wants to inflict as much suffering on the human race as possible!
Or maybe both.
All that said, once you have suffered through the programming (possibly quite a few times to get everything right), it works pretty well (while it continues to work – which is not as long as I’d hoped).
When it fails, you’ll have to replace it as it’s submerged in epoxy to protect the unit from water, thus rendering it unserviceable. Then you have to go through this programming torture all over again.
Please someone, make something better. Here’s my wish list.
-Rich
Note: Balmar now makes the MC-618 regulator. Here’s what one vendor says about it…
Upgraded From The Mc-614 Voltage Regulator. The Mc-618 Communicates With The Sg200 Battery Monitor. The Mc-618 Battery Monitor Is Directing Your Onboard Charging Activity From Either The Sg200 2 ́ ́ Color Display And/Or The Optional Bluetooth Smartphone App. Basic Setup Functions Can Be Accomplished From The Sg200 Color Display, Smartphone App Or The Traditional On-Regulator Programming Tool. Advanced Programming Functions Are Available From The Bluetooth Smartphone App.
Not exactly the change I’d hoped for. It seems to me you might have to buy not only the regulator but the color display as well. I don’t know about it’s reliability but maybe it means an end to the magnetic screwdriver. (I’m surprised it’s not programmed with a 5-1/4 inch floppy!)
