For the last five years, our 1990 Toyota Pickup has utilized a Redarc BCDC1225D as its DC-to-DC charger and solar charge controller. The BCDC’s diminutive size makes it an ideal choice for small battery banks in small vehicles. But, as electrical loads grow, battery capacity must keep up, and charger power output must follow. Redarc’s new Manager Alpha75 three-way battery charger offers a substantial jump in output from its previous lineup while maintaining quality by continuing to use accelerated stress screening systems, simulating over 10 years of abuse in mere hours.
The Manager Alpha is packaged with a smart battery monitor and RedVision display for easy setup, intuitive in-situ use, and electrical data (state of charge, remaining charge, and current flow) available at a glance. There are 50-, 75-, and 100-amp models available to regenerate the large (300-1,000 amp-hour) battery banks that are regularly installed in overland vehicles today. These systems, along with the desire to stay off-grid, are what the Manager Alpha series was designed for, simultaneously charging via the start battery, solar, or shore power.
Installation
It felt like Christmas morning as I opened the Amazon boxes with a couple hundred dollars worth of appropriately sized fuses, circuit breakers, cable lugs, bus bars, and crimpers. The detailed Redarc instructions made it easy to sketch out a quick schematic and make a parts list of required components well before putting hands on the Manager Alpha packaging.
To coincide with the Alpha75 install, I removed two tired 85 amp-hour AGM batteries and installed an Antigravity DC200-H 200 amp-hour lithium battery. I also installed a Redarc TVMS Rogue for seamless integration into the RedVision system, providing control and fusing of all electrical loads via the color display and the RedVision by Redarc iPhone app.
A 200 amp-hour battery is certainly on the low end of what the Redarc Alpha75 is designed for, but we’re removing our propane tank and stove in exchange for an induction cooktop (a very high-draw appliance) and will use constant-draw loads such as Starlink in the future. The high output of the Alpha75 (and its three methods of charging) should more than make up for that, allowing us to top up our battery charge each day—all while using significantly less space and saving a whopping 44 pounds from our previous setup. Actually, 75 amps is literally too much input for our battery (which has a maximum rated input of 60 amps). With the Alpha75, you can configure input amperage limits for a previously installed battery cable that’s too small, a battery bank that can’t handle the input, or both in our case. For now, we’ll limit the input and have extra capacity for future expansion.
Initial Impressions
I used the Redarc Configurator app via Bluetooth on my iPhone to set up the Alpha75 and TVMS Rouge load outputs before plugging in the shore charger overnight. The Redarc battery monitor and RedVision system calibrate the SOC during this first charge, and once the house batteries are full, the Manager Alpha can use its start-battery-charge function to trickle charge the starting battery. It does the same with solar input. The start battery recovery jumpstart function (something missing from most other DC-DC chargers) is a welcome feature for peace of mind in remote locations.
Once the crimpers were put away and the configuration was complete, we drove past withering jack-o’-lanterns, crossed the Big Orange Bridge leaving Nelson, British Columbia, and found our way onto numerous dirt roads in the Kootenays. I used the 2,000-watt inverter to boil water for coffee (using 6 percent of the battery capacity each time), the Planar 2D diesel heater for thawing out the camper and ourselves, and LED lights constantly (the sun was setting at 4:15 p.m., after all). Although the solar panels provided very little input, the truck alternator/starting battery easily topped up the house battery bank each day.
Using the TVMS Rogue for load switching via the monitor or app was seamless and eliminated the need for additional switches or fuses. Although I just scratched the surface of its capabilities, the TVMS Rogue has 8 inputs and 10 outputs and can automate everyday tasks to simplify life on the road (e.g., programming rear flood lights to turn on when you put the truck into reverse or illuminating rock lights when a door is opened.).
Conclusion
There’s always an argument that having a single device for your charging and management tasks is akin to putting all of your eggs into one basket. It’s certainly a risk, but in the five years of BCDC1225D use and months of cumulative use of the Redarc Manager30 and RedVision systems in XOverland vehicles, my confidence in their DC-DC chargers is high, and that risk seems quite low. This specific Manager Alpha worked without issue and performed as advertised.
At $3,399, the Alpha75 is not an inexpensive piece of equipment. For less than this, you could buy enough blue boxes to do much of the same thing, but you’d be using multiple devices, adding more wiring, and increasing complication to the system. What you get for the price is a relatively compact powerhouse of a device that is easy to install, comes with an expandable RedVision system, and manages DC-DC, solar, shore, and start battery charging/jump starting within itself. For large camper or van builds this solves a lot of problems.
As this goes to print, there’s another offering from Redarc that may suit a minimalist build better. A smaller, lighter, more cost-effective DC-DC and solar charge controller that still retains many of the same features has just been released, the BCDC Alpha lineup. Available in 25- and 50-amp sizes, this small yet powerful charger may be the right option if you don’t need a shore charger, the included battery monitor, or RedVision screen.
$3,399/Redarc Manager Alpha75, $679/Redarc TVMS Rogue | redarcelectronics.com/us
Specifications | Redarc Manager Alpha 75
Nominal Voltage: 12V
Current Measurement Range: ± 500A
Start Battery Input Voltage Range: 9-32VDC
Nominal Output Voltage: 12V
Compatible Battery Types: Gel, AGM, Calcium, Standard Lead Acid, Lithium
Nominal Current Rating: 75A
AC Input Voltage Range: 95 – 264 VAC rms / 45 – 65 Hz
Operating Temperature: –20°C to 60°C
Weight/Height/Width/Depth: 6.0kg/120mm/154mm/400mm
Warranty: 2 Years
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in Overland Journal’s Spring 2025 Issue.
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