From over 40 years of experience travelling Australia with motorbikes and 4WDs I have witnessed and experienced first hand the impact that our rugged land can have on mechanical, electrical and especially electronic equipment. In fact if you wanted to put together a destruction test for you vehicle, you couldn’t do much better than several thousand kilometers of corrugations, dust and heat with a few water crossings throw in for good measure. Even in my truck Milo I’ve had plenty of issues with chargers and inverters packing up on me, usually just when I needed them.
So when it came to fitting out my new truck Milo 2 I was determined to make sure that the equipment was up to the task, which is whay REDARC was the obvious choice. and not just because they are based in South Australia and their products are designed specifically to cope with Australia conditions.
The dashboard in Milo 2 is a pretty unique feature with the World War 2 Lancaster Bomber Arming Panel used as the focal point for all of the switches. My mate Richard from SMART Automotive Solutions who helped me build Milo 2, gave me the panel as a present when we were half way through the project. Whatever other instruments were going in the dash had to not only look the part, but also have the same durability as the switch panel. The REDARC instrument dials worked perfectly above the switch panel and provide me with Battery Voltage, Boost Pressure, Oil Pressure and Water Temperature.
Now for years I ran Milo without a DC/DC charger, instead I had a battery isolator switch that I used to control which of the my two batteries I was charging/using for accessories. But with Milo 2 I decided that I would have a dedicated auxiliary battery in the ute canopy to run the fridge and camping lights. To look after this I decided on the REDARC 1230 Battery Management System which incorporates AC, DC and solar inputs to achieve the best charge for the auxiliary battery. For me the best feature about this system is the remote panel which provides a simple overview and full control, plus it means that the system itself can be tucked away out of sight.
With all the camera gear, drones and computers that I cart around nowadays for filming I knew that I would need a decent pure sine wave inverter, and once again REDARC was the right there with the perfect solution. There are a lot of cheap high wattage inverters on the market nowadays, but trust me they are not hing like the quality of the REDARC units.
I am sure that I could have gotten all this gear to work eventually, but luckily my mate Richard stepped up and offered to help with the install of the whole dual battery system in the canopy, so I not only ended up wioth the best equipment, but I also know that the install is spot on.
If you are new to the 4WD scene, or simply not up to speed with the 12V systems available, you really need to take a closer look at what REDARC has to offer. The business is based in South Australia, and has over 40 years’ experience in the research, design, development and manufacture of a range of electronic voltage converters and associated products, inverters, power supplies, battery chargers, brake controllers and trailer braking products.
The business was founded in August of 1979 by electronics engineer, Robin (Bob) William Mackie in South Australia. Bob started the business by designing and manufacturing vehicle ignition systems and voltage converters. In fact, the name REDARC is believed to have come from the spark developed in the first ignition system having a “red arc”. In 1997 Anthony and Michele Kittel along with Michele’s Father, Denis Brion purchased the business following the premature death of its founder.
Under the current ownership, REDARC has grown from these humble beginnings to become a world-class, advanced electronics manufacturer, servicing both domestic and international markets. Through rapid growth, REDARC has had to move premises several times. In 1997 they were operating out of a tin shed in Lonsdale, South Australia with only had 8 employees. In 2015, REDARC acquired Hummingbird Electronics. a company renowned for their bespoke product development, unparalleled specialist knowledge and importantly for quality customer service. REDARC and Hummingbird are highly complementary with comprehensive product portfolios, industry-leading technological and innovative excellence together with outstanding staff.
The expansion of REDARC’s Lonsdale facility has added 3,000sqm of advanced manufacturing space. The $22 million development will enable REDARC to increase its manufacturing capacity by a staggering 250% and significantly increase productivity. The additional space now houses state of the art equipment such as a new Surface Mount Technology line for loading electronic components, an Electromagnetic Compatibility chamber and a Vibration test lab that enables highly accelerated lifetime testing of products that can simulate 10 years of life in just two days.
REDARC has been able to “buck the trend” against the offshoring of manufacturing in Australia through a program of significant reinvestment into research & development, staff development and training.