Out of the 2 times I've tried it using techstream before I was unable to complete the process and the car had died, even off a fresh battery. From my reading, I just want to try this in it's entirely before having to replace the brake actuator or selling the car. So I've been trying to get some advice from people on a good battery charger or I suppose maintainer to preform this procedure.

 

I'd suggest the PowerMax RV power supply over the Clore, from the post you're referencing. The intent of these is to supply all of the current needed to power the car while on without the engine running. 20 amps is not that much for a modern high-tech car. You can minimize draw by switching off lights, HVAC, etc., but I'd be looking at closer to 50 amps to be safe.

Schumacher and Deutronics are some of the best, but also $$$. RV power supplies are a good way to go; you just need high amperage DC to hook up while running diagnostics, flashing modules, or whatever you're doing. I personally have an Iota DLS 75, which is probably overkill. Key thing is to make sure that whatever you get puts out a constant 13.4 to 13.8 volts.

 

Yeah that was my concern with some previously posted suggestions and other recommendations I've heard. There is one big ls460 thread that I'm following and the main user and starter of that thread often recommended a 12V converter. I honestly do not know too much on this specific topic, but I would like to be able to give it a try instead of letting the car sit as it is.

The CLORE one seemed reasonable to me only because it is a simple clamp with the power supply setting and I should be good, also nice if my battery does ever die. The RV charger you attached I saw too and for the price it doesn't look bad, I just am not versed enough to know how to use it properly to be honest. If the CLORE 12v would be enough just for my brake bleeds it would be ideal, but I am unsure hence why I've been asking around.

 

RV charger is the same; just hook up and go. Most of them are designed to be wired in though, so you'd need to fashion a set of cables with clamps. I bought cheap jumper cables at Harbor Freight, cut the clamps off of one end, and then stripped the cables at the cut end.

The difference with the supply is that it won't place a load on the circuit to charge the battery, it will only supply current as needed to maintain the target voltage (up to its maximum, of course). Something like the Schumacher INC-700A will already have cables attached, but it will be at least $600. It looks like PowerMax has one set up with cables, specifically for automotive diagnostic work: Battery Maintainer Charger Diagnostic Reflash Programming Calibration (powermaxconverters.com)

You could make one cheaper, but if you're not very familiar with power supplies that's a reasonably-priced option. I paid $150 for my power supply, used, on eBay, plus $30 or so for cables.

 

I'll definitely have to think about it and do some more research. My case being that if 20A, 12V power supply output is enough through the CLORE one then its easier for me to stick with that while also getting a charger out of it. For the purpose of the Brake Bleed in my case I think it might just be enough as its not going to be pulling constantly, but having overhead in terms of the RV charger would be nice.

 

So sorry, I don't know how I missed this at first. The Clore 20AMP will work really well for the brake bleeding procedures as long as you're using it in "Power Supply Mode". I ended up flashing my ECU with a calibration update using this supply as well and while it was successful, like Trogdor and Boykie said already, I would definitely use something capable of more like 50AMP to 100AMP when programming. The calibration I flashed took less than 10min and I had a brand new and fully charged dual purpose battery, but it was also apparent that 20AMPs was barely keeping up. I would definitely feel good about recommending this unit for anyone performing anything but programming. Best of luck!!

 

I could see that, if most heavy consumers were switched off. Out of curiosity, were you monitoring the voltage? Any idea what the range was?

 

​​​​​​I am almost always good always making sure to turn off everything that draws extra power. The only exception to this was my radar detector which in this case I used for it's voltage display option. (Accurate enough and easy to glance at if needed.) When I turned the car on to begin the process it was showing 14.1V. I was pleasantly surprised to see that with the Clore supply on voltage held steady between 13.4V and 13.6V throughout the process.
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I think NOCO Genius 10 has a dedicated mode for supplying power in absence battery
It's called 12V Supply