On Thu, 31 Mar 2016 06:41:00 -0700 (PDT), George Herold <gherold@teachspin.com> Gave us: snip> >Thanks for the nice review Carl. (That one has less 1 star votes than the Wagan..) >I assume that there is a diode in the one you bought. >The advertising copy on the Amazon page said it was suggested that you unplug >the solar panel at night... that seems to defeat the whole purpose, of plug it >in and forget it. > >George H.Walmart http://www.walmart.com/ip/Battery-Tender-Plus-021-0128-12V-Battery-Charger/15779498
OT: Lead Acid Float Charger
Started by ●March 30, 2016
Reply by ●March 31, 20162016-03-31
Reply by ●March 31, 20162016-03-31
On Thursday, March 31, 2016 at 12:20:45 AM UTC-4, Jeff Liebermann wrote:> On Wed, 30 Mar 2016 13:27:23 -0700, Jim Thompson > <To-Email-Use-The-Envelope-Icon@On-My-Web-Site.com> wrote: > > >Now all I need is some kind of magnetic power plug that gracefully > >disconnects when I drive off >:-} > > ...Jim Thompson > > This is what the tow truck drivers use for their jump start cables: > <http://www.andersonpower.com/us/en/products/sbe-sbx-sbo/index.aspx> > <http://www.walmart.com/ip/ANDERSON-POWER-PRODUCTS-6319-Power-Connector-6AWG-50A-SY6319/41121555> > <http://www.parts-express.com/smh-sy50-series-8-awg-50a-breakaway-dc-power-connector--263-110> > <http://bdbatteries.com/anderson.php> > They come in a wide variety of current ratings and sizes. I have a > pair under my hood for connecting jump start cables. They will come > apart if pulled inline, but not if pulled sideways. I know. I've > done it both ways.Those are kinda insane for a float charger max'ing out at a few mA...> > > > -- > Jeff Liebermann jeffl@cruzio.com > 150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com > Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com > Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558
Reply by ●March 31, 20162016-03-31
On Wed, 30 Mar 2016 21:10:05 -0700, Jeff Liebermann <jeffl@cruzio.com> wrote:>On Wed, 30 Mar 2016 13:07:21 -0700, Jim Thompson ><To-Email-Use-The-Envelope-Icon@On-My-Web-Site.com> wrote: > >>I drive my pick-em-up truck every few months. >>So the battery is dead when I go to use it... like today :-( >>I'm looking for recommendations for the _best_ (*) float charger I can >>buy to just plug the truck into when it's parked. >> >>(*) Cost no object. >> ...Jim Thompson > >Well, I can tell you what NOT to purchase. These are all losers: ><http://802.11junk.com/jeffl/pics/drivel/slides/dead-battery-chargers.html> >Everyone of them either destroyed themselves playing float charger, >killed the battery, or both. The carnage was both messy and >expensive. Please note that only one of these was mine. The rest >belonged to a mountain top radio site owner that was too cheap to do >it right. Incidentally, there were two more chargers that were still >working on another site, which were pre-emptively replaced before they >blew up. > >So, what went wrong: > >1. The chargers are not temperature compensated. Never mind the air >or building temperature. It's the battery temperature that's >important. With the battery sitting on a concrete slab, it's the >temperature of the concrete, not the air or building. Either find a >charger with a thermistor temp sensor, or put some insulation under >the battery. > >2. While some of the chargers claimed automatic charge control in 3 >stages (bulk, absorption, float), none of them claimed that you could >just leave the charger connected to the battery forever. The result >was serious overcharging as the float charge did not switch off >totally when fully charged. The original idea behind the float cycle >was to bring the battery from 95% to 100% SoC. The battery would last >longer if it just stayed at 95% charge (despite claims that full >charge prevents the build up of sulfate crystals). > >3. While all the chargers in the photo had some form of heat sinks on >the diodes and regulators, none were large enough or sufficiently >vented to be useful if the charger was expected to supply a >substantial fraction of the power. This happened after power outages >and heavy transmitter use. Get something with big ugly heat sinks and >possibly a fan. > >4. Fuse? Whazzat? One charger went nuts and produced an impressive >hot battery acid fountain. Install a fusible link, fuse, circuit >breaker, or relay disconnect. > >5. There was no monitoring or telemetry. I didn't even know we had a >problem until I arrived to do something else, and found the hot >battery acid fountain. Meters, sensors, gauges, and data loggers are >a good thing to have. > >I also maintained some generators on various mountain tops. >Fortunately, I don't do that any more. The problems are similar to >starting your pickup. The generators were all 24VDC, used two lead >acid batteries in series, but were otherwise similar to the previously >mentioned backup batteries. > >We used two types of float chargers. The generators use Deltran >(except 24VDC): ><http://www.batterytender.com/Chargers/Water-Resistant-Power-Tender-Plus-12V-5A.html> >Most everything else uses marine chargers from Statpower/Xantrex: ><http://www.xantrex.com/power-products/battery-chargers/truecharge.aspx> >Actually, we bought a pile of Statpower TC10HW, but those are obsolete >and no longer sold. > >Here's a lousy photo: ><http://members.cruzio.com/~jeffl/k6bj/K6BJ%20Repeater/slides/40A%20battery%20charger.html> >of a Statpower 12V 40A version that runs this battery pile: ><http://members.cruzio.com/~jeffl/k6bj/K6BJ%20Repeater/slides/Batteries.html> >However, that's probably overkill for what you need. Here's another >lousy photo of a similar Xantrex charger. It's the yellow colored >thing near the bottom of the rack: ><http://802.11junk.com/jeffl/W6JWS-2m-repeater-repair-log/rack.jpg> >Pretend you don't notice the inadequately thin wires connected to the >big blue batteries in the background. (I didn't do that). > >What to buy? I dunno. Maybe go to a trailer supply house, or better >yet, a marine electronics dealer, and see what they have to offer. If >money is really no object, then get something by Xantrex in the 10A or >20A range. ><http://www.westmarine.com/mounted-battery-chargers> >This one looks good: ><http://www.westmarine.com/buy/xantrex--truecharge2-battery-chargers--P009_271_009_501> >Notice the optional remote battery temperature sensor. > >Good luck and send my sales commission and consulting fee to the >address below. > >Drivel: >[Q] What's the difference between a bribe and a commission? >[A] The bribe is paid in advance. The commission is paid afterwards. >Otherwise, they're exactly the same.Aren't trickle and float chargers low current things? Just enough to cancel self-discharge. Wall-wart stuff. -- John Larkin Highland Technology, Inc lunatic fringe electronics
Reply by ●March 31, 20162016-03-31
On Thu, 31 Mar 2016 04:13:17 -0400, "Michael A. Terrell" <mike.terrell@earthlink.net> wrote:> > > My truck sat over five months, while I tracked down some parts. >Needless to say, the battery was run down when I finished the repairs. >The dumbass charger wouldn't detect the battery, so I fired up the lawn >tractor and let it charge the truck's battery.Many modern electronic chargers will not put current into a dead battery. I suspect it's part of a scam; car parts places sell you such a charger, it doesn't work, you come back, and they sell you a new battery. I keep a cheap bench power supply at home and another one up at the cabin. It's good for all sorts of stuff. -- John Larkin Highland Technology, Inc lunatic fringe electronics
Reply by ●March 31, 20162016-03-31
On Thu, 31 Mar 2016 07:21:41 -0700, Jim Thompson <To-Email-Use-The-Envelope-Icon@On-My-Web-Site.com> wrote:>I would have thought by now someone would have come up with a Rube >Goldberg inductive (or RF) coupling method >:-} > ...Jim ThompsonThey have. It's called a "death ray". Something to do with the large amount of energy it would need to deliver. Invented and patented by Nikola Tesla in 1907: <https://www.google.com/patents/US1119732> -- Jeff Liebermann jeffl@cruzio.com 150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558
Reply by ●March 31, 20162016-03-31
On Thu, 31 Mar 2016 09:21:23 -0700, John Larkin <jjlarkin@highlandtechnology.com> wrote:>Aren't trickle and float chargers low current things? Just enough to >cancel self-discharge. Wall-wart stuff.Jim wanted the best:>> (*) Cost no object.Methinks buying a charger that can do float charging, but also has all the controller, monitoring, metering, sensing, and shutdown circuitry necessary to protect the charger and the battery, is a good investment. Yes, it's overkill, but methinks worthwhile. For example, check out the local marina or trailer park and see if they use cheap or small chargers? Some do, but they don't last. Eventually, most boaters and campers end up with much higher end chargers. I've gone through that experience myself, with marine electronics and mountain top generators. I gave up on low end junk long ago. I'll go into more detail on what can go wrong later. Gotta run... -- Jeff Liebermann jeffl@cruzio.com 150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558
Reply by ●March 31, 20162016-03-31
On Thursday, March 31, 2016 at 10:12:28 AM UTC-7, Jeff Liebermann wrote:> On Thu, 31 Mar 2016 09:21:23 -0700, John Larkin > <jjlarkin@highlandtechnology.com> wrote: > > >Aren't trickle and float chargers low current things? Just enough to > >cancel self-discharge. Wall-wart stuff. > > Jim wanted the best: > >> (*) Cost no object. > > Methinks buying a charger that can do float charging, but also has all > the controller, monitoring, metering, sensing, and shutdown circuitry > necessary to protect the charger and the battery, is a good > investment. Yes, it's overkill, but methinks worthwhile. For > example, check out the local marina or trailer park and see if they > use cheap or small chargers? Some do, but they don't last. > Eventually, most boaters and campers end up with much higher end > chargers. I've gone through that experience myself, with marine > electronics and mountain top generators. I gave up on low end junk > long ago.The best charger is already build-in the vehicle. Just need to activate it once in a while. Unfortunately, no commercially unit is available to monitor the battery and start the vehicle. We have to DIY.
Reply by ●March 31, 20162016-03-31
On 31.03.16 18:21, John Larkin wrote:> On Wed, 30 Mar 2016 21:10:05 -0700, Jeff Liebermann <jeffl@cruzio.com> > wrote: > >> On Wed, 30 Mar 2016 13:07:21 -0700, Jim Thompson >> <To-Email-Use-The-Envelope-Icon@On-My-Web-Site.com> wrote: >> >>> I drive my pick-em-up truck every few months. >>> So the battery is dead when I go to use it... like today :-( >>> I'm looking for recommendations for the _best_ (*) float charger I can >>> buy to just plug the truck into when it's parked. >>> >>> (*) Cost no object. >>> ...Jim Thompson >> >> Well, I can tell you what NOT to purchase. These are all losers: >> <http://802.11junk.com/jeffl/pics/drivel/slides/dead-battery-chargers.html> >> Everyone of them either destroyed themselves playing float charger, >> killed the battery, or both. The carnage was both messy and >> expensive. Please note that only one of these was mine. The rest >> belonged to a mountain top radio site owner that was too cheap to do >> it right. Incidentally, there were two more chargers that were still >> working on another site, which were pre-emptively replaced before they >> blew up. >> >> So, what went wrong: >> >> 1. The chargers are not temperature compensated. Never mind the air >> or building temperature. It's the battery temperature that's >> important. With the battery sitting on a concrete slab, it's the >> temperature of the concrete, not the air or building. Either find a >> charger with a thermistor temp sensor, or put some insulation under >> the battery. >> >> 2. While some of the chargers claimed automatic charge control in 3 >> stages (bulk, absorption, float), none of them claimed that you could >> just leave the charger connected to the battery forever. The result >> was serious overcharging as the float charge did not switch off >> totally when fully charged. The original idea behind the float cycle >> was to bring the battery from 95% to 100% SoC. The battery would last >> longer if it just stayed at 95% charge (despite claims that full >> charge prevents the build up of sulfate crystals). >> >> 3. While all the chargers in the photo had some form of heat sinks on >> the diodes and regulators, none were large enough or sufficiently >> vented to be useful if the charger was expected to supply a >> substantial fraction of the power. This happened after power outages >> and heavy transmitter use. Get something with big ugly heat sinks and >> possibly a fan. >> >> 4. Fuse? Whazzat? One charger went nuts and produced an impressive >> hot battery acid fountain. Install a fusible link, fuse, circuit >> breaker, or relay disconnect. >> >> 5. There was no monitoring or telemetry. I didn't even know we had a >> problem until I arrived to do something else, and found the hot >> battery acid fountain. Meters, sensors, gauges, and data loggers are >> a good thing to have. >> >> I also maintained some generators on various mountain tops. >> Fortunately, I don't do that any more. The problems are similar to >> starting your pickup. The generators were all 24VDC, used two lead >> acid batteries in series, but were otherwise similar to the previously >> mentioned backup batteries. >> >> We used two types of float chargers. The generators use Deltran >> (except 24VDC): >> <http://www.batterytender.com/Chargers/Water-Resistant-Power-Tender-Plus-12V-5A.html> >> Most everything else uses marine chargers from Statpower/Xantrex: >> <http://www.xantrex.com/power-products/battery-chargers/truecharge.aspx> >> Actually, we bought a pile of Statpower TC10HW, but those are obsolete >> and no longer sold. >> >> Here's a lousy photo: >> <http://members.cruzio.com/~jeffl/k6bj/K6BJ%20Repeater/slides/40A%20battery%20charger.html> >> of a Statpower 12V 40A version that runs this battery pile: >> <http://members.cruzio.com/~jeffl/k6bj/K6BJ%20Repeater/slides/Batteries.html> >> However, that's probably overkill for what you need. Here's another >> lousy photo of a similar Xantrex charger. It's the yellow colored >> thing near the bottom of the rack: >> <http://802.11junk.com/jeffl/W6JWS-2m-repeater-repair-log/rack.jpg> >> Pretend you don't notice the inadequately thin wires connected to the >> big blue batteries in the background. (I didn't do that). >> >> What to buy? I dunno. Maybe go to a trailer supply house, or better >> yet, a marine electronics dealer, and see what they have to offer. If >> money is really no object, then get something by Xantrex in the 10A or >> 20A range. >> <http://www.westmarine.com/mounted-battery-chargers> >> This one looks good: >> <http://www.westmarine.com/buy/xantrex--truecharge2-battery-chargers--P009_271_009_501> >> Notice the optional remote battery temperature sensor. >> >> Good luck and send my sales commission and consulting fee to the >> address below. >> >> Drivel: >> [Q] What's the difference between a bribe and a commission? >> [A] The bribe is paid in advance. The commission is paid afterwards. >> Otherwise, they're exactly the same. > > Aren't trickle and float chargers low current things? Just enough to > cancel self-discharge. Wall-wart stuff. > >Trickle charge is a fine way to kill batteries.
Reply by ●March 31, 20162016-03-31
On Thu, 31 Mar 2016 23:47:48 +0200, Sjouke Burry <burrynulnulfour@ppllaanneett.nnll> wrote:>On 31.03.16 18:21, John Larkin wrote: >> On Wed, 30 Mar 2016 21:10:05 -0700, Jeff Liebermann <jeffl@cruzio.com> >> wrote: >> >>> On Wed, 30 Mar 2016 13:07:21 -0700, Jim Thompson >>> <To-Email-Use-The-Envelope-Icon@On-My-Web-Site.com> wrote: >>> >>>> I drive my pick-em-up truck every few months. >>>> So the battery is dead when I go to use it... like today :-( >>>> I'm looking for recommendations for the _best_ (*) float charger I can >>>> buy to just plug the truck into when it's parked. >>>> >>>> (*) Cost no object. >>>> ...Jim Thompson >>> >>> Well, I can tell you what NOT to purchase. These are all losers: >>> <http://802.11junk.com/jeffl/pics/drivel/slides/dead-battery-chargers.html> >>> Everyone of them either destroyed themselves playing float charger, >>> killed the battery, or both. The carnage was both messy and >>> expensive. Please note that only one of these was mine. The rest >>> belonged to a mountain top radio site owner that was too cheap to do >>> it right. Incidentally, there were two more chargers that were still >>> working on another site, which were pre-emptively replaced before they >>> blew up. >>> >>> So, what went wrong: >>> >>> 1. The chargers are not temperature compensated. Never mind the air >>> or building temperature. It's the battery temperature that's >>> important. With the battery sitting on a concrete slab, it's the >>> temperature of the concrete, not the air or building. Either find a >>> charger with a thermistor temp sensor, or put some insulation under >>> the battery. >>> >>> 2. While some of the chargers claimed automatic charge control in 3 >>> stages (bulk, absorption, float), none of them claimed that you could >>> just leave the charger connected to the battery forever. The result >>> was serious overcharging as the float charge did not switch off >>> totally when fully charged. The original idea behind the float cycle >>> was to bring the battery from 95% to 100% SoC. The battery would last >>> longer if it just stayed at 95% charge (despite claims that full >>> charge prevents the build up of sulfate crystals). >>> >>> 3. While all the chargers in the photo had some form of heat sinks on >>> the diodes and regulators, none were large enough or sufficiently >>> vented to be useful if the charger was expected to supply a >>> substantial fraction of the power. This happened after power outages >>> and heavy transmitter use. Get something with big ugly heat sinks and >>> possibly a fan. >>> >>> 4. Fuse? Whazzat? One charger went nuts and produced an impressive >>> hot battery acid fountain. Install a fusible link, fuse, circuit >>> breaker, or relay disconnect. >>> >>> 5. There was no monitoring or telemetry. I didn't even know we had a >>> problem until I arrived to do something else, and found the hot >>> battery acid fountain. Meters, sensors, gauges, and data loggers are >>> a good thing to have. >>> >>> I also maintained some generators on various mountain tops. >>> Fortunately, I don't do that any more. The problems are similar to >>> starting your pickup. The generators were all 24VDC, used two lead >>> acid batteries in series, but were otherwise similar to the previously >>> mentioned backup batteries. >>> >>> We used two types of float chargers. The generators use Deltran >>> (except 24VDC): >>> <http://www.batterytender.com/Chargers/Water-Resistant-Power-Tender-Plus-12V-5A.html> >>> Most everything else uses marine chargers from Statpower/Xantrex: >>> <http://www.xantrex.com/power-products/battery-chargers/truecharge.aspx> >>> Actually, we bought a pile of Statpower TC10HW, but those are obsolete >>> and no longer sold. >>> >>> Here's a lousy photo: >>> <http://members.cruzio.com/~jeffl/k6bj/K6BJ%20Repeater/slides/40A%20battery%20charger.html> >>> of a Statpower 12V 40A version that runs this battery pile: >>> <http://members.cruzio.com/~jeffl/k6bj/K6BJ%20Repeater/slides/Batteries.html> >>> However, that's probably overkill for what you need. Here's another >>> lousy photo of a similar Xantrex charger. It's the yellow colored >>> thing near the bottom of the rack: >>> <http://802.11junk.com/jeffl/W6JWS-2m-repeater-repair-log/rack.jpg> >>> Pretend you don't notice the inadequately thin wires connected to the >>> big blue batteries in the background. (I didn't do that). >>> >>> What to buy? I dunno. Maybe go to a trailer supply house, or better >>> yet, a marine electronics dealer, and see what they have to offer. If >>> money is really no object, then get something by Xantrex in the 10A or >>> 20A range. >>> <http://www.westmarine.com/mounted-battery-chargers> >>> This one looks good: >>> <http://www.westmarine.com/buy/xantrex--truecharge2-battery-chargers--P009_271_009_501> >>> Notice the optional remote battery temperature sensor. >>> >>> Good luck and send my sales commission and consulting fee to the >>> address below. >>> >>> Drivel: >>> [Q] What's the difference between a bribe and a commission? >>> [A] The bribe is paid in advance. The commission is paid afterwards. >>> Otherwise, they're exactly the same. >> >> Aren't trickle and float chargers low current things? Just enough to >> cancel self-discharge. Wall-wart stuff. >> >> >Trickle charge is a fine way to kill batteries.There's not a lot of difference between float charging and constant-current trickle charging. A car battery might self-discharge at something like 100 mA average, so pushing in 150 shouldn't do much harm. I guess the issue might be temperature if the heap is parked outside. -- John Larkin Highland Technology, Inc picosecond timing precision measurement jlarkin att highlandtechnology dott com http://www.highlandtechnology.com
Reply by ●March 31, 20162016-03-31
On Thu, 31 Mar 2016 04:13:17 -0400, "Michael A. Terrell" <mike.terrell@earthlink.net> wrote:> > > My truck sat over five months, while I tracked down some parts. >Needless to say, the battery was run down when I finished the repairs. >The dumbass charger wouldn't detect the battery, so I fired up the lawn >tractor and let it charge the truck.I had just the opposite problem yesterday. I used the truck to jump the battery on the lawn tractor. Don't know what happened, the tractor started a couple of weeks ago, after not having been started over the Winter, but its battery was dead as a doornail yesterday.
