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Home > Archive > Alternative Power sources > October 2005 > Lead Acid Battery Charger Recommendation
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Lead Acid Battery Charger Recommendation
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| Too_Many_Tools 2005-10-20, 11:21 pm |
| I would be interested in hearing a recommendation for a charger for
lead acid batteries.
I am looking for a charger that gives an indication of charging status
(no idiot lights please), capability for flooded cells, sealed lead
acid and any other options you have found useful.
Also, what do you use to charge your lead acid batteries?
Thanks
TMT
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| Solar Flare 2005-10-20, 11:21 pm |
| This will also depend on the application of your batteries.
Will they be deep cycled often?
Will they just sit on flaot charge except for emergencies?
Will they be a room temperature always?
"Too_Many_Tools" <too_many_tools@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:1129857788.866667.288350@z14g2000cwz.googlegroups.com...
> I would be interested in hearing a recommendation for a charger for
> lead acid batteries.
>
> I am looking for a charger that gives an indication of charging status
> (no idiot lights please), capability for flooded cells, sealed lead
> acid and any other options you have found useful.
>
> Also, what do you use to charge your lead acid batteries?
>
> Thanks
>
> TMT
>
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| Too_Many_Tools 2005-10-20, 11:21 pm |
| "This will also depend on the application of your batteries.
Will they be deep cycled often?
Will they just sit on flaot charge except for emergencies?
Will they be a room temperature always? "
All of the above.
So which charger(s) do you recommend?
Thanks
TMT
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| Steve Spence 2005-10-21, 12:21 am |
| Too_Many_Tools wrote:
> "This will also depend on the application of your batteries.
> Will they be deep cycled often?
> Will they just sit on flaot charge except for emergencies?
> Will they be a room temperature always? "
>
> All of the above.
>
> So which charger(s) do you recommend?
>
> Thanks
>
> TMT
>
Actually, those questions really don't have much bearing on what charger
you want. You want a 3 stage charger that can handle your battery type,
and ah rating.
--
Steve Spence
Dir., Green Trust, http://www.green-trust.org
Contributing Editor, http://www.off-grid.net
http://www.rebelwolf.com/essn.html
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| Solar Flare 2005-10-21, 7:21 pm |
| It is impossible to all of those conditions. They can't sit on flaot all the
time and be deep cycled frequently. These situations are contrary.
If they just sit on float all the time a simple float set voltage regulated
charger with equalize (manual or peroidic) will do. Current limiting is a pretty
good safety feature to have also.
If you deep cycle you batteries you may want a charger that adds "bulk" and
"fast charge" rates as well.
If you batteries are in an uncontrolled temperature (as mine are) then you will
also need temperature voltage compensation. 0.17% per degree outside of 25 deg
C. (depending on type) This means at -30C you need to equalize your 12 volt bank
at 15.7 volts. OTOH, this voltage will boil your 12 battery dry in the summer.
I am not familiar with smaller battery charger brand names or features for
alternative energy usage.
"Steve Spence" <sspence@green-trust.org> wrote in message
news:evY5f.30744$Ge5.24805@fe10.lga...
> Too_Many_Tools wrote:
> Actually, those questions really don't have much bearing on what charger
> you want. You want a 3 stage charger that can handle your battery type,
> and ah rating.
>
> --
> Steve Spence
> Dir., Green Trust, http://www.green-trust.org
> Contributing Editor, http://www.off-grid.net
> http://www.rebelwolf.com/essn.html
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| Wes Stewart 2005-10-21, 9:21 pm |
| On 20 Oct 2005 18:23:08 -0700, "Too_Many_Tools"
<too_many_tools@yahoo.com> wrote:
>I would be interested in hearing a recommendation for a charger for
>lead acid batteries.
>
>I am looking for a charger that gives an indication of charging status
>(no idiot lights please), capability for flooded cells, sealed lead
>acid and any other options you have found useful.
>
>Also, what do you use to charge your lead acid batteries?
You don't say what AH rating your batteries are but for my pair of
deep-cycle flooded batteries in my RV I use a homebuilt three-stage
charger.
Most (all) of the commercially available crap uses switch-mode
conversion/regulation that generates gobs of EMI/RFI.
I built a 30A, three-stage analog charger. Not wanting to reinvent
the wheel, I used an Astron RS-35M power supply
http://www.astroncorp.com/linear.shtml
for the transformer/rectifier/filter/pass trasistors and an A-A
Engineering
http://www.a-aengineering.com/
"smart charger" board that I modified, for charge control. The board
uses the Unitrode (now TI) UC3906 IC
http://www.ti.com/sc/docs/psheets/a...pps/slua115.htm
that is specifically designed for this.
Sorry, there are a couple of idiot lights, but the supply also has
honest to goodness meters too.
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| I'll bite on this one.
Xantrex/Statpower has a model that's called a Truecharge 20 and a 40 amp
model; Truecharge 40.
It has switch selectable settings for AGM/Gell/Flooded cell programmed
charging and maintainance. Bulk/absorption/float,Bulk/absorption or 13.8
power supply mode. Battery ambient temperature switch settings.
3 isolated charging banks.
Can function as a stand-alone 20/40A power supply
It has a bar graph indicators on charging state, but also has a RJ type jack
to connect a very detailed remote display for 2 of the outputs showing
current, charge state.
Equalization mode for wet cells
Auto-initalizes charging sequence every 21 days or if the battery voltage
drops below 12.5v for 10 minutes.
We use these on Ship's GMDSS radio consoles using Johnson Controls AGM
batteries. I've never replaced one nor even had a single problem with these
units. We don't use the optional display panel, but use the Xantrex/Heart
E-meters mounted on the consoles for the battery state information. Zero
Problems, Zero RFI, just set and forget.
Astron has models that looks identical; sbc 20/40 but have no AGM mode last
that I checked. Both are probably made by the same OEM. Another company that
we used in the past was Newmar. Also similar features, rock dependable, but
totally different mounting and case style...and a lot more money. If Astron
has updated their unit to AGM, I'd rather go with them. Some of the best
customer service and tech access you'd find in the industry. Since Xantrex
has taken over the Statpower line, you'll be lucky to get an e-mail
returned.
Dave
It c
"Too_Many_Tools" <too_many_tools@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:1129857788.866667.288350@z14g2000cwz.googlegroups.com...
>I would be interested in hearing a recommendation for a charger for
> lead acid batteries.
>
> I am looking for a charger that gives an indication of charging status
> (no idiot lights please), capability for flooded cells, sealed lead
> acid and any other options you have found useful.
>
> Also, what do you use to charge your lead acid batteries?
>
> Thanks
>
> TMT
>
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| Too_Many_Tools 2005-10-21, 11:21 pm |
| It's possible to have all those conditions with different batteries for
differnet purposes.
TMT
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| budgie 2005-10-22, 12:21 am |
| On Fri, 21 Oct 2005 16:58:56 -0700, Wes Stewart <n7ws*@*yahoo.com> wrote:
>On 20 Oct 2005 18:23:08 -0700, "Too_Many_Tools"
><too_many_tools@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
(snip)[color=darkred]
>
>"smart charger" board that I modified, for charge control. The board
>uses the Unitrode (now TI) UC3906 IC
>
>http://www.ti.com/sc/docs/psheets/a...pps/slua115.htm
>
>that is specifically designed for this.
I use and freely recommend the UC3906 for SLA's, but have never investigated
their use on flooded cells. Very interesting .....
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| Too_Many_Tools 2005-10-22, 2:21 am |
| Any pictures of this homemade charger?
Sounds interesting.
TMT
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| Wes Stewart 2005-10-22, 1:21 pm |
| On 21 Oct 2005 21:25:26 -0700, "Too_Many_Tools"
<too_many_tools@yahoo.com> wrote:
>Any pictures of this homemade charger?
>
>Sounds interesting.
Before: http://users.triconet.org/wesandlinda/Figure_1.jpg
The circuit board has the 723 and other low power stuff and is removed
and discarded.
After: http://users.triconet.org/wesandlinda/Astron_A_A.jpg
This is not quite the final view. When I took this, I had yet to
receive the precision power resistor that I needed for the current
sampling shunt and was using the DC resistance of a piece of wire for
that.
Sorry no write-up or schematic at this time. I thought about doing it
by saw no market for an article.
Also, consider that this is set up for one max current condition that
is related to the AH rating of your battery and what fraction of same
you want to charge at. I have some ideas on how to make this
variable, but have not implemented them because this design fits my
requirements.
If you decide to use a '3906 here is a little spreadsheet I threw
together to calculate resistor values, etc. Disregard references to
"equalize voltage" as this is not a function of the IC.
http://users.triconet.org/wesandlin...teryCharger.xls
The stuff in the blue boxes is for user input.
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| Too_Many_Tools 2005-10-22, 1:21 pm |
| Thanks for the information.
Frankly I am surprised by the lack of response on this question....I do
appreciate the comments I have gotten so far.
Do you think maybe some people just throw away their lead acid
batteries instead of recharging them? ;< )
TMT
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