battery charger help

[gaminde]

http://www.alliedelec.com/search/pro...px?SKU=8500274

[GLEEMO]

Originally Posted by scottyb

The whole point of this thread has been how do you know what time to set it for !?? Do you know the voltage and specific gravity of the batteries? IS the charger going to go thru 3 stages of proper charging ? I doubt it

gaminde - HE said (above)

and how many amps for how long

[gaminde]

you'll just have to watch it once

current down 0 is good voltage up 48 to 52 volts, and time it manually, then set your new timer and done.

a little extra should do no harm at 0 amps

oops on the volts not thinking

[gaminde]

I guess you can really get down before every charge check the specific gravity does he own a hydrometer? you can even tell the freeze point of your battery!
oh yea you need to do this when it 80 degrees f or have a compensation scale if its not.

There are many things you can do like hook up digital volt / amp meters and and if the temp gets tooo high turn it off for short periods.

What do golf courses do plug them in and leave then they sell us the carts when the need new batteries every 5 years.

then you do a magnesium sulfate treatment get 1.5 to 2 years more and replace them ( depends on usage )

If your charger is putting out more than 50 volts at full charge you can question it!! most 12 volt batteries sit at over 12 volts after a charge
do keep water in them!! Charge it once and keep an eye on it. start it early in the morning check every hour or so until the current drops using a good volt and amp meter to check the chargers gauges and time it. again if voltage and current are in line a little extra time will not hurt. you could set it for 3 or 4 hours and do it 2 or 3 times if your worried. now pick somewhere in the middle of what I said and what others are saying and you will be fine. OR buy a new charger that shuts off when fully charged my carts charge is handled by the OBC maybe you can find a add on device for the charger??

[gaminde]

Bulk Charge - The first stage of 3-stage battery charging. Current is sent to batteries at the maximum safe rate they will accept until voltage rises to near (80-90%) full charge level. Voltages at this stage typically range from 10.5 volts to 15 volts. There is no "correct" voltage for bulk charging, but there may be limits on the maximum current that the battery and/or wiring can take.

Absorption Charge: The 2nd stage of 3-stage battery charging. Voltage remains constant and current gradually tapers off as internal resistance increases during charging. It is during this stage that the charger puts out maximum voltage. Voltages at this stage are typically around 14.2 to 15.5 volts.

Float Charge: The 3rd stage of 3-stage battery charging. After batteries reach full charge, charging voltage is reduced to a lower level (typically 12.8 to 13.2) to reduce gassing and prolong battery life. This is often referred to as a maintenance or trickle charge, since it's main purpose is to keep an already charged battery from discharging. PWM, or "pulse width modulation" accomplishes the same thing. In PWM, the controller or charger senses tiny voltage drops in the battery and sends very short charging cycles (pulses) to the battery. This may occur several hundred times per minute. It is called "pulse width" because the width of the pulses may vary from a few microseconds to several seconds. Note that for long term float service, such as backup power systems that are seldom discharged, the float voltage should be around 13.02 to 13.20 volts.

[gaminde]

Nearly all batteries will not reach full capacity until cycled 10-30 times. A brand new battery will have a capacity of about 5-10% less than the rated capacity.

READ ALL THIS
http://www.windsun.com/Batteries/Bat...ery%20Charging

[scottyb]

That's right and ALL that is exactly why he needs a smart charger not a timer on a one stage transformer.

[gaminde]

well it could be shut down anytime in the 3rd stage. thus the timer, agreed its not perfect

I just read somewhere ( this site? ) that my charge shuts down after a period of time by OBC and will not come back on for like 16 hours. I will look for this again.

[gaminde]

this is in the sticky notes under batteries


Charging for Everyday use

All Modern Golf carts have automatic chargers that will shut off when the batteries are charged and will come
back on if the batteries drop to a low charge.

[gaminde]

this was posted by Gleemo in 2008 under " OBC functions "

well it regulated the charge of the batteries, controls the warning light,
Memorizes battery charge usage/rates .

Allows U to go on vacation and leave charger connected , it comes on every 13 days to
check battery condition and charge as needed.

Shuts charger off after 16 hours if batteries did not reach full charge , to prevent additional battery damage.

Oh yeah and cost U $150-$200 every 10-15 years, to replace.