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Unread 08-05-2013, 06:58
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Michael Hill Michael Hill is offline
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Re: Battery Chargers

Al, what is the ideal charge rate for these batteries? The data sheet for the ES17-12 says no more than 5.4 amps. How much of a risk are we at by using the 6A initial charge rate? I've read somewhere that the issue of gas buildup really only happens when you overcharge, and that higher charge rates shouldn't hurt it much at all (even up to C/2) provided you don't overcharge. I ask this because I've been tossing the idea around of building a (ridiculously overcomplex) battery cart using my own charging circuit (using a lead-acid battery management IC of course...I'm not going to screw around with the charging profiles). However, I do have to tell it the max charge rate. What are your thoughts?