(help)battery chargers

[AdamHeard]

Originally Posted by Doug G

Picked up our first Battery Load Tester today. How we got by 8 years without one is crazy. But after so many battery charging problems last year - I sure hope this helps sort out what is good from what is not. We used a battery mount that had it laying down through the three competitions last year, and I think the shock load on the plates inside resulted in cracking so that we thought they were good but under load they just could keep up the voltage and cost us two matches in Atlanta.

So for teams... Go to your local Napa Auto parts and get a Battery Load Tester for about $50!!

Does anyone know if a battery laying horizontally can damage the plates? I've heard it makes no difference.

[Al Skierkiewicz]

Originally Posted by AdamHeard

Does anyone know if a battery laying horizontally can damage the plates? I've heard it makes no difference.

The manufacturer says you can use the battery in any configuration. I personally would recommend you charge it with the terminals up. Charging in any configuration is likely OK but I avoid upside down to be sure that fluid is not covering the vents during charge.

[grambo]

The biggest thing to look for in a charger is the "three stage" charging. Essentially what that means is that the charger will go thru these stages: First, "bulk" stage: hit the battery with 6amps and wait for the voltage to rise (near about 14.6V). Second, hold the voltage at that "overcharge" mark (14.6V) until the current drops to 1/10th of that original 6amps. Finally, drop the voltage to the "float" mark (about 13.5V) pretty much assuring that when you unplug the battery from the charger it is as full as it can be.

Cheaper chargers will do various things, generally like if you have a lab supply and set it for 13.5V, 6A and then hook the battery to it, it'll dump 6A intot he battery until it gets to 13.5V, and simply taper the current back as the battery reaches that point. These will generally have timers and aren't very good for cyclic use of the battery as you miss out on the overcharge part of the cycle. ...for "standby" use, these chargers are perfectly fine, like for emergency lights and such.