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subego · 01:15 PM

As you may have seen in my other battery thread, one of my "smart" chargers was too dumb to drop to a trickle charge, and came closer than I'd like to causing an explosion.

Can someone recommend a charger which won't frigging blow my batteries up?

I know the cheap method is to have a shutoff on a timer, but I was hoping for a more 21st century solution. What I'd really like is something which charges, maintains the charge, and desulfates, and won't frigging blow my batteries up. Did I mention that was important?

The only other pieces of relevant information I can think of is these are relatively small batteries, so I don't want to feed them more than an amp. Also they have a cigarette lighter socket, so a charger with a cigarette lighter plug as an option makes my life easier.

Edit: duh... they're 12v batteries, that's pretty relevant too.

Thanks!

residentEvil · Jul 30, 2011, 01:19 PM

all my RC chargers were all digital and would trickle once fully charged; no brainers and you could leave them plugged in with no worries of leaking/exploding.

like mentioned in your other thread, start looking into the RC hobby sites/suppliers for something that will work.

subego · Jul 30, 2011, 01:25 PM

Is RC stuff lead-acid? I got the impression they were mostly Li-ion, NiMH, or NiCads. These lead mofos are heavy.

ghporter · Jul 30, 2011, 06:50 PM

I hope you're not assuming that all of "Brand A's" products are crap because the one you had failed. There are a number of reasons a charger might not switch to trickle, including ambient temperature being out of the expected range, and component failure. A bad cable between the charger and the battery can do that too-too much resistance in the cable can look like an empty battery.

I don't have any brands/models to suggest, but I can recommend that you contact the manufacturer of your failed charger for what to do about a ruined battery and a charger that didn't work properly. This is the sort of thing makers need to hear about so they can either "make the customer happy" or "prevent a major liability lawsuit." Or both.

bstone · Jul 30, 2011, 09:58 PM

Go with the Optima Yellow Top batteries. You won't need to use a trickle charger. Just keep it disconnected and when you come back 6 years later it should start right up. No joke.

macforray · Jul 30, 2011, 10:14 PM

I fish all summer from my bass boat and must charge my trolling motor batteries as soon as I am off the water. I bought and installed a marine on board automatic charger. I have a two bank charger charging at 6 amps per bank. I charge two batteries at 6 amps each. It senses the charge condition for each battery and steps down to a trickle at almost full charge. It can also charge one bank at 12 amps. Its on the eleventh year of use. Never a problem. Had to get new batteries about four years ago, but that is typical for deep cycle trolling motor batteries. They are made in one, two and three bank versions and by numerous manufacturers. Not cheap, but you get what you pay for. Try Bass Pro Shops or Cabelas online.
I used to use one of those $40 automatic chargers you can get at WalMart and I went through a set of batteries every couple of years.

bstone · Jul 30, 2011, 10:42 PM

6 and 12 amps or volts? BIG different.

ghporter · Jul 30, 2011, 10:49 PM

6 amp charging current is not "high" or even remarkable for a charger matched to the batteries it is charging. Using a charger that has a higher current rating than the battery you want to charge can be a problem though. With a charger built for trolling motor batteries, a quick charge/trickle charge system should be just fine. Auto batteries are built for fairly high charge/drain currents, but can have problems with intermittent drains, while sealed batteries like in UPSs and such tend to do better with relatively modest charge/drain currents. The key is matching charging current capacity of the charger to charge current capacity of the battery.

phantomdragonz · Jul 31, 2011, 12:31 AM

Optama battery quality has gone to crap in the last 3 years. They used to have the main plant a few miles from here, and I had a friend who worked there (got a great hookup on blem batteries) until he got fired when they moved the manufacturing to mexico, there are apparently working some magic to keep the "manufactured in the USA" bit... but he lost his job after training mexicans (in mexico) to do his job.

My 4x4 forum hates optimas now, spiral cell technology is highly regarded, just not Optima batteries.

subego · Jul 31, 2011, 12:51 AM

Thanks for the responses so far.

I'm willing to look into different batteries, but my application is somewhat specific. These batteries are running a video camera and a video assist rig. Man-portability is a must. The ones I have come in a shoulder bag. They're heavy relative to an RC battery, but they're very light compared to a car or marine battery. I'd say only 10 pounds.

Similarly, they don't provide (and really don't want) a lot of current. Two, maybe three amps out max. Only one to one-and-a-half amps in. They don't need any cranking power.

subego · Jul 31, 2011, 12:56 AM

Like so:

bstone · Jul 31, 2011, 01:21 AM

Originally Posted by phantomdragonz

Optama battery quality has gone to crap in the last 3 years. They used to have the main plant a few miles from here, and I had a friend who worked there (got a great hookup on blem batteries) until he got fired when they moved the manufacturing to mexico, there are apparently working some magic to keep the "manufactured in the USA" bit... but he lost his job after training mexicans (in mexico) to do his job.

My 4x4 forum hates optimas now, spiral cell technology is highly regarded, just not Optima batteries.

I will say I had an optima red top go bad after less than a year of running it. Never in my life had I heard of an optima going bad.

imitchellg5 · Jul 31, 2011, 02:26 AM

Originally Posted by bstone

Go with the Optima Yellow Top batteries. You won't need to use a trickle charger. Just keep it disconnected and when you come back 6 years later it should start right up. No joke.

I've had an Optima Yellow Top in my '99 Accord for the past four years, and even on a -17˚ morning this past winter, the car started on the third turn over. Cannot recommend enough, especially for cold climates.

phantomdragonz · Jul 31, 2011, 03:27 AM

Find the voltage requirements and try to run a lithium Ion technology battery, they are a lot lighter and a lot more energy dense.

but for an application like that, you might want to use what you know will work... and use a charger that people in that industry use... or call the manufacturer and tell them you are having issues, and what they recommend.

subego · Jul 31, 2011, 04:03 AM

The lead-acid has two things going for it, they don't mind lack of use, and AFAICT, they're about half the price of lithium-ion. The weight isn't a huge deal. You can still pick it up with one hand, and 90% of the time it's hanging off a tripod. It ends up lowering the center of gravity, which is actually a good thing. As for density, I can run my gear all day off of one, I couldn't use any more.

The manufacturer is going to want to sell me their charger, which deals with the problem through an automatic shutoff. No explosions, but no desulfation or trickle charge.

I am going somewhat counter to the industry here in that these batteries are meant for lighting. The standard for cameras is Anton-Bauer, who charge a freaking arm and a leg. Once I got my hands on a voltage booster (thanks again Glenn!) these have been smooth sailing. The only real problem here is my own attempt at a fancy-schmantz recharging scheme.

phantomdragonz · Jul 31, 2011, 12:53 PM

Look at chargers intended for motorcycle applications, battery tender is the most popular brand. You can create the cigarette lighter adaptor with parts from radioshack.

Laminar · Jul 31, 2011, 04:34 PM

Originally Posted by bstone

Go with the Optima Yellow Top batteries. You won't need to use a trickle charger. Just keep it disconnected and when you come back 6 years later it should start right up. No joke.

Laminar · Jul 31, 2011, 04:36 PM

1.5 Amp Three Stage Onboard Battery Charger/Maintainer

This high frequency charger uses the latest technology to recharge batteries up to 3x faster than conventional units.
Three-stage fully automatic charging protects and prolongs battery life
Auto on/off trickle charging stage keeps 12 volt batteries fully charged without overcharging
Equipped with overload protection, short circuit protection, and reverse polarity protection for added safety
Also great for maintaining batteries while in storage

I've also used a $20 battery maintainer from Wal-Mart for a few years without issue, including leaving it hooked up to a motorcycle battery all winter.

subego · 01:19 AM

I'll check out the Deltran and the Chicago Electric. Thank you both.

Ironically, the chargers I have now use Deltran style connectors, so I already have a bunch of Deltran cigarette lighter attachments.

Edit: I am thinking one possibility is to just go with the manufacturers chargers, and use the Squirty McAcid chargers as maintainers. I'm not worried about them blowing stuff up with a trickle charge.