I'm going to build a charger--or chargers--for various 6, 12, and 24v SLA's I have, in order to prevent the crummy chargers that came with these tools from destroying the batteries.
I have been using a 7805, 7812, 7815, or 317 for this, but reading past threads leads me to believe this is not terribly efficient. Someone recommended a switching regulator, and I looked at the 2576. The adjustable version shows an efficiency of 77% but perhaps that's due to using 12v in 5v out parameters?
Is a switching regulator the way to go, and are there better options than the 2576 I should be looking at?
And, would it make more sense to build a separate charger for each battery voltage, or just one charger with a switch and different plugs for each? I.e., is it theoretically better to have an input voltage close to each output voltage?
Thanks!
I have been using a 7805, 7812, 7815, or 317 for this, but reading past threads leads me to believe this is not terribly efficient. Someone recommended a switching regulator, and I looked at the 2576. The adjustable version shows an efficiency of 77% but perhaps that's due to using 12v in 5v out parameters?
Is a switching regulator the way to go, and are there better options than the 2576 I should be looking at?
And, would it make more sense to build a separate charger for each battery voltage, or just one charger with a switch and different plugs for each? I.e., is it theoretically better to have an input voltage close to each output voltage?
Thanks!