Lead-acid battery charger

[taz128]

Mr Taz,

1). Use a well-regulated constant-voltage power supply that puts out 12.9V to 13.1V as a "float charger". Such a supply should by design be "current-limited" to between 0.5A to 2A, so that if connected to a mostly discharged battery, it doesn't catch fire You can build your own with an AC powered wall-wart that puts out ~15V DC, followed by an IC regulator like an LM317. Such a "float charger" can be left connected 24-7. I get five years or more of service from float-charged batteries.

A long-term "float-charged" battery will benefit from a once-per-month "equalization charge", for which you need a separate constant-current supply (I use a lab supply which has built-in electronic current limiting). Google "equalization charge".

Hello,
I have got a Float charger for sealed lead acid batteries for 2Amp. This is for 12v and 6v. And it has a trimmer for adjusting the correct voltage. Can you tell me which is the correct charging voltage for 6v open lead acid batteries?
Thank you,

 

[MrAl]

I haven't seen this particular "technology" or read up on it, but my understanding is the same as yours. I have never heard of any "pulser" that magically resonates with sulfates and destroys them.

It sounds like a scam to me, but I would like to read test data if there is any from an independent testing facility showing that it actually works. I tend to be pretty cynical because of all the scams related to battery charging I have seen over the years (like rechargeable alkalines a while back).

Hello,


I had become interested in pulse charging a while back too, and read up
on some of the desulfators. I built one with a microchip and high current
MOSFET, and did some testing. I used a pulse of 10us to keep the
battery from being charged while it was being 'desulfated'.
After about a few weeks i gave up. I could get the cell to respond a
little better after a day or two of running, but not enough to say that
there was a huge difference. For a 4 Ahr cell the best i could get back
was a 1 Ahr rating, which is only 1/4 of its original capacity.