A Battery Rejuvenator

[patrick_g]

I have read this thread with interest. I live in New Zealand. We have 230V wiring. Does this change the circuit I need to build, or the diodes I need? Thanks.

By this reply I am neither recommending nor condemning the circuit in question, I am just answering an electronics theory question.

To essentially duplicate the results the author got with 100 Watt light bulbs (intended for 115 volt use) you would have to use 200 Watt light bulbs (or just use twice as many 100 Watt bulbs intended for 230 VAC service.)

There is nothing magic about light bulbs and you can substitute soldering irons, small heaters, or any other essentially resistive load (no motors or "complicated" stuff like radios) to "regulate/limit" the current flow.

But then in the southern hemisphere the Coriolis force is backwards compared to "up here" so be careful.

Pat

 

[kdam001]

Dear Pat, I used a 500 watt light I have. The battery started at about 2 volts (total, not per cell, all cells at under 0.5 volts). The light did not light up for the first 36 hours, then, with the battery reading at 10+ volts, it did come on, but dim. Battery was reading 12-13 volts when I stopped charging. I will take the battery back up to the farm and put it back in the car this weekend. Thanks for your help.

 

[patrick_g]

Dear Pat, I used a 500 watt light I have. The battery started at about 2 volts (total, not per cell, all cells at under 0.5 volts). The light did not light up for the first 36 hours, then, with the battery reading at 10+ volts, it did come on, but dim. Battery was reading 12-13 volts when I stopped charging. I will take the battery back up to the farm and put it back in the car this weekend. Thanks for your help.

Hope it works out for you. Glad to help out (if I did.)

Don't be afraid to charge a lead acid style storage battery to a voltage up around 13.8 to 14.2 (measured with charger attached and charging.) Nominal cell voltage is 2.2 VDC so what we loosely refer to as a 12 volt battery is 13.2 volts with a good charge on it but charger not attached.

Pat

 

[batteryrecond]

I use a similar circuit but with a bridge rectifier, works great, I have alread desulfated/charged 3-4 batteries with it. car batterys and ATV batterys and marine battery. good circuit.:licking:

Edgar

I built my own windmill to power my cabin by the lake.

 

[batteryrecond]

I am still using this circuit, it works great and I have reconditioned many batteries with, I have now made another circuit but with a line cap. instead of light bulb, I also made one for a friend of mine and showed him how to use it, he has reconditioned 2-3 battries with it, Great project, not even afraid to use it. :licking: :thumbsup:

 

[batteryrecond]

Now to the heart of the matter. I have to admit I was very skeptical when I first saw this charger. But, to me it was worth a try. I am sure many are wondering what is this magical device. Well, it is a simple device that many can fabricate with material at home. The only special part you need to buy is a 3 amp diode. I purchased mine at Radio Shack PN 276-1144. Actually 2 diodes for $1.59.

3-Amp Barrel Diodes - RadioShack.com

The rest is just an extension cord, a 3 or 4 outlet adapter and 100W light bulbs. You cut one leg of the extension cord, add the diode and alligator clips and you are done. When I soldered my diode and wire I used an alligator clip as a heat sink on the diode. Note that when using the charger, the light bulbs will not light as they normally do. They light with a lower intensity.

The first picture is the schematic. Note that the diode has to be installed with correct polarity. The diode has a silver band on one end. This end goes toward the battery. That is it. For each 100W light bulb you get about .45 amps flowing thru the battery. Just leave it on long enough to get the electrolyte back to full strength. This may take days depending on battery condition. During my first use, I only turned it on while I was working around the shop. I just wanted to monitor it. During the last few times I used it I just let it charge 24 hours.

The second picture shows the diode, the heart of the rejuvenator.

In the third picture you will see my jury rigged charger in use. I never got it finished before a friend found out and had to borrow it. The last picture shows my final setup. I am going to buy 2 more light bulb adaptors and keep it as a set. I may make another charger with the second, spare, diode that I have.

Again, I don't understand how this thing works but I am a believer that it does the job.

Make one and try it out for yourself.

And again heed the warning about working with 120 volts.

I hope this is all clear but if not let me know.

Comments are now welcomed.

As a side note, I just want to post some info on a products that I use for coating the battery terminals and restoring battery boxes. This is just for information.

I use Dow Corning DC-4 to coat the terminals. It seems to work really well. I also use it on oil filter gaskets to keep them from sticking.

DOW CORNING DC-4 COMPOUND from Aircraft Spruce

I use aircraft battery box paint to restore the battery boxes. I also use it on the battery hold down brackets. Just thought I would share

RANDOLPH ACID PROOF BATTERY BOX BLACK PAINT #345 from Aircraft Spruce

I love this desulfator circuit, it's great.:cool2::newhere:

 

[bironacad]

Fantastic! I laughed till I cried with the battery in the microwave story with Pablo et al that was tremendous. I had a heart attack a couple of months ago I was laughing so hard my wife came in worried. I bought a CTEK Multi-use 3300 3.3A Battery Charger. I think I paid $79 only problem is that I have more batteries then leads, lol. Looked at the battery tender saw it on Truck-U but it is a US deal and I have been burned with the shipping and duties before. I bought a $7 piece of flexible plastic of the loading dock variety and it cost me around $30 when all the duties and such were added in.
The CTEK dribble charger is with pulse technology for bringing back sulfated batteries. The deal is how badly the battery is sulfated and like was earlier said they never come all the way back to 100 % if at all. I have been waiting for a sale to get another I have been using it for a couple of years now with good results. The cost is cheaper then a new battery every three years. It also has a cold charge setting for when you are charging a battery outside in the winter. I usually bring in the batteries for the winter from the mowers but did not this year hope the cold setting works.

 

[Rustaholic]

I have a friend that has made one of these and he has brought back to life batteries that have been laying around dead for years.
I am going to build one too.
Folks that do,,,, Are amazed.
Folks that don't,,,, Put it down as unsafe.

 

[pat32rf]

Seems to me that the last time I checked the voltage on a large garage type "Quick Charger" I was getting about 80 volts DC, almost the same as the AC voltage on a "tombstone" (buzzbox) welder....
If a lead acid battery is severely discharged it will take a lot of voltage to start the charging current. I have on occasion hooked two chargers in series (need a meter) to get the charging started sooner.

 

[gorillapilot]

ETPilot, I don't see any reason to give up on your rejuvinator. Batteries are not my specialty, but I am an Electrical Engineer and own a company that makes remote monitoring devices for standby generators - which involves some battery monitoring.

Several suggestions have been made that I find useful and would recommend: use an isolation transformer, use multiple diodes in series, and add a fuse. You already know about good ventilation.

The circuit is a half wave rectifier that produces 60 (half-sine wave) pulses per second with a peak voltage of about 170 volts. We refer to our power line voltage as 120 because that is the average (RMS) voltage. The peak is about 170 volts. These 170 volt pulses are applied across the light bulbs and the battery. The portion of that voltage that will appear across the battery will change based on the condition of the battery and the number of light bulbs and their temperature etc. What's important is that the pulse voltage will be high (relative to the battery voltage) and this knocks some of the sulfate buildup off the plates. It may not be quite as quick or elegant as a specially designed square wave unit, but it is inexpensive and, as you have found, it works.

I would kind of hate to see you abandon this because of the concerns others raised here. None are insurmountable or especially likely. Seems to me the main safety concern is hydrogen, as in most charging situations.

For what it's worth, there are folks trying this with much higher voltage (300 to 600 volts) pulses of short duration. They claim great results, but I have my doubts. I like your approach and will use it.