Battery charging questions

[Turfman]

Battery Stuff Link

Bird, the link blew up. I just tried it and it wouldn't display a page, just that it was not available. Do you think we (TBN) overloaded it? /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif I'll try it in the morning and see, maybe it's down for maintenance.

 

[Bird]

Re: Battery Stuff Link

That link doesn't work for me either this morning, but I tested it and it worked fine when I posted it. /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

 

[Turfman]

Re: Battery Stuff Link

It's back up now. Must have been down for maintenance, or maybe it is an 8:00 to 5:00 website /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif.

 

[BIGUN]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Compare this float charger for $7.49 at Harbor Freight. This is the model that I own. Battery charger click here )</font>

I picked up one of these Sunday and got it hooked up to my Bota battery.

The clamp on multimeter/amp meter I mentioned in my previous post is on sale at Harbor Freight Stores for under $10 till 12/24/03. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[Soundguy]

I get to work with tube power supplies alot, in the sound industry... All the vintage and modern 'vintage' stuff is tube.

I've also seen some big tube power supplies in industrial electronic equipment and test equipment. I've got an old sig-gen ( huge... heavy...) has an oil pot in the top to heatsink the big nice and purple power tubes... ).

Like you.. I havn't seen a tube powered battery charger.. but have worked on an old battery charger using selenium rectifiers.

My electronics instructor was an old navy guy, and radar tech. He told us a story of burning a hole thru his finger and fingerneail while working on an older radar rig one time.

His finger and nail grew back in .. buthe the nail has a permanent uh.. design, or abnormality in it now.

Soundguy

 

[RalphVa]

I'd start it up and move it around a little bit to get oil on upper parts of the lip seal surfaces, etc. Maybe 5 minutes or so. Then kill it and put a trickle charger on (with battery attached, etc.) the terminals for a few hours. Best is one of those chargers that show the amperage being put in. When the meter goes down and stays down low, take it off. Change the engine oil about every 6 months no matter how much your run it.

I've a stand-alone, electric start generator that I start once/month and let it run at least 15 minutes or so, enough to get the gas run out of the carburetor, warm it up and recharge the battery.

Ralph

 

[Trev]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( I get to work with tube power supplies alot, in the sound industry... All the vintage and modern 'vintage' stuff is tube.)</font>

At the risk of going a bit (a bit!?) off topic for a second, what are your thoughts on the modern amps which emulate the sound of the old tube amps? I'm thinking of things like the Roland BluesCube, etc.

Okay, back on topic /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif I picked up a Battery Tender, which I plan to install tomorrow. It has both the clamps and the "permanent" connections. I can probably just run the wire from the permanent connectors (which bolt to the battery terminals) to someplace where it dangles harmlessly like the block and hydraulic heater cables. Then just plug it in and let it do its thing. It has 4 modes.. the first is a test mode to make sure it's hooked up correctly. If it doesn't sense at least 3 volts, it won't do anything (I guess then it's jump-start time.)

Then it goes into either a full charge mode of 1.25 amps until the battery reaches 80% charge. Then it goes into some other mode (sorry if I'm being too technical here /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif) until the battery is fully charged, and finally it goes into a float mode to just keep the battery topped off. It says it won't spark even if you touch the two leads together.. because it isn't seeing the 3 volts it needs to tell it to activate.

Hopefully this will do the trick for lengthy cold spells, in addition to starting 'er up and moving around a little to keep things lubed.

What are people's thoughts on "electrolytic grease?" I've had a lot of people tell me to use this, both on batteries and on the bulbs in cars, etc. Is this good stuff, or is it a modern form of snake oil? (BTW, where did the term "snake oil" come from anyway??)

Just full of question tonight, aren't I? /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Hope everyone had a nice holiday (it's politically incorrect now, I guess, to say Christmas.) oosey, I said it! /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

 

[RalphVa]

I don't like either grease or corrosion on my battery terminals. You can buy those little round felt things that go over the terminal below the cable connection. They work. Most come in red for + and green for - terminals.

Toyotas, in particular, are bad about corroding their terminals. The felt gaskets stopped it.

Never had it happen on a Benz nor on my Gravely. The Gravely battery comes with felts on the terminals though. The replacement I just got has them.

Ralph

 

[Jethro]

I don't know how much effort you want to put into reading about the origins of the term "snake oil", but here ya go: Snake oil readin'

 

[Egon]

the federal Pure Food and Drug Act became law on January 1, 1907 (Munsey 1970; Holbrook 1959, 3-4).

And quess what well know profession this led too?

Egon