trickle charger

D

Damien

Guest
I'm trying to find a circuit diagram for a trickle charger capable of
charging a 12V motorcycle battery. I've got a 4A charger which works well
enough, but a trickle charger would be preferable for helping ensure the
battery has a long life. I've looked everywhere I can think of online except
for here, and was hoping someone might be able to help!

Damien
 
It would be much more reliable for you to buy a trickle charger that is UL
or CSA approved. Use a 1 or 2 amp charger that is designed for motor cycle
batteries with an auto cut-off. If you build one yourself, and there are
defects, you can end up damaging the battery, and having a chance for a
safety hazard.

--

Greetings,

Jerry Greenberg GLG Technologies GLG
=========================================
WebPage http://www.zoom-one.com
Electronics http://www.zoom-one.com/electron.htm
=========================================


"Damien" <nomail@nowhere> wrote in message
news:3faca855$0$3499$afc38c87@news.optusnet.com.au...
I'm trying to find a circuit diagram for a trickle charger capable of
charging a 12V motorcycle battery. I've got a 4A charger which works well
enough, but a trickle charger would be preferable for helping ensure the
battery has a long life. I've looked everywhere I can think of online except
for here, and was hoping someone might be able to help!

Damien
 
"Damien" <nomail@nowhere> wrote in message news:<3faca855$0$3499$afc38c87@news.optusnet.com.au>...
I'm trying to find a circuit diagram for a trickle charger capable of
charging a 12V motorcycle battery. I've got a 4A charger which works well
enough, but a trickle charger would be preferable for helping ensure the
battery has a long life. I've looked everywhere I can think of online except
for here, and was hoping someone might be able to help!

Damien
Click to expand...
You can use the 4A charger you have to trickle charge.
Just add a 20 watt automotive tail lamp between the charger
and battery. That will keep the current below 2 amps and
if you want less, use two light bulbs in series.

-Bill
 
"Bill Bowden" <wrongaddress@att.net> wrote in message
news:ad025737.0311082324.6ad135d9@posting.google.com...
"Damien" <nomail@nowhere> wrote in message
news:<3faca855$0$3499$afc38c87@news.optusnet.com.au>...
I'm trying to find a circuit diagram for a trickle charger capable of
charging a 12V motorcycle battery. I've got a 4A charger which works
well
enough, but a trickle charger would be preferable for helping ensure the
battery has a long life. I've looked everywhere I can think of online
except
for here, and was hoping someone might be able to help!

Damien

You can use the 4A charger you have to trickle charge.
Just add a 20 watt automotive tail lamp between the charger
and battery. That will keep the current below 2 amps and
if you want less, use two light bulbs in series.

-Bill
Click to expand...
This is not a good idea. If you want a trickle charger that you can leave
connected to your battery for extended periods of time, then it's best to
get a charger that has two charge modes.. full charge and trickle. Or,
have a trickle charger handy to connect when your 4A charger has done its
job.
The reason is that a lead-acid battery needs a constant voltage charge...
one that limits the charging voltage to the "float level" of lead-acid
batteries... 13.6 - 13.8 volts. The lamps will do nothing to limit the
voltage to the battery after full charge has been reached.
Fully charged batteries have a terminal voltage of 13.6 - 13.8 volts (the
float level). After that state has been reached, more charging will result
in boiling the electrolyte, outgassing, quickly damaging the battery. The
current needed at a float charge rate is only a few milliamps...
significantly less than the 2A suggested. It's the voltage that needs to be
limited, not the current. When you have the correct float voltage applied,
the battery will draw only the current it needs to stay fully charged.
The lamps will serve to limit charging current when the battery is
discharged, but your 4A charger really doesn't need the lamps.. it's
self-limiting.
Harbor Freight has a trickle charger in their online store that would do the
job for you. It's their item # 42292-0VGA, $14.99 USD.
--
Tweetldee
Tweetldee at att dot net (Just subsitute the appropriate characters in the
address)

Never take a laxative and a sleeping pill at the same time!!
 
Add a resistor to one of the leads and continue to use your charger.

Peter

"Damien" <nomail@nowhere> wrote in message
news:3faca855$0$3499$afc38c87@news.optusnet.com.au...
I'm trying to find a circuit diagram for a trickle charger capable of
charging a 12V motorcycle battery. I've got a 4A charger which works well
enough, but a trickle charger would be preferable for helping ensure the
battery has a long life. I've looked everywhere I can think of online
except
for here, and was hoping someone might be able to help!

Damien
Click to expand...
 
"Bushy" <please@reply.to.group> wrote in message
news:bolhk6$j9d$1@bunyip.cc.uq.edu.au...
Add a resistor to one of the leads and continue to use your charger.

Peter

"Damien" <nomail@nowhere> wrote in message
news:3faca855$0$3499$afc38c87@news.optusnet.com.au...
I'm trying to find a circuit diagram for a trickle charger capable of
charging a 12V motorcycle battery. I've got a 4A charger which works
well
enough, but a trickle charger would be preferable for helping ensure the
battery has a long life. I've looked everywhere I can think of online
except
for here, and was hoping someone might be able to help!

Damien
Click to expand...
Google [motorcyle battery trickle charger schematic]
http://circuitos.tripod.cl/schem/r81.gif
 
"Tweetldee" <dgmason99@att99.net> wrote in message
news:p_prb.38813$Ec1.3023401@bgtnsc05-news.ops.worldnet.att.net...

Harbor Freight has a trickle charger in their online store that would do
the
job for you. It's their item # 42292-0VGA, $14.99 USD.
Click to expand...
Yes, I could buy one, but where's the fun in that?! :) Also, I'm in
Australia so by the time you factor in exchange rates and postage, I'm
looking at a good $50, not to mention a wait of at least several weeks.
There are trickle chargers available here for around $65AUD, but it would be
a lot more fun and satisfying to make one myself! I'll buy one eventually if
I have to, but I'd rather make one if I can find a good design that is cheap
to build.

Damien
 
"Tweetldee" <dgmason99@att99.net> wrote in message news:<p_prb.38813$Ec1.3023401@bgtnsc05-news.ops.worldnet.att.net>...
"Bill Bowden" <wrongaddress@att.net> wrote in message
news:ad025737.0311082324.6ad135d9@posting.google.com...
"Damien" <nomail@nowhere> wrote in message
news:<3faca855$0$3499$afc38c87@news.optusnet.com.au>...
I'm trying to find a circuit diagram for a trickle charger capable of
charging a 12V motorcycle battery. I've got a 4A charger which works
well
enough, but a trickle charger would be preferable for helping ensure the
battery has a long life. I've looked everywhere I can think of online
except
for here, and was hoping someone might be able to help!

Damien

You can use the 4A charger you have to trickle charge.
Just add a 20 watt automotive tail lamp between the charger
and battery. That will keep the current below 2 amps and
if you want less, use two light bulbs in series.

-Bill

This is not a good idea. If you want a trickle charger that you can leave
connected to your battery for extended periods of time, then it's best to
get a charger that has two charge modes.. full charge and trickle. Or,
have a trickle charger handy to connect when your 4A charger has done its
job.
The reason is that a lead-acid battery needs a constant voltage charge...
one that limits the charging voltage to the "float level" of lead-acid
batteries... 13.6 - 13.8 volts. The lamps will do nothing to limit the
voltage to the battery after full charge has been reached.
Fully charged batteries have a terminal voltage of 13.6 - 13.8 volts (the
float level). After that state has been reached, more charging will result
in boiling the electrolyte, outgassing, quickly damaging the battery. The
current needed at a float charge rate is only a few milliamps...
significantly less than the 2A suggested. It's the voltage that needs to be
limited, not the current. When you have the correct float voltage applied,
the battery will draw only the current it needs to stay fully charged.
The lamps will serve to limit charging current when the battery is
discharged, but your 4A charger really doesn't need the lamps.. it's
self-limiting.
Harbor Freight has a trickle charger in their online store that would do the
job for you. It's their item # 42292-0VGA, $14.99 USD.
Click to expand...
I was assumming the charger shuts off at 13.6 volts.
If not, he could use a LM317T voltage regulator and
two resistors to set the voltage to 13.6. The current
is limited to 1.5 amps but the input must be at least
2 volts higher than the output, so the charger will have
to deliver around 16 or more open circuit to maintain
13.6 out. The regulator costs 58 cents at digikey and
the resistors are about 5 cents each.

See this link:

http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/Bill_Bowden/page12.htm#317.gif

-Bill
 
"Baphomet" <fandaDEATH2SPAMMERS@catskill.net> wrote in message
news:vqsk14ctgkgp98@corp.supernews.com...

http://circuitos.tripod.cl/schem/r81.gif
Click to expand...
I've also found circuits at:

http://www.electronic-circuits-diagrams.com/carsimages/carsckt1.shtml

and

http://www.uoguelph.ca/~antoon/circ/lader.htm

Only problem with the first one is the scanned image of the schematic is a
bit too fuzzy to read. Of course, the other problem is that I have no idea
which would be the best to build - yours seems to be the simplest, and would
certainly do what I want, but would there be any advantages to using one of
the others? Or any particular reasons why I should _not_ use them?

And thanks to everyone else who has also posted replies - I've got a hell of
a lot more to go on now than I did before!

Damien
 
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