Smart Chargers

[eaglemrpaul]

Just a heads up for those of you interested in maintaining your battery. I work at a store where we sell L&G tractors. In my opinion we sell way to many batteries. Part of the reason is that on small engines you have what amounts to a trickle charging system. Add to that that in Wisconsin these machine have seasonal use. I decided to do a test with an inexpensive smart charger on 10 exchanged batteries to see if I could bring them back to life. With 7 out of 10 the smart charger worked. They may not have been like new but they were usable once again.

From what I've read the concept is that as batteries create power, sulfate crystals attach to the plates. This can also happen during long periods where there is a lack of use. When that happens that portion of the plate is no longer available to produce electricity or take a charge from a standard charger. In theory the battery could show that it's fully charged while the reality is that only a portion of the battery has reached that point. A smart charger / desulfator sends pulses into the battery that can knock off or disintegrate those crystals bringing that part of the battery back to life.

Since acid filled batteries work on the same principal regardless of what they're attached to I connect my Battery Minder to the Spyder about once a month. Time will tell however I thought the $40.00 I spent on the smart charger was a relatively inexpensive attempt to extend the batteries life. Plus a battery failure in the middle of nowhere can really ruin the day.

 

[PMK]

I want to mention up front that if you have a true Battery Minder brand product it is in my opinion the best to buy. I am not sure which model you have but am curious to know.

My experience with Battery Minder products involves aircraft batteries. One aircraft was needing new batteries (2 in series to make a 24 volt system) between 18 months and 24 months. The batteries aged and failed. I made phone calls and spoke directly with the people at both Battery Tender and Battery Minder. I learned a lot.

A Battery Minder was purchased and had all the options, including a temp sensor installed onto one of the 4 battery terminals. A quick disconnect aviation harness was built and allowed the Battery Minder to be easily connected or disconnected. While on the ground the Battery Minder was always connected and operating. The new batteries have lasted more than twice what the previous batteries best performance was. I will also note that I switched from Gil batteries to Concordes so this no doubt made a difference in my opinion. But regardless, at several years old, and many hours of flight, the Concordes are as solid as day. And according to Concorde and Battery Minder the performance will gradually increase and remain there for some time, until the batteries begin to "wear out".

A true Battery Minder brand charger desulfator is on the list of to get items. Not that we have winter here like other areas, it is just a proven product in mind and worth the little extra cost.

I would speculate that the remaining three batteries that did not revive could possibly come back with more time on the Battery Minder.

PK

 

[Dgjason]

Trickle Charger

I plug my spyder into a trickle charger every day after I finish riding. It stays plugged in until the next time I ride. It has a light that shows battery condition. Yellow-not fully charged, green-fully charged. For you battery guys, is this a good or bad practice ? :dontknow:

 

[eaglemrpaul]

BatteyMinder

I used the BatteryMinder Plus model 12117 during my test and on my Spyder. In my aviation past I recalled the name BatteryMinder from back in the 1970s. FAA approved aviation batteries were pricey. Anything you could do make them last longer was a good thing. Also unlike an automobile that might get used everyday, a small aircraft sat out on the tarmac a lot without exercise. That was a battery killer. I also remember the chargers being so expensive that only the fixed base operators had them. A couple of years ago I paid $40.00 on sale.

I've lost the manual but as I recall you could leave this model on the battery for extended periods of time. I own (1) and move it around to my tractor and truck as well. On the company website it looks like the current version of what I have is the model 1500.

 

[SAR41]

Battery Minder

I started useing the battery minder about 10 years ago. The 6 volt batteries in my motor home was only lasting about 2 years. Same thing, I read allI could on battery chargers and decided that the battery minder was the best option (only my opinion) that i could find. The batteries in that motorhome were 6 years old when i sold it and they were still working good. In my current motorhome i bought new batteries when i purchased it in 2010 and those are still working great. I keep the minder installed all the time. Any time its pluged in the minder is working. It stays pluged in at all times.