Re: (ET) RE: Battery Testers

["David Roden (Akron, Ohio, USA)" <roden ald net>]

Good comments here about using a cycle tester.  But I partially disagree 
with this statement:

> Using these weaker batteries is inefficient because you
> are still charging them for 8 hours or so as you always have, but they 
> are
> only capable of producing for 50 minutes instead of 105 minutes.

The reason I partially disagree is that you ~shouldn't~ charge them the 
same as you always have.  If you are charging them the same amount as 
when they were new, you are overcharging them.  Note that, according to 
the manual, your ET's charger timer is supposed to be set to charge 
longer when the batteries are new.  

Even a sulfated battery with reduced capacity will still not accept more 
than 110-115% of the amp-hours withdrawn.

However, many automatic chargers don't recognize that the battery is 
fully charged at a lower voltage, and keep trying to bring it up to its 
old fully-charged voltage.  All this does is waste energy and further 
shorten the poor battery's life by overcharging it.


David Roden - Akron, Ohio, USA
1991 Solectria Force 144vac
1979 General Engines ElectroPed 24vdc
1974 Honda Civic 96vdc
1970 GE Elec-trak 36 vdc