(ET) Harry Landis Charge controller

["harry landis" <hlandis hotmail com>]

To the list:

I still have more of the controllers. Somehow it appears I haven?t been 
getting all the messages. It might be a problem with Hotmail or with the 
website. Don checked out the feature and it worked fine. One message got 
waylaid by my Hotmail junk mail filter, but I don?t know why.  So I put my 
email address in the ad so people can contact me directly.
It looks like there are plenty of opinions and conflicting data on battery 
voltages under different circumstances and the proper regimen for charging.  
I have had good success with my charge controller, which only looks at the 
voltage of the pack with neither charging or load. If it is fully charged, 
it will stabilize after some hours at about 38 volts. Then the controller 
will turn on the charger a couple of times a day for about five minutes, 
which keeps it up and equalized. There was some discussion a year or so ago 
about whether 38 volts was the best voltage to use.  I wasn?t persuaded to 
change my mind.  But, in the interest of generating some more controversy, 
as well as some data, I propose the following:
Everyone with a digital voltmeter, and a gas car which seems to have a fully 
functioning charging system and a good battery should go outside and measure 
the battery voltage right on the battery terminals, maybe at 1 hour 
intervals after shutting down the car. If everyone reports back, we should 
have plenty of data.  I bet the majority will be around 12.66 volts. If so, 
that would mean 38 volts is about right. If anyone wants to do it year 
round, and keep track of the temperature, we will have yet more data.
Mine reads 12.72, and I shut it down about an hour ago. And it is still 
pretty warm out there. It was around 95 degrees when I was driving it.


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