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Re: (ET) How NOT to check your batteries...
That does help; I like Wikipedia articles--they always tend to get right
to the
point. Also, I caught wind of an episode of "How It's Made" that shows
Deep
Cycle Batteries being made.
A repeat will air again on 8/13 at 12:30pm EDT on the Discovery Channel
(check
local listings). I haven't seen it yet, but it's supposed to be about
"Deep
Cycle Batteries, Tins, Optical Lenses" (despite Discovery.com's misprint
of
"battery tins" :-)
Everyone learns differently. For me, a visual documentary on how it's put
together will help greatly towards understanding.
--
Jeremy Gagliardi
E20
Potomac, Md
>----Original Message----
>From: rjkanary nauticom net
>Date: Aug 7, 2007 9:06
>To: "Jeremy Gagliardi com"<jeremy gagliardi com>, <elec-trak cosmos
>phy.tufts.
edu>
>Subj: Re: (ET) How NOT to check your batteries...
>
>The following should help, obtained from:
>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lead-acid_battery
>[edit] Separators
>Separators are used between the positive and negative plates of a lead
>acid
>battery to prevent short circuit through physical contact, mostly through
>dendrites ('treeing'), but also through shedding of the active material.
>
>Separators obstruct the flow of ions between the plates and increase the
>internal resistance of the cell.
>
>Various materials have been used to make separators:
>
> a.. wood
> b.. rubber
> c.. glass fiber mat
> d.. cellulose
> e.. sintered PVC
> f.. microporous PVC/polyethylene.
>An effective separator must meet a number of mechanical properties.
>Permeability, porosity, pore size distribution, specific surface area,
>mechanical design and strength, electrical resistance, ionic
>conductivity,
>and chemical compatibility with the electrolyte. In service the separator
>must have good resistance to acid and oxidation. The area of the
>separator
>must be a little larger than the area of the plates to prevent material
>shorting between the plates. The separators must remain stable over the
>operating temperature range of the battery
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "Jeremy Gagliardi com" <jeremy gagliardi com>
>To: <elec-trak cosmos phy tufts edu>
>Sent: Tuesday, August 07, 2007 8:01 AM
>Subject: Re: (ET) How NOT to check your batteries...
>
>
>>I don't know what separator damage is.
>>
>> David Roden wrote:
>>>> Probably not. Shed lead sulfate is relatively heavy and it doesn't
>>>> float.
>>>> It
>>>> sinks to the bottom of the cells. If the battery gets enough
>>>> vibration,
>>>> it may
>>>> get stirred up, and give the electrolyte a grey color.
>>
>> Stirred up? The water was bubbling. Could that do it?
>>
>> The water was a bit greyish.
>>
>> --
>> Jeremy Gagliardi
>> E20
>> Potomac, Md
>>
>>>----Original Message----
>>>From: rjkanary nauticom net
>>>Date: Aug 6, 2007 16:19
>>>To: <elec-trak cosmos phy tufts edu>
>>>Subj: Re: (ET) How NOT to check your batteries...
>>>
>>>He may be seeing the result of separator damage. Time will tell. :(
>>>
>>>RJ
>>>
>>>
>>>----- Original Message -----
>>>From: "David Roden (Akron OH USA)" <etpost drmm net>
>>>To: <elec-trak cosmos phy tufts edu>
>>>Sent: Monday, August 06, 2007 1:25 PM
>>>Subject: Re: (ET) How NOT to check your batteries...
>>>
>>>
>>>>> with every battery having low water in at least 1 cell, the voltage
>>>>> had severely dropped, and keeping my ET plugged in
>>>>> with the automatic Landis Controller, unsupervised, the charger
>>>>> had been constantly cycling on & off over the course of countless
>>>>> days, boiling away my batteries.
>>>>
>>>> I've said it before - Harry Landis's device may have some
>>>> applications
>>>> in
>>>> certain circumstances, but it's *not* a charge controller. Its
>>>> algorithm
>>>> is
>>>> intriguing and original, but it doesn't implement the charging
>>>> instructions of
>>>> any battery manufacturer.
>>>>
>>>> It also has fairly minimal "smarts." Most microprocessor based charge
>>>> controllers have safety limits. They can say to themselves, "Uh-oh,
>>>> I've
>>>> been
>>>> charging for 19 hours, and not only is the battery voltage still not
>>>> up
>>>> to
>>>> where
>>>> it should be, now the voltage is actually *falling*. I guess
>>>> something's
>>>> wrong.
>>>> I'd better stop the charge and turn on my 'fault' light." The Landis
>>>> device has
>>>> no such safeguard.
>>>>
>>>> Of course, the original GE charger is even dumber. ;-)
>>>>
>>>>> I saw "things" floating in the water. Is that the legendary
>>>>> sulfation I've heard so much about?
>>>>
>>>> Probably not. Shed lead sulfate is relatively heavy and it doesn't
>>>> float.
>>>> It
>>>> sinks to the bottom of the cells. If the battery gets enough
>>>> vibration,
>>>> it may
>>>> get stirred up, and give the electrolyte a grey color.
>>>>
>>>> I'm not an electrochemist, but I'd guess that your grids corroded from
>>>> being
>>>> exposed to air, and you're seeing some of the corrosion flaking off.
>>>>
>>>>> When I bought my batteries, they didn't come with an instruction
>>>>> manual, or even a tip sheet.
>>>>
>>>> You could buy a copy of the Curtis Battery Book One. I think it may
>>>> be
>>>> out
>>>> of print now, but some of the EV parts vendors may still have copies
>>>> to
>>>> offer.
>>>>
>>>> You can also get an excellent introduction to the basics of lead
>>>> batteries
>>>> from Witte's "The Automobile Storage Battery: Its Care and Repair,"
>>>> published in 1922. It's now in the public domain and you can read the
>>>> entire
>>>> text on the web here :
>>>>
>>>> http://www.powerstream.com/1922/battery_1922_WITTE/battery_WITTE.htm
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>> Elec-trak mailing list
>>>> Elec-trak cosmos phy tufts edu
>>>> https://cosmos.phy.tufts.edu/mailman/listinfo/elec-trak
>>>>
>>>
>>>
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>>
>>
>>
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