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Re: (ET) How NOT to check your batteries...
I used to dabble in digital electronics myself, back in college in
*cough*92*cough*, but I'm wayyyy out of practice. Still, I think a
compact
enough unit could be made to handle this. I just don't think I could
relearn
enough to get it done in a timely manner myself.
There are really 3 things to be aware of, IMHO...
(1) The original: If the voltage dips below the setpoint, activate the
charger.
(2) Timer & voltage detection: If the voltage does not rise or even
*drops*
over a set period of time, stop the charge and make an LED blink
incessantly,
or just leave a simple 2-pin jumper block for something the buyer can
insert
later, whether it be an LED, a buzzer, or what have you. Activation would
simply be to send voltage to jumper "xyz" in a repeating-on/off pattern.
Stopping this action would be to reset the unit by simply removing power
to the
controller. Hopefully, upon restoring power, the situation will be
corrected,
and the unit will detect normal voltage or it will be desireable to
activate
the charger once again (such as after adding water to the batteries). By
the
way, it bears noting that the way I have my controller wired is not
direct-to-
batteries, but rather to honor the power cutoff switch on the side of the
tractor. I accomplished this by tapping into the leads that go to the 36V
power accessory outlet on the left, under side of the tractor. That way,
if
I've tripped the cutoff, the controller will lose power, and it cannot
activate
the charger. I've often used this to reset the controller, based on the
below
condition (charge starts, cutoff power, correct situation, restore cutoff
switch, charger stays off)...
(3) Not mentioned yet: If the voltage dips below the setpoint, wait a few
seconds and check again; if it's still below, then activate the charger.
This
simple, check-pause-check-activate/ignore logic would prevent the charger
from
activating for brief power drops. I've often had these when the ET is in
the
garage, plugged in, and I activate some feature like the front lift. The
current controller activates instantaneously after the power dips.
If it would save you time, effort, money, etc., I'd be perfectly willing
to
build the circuitry myself, if you provided the parts list, diagram &
instructions (for a fee?).
--
Jeremy Gagliardi
E20
Potomac, Md
>----Original Message----
>From: hlandis hotmail com
>Date: Aug 7, 2007 9:43
>To: <jeremy gagliardi com>
>Subj: Re: (ET) How NOT to check your batteries...
>
>Yes, I'm still on the list, and still selling controllers.
>I suppose I could add some kind of a counter to see if the battery has
>been
>on charge a long time without geting charged, but I sort of think the
>more
>complications I add, the more chance of causing problems. Such as if the
>power is off or the mower is not plugged in or the charger capacitor is
>bad
>or the batteries have a bad connection or are old, I would have to make
>the
>controller recognize the problem and report it (buzzer? display?) without
>making false alarms. So it would be more expensive and complicated and as
>far as I can tell probably not worth it. So I think it is better to rely
>on
>a self propelled auditory visual olfactory multiprocessing controller
>(otherwise known as the owner) for such sophisticated problem detection
>and
>analysis.
>
>Harry Landis
>
>From: "Jeremy Gagliardi com" <jeremy gagliardi com>
>Reply-To: "Jeremy Gagliardi com" <jeremy gagliardi com>
>To: elec-trak cosmos phy tufts edu
>Subject: Re: (ET) How NOT to check your batteries...
>Date: Tue, 7 Aug 2007 12:12:06 +0000 (UTC)
>
>David Roden wrote:
> >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.
>
>Harry, are you still on this list? I wonder if you're working on a Mark
>II
>that can handle this situation.
>
>Still, with all due respect, my ability to check the batteries once a
>month
>was clearly at fault. Let's give at least partial credit where it's due.
>
>Also, I wanted to mention that my E20 is in storage through Spring,
>Summer &
>Fall now. I only use it to plow snow in the winter. My property is so
>heavily
>landscaped that the big, triple blade mower is too much to maneuver around
>everything all day. So, I need a good solution for long term storage.
>
>--
>Jeremy Gagliardi
>E20
>Potomac, Md
>
>
> >----Original Message----
> >From: etpost drmm net
> >Date: Aug 6, 2007 13:25
> >To: <elec-trak cosmos phy tufts edu>
> >Subj: 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
> >
> >
> >
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> >Elec-trak cosmos phy tufts edu
> >https://cosmos.phy.tufts.edu/mailman/listinfo/elec-trak
> >
>
>
>
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