Re: (ET) chargers

On Mon, Jul 7, 2008 at 9:46 AM, Matthew callahan <callahanrc hotmail com> wrote:

Hi All,

I have a bunch of 8V Trojans that I am planning to use for my EV. I recalled that some of you have souped up your ETs with those batteries instead of the 6V ones, to make the pack a 48V pack.

The ones I have are old, and were bought at scrap value mainly, to use as mockups for the battery packs. However, they will hold a charge and can be used for initial power up testing before buying a brand new pack.

However, i can't seem to be able to find a 8V charger that can equalize the charge in each battery individually, and would rather do that than charge three at a time at 24V or six at 48V.

Any recommendations for large lead-acid 8V chargers, and sources where i can purchase one?

Cheers

Matt

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I'm not sure why you want to equalize your batteries individually. If it was me I'd just equalize them in a series string, like the equalization charge done on any typical in-service EV: Give them a normal charge. Then limit the current to some small fraction of their Ah rating, remove any limit on voltage and let 'em perk for a couple of hours. The Trojan website should have details regarding recommended current and time. This will bring all your cells up to their maximum capacity. (Which will grow and become more uniform cell-to-cell as you put them through more charge/discharge cycles.)

The only reason I can see not to do it this way is that your charger won't allow it, or if you have a battery or two that are clunkers and just won't come into line with the rest. If the latter, it's time for some replacements anyway. If you want to nurse some clunkers along temporarily, try using a higher-voltage charger with some combination of low voltage light bulbs in series to get the right charge numbers on your meter. Plan on baby-sitting this setup, as things will change during the course of the cycle.

Re: (ET) chargers - 8V