(ET) Battery care (was Elec-trak Digest, Vol 15, Issue 39)

["David Roden" <etpost drmm net>]

On 20 May 2017 at 18:33, Robert wrote:

> I disagree. I'm about to build AGM chargers for my batteries and ...
> it's simply a matter of reading the manufacturers data sheets and
> contouring the algorithm to their battery. 

Good for you!  I wish you success.

My point was that the chargers for lots of mass-market rechargeable 
gadgets 
don't do even that much.  Battery life just isn't a priority for the 
companies' management.  Most of the chargers overcharge.

One of the benefits of the wider use of lithium ion batteries is that the 
manufacturers HAVE to build in some charging smarts. Lead, NiCd, and NiMH 
batteries can tolerate overcharging for a while, but a lithium battery 
with 
little or no charging control will fail (maybe dramatically - remember the 
hoverboards?) in relatively few cycles.

That said, I stand by the statement that charging batteries isn't a 
trivial 
task.  I'll give you an example.

In a way, batteries are like people.  If they're not exercised regularly, 
they lose strength (capacity).  But work them until they drop, and you'll 
wear them out fast.  They need to be fed (charged) regularly and properly 
-- 
too little and they starve from sulfation, too much and they get fat from 
grid corrosion.

I may be over-anthromorphizing here, but feeding a battery is also kind of 
like feeding a person.  

When you're a teenager, you can pretty much live on pizza, burgers, and 
beer.  As you get into your 30s, you have to watch your diet or you gain 
weight.  In your 40s and 50s and 60s, it's time to keep an eye on your 
cholesterol and blood pressure, and choose your foods accordingly.

Batteries' needs also change with age.  The datasheets may tell you what 
to 
do for a new battery, but charge an old battery by those standards, and 
you'll accelerate its demise.  

GE's ET charger is on the crude side.  However, I have to give their 
engineers credit for taking battery age into account, even though it's not 
automatic.


David Roden - Akron, Ohio, USA

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