Re: Battery Charge

Posted by A. Bohemian on March 26, 2007 at 08:20:41 from (207.170.88.27):

In Reply to: Battery Charge posted by Henry C on March 26, 2007 at 07:40:05:

You may need a new battery. Read on...

I just hook up the battery charger, red cable to positive and black cable to negative. Which terminal is grounded makes no difference; it is the polarity of the cables and battery terminals that dictate how they are connected.

As to how long to leave it charged; ideally you would leave it hooked up until the voltage differential between the charger's circuitry and the battery's terminals was gone and there was zero current flow.

Always remember the twelefth of Novem...wait, that's Guy Fawkes' Day. I'll try again.

Always remember, I=E/R (Ohm's Law). In this case, I represents current flow, E is the voltage differential, and R is the combined resistance of the cables and connections. I think the battery's internal resistance also plays a role, but I can't positively recall at this time.

So, if E=0, I must equal zero in a fully charged battery. If your charger has no built-in meter, you can connect a VOM ("AGAIN with the VOM! This 'Bohemian' guy and his VOMs...") as an ammeter and monitor the state of charge untill current flow drops to zero.

However, this is the ideal situation. In fact, I find the battery perfectly satisfactorily charge when the current flow has dropped to %20 or less of the maximum current the unit can supply (NOT the initial current in any given charging application).

In other words, with my 6 volt 6 amp charger, I consider the battery ready to go when the current flow reaches about 1.2 amps.

I note you are usinig a trickle charger. I am not familiar with these but believe 2 amps is a typical maximum charge rate. It will probably take SEVERAL DAYS to see the charge rate drop to .4 amps, but I will defer to anyone with more experience on that particular matter.

Finally, in my experience, batteries that were seemingly fine four or five months ago but that are mysteriously dead have a high failure rate. Some fail to take a charge; most will fail to hold one.

Check for voltage with a VOM ("AGAIN!"). You should have two or three volts. Less than that and the prognosis is grim. If you have absolutely zero volts, the battery may have a dead cell and not take a charge. A flickering meter means the battery has developed internal "noise," but I've only seen this once with an automotive/tractor battery.

At your convenience, please post back and let us know what you end up doing.

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