Is this a Trickle Charger??

[Ed S, SE Nebr]

Probably demonstrating ignorance here, but...

 

After buying this bike for a song at an auction last month I've been working to get it back on the road. Successfully, by the way. I took it for a ride to town last week.

 

The first thing I did was to replace the battery. While doing so I removed what I assumed was an accessory plug cable-tied to the grate up around the triple tree. The leads went directly to the battery. I recreated that in the image called "original".

 

Today, while removing the right saddle bag to get to the brake caliper, I discovered a little 12v power supply. When I noticed the plug on the end of the supply was the male end to the female I'd earlier removed it clicked that this could be a battery charging system which I am not familiar with.

 

Is that right?

Does it work? Seems reasonable; not optimal, since the battery is really closer to 13v, but it shouldn't hurt.

 

eds

Edited July 28, 2014 by Ed S, SE Nebr
Same title as earlier post today.

[videoarizona]

That's what it looks like.

 

Trouble with trickle chargers is they don't know when to quit charging. A battery tender type maintainer can be left on for days and will only charge if the battery needs it.

 

Battery Tender is a brand name and they make little maintainer chargers. You can buy one for well under $50 and it comes with the pig tail connector that you attach to the battery. Similar to what you had there...

 

david

[dacheedah]

yeah that, a smart maintainer won't smoke your battery

[djh3]

Here is a simular type charger. They are called "float" chargers to get away from the "brand name" thing. Here is another. You would have to install your connector though.

[Guest tx2sturgis]

Here is a simular type charger. They are called "float" chargers to get away from the "brand name" thing. Here is another. You would have to install your connector though.

 

Float chargers are an actual type of charger, but you dont see them often in the automotive or powersports world....whether that harbor freight charger is a TRUE float charger is anyones guess.

 

Float chargers are used in marine (go figure) and telecommunications (phone company, emergency radio repeaters, etc)....and sometimes in RVs.

 

A true 'float' charger will not overcharge a healthy battery, but it could damage it, if a flooded (wet cell) battery dried out and no one noticed.

 

Float chargers dont charge a battery with a high-level pulsed DC voltage, neither do they intermittently check for battery charge like a maintainer, they simply apply a steady, constant, and regulated, DC voltage, preset to the same voltage as the battery at full charge. Simple, but effective....and they can usually operate for decades with no failures.

 

I use float chargers here for the standby batteries in my amateur station. Most float chargers can pull double duty as a 12v power supply....most battery maintainers cannot do that.

 

 

 

 

Edited July 28, 2014 by tx2sturgis

[Peder_y2k]

"http://www.harborfreight.com/automotive-motorcycle/battery/15-amp-three-stage-onboard-battery-charger-maintainer-99857.html

 

This one seems to be a 'smart' charger from the description. Interesting user reviews

 

-Pete, in Tacoma WA USA

[Condor]

Float chargers are an actual type of charger, but you dont see them often in the automotive or powersports world....whether that harbor freight charger is a TRUE float charger is anyones guess.

 

Float chargers are used in marine (go figure) and telecommunications (phone company, emergency radio repeaters, etc)....and sometimes in RVs.

 

A true 'float' charger will not overcharge a healthy battery, but it could damage it, if a flooded (wet cell) battery dried out and no one noticed.

 

Float chargers dont charge a battery with a high-level pulsed DC voltage, neither do they intermittently check for battery charge like a maintainer, they simply apply a steady, constant, and regulated, DC voltage, preset to the same voltage as the battery at full charge. Simple, but effective....and they can usually operate for decades with no failures.

 

I use float chargers here for the standby batteries in my amateur station. Most float chargers can pull double duty as a 12v power supply....most battery maintainers cannot do that.

 

 

 

 

 

A smart charger has 3 stages in their system. Bulk...14.2 +/- vdc, finish...13.4 > vdc, and float..12.9 vdc. A true smart charger will have a battery type selection which will eliminate the bulk stage for batteries susceptible to damage by gassing such as Gel, and AGM batteries. Every battery maintainer that I've ever run across is rated for 12.9 vdc... Float. It will neither cause gassing or overcharge... just maintain. They are designed to replace any ambient power loss, nothing more, and can be safely left on for very long periods of time.

This also brings up the subject of our using AGM's in our bikes. The rectifier will allow 14.2vdc charging, but that rate drops quickly to 13.3-4vdc because it doesn't take much to replace the amps used to start a Venture. Too quick to start gassing. However, if a bike has been left sitting for a very long period of time and the AGM is at a level that will not start the bike, do not recharge the battery just enough to start the bike, and finish using the bike's stator output. Use a true smart charger which is designed to work on an AGM setting, and bring the battery to full charge before attempting to start the bike. Not doing this will shorten the battery life, and reduce performance.... Gassing is death to a Gel or AGM...

IMHO

[Guest tx2sturgis]

A smart charger has 3 stages in their system. Bulk...14.2 +/- vdc, finish...13.4 > vdc, and float..12.9 vdc. A true smart charger will have a battery type selection which will eliminate the bulk stage for batteries susceptible to damage by gassing such as Gel, and AGM batteries. Every battery maintainer that I've ever run across is rated for 12.9 vdc... Float. It will neither cause gassing or overcharge... just maintain. They are designed to replace any ambient power loss, nothing more, and can be safely left on for very long periods of time.

 

 

Sometimes the word 'float' is used in literature or websites to describe a trickle charger or a battery maintainer...or even one of its functions.

 

But true float chargers are something different. As I explained, they usually have no 'smart' about them. They are not checking the battery voltage intermittently and switching on and off as needed.

 

They apply a steady DC voltage. Constantly, and forever. This voltage is normally the same as the battery full-charge rating, around 12.5 or maybe a bit more. They are used where the current drain from the battery when AC power is lost will not be excessive...but may be long term.

 

So you dont see these in applications like starting batteries where the starting load can 'pull' the battery voltage down during starting, which will overload the float charger, possibly tripping whatever it may use for protection, such as a fuse or crowbar circuit. Those heavy current surges can even damage a true 'float' charger.

 

Maintainers, and smart chargers, do not do the same thing...they are usually set up so that they apply a pulsating DC wave form, at a voltage which is above the normal voltage of the battery, and which is interupted now and then as the internal circuit 'checks' the battery voltage. (Some of these do have a 'float' stage but that does not make it a true 'float' charger.)

 

When a 'smart' maintainer determines that the battery has gone ABOVE the full battery voltage, the charging is halted. Then the maintainer will check periodically until the battery reaches a preset low limit, maybe 12.5 or so, and then it resumes the charging cycle.

 

Of course it IS possible to combine the two functions into one unit, sort of a hybrid, and this is done on some industrial float chargers where the large room-sized battery bank is extremely expensive and is expected to last for many decades.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited July 28, 2014 by tx2sturgis

[Condor]

Sometimes the word 'float' is used in literature or websites to describe a trickle charger or a battery maintainer.

 

But true float chargers are something different. As I explained, they usually have no 'smart' about them. They are not checking the battery voltage intermittently and switching on and off as needed.

 

They apply a steady DC voltage. Constantly, and forever. This voltage is normally the same as the battery full-charge rating, around 12.5 or maybe a bit more. They are used where the current drain from the battery when AC power is lost will not be excessive...but may be long term.

 

So you dont see these in applications like starting batteries where the starting load can 'pull' the battery voltage down during starting, which will overload the float charger, possibly tripping whatever it may use for protection, such as a fuse or crowbar circuit. Those heavy current surges can even damage a true 'float' charger.

 

Maintainers, and smart chargers, do not do the same thing...they are usually set up so that they apply a pulsating DC wave form, at a voltage which is above the normal voltage of the battery, and which is interupted now and then as the internal circuit 'checks' the battery voltage.

 

When it determines that the battery has gone ABOVE the full battery voltage, the charging is halted. Then the maintainer will check periodically until the battery reaches a preset low limit, maybe 12.5 or so, and then it resumes the charging cycle.

 

Of course it IS possible to combine the two functions into one unit, sort of a hybrid, and this is done on some industrial float chargers where the large room-sized battery bank is extremely expensive and is expected to last for many decades.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Without getting super technical, and in lay-mans language, I thought that's what I posted???

[Guest tx2sturgis]

Without getting super technical, and in lay-mans language, I thought that's what I posted???

 

 

 

Yeah, kinda.

 

[Ed S, SE Nebr]

Thanks, all.

 

Now that we have that all settled, I think I'll stick this on my 94 Maxima (210K miles) which I rarely drive and is always dead when I want it.

 

The transformer says it's rated at .5A/12V output. Probably plug it in for a couple days every week or so.

 

eds