Battery Charger

[bugged]

FWIW
Recently replaced the conventional leadacid OEM battery in my 02 LT with an Odyssey brand Drycell/AGM type.This event was preceded by the failure of the OEM battery because someone (probably nephew) had left the key in the accessory position for several weeks and the battery into a totally dead state. After recharging the battery with a 10 amp automatic charger and then turning the maintenance over to my Deltran battery tender charger it never appeared to stay in a fully charged state. SO not wanting to be FORD replaced the battery.
Doing some research on battery chargers for Drycell/AGM type batteries brought a new name to my attention ACI chargers or superchargers as they call them. (See then at www.acichargers.com) Mfg.in canada they feature switch mode technology rather than the conventional linear style most chargers employ. The ACI supercharger can be found on several online motorcycle battery sales sites for about the same price as conventional chargers. As a footnote I do not work for or own stock in the afore mentioned co.

[tvguy]

the 10 amp battery charger is what killed your battery. 1 amp is max for a motorcycle battery.... Oops! :cool:

[Seeker]

After recharging the battery with a 10 amp automatic charger and then turning the maintenance over to my Deltran battery tender charger it never appeared to stay in a fully charged state.

For normal batteries, you can use your charger if it has a 2amp setting. Traditionally, using 10amps can possibly cook your battery, even in automatic mode. It will provide the proper voltage, but too many amps. :eek:

But surprisingly, Odyssey does recommend the use of 10amps.



Bruno
Montreal, Canada
Gerbing Heated PANT LINER Review
http://pages.videotron.com/mcrides/product_evals/gerbing/p-liner.htm
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[dshealey]

the 10 amp battery charger is what killed your battery. 1 amp is max for a motorcycle battery.... Oops! :cool:

That is not true. A battery charger that is putting out too high VOLTAGE can overcharge a battery, so some really cheap chargers with nothing but a transformer and rectifier in them can possibly overcharge. A properly designed charger will not overcharge one though.

Think of this: Your alternator is capable of putting out over 60 amps, a charger is nothing but a substitute for the charge current from an alternator.

If ou use a charger rated at 10 amps, that does not mean that it will force 10 amps through the battery. It only means that that is the MAXIMUM the charger can supply. The state of charge of the battery is what determines the current (amperage) that will be drawn from the charger. If you use a 10 amp charger on a depleted battery it will draw near 10 amps at first, but as the charge builds up the amperage will drop until it reaches a low current, determined by the voltage of the charger.

One can charge a motorcycle battery just as safely using a 100 amp service station charger as you can with a small trickle charger. In fact, the Odyssey may not charge at all with a cheap 1 amp charger.

This is just the same as the myth that you cannot jump start a motorcycle with a car. Total bunk. The motorcycle battery cannot tell where the 13.5-14 volts is coming from, be it it's own alternator, a car, truck, or charger of any type that is putting out the proper voltage. The source VOLTAGE is the determining factor. Current (amperage) is the result of the voltage versus the state of charge of the battery.

[dshealey]

See my reply to the other post. A cheap charger that is putting out a too high VOLTAGE can cook a battery, amps used is not a function of the charger, but the voltage versus the state of charge of the battery. No charging supply set to put out no more than 14 volts (preferably around 13.7 volts) will damage the battery. If that were so, the motorcycle's own alternator would destroy it.