Author Topic: Float Charging  (Read 1687 times)

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Offline ArcManTopic starter

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Float Charging
« on: November 08, 2008, 09:38:04 AM »
Well, it's almost time to put the yard robot away for the winter.  It will have problems navigating in 2 feet of snow.

My understanding is that it's good to keep the SLA batteries on a float charger when they are stored for long periods.  I've seen some "good" chargers that have a charge, trickle and float mode - they are about $150.  I really don't want to spend that much.  Does anyone know of a cheaper float charger?  Ideally, I want a 24V charger with all 3 charging modes with LED indicators of what mode it's in.  A 2A charger is big enough for my needs.

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Re: Float Charging
« Reply #1 on: November 08, 2008, 11:27:02 PM »
Quote
Well, it's almost time to put the yard robot away for the winter.  It will have problems navigating in 2 feet of snow.
And people ask me why I moved to Bangkok for the winter :P


All batteries self discharge over time, and most types get permanently damaged if the voltage drops too low. If you don't want to spend any money, just monitor the voltage with a multimeter once every few weeks. If the voltage gets too low, just recharge it with your normal charger.

It is a bit of a hassle though and I usually just let me batteries discharge all the way . . . too lazy . . .

Any of these look good?
http://www.robotmarketplace.com/products/battery_chargers_main.html

Offline ArcManTopic starter

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Re: Float Charging
« Reply #2 on: November 09, 2008, 02:16:46 PM »
Thanks for the info.
None of those chargers are quite what I'm looking for, but that looks like a good store in general.

 


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