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Electronics => Electronics => Topic started by: RICEKING212 on July 17, 2009, 04:27:56 PM

Title: 12v trickle charger for a 6v battery?
Post by: RICEKING212 on July 17, 2009, 04:27:56 PM: Noob Question: I have a trickle charger with an output of 12v although it says it can be used for 6v to 9.6v batteries. I'm going to get a 6v rechargable battery and I'm just wondering if the 12v trickle charger will work without frying my battery. In the $50 robot tutorial, it said to use a trickle charger with an output of 6v for a 6v battery. I'm a little confused.
Thanks
Title: Re: 12v trickle charger for a 6v battery?
Post by: SmAsH on July 17, 2009, 04:31:55 PM: if you plug in a 6v battery does it output a steady 6v or 12v? 12v will probably stuff it... but you could use a regulator easy, normally you charge with a few volts above the target, ie. 7-8v... but its not required.
Title: Re: 12v trickle charger for a 6v battery?
Post by: RICEKING212 on July 17, 2009, 04:45:14 PM: Well if I need to aim a few volts above my taregt, I also have a smart charger that is made to charge 7.2v to 12v batteries. Will that work better?
Title: Re: 12v trickle charger for a 6v battery?
Post by: SmAsH on July 17, 2009, 05:46:36 PM: nope, smart chargers are what their name implies, smart...
they know the batteries voltage, it would not work well... if you have a spare 7-8v wall wart that could work too.
Title: Re: 12v trickle charger for a 6v battery?
Post by: RICEKING212 on July 17, 2009, 06:08:31 PM: I guess I'll either find a 6v or 7v charger or just find a 6v or 7v regulator then
Title: Re: 12v trickle charger for a 6v battery?
Post by: SmAsH on July 17, 2009, 06:16:39 PM: just beware, because regulators use up the excess energy as heat, they are extremely wasteful!
but it doesn't matter too much if its coming from a wall wart.
a regulator would be good for this purpose. just make sure its not pumping too much current into the batteries or bad things will happen ;D
Title: Re: 12v trickle charger for a 6v battery?
Post by: madchimp on July 17, 2009, 10:53:04 PM: Quote from: SmAsH on July 17, 2009, 04:31:55 PM
if you plug in a 6v battery does it output a steady 6v or 12v? 12v will probably stuff it... but you could use a regulator easy, normally you charge with a few volts above the target, ie. 7-8v... but its not required.
Well considering a fully charged battery is normally at a higher voltage than what it is rated if you want to fully charge a battery I'm pretty sure it is required to have a voltage higher than 6v to charge a 6v battery. If you are just beginning it's probably best to buy a ready made charger that is designed to work with your batteries. Improper charging of batteries can cause a fire or even your batteries to explode!