The design I built (from a kit, into a standard Arlec 4A charger) doesn't activate the charger until it sees some voltage on the output (from the battery). I forget how it does that, but I recall it was quite a cleverly simple design. I have the schematic on paper somewhere.
Please note that the a123systems starter battery has built-in BMS with among other Under-Voltage cutoff - but if you have some extra power drain plugged in your car - you should put yet another Under-Voltage cutoff that saves 1-30% of the starter battery capacity.
...
Quote: "... Smart on-board battery management system (BMS) electronics report real-time data and diagnostics to protect the battery and prevent premature failures, reducing service and warranty costs. The integrated BMS provides cell balancing and protection as well as built-in system-level safety features for under/over voltage cutoff, overcharge and over temperature protection. ..."
Oh - did I forgot to mention that LiFePO4 do not contain lead :-)
Since I know battery charging temperature behavior rather well (see my patents), maybe I should just roll my own with 100mA capability ;-) ...Jim Thompson
--
| James E.Thompson | mens |
| Analog Innovations | et |
| Analog/Mixed-Signal ASIC's and Discrete Systems | manus |
| San Tan Valley, AZ 85142 Skype: Contacts Only | |
| Voice:(480)460-2350 Fax: Available upon request | Brass Rat |
| E-mail Icon at http://www.analog-innovations.com | 1962 |
The touchstone of liberalism is intolerance
Just two vehicles, an Infiniti Q45 and a Nissan Frontier Pick-em-up.
The car gets driven every day or three. The truck hasn't been driven since early December ;-) ...Jim Thompson
--
| James E.Thompson | mens |
| Analog Innovations | et |
| Analog/Mixed-Signal ASIC's and Discrete Systems | manus |
| San Tan Valley, AZ 85142 Skype: Contacts Only | |
| Voice:(480)460-2350 Fax: Available upon request | Brass Rat |
| E-mail Icon at http://www.analog-innovations.com | 1962 |
The touchstone of liberalism is intolerance
Please note that the charger tests your battery and signals if it is faulty - even when the battery is car connected. Lead-acid fails from time to time. The charger is reverse polarity protected [ idiot proof :-) ]:
formatting link
Quote: "... The charger can solve a broad range of battery-related problems and is the perfect charger for those with high demands. The MUS 4.3 offers features such as battery diagnosis that shows if a battery can receive and retain a charge, a special reconditioning function that restores stratified and deeply discharged batteries, unique maintenance charging, a mode for optimized charging during cold winter days and the charging of demanding AGM batteries (i.e. Optima). The unique display allows the user to follow the entire charging process. ... The MUS 4.3 is a fully automatic 8-step charger that delivers selectable
0.8 A or 4.3 A to 12 V batteries from 1.2?110 Ah and is suitable for maintenance charging up to 160 Ah. The charger is splash and dust proof, designed to protect vehicle electronics and non-sparking, reverse polarity protected and short-circuit proof. It is delivered with a
5-year warranty. ...
Recondition of deep discharged batteries
Patented desulphation that extends the battery life ..."
Just go the solar panel route. My Moms car is a candidate, so I just ordered a 2.4W Schumacher. I'll see how that turns out, it's on the north side of the house and dosent get much sun in the winter so I might have to go back to running it once a month.
I generally avoid anything that "smells leftist", but Arizona doesn't do daylight-savings because we have enough sun already... so maybe I'll try that out ;-) ...Jim Thompson
--
| James E.Thompson | mens |
| Analog Innovations | et |
| Analog/Mixed-Signal ASIC's and Discrete Systems | manus |
| San Tan Valley, AZ 85142 Skype: Contacts Only | |
| Voice:(480)460-2350 Fax: Available upon request | Brass Rat |
| E-mail Icon at http://www.analog-innovations.com | 1962 |
The touchstone of liberalism is intolerance
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