Thinking of buying a variable DC power supply to recharge an electric scooter's sealed gel lead acid battery. However, when trying out two models from the same manufacturer, their voltage displays aren't consistent:
The less powerful model (0-3amps) shows actual voltage, as it rises from actual voltage, until it stops at the target voltage [using Constant Voltage mode.] Whereas the more powerful model (0-10 amps) shows only the target voltage; requiring the user to use a multimeter to view the actual, rising, voltages. I personally prefer to see the actual voltage.
Can someone explain why these power supplies' displays differ?
Second newbie question: Is the more 0-10 amp unit a more "professional" design? I'd like to have a power supply that doesn't self-destruct as soon as the warranty expires.
All perspectives totally appreciated. Cheers!
Re a layman's question: Digital display of power supply supposed to show actual or target voltage?
There's this wonderful FREE Search engine portal called Google
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which you can either go to directly OR through online services like Yahoo.com. Why do I mention this? Because questions such as yours can be answered by doing simple Google searches! For example, doing a few searches on charging circuits and or battery chargers yields the following:
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For the Do It Yourself (DIY) folks:
From the simple:
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To the more complex:
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For the more technically inclined:
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Then of course there's the good folks at Advanced Auto Parts at a store near you: (this is not to mention Sears too..)
Advanced Auto Parts Schumacher SE112S ~ $29.98 Battery Charger: 1.5 Amp Fully Automatic Onboard Maintainer/Charger
Personally, the first place I would check would be your discount warehouse type stores. Sam's or the Price Club depending on where you are in the USA. IF they don't have what you're looking for venture (often times) next door to Walmart. They usually WILL have a small, automatic, trickle charger at a price that will be hard to beat.
The point here is it's probably NOT worth the effort, OR your time for all that you're going through for a simple automatic trickle charger!
Today's automatic trickle and float chargers are [often] based on specific integrated circuits which anyone can obtain IF you desire to build your own. IF that's the case, up above, there are some DIY links that you may want to explore that reveal from simple to more complex circuits. The batteries in question here DO NOT need to be monitored voltage or current-wise by the owner. It's available in automated designs that preclude this these days. AND at a price that most can afford down at your local discount stores.
IF you look at the DIY circuit section, you will find that the chargers are often based on either a half-wave or, in some cases, a bridge rectifier design. That's to say it's merely a DC power supply with current limiting and the ability to monitor voltage and flip over to trickle (current) charge once the battery comes up to a predetermined level. In some cases the current can then be pulsed every so often to maintain charge OR, shut off completely and once the voltage drops below a predetermined state, automatically flip back to trickle charge again. This depends on the design of the circuit and the sophistication of the charger.
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