View Full Version : trickle charger - where to mount the -ve?
I finally sorted out a trickle charger for the Supra, and the instructions say that the -ve terminal should be mounted on to a suitable earthing point and not the battery itself.
Two questions, does it really have to be on an earthing point or can I put it on to the -ve terminal on the battery, AND if it does have to be on an earthing point which one is best?
thanks
JB
Matt Harwood
27-12-07, 09:49
I've had my car mostly sat with a trickle charger on it for the past 3 years or so. Mines connected directly to both positive and negative on the battery and nothing has blown up or melted yet.
However, if you'd prefer to stick to the instructions, you can use pretty much any bit of exposed clean matel you can see. Engine bolts, battery clamp, suspension top mount bolts. Preferably nothing made from alloy though...
Terminator
27-12-07, 10:02
I do the same as Matt, have done for years.
The use of a remote earth is recommended as there may be Hydrogen present near the battery which can ignite if there is a spark.
I do the same as Matt, have done for years.
The use of a remote earth is recommended as there may be Hydrogen present near the battery which can ignite if there is a spark.
Battery explosions are rare....but extremely violent and have been on TV recently. Can't remember where but the individual concerned was extremely lucky to survive.
i am also straight on the terminals, no problems here either
Battery explosions are rare....but extremely violent and have been on TV recently. Can't remember where but the individual concerned was extremely lucky to survive.
Was on The Garage.
Matt Harwood
27-12-07, 10:51
They're basically covering their backsides. A battery 'can' explode as Phil said, but the chances of that happening with a modern battery are incredibly rare. About as common as a running car blowing up a petrol station...
If you wanted to be extra cautious, connect the charger to the battery terminals first, then switch on at the mains afterwards.
Personally, my charger is always on, and as soon as the car goes back in the garage, I just put the croc clips on the terminals and walk away :)
SUPRASUZUKI
27-12-07, 10:52
Straight to terminals here. No issues, coming up to 2 years.
My mate's always had his like this on bikes since trickle chargers went on sale (not sure how many years ago). No prob's.
i have a c tek charger and it comes with stuff to hard wire it to the car, then you just plug a connector in and its done.
these are available from costco, once the battery is fully charged, the charger cycles it on and off to maintain the battery
Rather than connecting the charger directly the battery, why not permanetly wire a connector with a molex plug which you could leave somewhere attached to the front grill. That way when you get home you can just plug the car straight in, rather than fiddling with the bonnet and general phaffing around.
Matt Harwood
27-12-07, 11:29
Rather than connecting the charger directly the battery, why not permanetly wire a connector with a molex plug which you could leave somewhere attached to the front grill. That way when you get home you can just plug the car straight in, rather than fiddling with the bonnet and general phaffing around.
I've been meaning to do that for years!!! :innocent:
I cant belive so many have trickle chargers. I feel left out.
Now there is another thing on my list to do that ill prob not get round to for another year or so.
thanks folks. I have jump started the car with a boost pack by going straight on to the terminals for years, but wasnt sure if the trickle charger might be different.
I have the remote cabling included in the pack so I may wire all that in, but will use the crocodile clips for now.
thanks for the advice.
JB
So where can I find a cheap hard wire type trickle charger guys? (For reasonable £££)
Mine is the older version of this one http://www.accumate.co.uk/it010001.htm Its what i used to have for my motorbike 4 years ago.
I've had an Accumate for a couple of years, it's on all the time while my car is in the garage and simple to disconnect when I want to drive it using a waterproof connector.
It's superb, plug it in every time and it conditions the battery. I was on about the 3rd battery and as I don't use it as a daily driver anymore so I could see that one getting knackered too but the Accumate has done it's job well.
I got one after having it recommended by a guy at work who's into classic bikes, he has used them for years.
I've had an Accumate for a couple of years, it's on all the time while my car is in the garage and simple to disconnect when I want to drive it using a waterproof connector.
It's superb, plug it in every time and it conditions the battery. I was on about the 3rd battery and as I don't use it as a daily driver anymore so I could see that one getting knackered too but the Accumate has done it's job well.
I got one after having it recommended by a guy at work who's into classic bikes, he has used them for years.
I'll vote for the accumate as well. Used one on my father in laws ZZR1100 which was his weekend bike. Always started nicely and didn't go through any batteries.
Mine was a Christmas present from my Dad, its a Halfords Maintenance Charger. Its all plugged in now and hopefully doing the business with the battery. I tend to leave my car still for 2 to 3 months at a time so it will be interesting to see if it works.
JB
as this thread contains some good answers it might be useful if somebody can explain the difference between a battery charger and a Battery Maintenance Charger.
I think all the ones discussed above are maintenance chargers as people tend to leave them attached for weeks/months but Im not sure if that is the case.
JB
Here is a link for one of the products, that I have used with success
http://www.accumate.co.uk/
http://www.accumate.co.uk/it010001.htm £34 + VAT + delivery
Want me to get hold of them again and see if they will do a group buy on them? They are only in northampton, so I could pick them up when I next see my folks
doh! just bought one as gav replied. oh well, sounds like a good idea though :)
edit: i got mine from these guys: http://www.vertar.com/tecmate/accumate-6-12v-charger-optimiser/
worked out slightly cheaper ;)
also got the wall bracket and extension lead. came to £58 delivered roughly... and they are a google retailer...
Matt Harwood
29-12-07, 19:57
Mine was a Christmas present from my Dad, its a Halfords Maintenance Charger.
JB
That's what I've got. Worked fine for the past 3 years on the same battery and went most of last year without being driven.
as this thread contains some good answers it might be useful if somebody can explain the difference between a battery charger and a Battery Maintenance Charger.
I think all the ones discussed above are maintenance chargers as people tend to leave them attached for weeks/months but Im not sure if that is the case.
JB
A battery charger will do just that. Charge the battery by constantly holding the voltage at a set level. Usually 12.6-13.8v, although some will charge at a higher voltage to charge batteries faster, (Which has a detrimental effect on the longevity of a battery). If a battery charger is left on for too long, it heats the battery causing the acid inside to evaporate, which will generally cause the battery to die prematurely, or even melt or explode!
A Maintenance charger will do exactly the same as a normal charger, with the exception that it monitors the current needed to charge the battery.
As soon as a maintenance charger reaches the point where hardly any current is being draw, it will stop giving out a constant voltage and begin it's maintenance cycle which is basically pulse charging. The unit will keep giving short pulses of voltage to the battery. If the current draw begins to get high, (battery going flat), it will revert back to a constant voltage and the whole cycle begins again. (note that after the initial charge, a resulting 're-charge' may only take 10 seconds before reverting back to pulse charging).
Hope that makes sense :)
MrRalphMan
30-12-07, 08:59
I could do with one, but the car is not in a garage.. :(.
Do they do ones that can be used outdoors?
I could do with one, but the car is not in a garage.. :(.
Do they do ones that can be used outdoors?
With the extension on the 12V output side it must be about 3 metres or so?
Not sure how long you would need and how many extensions you can add but the 12V cable would be fine outside with the charger indoors, maybe plugged in a socket in a porch area?
Matt Harwood
30-12-07, 11:05
I've extended the 12v side on mine to about 10 metres due to the only plug socket in my garage being at the opposite end of the garage.
I've also used the 12v extension outside the garage when I couldn't get the car inside for about 3 months.
Having tried a couple of solar trickle chargers with limited success I'm looking for a conventional wired one to keep the Supra alive for months at a time while I'm neglecting to use it.
This seems to be the best existing thread on such things so I thought I'd have a bump to see if people still rate the AccuMate one as being OK for a car that's left outside? Any others I should consider that might have come onto the market since this thread?
I have a socket just inside the garage door and the Supra parks close to it but I'd need at least 5m of cable to get out to the car and up to the battery from the wall socket, ideally I'd like more.
I like the idea of there being a connector on the car that allows me to plug in without lifting the bonnet too.
Suggestions welcomed :) I'm guessing a few folks will take their cars off the road for winter so this could be a useful thing for them too.
PS: I don't really like wires and don't do electricity, it scares me - the easier to install / extend the better.
Thread Tools > Subscribe
Stops me getting excited and thinking someone has posted an interesting reply then ;)
Subscribed - you excited again Michael?
Subscribed - you excited again Michael?
I was, I'm not now. I think I'm just sad that the government lets people like you out when you clearly need around the clock care in a controlled environment.
LOL - but they let me out, I am interested in this to maintain my ECT :mad:
i have a c tek charger and it comes with stuff to hard wire it to the car, then you just plug a connector in and its done.
these are available from costco, once the battery is fully charged, the charger cycles it on and off to maintain the battery
I'm going to go and have a look in Costco tonight because I remember seeing these, from what I can gather they sell the CTEK Zafir 90 which is slightly different version of the XS 3600 - it doesn't have as much grunt and it aimed at smaller batteries than the XS but will still get them charged, just slower. Having said this I think the Zafir would be OK for a Supra battery anyway?
http://www.ctek.com/EN-GB/Buy-Charger.aspx?charger=mxs3600
http://www.ctek.com/EN-GB/Buy-Charger.aspx?charger=zafir90
Zafir 90
Input voltage AC 170-260VAC, 50-60Hz
Output voltage Nominal: 12V
Efficiency 85%
Charging voltage 14.4V/0.5A, 14.4V/3.3A, 14.7V/3.3A
Charging current 3.3A max
Back current drain* 1.3mA
Ripple** max 50mV rms, 0.13A
Ambient temperature -20°C to +50°C, output power is reduced automatically at higher temperatures.
Type of charger Four step, fully automatic switch mode with pulse maintenance.
Type of batteries 12V lead-acid batteries (Wet, MF, AGM and GEL)
Battery capacity 1.0 -90Ah
Dimensions (L x W x H) 165x61x38mm
Insulation IP 65 (splash and dust proof), outdoor use
Weight 0.5kg
XS 3600
Input voltage AC 170-260VAC, 50-60Hz
Output voltage Nominal: 12V
Efficiency 85%
Charging voltage 14.4V/0.8A, 14.4V/3.6A, 14.7V/3.6A
Charging current 3.6A max
Back current drain* 1.3mA
Ripple** max 50mV rms, 0.13A
Ambient temperature -20°C to +50°C, output power is reduced automatically at higher temperatures.
Type of charger Four step, fully automatic switch mode with pulse maintenance.
Type of batteries 12V lead-acid batteries (Wet, MF, AGM and GEL)
Battery capacity 1.2 -120Ah
Dimensions (L x W x H) 165x61x38mm
Insulation IP 65 (splash and dust proof), outdoor use
Weight 0.5kg
I also seem to think the Costco one is grey not blue so now I'm wondering if what I've read on the 'net about them selling the Zafir is wrong, will see later on. I'd rather have the XS 3600 personally, there are more extras available and the battery wire > easy plug thingy is much nicer.
If they have them and the price is favourable I'll report back.
I use one of these http://www.vertar.com/battery-chargers-conditioners/optimate-4/ brilliant bit of kit just connect the wires to the battery and the unit plugs straigh in to the conector.
Costco don't have any CTEK stuff in, just some more conventional Ring battery chargers.
Halfords didn't have anything interesting either.
The OptiMate 4 looks quite nice nige, another one to add on to the list, cheers.
I've had this one for years, superb bit of kit.
http://www.accumate.co.uk/it010001.htm
The XS 3600 has 2 years longer warranty than the Zafir as well
Matt Harwood
23-09-08, 19:55
Just to add, I've still got the same battery, same Halfords charger and same 10 metres of speaker cable extension... Still haven't connected a plug yet either :innocent:
For anyone wanting to just trickle and not fully charge the CTEK XS800 looks like a cheap solution, offers the same mounting solutions as the more expensive ones, a simple plug, and can trickle up to 100Ah, it can only fully charge up to 32Ah though. About £33 delivered on eBay with a 5 year warranty, a couple of quid more from normal online suppliers.
vBulletin® v3.7.3, Copyright ©2000-2008, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.