Thread: 12v battery chargers

Ctek are really good chargers

There are a couple of 'charge and maintain' chargers that can be installed to keep batteries up to scratch for seldom used equipment, such as tractors and boats. We had one one on a Golf that my mother had, 'cos she was hardly using the car. It caused no problems, and is still fitted to the car, which my sister now has. I think it was Arlec, around $60 when I bought it. I reckon I'd seek advice before fitting one to a Disco or RR though.

I never disconnect the battery to charge it unless I am using a very fast charger. I use an Aldi automatic charger connected to my bike all the time and one on my P38A when it's going to be sitting around for some weeks unused, i.e., most of the time. See http://www.aulro.com/afvb/communicat...rger-aldi.html

For a fast charge, I use a 4-stage charger MB3620. Again I don't disconnect. I've been using it for years. See Dual Battery

See also http://www.aulro.com/afvb/verandah/8...-chargers.html - particularly page 2.

It really depends on how fast a charge you need,,

overnight or
left in the garage for a month

???

Ctek, in whatever size you need.

They also come with quick-connectors to permanantly fix to the battery terminals, allowing you to plug in the charger as/when required. - Looks neater than clamping on the jaws... For some reason, they are called "comfort connectors". Around $17.95 with free postage.

You can find lots of Ctek spares and accessories on evilBay, such as :-

ctek comfort | eBay

I only recommend Ctek 'cos I've got the 7 AMP one and find it excellent, plus their reputation amongst battery suppliers I've spoken to. - But there are other good ones out there.

Originally Posted by Marty110

Hi, does someone know - is there a 12 volt car battery charger you can connect to the battery without disconnecting the battery? .............................................. Thanks

Yes! All of them.

Battery chargers aren't rocket science. Well actually some of them are. Most chargers are a simple transformer with a couple of rectifying diodes punching out around 13 - 14.5 volts DC with a far cleaner output than your cars alternator. So no problems.
Others are multi stage, automatic everything with more logic circuits than the space shuttle and far more complex than your average car charging system, again no problems. The benefit of these is that they can sense the type of battery and charge in an optimal manner. Very useful for very flat batterys and batterys left on charge for a long time.

Originally Posted by Marty110

Which is the best one to buy by your experiences? Thanks

Depends on the application.


Deano

Originally Posted by superquag

They also come with quick-connectors to permanantly fix to the battery terminals, allowing you to plug in the charger as/when required. - Looks neater than clamping on the jaws... For some reason, they are called "comfort connectors". Around $17.95 with free postage.

I bought two of these connectors (they come as a pair) thus, when cut, ending up with 4 connectors. Cost $3.45 the pair.



I put eyelet lugs on two of them and attached them to the P38A and bike batteries. Then I cut the clips off the charger, leaving about 150mm of wire on the clip end. One of the spare cut off connectors shown above was joined to the charger leads and the other to the charger clips. Make sure that the exposed pin is the earth pin on the car battery lead.

I can plug the connector into the fly lead coming off the battery without having to either remove the battery cover on the P38A or remove the seat on the bike. Or I can plug the clips onto the charger cable and use it normally.

Photos tomorrow.