First Top Charge
I finally got my volt/amp meter wired in to my Mega Watt and started my first Top Charge. Initial battery voltage was 13.2v. Mega Watt was set to 15v. Turn-on voltage was 14.8v @ 33a. It quickly went ...
Forum Discussion
A fast dip should be done and all cells should be a max gravity. This is the problem with unlimited amperage at 15 volts being applied. The battery really cannot utilize the extra wattage correctly. At 5% of amp hour rating the energy GENTLY reverts light coatings of H2SO4 and drives them back into solution.
This system needs a 12 volt 100 watt (NAPA) electric light bulb wired in series with the Mega's positive lead (for simplicity). This will slow down the charge rate so that all that energy isn't destructive to perfectly innocent plates. Chronic overcharging wants to extract antimony out of the positive plate and deliver it to the negative plate. Both plates suffer.
When voltage rises to 15.0 cease.
This should be a flip a switch, note the clock, watch voltage rise steadily until it hits 15.0. note the clock, then connect a TIMER to the AC powering the charger. The next top charge, twist the timer and walk off. For example two hours and 10 minutes the first time should be dialed in the second time. This is good enough for top charging and does not make a person a slave to the batteries. "Twist! Yawn! Time for a stroll" Equalizations are the same, note the time spent the 1st time, and set the wind up timer. A couple of tweaks with hydrometer verification and you'll be mighty close just by using the timer. Let the spring wound timer do the legwork, go do something important like nothing-at-all if you want. Watching a battery do it's thing ranks right up there with watching paint dry. But setting a timer by hand is the key. I use a six hour Intermatic. They are bulletproof, and cannot be fooled by outages, or sloppy timing mechanisms.
This system needs a 12 volt 100 watt (NAPA) electric light bulb wired in series with the Mega's positive lead (for simplicity). This will slow down the charge rate so that all that energy isn't destructive to perfectly innocent plates. Chronic overcharging wants to extract antimony out of the positive plate and deliver it to the negative plate. Both plates suffer.
When voltage rises to 15.0 cease.
This should be a flip a switch, note the clock, watch voltage rise steadily until it hits 15.0. note the clock, then connect a TIMER to the AC powering the charger. The next top charge, twist the timer and walk off. For example two hours and 10 minutes the first time should be dialed in the second time. This is good enough for top charging and does not make a person a slave to the batteries. "Twist! Yawn! Time for a stroll" Equalizations are the same, note the time spent the 1st time, and set the wind up timer. A couple of tweaks with hydrometer verification and you'll be mighty close just by using the timer. Let the spring wound timer do the legwork, go do something important like nothing-at-all if you want. Watching a battery do it's thing ranks right up there with watching paint dry. But setting a timer by hand is the key. I use a six hour Intermatic. They are bulletproof, and cannot be fooled by outages, or sloppy timing mechanisms.
