NinerBikes wrote:
Naio wrote:
Thanks, guys! My biggest charger is a 30 amp Noco. Others are 5 amp smart and fairly-dumb...including one smartie that I suspect of being a mislabeled 2amp-er.
The fairly-dumb is an automotive transformer-type I bought new about 15 years ago. It has automatic shutoff, and it does taper.
I can check outputs as I get a chance, have commitments during the day today. Do you really want photos, or just make and model?
I'd go with the UL labels, that it doesn't draw more than 5 amps at 120 or 110V input, and definitely what the output voltage measures at, not what is claimed. 14.8V or a bit more is what it needs to be capable of.
Adjustable Output Voltage is the supreme feature of a Borg or a Borgette, or a Meanwell/MegaWatt PSU. With adjustable Output Voltage, you will get 14.8V, or more if cold, or less if hot, exactly what your battery needs, based on temperature.
You can diddle for efficiency to your little heart's desire with a Borg or a Meanwell/Megawatt.
NinerBikes wrote:
Does your van have any 120V appliances? Does it have a 120V to 14.4 or 14.8v charge controller installed? Differences bewteen a class A and a van conversion, I suspect.
Naio, how about starting a new thread on this?
Ok, I tested these out on my shave ice machine batteries, a pair of MK gel cells made in 2007, in my hands since 2008, and still performing well despite my good intentioned but somewhat ignorant practices.
The batteries were probably at 95% charge before I started, tho I did not test them. (One of many things y'all may ask me to redo.)
The manufacturer says they prefer a charging range 13.8-14.6 and float 13.4-13.6.
Ol' Red charger, automotive one, made in 1999: cycles rapidly between 11.xx-13.5v. It's 6 amp, but at this SOC its meter reads about 3amps.
L'il blackie, an ebay 24v 5amp I suspect of really being a 2amp: 26.5v. Seemed to be steady but I maybe should recheck due to what the next one does.
Big Black, my NOCO gen-3: Slow, multi-minute cycles seem to max out at 13.8.
It may be weeks or months before I get a chance to run down the batteries enough to see what these chargers do when I want bulk. My to-do list is SO HUGE right now.
Is what I got here useful? Or are all these chargers trying to float?
Update:
I went to see what the NOCO was putting out after taking 5 minutes to type this, but it was done. Green lights and its clips reading 13.47.
The NOCO is the one I use when I want bulk charging, because it outputs the most. It has 3 leads of 10amps each, and mfr says it's ok to put multiple leads on the same battery (tho I generally don't).
It seems fairly compatible with my batteries' preferences, based on this test. Or would a Meanwell at 14.4 do me a lot better? Have not tried the NOCO or any charger with the ex650 yet.
3/4 timing in a DIY van conversion. Backroads, mountains, boondocking, sometimes big cities for a change of pace.
