On 01/11/12 16:34, Barry Lotz wrote:
> Hi All
> I have got my station components to work on 12 vts DC thru the use of DC/DC
> converters.My thought was that the DC/DC converters are more efficient than
> wall warts and a UPS and the battery would last longer on a power outage.  I
> would like to have the system  run on a battery with something to maintain the
> battery health while under an approx 1 to 2  amp load. . The problem is what to
> use to keep the battery charged but also healthy. I tried a 1.5 vt
> charger/maintainer which worked for ~ 2 years. I am not sure whether it's the
> battery or the maintainer which is malfunctioning. I can go into what I have
> done recently . My question is would a possible scheme be to run a 6 amp
> charger on a wall timer work to cycle the battery and prevent sulfation?  Maybe
> shutting off the charger for say 8 hrs each day then put back on a 6 amp charge
> would work. Alternatively is there a product  I could use to have battery
> maintain charge and capacity for a reasonably long period of time.
> Regards
> Barry
> www.seismicvault.com 

Hi Barry,

I float a current-limited supply regulated to 13.8V, and capable of supplying 
approximately my maximum load, across the battery.

If the voltage on the battery gets anything much above this, they'll start to 
gas, then the electrolyte levels will drop and it's time for replacements.

Things labelled "charger", even smart ones, will often put considerably higher 
voltages across the cells in order to speed the charging process, and are thus 
unsuitable for float operation.

I recommend using a channel of A to D to monitor the battery voltage.

Mark

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