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Freddyfruitba...
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Joined: 20 May 2016
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PostPosted: 17:19 - 19 Feb 2020    Post subject: Battery chargers? Reply with quote
I have a battery charger which I think is supposed to be 'smart', but it doesn't seem to be overly intelligent to me (it came from Aldi - don't judge). It does work fine unless the battery voltage has fallen very low, ie, when you've gone and left the vehicle lights on or something; in which case it doesn't want to know... looks like if the battery output falls below about 7 or 8 volts all it does is display that figure on its screen. This has happened to me twice in the past couple of months, once with the bike and once with the car, and both times I had to resort to the 40-year-old and distinctly nonsmart Halfords charger which I fortunately never binned, and that did the job fine.

Is this a characteristic of all 'smart' chargers or is mine just shit?
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dynax
Trackday Trickster



Joined: 06 May 2019
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PostPosted: 17:26 - 19 Feb 2020    Post subject: Reply with quote
Most are like that, you either charge them with a low amp or give them desulfication on a high amp high voltage Thumbs Up
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Tankie
Crazy Courier



Joined: 24 Feb 2017
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PostPosted: 18:29 - 19 Feb 2020    Post subject: Reply with quote
If the battery voltage is low,effectively the charger can't see it, i still use an old type charger for exactly the reasons stated
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Polarbear
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PostPosted: 20:10 - 19 Feb 2020    Post subject: Reply with quote
If your battery hassat at 8 or whatever volts for more than a few hours it's basically toast, or at best going to struggle.
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MCN
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Joined: 22 Jul 2015
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PostPosted: 23:04 - 19 Feb 2020    Post subject: Reply with quote
The battery 'conditioners' that my bike batteries are connected to have never failed to restore flatted batteries to usable condition.
They de-sulphate by blasting the battery with a full current pulse.
Then continue to charge and monitor drain and top up.
Look at Ctek.
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Confusion
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Joined: 02 May 2013
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PostPosted: 01:00 - 20 Feb 2020    Post subject: Re: Battery chargers? Reply with quote
Freddyfruitbat wrote:

It does work fine unless the battery voltage has fallen very low, ie, when you've gone and left the vehicle lights on or something; in which case it doesn't want to know... looks like if the battery output falls below about 7 or 8 volts all it does is display that figure on its screen.


"This product is suitable for all 6V and 12V car and motorcycle batteries"

The Aldi charger can be used to charge 6v or 12v batteries. If the battery
voltage is around 7v, it has no way of determining whether it is charging
a fully charged 6v battery or a stone-dead 12v battery.

Quote:
Is this a characteristic of all 'smart' chargers or is mine just shit?


It is a common problem with 'smart' chargers that are designed to
charge at 6 and 12 volts.

As you have discovered, the solution is to put some current
into the battery from another source. Once the voltage is well above
the 6v/12v threshold at around 10V, the Aldi charger should be able
to charge it.

As Polarbear says above, a battery that has been sitting in a
fully discharged state for any length of time is probably knackered.
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Sister Sledge
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Joined: 17 Aug 2018
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PostPosted: 07:13 - 20 Feb 2020    Post subject: Reply with quote
I have the MK1 version of the Aldi (might even be Lidl) charger and it has a recovery function. It's not great and will struggle for ages until it starts charging at normal values. I've seen me leave a car battery on for two days before it reached normal battery charging rates.

Transformer based chargers are becoming more and more expensive as the electronic type are made in bigger numbers.

DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME..
I'm sure there's a way to wake up borked batteries using a stick welder - please do not do it.
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Freddyfruitba...
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Joined: 20 May 2016
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PostPosted: 10:58 - 20 Feb 2020    Post subject: Re: Battery chargers? Reply with quote
Thanks for the replies.
Confusion wrote:
It is a common problem with 'smart' chargers that are designed to charge at 6 and 12 volts

Makes sense... got to wonder, though, why the hell are they making these capable of charging 6V batteries these days? I remember my first small bikes back in the 80s used 6V but does anything use it these days? For the sake of making a much more useful device I'd have thought it would be far better to make it "12V only"
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MCN
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Joined: 22 Jul 2015
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PostPosted: 11:03 - 20 Feb 2020    Post subject: Re: Battery chargers? Reply with quote
Freddyfruitbat wrote:
Thanks for the replies.
Confusion wrote:
It is a common problem with 'smart' chargers that are designed to charge at 6 and 12 volts

Makes sense... got to wonder, though, why the hell are they making these capable of charging 6V batteries these days? I remember my first small bikes back in the 80s used 6V but does anything use it these days? For the sake of making a much more useful device I'd have thought it would be far better to make it "12V only"


Maybe toys RC and other small capacity consumers still use 6v.

Buy a proper Battery Conditioner.

Ctek. Non fail and not dead expensive.
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Nobby the Bastard
Harley Gaydar



Joined: 16 Aug 2013
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PostPosted: 11:19 - 20 Feb 2020    Post subject: Reply with quote
Sister Sledge wrote:

DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME..
I'm sure there's a way to wake up borked batteries using a stick welder - please do not do it.


I imagine this is a damn good way of disposing of your old sulphric acid (by spraying it everywhere in a 100 ft radius...)
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MCN
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Joined: 22 Jul 2015
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PostPosted: 11:21 - 20 Feb 2020    Post subject: Reply with quote
Nobby the Bastard wrote:
Sister Sledge wrote:

DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME..
I'm sure there's a way to wake up borked batteries using a stick welder - please do not do it.


I imagine this is a damn good way of disposing of your old sulphric acid (by spraying it everywhere in a 100 ft radius...)


My money is on a Hydrogen gas explosion.
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Freddyfruitba...
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Joined: 20 May 2016
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PostPosted: 11:26 - 20 Feb 2020    Post subject: Re: Battery chargers? Reply with quote
MCN wrote:
[Buy a proper Battery Conditioner.
Ctek. Non fail and not dead expensive.

Others seem to be saying these will have the same issue though?

If not... can you get devices which work OK for both car and bike?)
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dynax
Trackday Trickster



Joined: 06 May 2019
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PostPosted: 11:29 - 20 Feb 2020    Post subject: Reply with quote
I bought one of these a few weeks ago as my batteries were flat and i have a couple of leisure batteries, it worked a treat and sorted them out no problem Thumbs Up

https://www.machinemart.co.uk/p/clarke-cb09-12-8a-auto-battery-chargermaintai/
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