Title: Will 8.8 VDC charge 12.8 V car battery?
Robert Gift - July 29, 2009 08:24 PM (GMT)
Donated 1-amp trickle charger measures only 8.8 volts output.
(Appears it was made in the 1960s)
Is 8.8 its design output, or is that too low and it should be discarded?
Regular car charger measures 7.7 VDC on 6-Volt setting, 12.8 on 12-Volt setting.
We are considering installing it in a 24-hour on call 1999 Expedition emergency medical transport vehicle.
The vehicle woud be plugged in since it may sit for days.
Thank you.
JT Metalworks - July 29, 2009 09:57 PM (GMT)
The trickle voltage needs to be higher than the battery being "charged" or current will flow the opposite direction (from high to low - just like water or compressed gasses).
You're correct in assuming it's a 6v charger. I'm too young to tell you when we made the migration to 12v, but I do know VW was still producing 6v cars through the early 70's.
Robert Gift - July 29, 2009 10:56 PM (GMT)
| QUOTE (JT Metalworks @ Jul 29 2009, 04:57 PM) |
The trickle voltage needs to be higher than the battery being "charged" or current will flow the opposite direction (from high to low - just like water or compressed gasses).
You're correct in assuming it's a 6v charger. I'm too young to tell you when we made the migration to 12v, but I do know VW was still producing 6v cars through the early 70's. |
I failed to mention that it reads 12 volts.
I assumed it must be a certain percent over the battery voltage to be able to add charge to the battery.
Guess I should discard it.
Thanks.
JT Metalworks - July 29, 2009 11:00 PM (GMT)
It's possible one of the diodes is shot.
Franz© - July 30, 2009 12:59 AM (GMT)
Just drive over to the friendly Burglar/Fire alarm store, NOT RadioCrap, and grab a 12 volt battery charger card. OR, if you know somebody in the alarm business mooch an obsolete alarm pannel built with a charging circuit and use that with a coilcord plugged into the vehicle.
The alarm chargers work very well because they are adjustable and designed to maintain a battery.
The antique you have may actually be valuable if it says International Harvester on it or John Deere. Those are so damn collectable people replace the guts inside the charger so their display toy can be functional.
