# Battery tester question



## mdshunk (Mar 13, 2005)

Chuck the batteries and the solar panel then, and install a flux capacitor.


----------



## Teetorbilt (Feb 12, 2004)

THATS getting a little extreme!


----------



## mickeyco (May 13, 2006)

mdshunk said:


> Just so we don't get series/parallel mixed up, I drew a picture. Red is the positive terminal, black is the negative terminal.


You have got to appreciate monkey enhanced schematics/drawings, sweet.


----------



## Sparky Joe (Apr 29, 2006)

We stock a flux capacitor in every van. They are the best thing for charging 36 volt batteries.
And if you have a lot to get done, but have to be somewhere else before you can do it all.


----------



## mickeyco (May 13, 2006)

Mike,
I got that link you posted for the solar panel, thanks, the one I want is of course the more expensive one. On your setup with only 5 watts that's hardly a trickle charge, and I would guess the 5 watts is in optimal conditions. It would take days to charge since the solar panel only works with the sun (adding one more wouldn't make much of a difference as to charging cordless batteries). Teetorbilt's got it right about the inverters, they waste a lot of power through heat and the cooling fan, then the battery charger for the cordless tools wastes more. I would buy 12 volt cordless chargers (if they make them for your tools, I've got one for a Milwaukee and Paslode) or run the inverter off the truck while driving to the site and then the customers power while at the job if needed. You'll only get 2-5 charges out of a battery (depending on battery size)before having to recharge them, you don't want the batteries to get to low. Here's a drawing, a little modified because I have some other components of the alarm with 12 volt receptacle for charging, radio, lights, etc. I have, about $20 - $30 in parts (not including batteries, solar panel and alarm).:


----------



## Sparky Joe (Apr 29, 2006)

what is the alarm circuit for? and how does it work?


----------



## mickeyco (May 13, 2006)

Sparky Joe said:


> what is the alarm circuit for?


I think the alarm system is why he got the batteries and solar panel in the first place.



Mike Finley said:


> Since I still needed a self contained battery bank which would use a solar charging system *for the alarm system*, now I'm kind of getting greedy with it and wondering if I can use it also to charge my cordless batteries.





Sparky Joe said:


> and how does it work?


How does what work? The alarm, I have no idea what type of alarm he bought. If you are talking about the drawing, it isolates the batteries so one is charging and the other one is supplying power to the 12 volt receptacle, the alarm and will provide an accurate voltage reading because it's not hooked up to the solar panel which will affect the voltage reading. The relay kicks in the other battery to supply power to the alarm and siren if the alarm is set off.


----------



## mdshunk (Mar 13, 2005)

Anybody want a free logo? :jester:


----------



## Mike Finley (Apr 28, 2004)

:blink: :blink: :blink: 

I can't follow your diagram Mickeyco, I think you left out a monkey or two?

When were you planning a trip to Colorado to put that together?

At least it's one vote for 'nay' against this working. I was very surprised there weren't more already.

So anybody got any formulas that tell you how many watts it takes to recharge a 18 volt battery? They recharge pretty damn fast in those chargers, seems like about 10 minutes. Surely somebody was paying attention in high school physics class?


----------



## mdshunk (Mar 13, 2005)

I can figure that for you, mike. Are those the XR batteries?


----------



## Mike Finley (Apr 28, 2004)

They are XRPs.


----------



## mdshunk (Mar 13, 2005)

It will take about 45 watts to recharge a "flat" 18V XRP pack. The charger is not 100% efficient. You'd be lucky if it was 50% efficient, because they do get warm. If you guesstimated that the combination of what the battery will take up and the inefficiencies of the charger, about 100 watts would be close.


----------



## mickeyco (May 13, 2006)

Here's a monkey enhanced version without the relay, same effect except only one battery if alarm is set off. All it is, is two toggle switches (or one Allen Bradley stackable), 2 cigarette lighter receptacles (could be only one) and a volt meter ($10 and essential if you want the batteries to last). Another thing to consider is what type of inverter you are using a modified sine wave (cheapo) or a true sine wave (expensive), because many of the portable tool re-chargers are not supposed to be used on the cheap ones with a modified sine wave.


----------



## Sparky Joe (Apr 29, 2006)

I said it once and I'll say it again; your a jackass Mickey.

Once again not adding anything, just drawing silly pictures for us to interpret on our own(by the way, they're only half drawn). And at the same time obvoiusly TRYING to annoy me. 

Thanks again Mic, for nothing


----------



## Mike Finley (Apr 28, 2004)

mickeyco said:


> Here's a monkey enhanced version without the relay, same effect except only one battery if alarm is set off. All it is, is two toggle switches (or one Allen Bradley stackable), 2 cigarette lighter receptacles (could be only one) and a volt meter ($10 and essential if you want the batteries to last). Another thing to consider is what type of inverter you are using a modified sine wave (cheapo) or a true sine wave (expensive), because many of the portable tool re-chargers are not supposed to be used on the cheap ones with a modified sine wave.


See! Now it's all clear!:thumbup: 

Not really though.:laughing: 

This was supposed to be a simple thing, like plugging your TV into an outlet to give the people who live in it lights so they can put on thier shows for you to watch.

I will check on the inverter and see if it says anything. It was about $80 from Sears 750 watts. I don't really want to get into anything as compliated as cigarett lighters running any of this off the truck, if it gets to that point, I would just go back to shore power. I've got so many batteries and the recharger radio is always on the job site which does 90% of the recharging during the job, my thoughts were just to have something that would charge by itself but from MDs numbers it sounds like I would need a panel the size of the trailer or these things will kill the batteries.

Solar panel is supposed to arrive end of this week, so I will see what is what.


----------



## Sparky Joe (Apr 29, 2006)

Mike Finley said:


> This was supposed to be a simple thing, like plugging your TV into an outlet to give the people who live in it lights so they can put on thier shows for you to watch.
> .


I like it :thumbup:


----------



## CE1 (Dec 30, 2005)

Mike 
You might want to check out this solar panel battery charging circuit board. It is only 45 bucks and the company is near you. There is a lot more to it than just hooking a battery to a solar panel. It is way too much work to try to reinvent the wheel and less frustration Too! :thumbsup: 

http://www.cirkits.com/scc3/ 

For all you wiz monkeys out there, here is the circuit:


View attachment 4805


----------



## Sparky Joe (Apr 29, 2006)

Pretty simple circuit CE.

Just kidding, though I recognize all the parts you'll have to let me sober up to tell you what it does. 
I see a couple Zener's at the start which are used as voltage regulators. I see plenty of capacitor's in parallel for filters. And see a couple common collector transistors, though only one common emitter transistor which are typically the most commonly used. I don't remember what the triangle things are that I see all over unless they're 'and' gates?

Oh and I also don't remember what those other pair of transistors are called (the ones in the circles with the straight lines) Are they J-fet amplifiers?


----------



## CE1 (Dec 30, 2005)

Sparky Joe said:


> Pretty simple circuit CE.
> 
> Just kidding, though I recognize all the parts you'll have to let me sober up to tell you what it does.
> I see a couple Zener's at the start which are used as voltage regulators. I see plenty of capacitor's in parallel for filters. And see a couple common collector transistors, though only one common emitter transistor which are typically the most commonly used. I don't remember what the triangle things are that I see all over unless they're 'and' gates?
> ...


All this for 45 bucks.:thumbsup: And if I remember right, I think Heathkit had this as an "Assemble it yourself" kit.

It is amazing how threads like this get so complicated.:no: 
This is a very simple solution for Mike's problem. Everybody just seems to over analyze the problem looking for some complicated solution.

Everybody needs to read up on "Occum's Razor"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Occam's_razor


----------



## Teetorbilt (Feb 12, 2004)

You still have a 12VDC/6A max output to inverter to charger.


----------

