[VAC] Re: Battery Chargers

[Jim Dunmyer <jdunmyer@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Bob,
  You didn't give model numbers, so I can't tell for sure what you're 
looking at.

I have the 40-amp I-P, plus the Charge Wizard. No, the latter isn't much 
to look at, but it works exactly as advertised. My eMeter tells me so. 
The C.W. will work ONLY with converter/chargers that are designed for 
it, not anything else. The C.W., used with the appropiate I-P charger, 
provides 3-stage charging. The voltage is set to 14.4 until the battery 
is 80% charged, drops to 13.6 for 24 hours, then drops to 13.2 if the 
battery isn't being used at all. While in this long-term-storage mode, 
it will kick up to 14.4 volts for 15 minutes, every 24 hours or so. That 
keeps the electrolyte stirred up and prevents sulphation.

Some of those little "transformer with clips" outfits are trickle 
chargers, or battery maintainers. Their purpose in life is to keep your 
battery topped off while it's in storage, w/o overcharging it. They're 
incapable of charging a "low" battery in any reasonable time. And 
although they won't overcharge a battery, they probably won't really 
FULLY charge it at all.

                              <<Jim>>