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Battery Charging Question - Fight or Switch?

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mark.steitle(at)austin.ut
Guest

Posted: Thu Jan 26, 2006 6:50 am Post subject: Battery Charging Question - Fight or Switch?

Bob,



Following an earlier Aero-Electric discussion on battery chargers, I

purchased a Schumacher SC-1200A charger to use in maintaining the

Odyssey PC-680 batteries in my airplane.  The charger has settings for

flooded-cell, deep-cycle, and AGM/Gel-cell batteries.  I've been using

the AGM/Gel-cell setting.  I read today in the document titled Charging

Odyssey Drycell Batteries (www.odysseybatteries.com/charging.htm) where

it states, "In general, do not use either the gel cell or maintenance

free setting, if provided on your charger.  Choose the deep cycle

option, should there be one on your charger."  So, now I'm confused as

to which to use.  My PC-680 doesn't appear to have been harmed by

charging on the AGM/Gel-cell setting, but now I'm confused.  Should I

switch to the deep-cycle setting, or continue as before? 



Mark



Lancari ES



Austin, TX

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brian

Joined: 02 Jan 2006
Posts: 643
Location: Sacramento, California, USA

Posted: Thu Jan 26, 2006 4:47 pm Post subject: Battery Charging Question - Fight or Switch?

Mark R Steitle wrote:



 	  Quote: 	
		   Following an earlier Aero-Electric discussion on battery chargers, I

 purchased a Schumacher SC-1200A charger to use in maintaining the

 Odyssey PC-680 batteries in my airplane.  The charger has settings for

 flooded-cell, deep-cycle, and AGM/Gel-cell batteries.  I've been using

 the AGM/Gel-cell setting.  I read today in the document titled Charging

 Odyssey Drycell Batteries (www.odysseybatteries.com/charging.htm) where

 it states, "In general, do not use either the gel cell or maintenance

 free setting, if provided on your charger.  Choose the deep cycle

 option, should there be one on your charger."  So, now I'm confused as

 to which to use.  My PC-680 doesn't appear to have been harmed by

 charging on the AGM/Gel-cell setting, but now I'm confused.  Should I

 switch to the deep-cycle setting, or continue as before? 


	


The charging voltages for AGM and gel-cells are quite different. If the

manufacturer has put an AGM/gel setting it means that the manufacturer

does not understand the difference between AGM and gel batteries.



My guess is that the deep-cycle is probably closer as the charging

voltages that AGM batteries like are quite close to the charging

voltages needed for properly charging deep-cycle flooded-cell batteries.



Ballpark charging voltages (70F-80F, (21C-27C):



         AGM/deep-cycle       Gel-cell



Charge      14.3V              13.7V



Float       13.4V              13.4V



It is interesting to note that the charge and float voltages for

gel-cells are close enough together that you can actually get away with

one setting for charge and float with gel-cells. 13.6V would probably

work well for both charge and float.



-- 

Brian Lloyd                         2243 Cattle Dr.

brian-yak at lloyd dot com          Folsom, CA 95630

+1.916.367.2131 (voice)             +1.270.912.0788 (fax)



I fly because it releases my mind from the tyranny of petty things . . .

- Antoine de Saint-Exupery

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_________________
Brian Lloyd
brian-yak at lloyd dot com
+1.916.367.2131 (voice) +1.270.912.0788 (fax)

I fly because it releases my mind from the tyranny of petty things . . .
- Antoine de Saint-Exupery

mark.steitle(at)austin.ut
Guest

Posted: Fri Jan 27, 2006 6:24 am Post subject: Battery Charging Question - Fight or Switch?

Brian,

Thanks for your most excellent reply.  Looks like I should start using

the deep-cycle setting from now on.  



Mark S.



--

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