pcmentor29 Posted June 28, 2005 Share Posted June 28, 2005 I just got a tip form a guy at Snell's RV in El Monte, CA. He said his friend kept a deep cycle alive for almost 10 (ten) years by simply putting it on a timer when plugged into the house and then letting it charge just 30 mins a day. That sounds reasonable, I am going to try it. I just lost a fairly new battery which boiled dry. Pete Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheLink Posted July 6, 2005 Share Posted July 6, 2005 The trouble with the older converter/charger is that it tends to over charge batteries. Newer chargers sense how charged the batteries are and adjust their output accordingly. I ripped the battery charge circuit out of my converter and replaced it with a newer version charger. (About $30.00 on eBay) Before that I used to disconnect the battery whenever the RV was plugged in. I have the schematic for the MagneTek model 6300 series converter and would be happy to post it someplace for anyone who wants it. I guess I should add a declaimer here... Screwing around with and/or making modifications the electrical part(s) of anything is not for the inexperienced. Obviously, I cannot control and cannot be responsible for any damages that result from something someone does. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gulfstream Greg Posted July 8, 2005 Share Posted July 8, 2005 I recently had to replace my battery because of the same problem, overcharging due to the old 6300 series technoligy. I replaced the battery with a Lifeline AGM http://www.lifelinebatteries.com/rv.php I also replaced the 6300 series with a retrofit 7355ru http://www.parallaxpower.com/linear.htm. Not sure if the charging section is like the higher priced three stage chargers though. I plan on doing some tests to see exactly what voltages and amperage charge rates after the battery has been drained. With the 6300 I was getting 4 volts of ac current on the dc side, not good for electronics. And the voltage was all over the place. Now a steady 13.8 volts dc with no ac leakage. Like I said though I still need to investigate the charger section but the 7355ru documentation says the full 55 amps is available to charge the battery if the battery needs it. Then I am guessing it reduces to a float charge. I was told by the battery shop where I bought the Lifeline that if it gets over charged it will swell up like a balloon which it has not. I will do a drain and charge test today and monitor the voltage and amperage and post back here later. So far I am really happy with the 7355ru. Deep cycle acid batterys will die if they are over charged or if they are under voltage for an extended period of time. They need to be kept with in a specific voltage range. greg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gulfstream Greg Posted July 11, 2005 Share Posted July 11, 2005 Here is the 7355ru retrofit charging data. I first discharged the battery by turning on several of the lights and both vent fans. Total amperage draw was 8.6 amps for approximately 8 hours. I then switched everything off except for the normal systems that draw amperage like the cd player etc which amounts to .008 amps continuous. I let it sit this way until the next morning. The following will be in this format. Time, voltage, amperage. 10:30am no charge, 12.5, -.008 Charging 10:35am, 13.69, +12.8 10:45am, 13.69, +7.91 10:45am, 13.69, +7.48 11:00am, 13.7, +7.02 11:25am, 13.25, +6.35 1:00pm, 13.77, +4.24 2:40pm, 13.8, +2.95 6:15pm, 13.83, +1.32 8:00pm, 13.83, +.89 8:30pm, 13.83, +.81 12 Midnight, 13.84, +.39 7:30am, 13.85, +.07 7:15pm, 13.87, +.06 Make what you want out of these figures. It looks to me like the charger section of the 7355ru is doing what it?s supposed to do. It?s approaching a float charge state if not already there. I think I will send these figures to lifeline batteries and get their opinion if this is ok for this battery. Not being an expert but also not being a novice (somewhere in between) I would have to conclude that the above figures are good for my battery or any battery. I'll be gone for three days and I will post the charge rate at that time here again when I get back. Greg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gulfstream Greg Posted July 15, 2005 Share Posted July 15, 2005 Here is an update on the 7355ru retrofit charging data It is five days later. Voltage is at 13.87 and charge current is at .02 amps. That in no way will harm the battery. I might also make a note here about the lifeline battery. It produces no harmful gasses and can actually be placed ina non vented area. Greg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirk Posted June 25, 2006 Share Posted June 25, 2006 Here's some good readings on the issue..... Mark's Fulltime RV Resource Page http://www.ccis.com/home/mnemeth http://www.ccis.com/home/mnemeth/12volt/12volt.htm (This is a pretty indepth article) Battery FAQs http://faq.f650.com/FAQs/BatteryFAQ.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
picklebill Posted July 13, 2006 Share Posted July 13, 2006 I just got a tip form a guy at Snell's RV in El Monte, CA. He said his friend kept a deep cycle alive for almost 10 (ten) years by simply putting it on a timer when plugged into the house and then letting it charge just 30 mins a day. That sounds reasonable, I am going to try it. I just lost a fairly new battery which boiled dry. Pete Pete - I have been doing this for quite a while, and it seems to work well. My old B-W Manufacturers converter charger section still works OK to float charge so I have my timer set to charge for 1 hour per day. I have to add water to the battery about once a year. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
picklebill Posted July 29, 2006 Share Posted July 29, 2006 Here is an update on the 7355ru retrofit charging data It is five days later. Voltage is at 13.87 and charge current is at .02 amps. That in no way will harm the battery. I might also make a note here about the lifeline battery. It produces no harmful gasses and can actually be placed ina non vented area. Greg Greg - It looks like the charger is tracking the state of charge of the battery and adjusting the charge rate perfectly. How do you like the Parallel Power update for your converter? I would guess that you have had some time to try it out on a trip or two. I think I have solved the chronic low altertnator output voltage problem I have had since we bought our Sunrader. I was going to get an aftermarket adjustable regulator, but the only one I found that would work had some bad reviews and was expensive. It occurred to me that the IC regulator is essentially a closed loop servo system - sensing Batt. voltage and adjusting the voltage to the alternator field accordingly. I installed a 100 ohm rheostat in series with the "sense" input to the regulator which makes it think thre battery voltage has dropped and it increases the field current to compensate. So far it works perfectly. I can now adjust the output voltage from the alternator from 13.5V to over 15 volts. All the functions inside the regulator such as voltage regulation, temperature compensation and current regulation are unaffected. How do you like the Lifeline battery? - Bill WA7FBU Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gulfstream Greg Posted July 30, 2006 Share Posted July 30, 2006 Bill - I am very happy with the Parallel Power update. No longer do I have any ac on the dc side at least according to a vom. I have not put it on a scope to verify. It keeps my battery float charged at all times, It has a cooling fan which comes on only when there has been high current draw for awhile, but its barely audible. The lifeline battery seems to be very good with a lot of capacity. I plan on adding a second one in the near future for double capacity. I have another agm but its a different amp hour and I have been told they both need to be the same because of the internal battery resistance and how that affects discharge and charge rates. To discharge and charge equally they need to be the same. A rheostat in series with the "sense" input sounds like a good solution. I have an isolator between the batteries and a volt meter on the dash with a switch so that I can look at which ever battery. I find that one will be 13.8 and the other 14 + depending on their charge states. The isolator seems to be able to sense which battery needs a charge and directs the current accordingly. Greg KI6BJI Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rollin298 Posted October 14, 2006 Share Posted October 14, 2006 Here is some info on alternators that may be of intrest. http://www.1stconnect.com/anozira/SiteTops.../alternator.htm r Bill - I am very happy with the Parallel Power update. No longer do I have any ac on the dc side at least according to a vom. I have not put it on a scope to verify. It keeps my battery float charged at all times, It has a cooling fan which comes on only when there has been high current draw for awhile, but its barely audible. The lifeline battery seems to be very good with a lot of capacity. I plan on adding a second one in the near future for double capacity. I have another agm but its a different amp hour and I have been told they both need to be the same because of the internal battery resistance and how that affects discharge and charge rates. To discharge and charge equally they need to be the same. A rheostat in series with the "sense" input sounds like a good solution. I have an isolator between the batteries and a volt meter on the dash with a switch so that I can look at which ever battery. I find that one will be 13.8 and the other 14 + depending on their charge states. The isolator seems to be able to sense which battery needs a charge and directs the current accordingly. Greg KI6BJI Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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