[Elecraft] KX2/KX3 DC Charging

[K9MA]

Hi Dennis,

You're missing the charge controller. Li-Ion batteries are very fussy 
about the way they are charged. While it would be more efficient to run 
the charger directly on 12 Volts, such a charger for the Elecraft 
batteries is not available, as far as I know. Even if it were, it would 
probably cost more than the inverter. The inverter, of course, also has 
other uses.

Elecraft also makes it very clear that their batteries shouldn't be 
charged with any other charger, and there are good reasons for that.

73,
Scott K9MA


On 11/16/2018 12:15, Dennis Moore wrote:
> So you're taking your 12v source (let's say it's 13.8v), adding an 
> inverter to make 120v, then plugging in a charger to bring it back 
> down to 13.8v.
>
> I'm fairly new to the KX3 game, but it seems like I must be missing 
> something here.
>
> 73, Dennis NJ6G
>
>
> On 11/16/2018 09:58, K9MA wrote:
>> One solution to charging the Li-Ion batteries from a 12 V DC source 
>> is to use a small inverter. One I've found which works well is the 
>> Samlex PST-120-12. It's a small "pure sine wave" inverter, rated 120 
>> W, costing about $120. It seems to work just fine with the KXBC2 
>> charger, and should work just as well with the KXBC3. I would use 
>> only a "pure sine wave" inverter, as the square wave from a "modified 
>> sine wave" inverter is likely to cause the charger to malfunction.
>>
>> Needless to say, I have no connection with the vendor, other than as 
>> a customer. I've had good luck with other Samlex products.
>>
>> 73,
>>
>> Scott K9MA
>>
>
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-- 
Scott  K9MA

k9ma at sdellington.us