[PPRAANet] Battery charging advice needed

[John Bloodgood]

If you are giving a lead acid battery (including vented, valve, SLA, Gel, AGM) 13.8 VDC and it is only pulling 80 mA, the battery is probably fully charged or close to it.  A fully charged battery will be between 13.2 and 13.8 VDC (usually closer to 13.8 right after it comes of a charger).  Charging voltage is typically 13.8 to 14.2 VDC, depending on the type of charger, temperature,  and the state of discharge.  Under a steady voltage, the current may start around 1 A and should drop as the battery charges.  Here is a good resource:  https://batteryuniversity.com/index.php/learn/article/charging_the_lead_acid_battery

A simple battery multi-stage charger/analyzer takes most of the guesswork out of it. If the  battery is offline, something like the Optima Digital 400 is pretty hassle free and does a great job:  https://www.summitracing.com/search/brand/optima-batteries/part-type/battery-chargers/product-line/optima-digital-400-battery-chargers

If the battery is being used as an UPS or part of an active power supply, then a charge controller like the Epic PWRGate is great:  http://www.westmountainradio.com/product_info.php?products_id=epic-pwrgate



John, KD0SFY

From: wv7t--- via PPRAANet<mailto:ppraanet at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Saturday, September 19, 2020 12:17 PM
To: ppraanet at mailman.qth.net<mailto:ppraanet at mailman.qth.net>
Subject: [PPRAANet] Battery charging advice needed

I have a 12v 6 amp battery. I am feeding it with 13.8v and reading 80mA on a meter. How long should I charge the battery and what should the correct charging current be?
Mike WV7T
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