The converting, maintenance, and operation of a Suzuki Samurai conversion to Electric power.

Wednesday, June 20, 2007

Update on charger

I purchased the transformer from Al Tech Electronics www.73volts.com It is a TR800 15.8v 22Amps (with a center tap I didn't use).It is listed at $15.99 on their site. After a short time it failed. The primary had a dead short. I can't envision how this is possible. It was not shorted to the steel core. Anyway, Al Tech sent me a replacement which I installed.

I also had to replace the dimmer switch which the local hardware store had for less than $4.

I then tried recharging the pack. With the batteries over 50% discharged, I had to use the dimmer to keep below 15Amps so I wouldn't pop a breaker. As the voltage in the pack increased, the dimmer was increased. At the end, I measured 2 amps at 177v. To fully charge the batteries requires around 186v, but they got over 95% charged, with no danger of overcharging, excessive bubbling or whatever. It still looks like an hour of charge for each 3 miles will be in the right ball park. An extra hour or two would have no bad effect. I repeat, be sure to install a timer on any unregulated charger. Accidently leaving the batteries on charge for an extended period of time will damage them. It is easy to forget.

We took the car over 32 miles, and there was still battery left. There was a lot of voltage sag going uphill near the end. Gotta use a light foot!

If you are reading this, leave a comment. Thanks.

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