PV Gap

Walter Said:

What would I need to make a battery charger for my 12 v battery jump box and I lost the original charger?

We Answered:

Look on the back of the jumper box, or were the charger plugs in to the jumper box. You are looking for two values, volts and amps. It might look something like this, (Input13.9V 2.3A) After finding a plug thats fits your jumper box (hopefuly one of the chargers you have lying around) you will need a transformer.
Your goal is to match those values or atleast get close to the input values of the jumper box. 12-14.5 volts should work also try to keep the amp rating within the input values. After splicing the plug to the transformer, it should work..
If any or all of this is to much for you, just go down to radio shack. They sell universal chargers!!!

Glen Said:

Will hooking up a trickle charger make the battery last longer?

We Answered:

Yes using a trickle charger does help the longevity of the battery. Especially if you are not using it for a while.

I have a emergency jump battery that I keep a trickle charger on after my regular automatic charger tops it off. This battery has been used and stored for over 4 years and is still a very strong battery. And I have one in my car for over 5 years now.

That said I would have the battery check out with a good load tester and see how it is fairing. These batteries do weaken over time and can go bad all of a sudden.

Carole Said:

Does it make sense to use charger on car battery?

We Answered:

If you live in the desert South West then 2 years is about all you will ever see from a lead acid battery.

Janice Said:

how to make a dc battery charger?

We Answered:

The first link below leads to a car battery charger circuit. The second link is to the home page of the web site where this circuit is located. It's a good site for hobby circuits.

Lisa Said:

How can I make a battery charger using a small computer fan spinning backwards? A coin battery with wind.?

We Answered:

its pretty difficult

the computer fan motor is not like an ordinary motor
its a kind of stepper motor
it has circuitry which sends electric pulses alternatively to four( or three) set of windings

so if you rotate the fan, the coils will produce some voltage but the circuitry will prevent the voltage from coming out through the leads

but you can draw current directly from the windings
but for this you will have to break it apart
and you must use some rectification circuit to convert the AC voltage from the windings to DC voltage to charge the batteries
moreover the fan is not designed to work as a wind mill (its blade area is quite less)

better get a fan blade and attach it to a small dc motor ( you may need a small gear box)

Lauren Said:

How can i make my battery charger's health prolong?

We Answered:

If you continously plug in ur battery charger make sure u take it out if theres no laptop connected on the other end.Also check the voltages you connect to(ofcourse if you travel a lot). Make sure the chord of the charger is not twisted or pressed under ur laptop.