Battery Charger

[Pathfinder]

Looking for a good, portable not too expensive battery charger to keep in the car for when I forget to shut off the headlights. Theres a zillion out there from $39 - $99 or more. Any recommendations?

[bbodie52]

Battery Tender products seem to do well — especially for vehicles like motorcycles and Corvairs that may sit for awhile without use. They monitor the state of charge and can keep your battery healthy during periods of inactivity.

http://www.batterytender.com/

Can be found at the Amazon.com website and many other sources...

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_ ... ery+Tender

[66vairguy]

I tried the "Battery Tender" after reading all the hype. I'm a retired electrical guy who worked with "smart" chargers and I found the Battery Tender did not perform well as a battery maintainer and tended to over charge the battery. It will charge up a battery, but it will take HOURS.

A better device, last time I tested it, was the Schumacher SEM 1562A. I see there is now a SEM156A-CA which I haven't evaluated. The Schmacher is a good battery maintainer, but it is a trickle charger and won't bring up a dead battery quickly. I have friends who store old cars all Winter and every summer the battery was dead and BAD. Now they leave the Schmacher on and have no issues. A good battery maintainer will NOT overcharge a battery, an issue I've had with the inexpensive battery maintainers.

You might consider a battery jumper pack like Harbor Freight sells. I've had one for years and it has gotten a number of neighbors cars going who had dead batteries. See http://www.harborfreight.com/automotive ... 62306.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Just plug in once a month to keep it charged and it will start a car easily.

[b74eqcm]

I think we need to make a distinction between intended uses. I was the service manager for a company that installed and maintained emergency generators. In this use, where the generator may sit for a month or more between starts and the battery needs to be kept topped off, the Battery Tender works very well. I put hundreds in the field with only a handful of failures over 5 years. They are also good for maintaining a battery over the winter. What they don't do well is charge a dead battery. It's not what they are designed for. They only put out 1.5 amps. I've never seen a Battery Tender overcharge or boil out a battery.

Jim T.

[Pathfinder]

Thanks. I took a look at the Cen-Tech 66vairguy recommended and I think that may fit the bill. The car never sits for more than a week w/o starting, its more something I need to take w/ me for when I leave the lights on after walking away from the car. Which is often. I looked at those really small portable ones on Amazon that look like bricks and do double-duty of charging cell-phones, but I have my doubts with them...

[b74eqcm]

As an aside, it's pretty easy to add a relay that would shut off the headlights when you turn off the key.

[bbodie52]

If you would be interested in something a little more-sophisticated...

http://www.dakotadigital.com/index.cfm/ ... /prd42.htm

Retained ACC Power w/ Headlight & Dome Light Control
From Dakota Digital

Combining three very popular functions, the new Dakota Digital PAC-1300 offers automatic headlight control, dome light control, and retained accessory power! Similar to some features found in several new production vehicles, the PAC-1300 will activate the vehicle’s headlights in low ambient light conditions and turn off the headlights as those conditions are increased to a safe level. This new revolutionary unit will leave the headlights on for a user selectable time as the vehicle is exited to safely light your path. The PAC-1300 also contains a user selectable time delay on the dome light after closing a door, or turning off the key. Instead of abruptly turning on and off, the PAC-1300 adds a smooth fade on and off operation to your existing dome light. The PAC-1300 also keeps your vehicle’s accessories active until a door is opened after the ignition key has been turned off! The PAC-1300 provides up to 20 minutes of “key off” operation, giving the user complete control of the power windows, radio, or any other vehicle accessory.

Also included is a unique voltage monitoring system. This function will shut down the vehicle’s lights and accessories if a lower than normal voltage condition is seen, keeping the battery charged for starting the engine.

http://www.dakotadigital.com/index.cfm

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/dak-pac-1300

[rv6aaviator]

Basic Battery Tender has been a good one for me. I rotate it around on all my vehicles. I have no complaints with it. I have a battery in my 99 Mercedes C43 AMG that is 14 years old.

[flat6_musik]

Here's one very similar to mine......mine is about 15 years old and works fine. 6 amp or 2 amp charge. And it does taper off the charge rate to nearly 0 when the battery is fully charged. I love it! $39.95 baby!!

http://www.qcsupply.com/380016-schumach ... arger.html