12v - 12v charger

I currently charge the (hard to remove) batteries in my ASH-26E with a
solar panel and charger installed on/in my trailer. During a contest,
the plane may not spend much time in the trailer during daylight hours,
but it does spend most nights in there.

The solution would be to use the solar panel to charge a battery in the
trailer, which would then be used to charge the glider overnight. Best
would be to use this system all the time with two chargers in the
trailer and a single cable to hook up to the glider.

So... does anyone know of a charger that will accept 12v input to
charge a 12v/18ah SLA battery? I've found some charger chip
application notes, but I really don't want to build one of these.

Thanks,

-Tom

So... does anyone know of a charger that will accept 12v input to
charge a 12v/18ah SLA battery? I've found some charger chip
application notes, but I really don't want to build one of these.


Hi Tom,
the airplane model builders are using chargers with 12V input.
You best look in Google for a supplier of airplane model equipment
in your aerea.
Walter

http://www.hobby-lobby.com/chargers.htm

I recommend Graupner Ultramat 12
Regards
Udo



So... does anyone know of a charger that will accept 12v input to
charge a 12v/18ah SLA battery? I've found some charger chip
application notes, but I really don't want to build one of these.

Thanks,

-Tom

Udo Rumpf wrote:
http://www.hobby-lobby.com/chargers.htm

I recommend Graupner Ultramat 12

Thanks - that looks like the ticket. I had thought about RC model
chargers, but thought there might be issues using one on a lead acid
battery for prolonged trickle charging. The specs at the Graupner
website: http://shop.graupner.de/webuerp/servlet/AI?ARTN=6412.67 seem
to indicate this will not be a problem.

-Tom

check on http://www.strobl-solar.de who is specialised in Buffer
Batteries Systems

Regards

Mottley wrote:
check on http://www.strobl-solar.de who is specialised in Buffer
Batteries Systems

Very nice, but a bit outside my budget. The Graupner R/C charger is
looking like the best option so far. Now If I could find one with
fewer options - like just works for Lead-Acid the price might be even
better...

-Tom

The combination of a 12V inverter and 120VAC battery charger need not
be inefficient - it is dependent upon the efficiencies of the two
parts.

I am charging my batteries using a solar panel and voltage regulator.
Usually, I can recharge the batteries after landing using the remaining
daylight. If not, it easily recharges in the morning. I use this
combination of solar panel and regulator:

Affordable Solar
PO BOX 12952
Albuquerque, NM 87195-0952

800.810.9939 Toll Free
505.244.1154 Direct
505.244.9222 FAX
Web: www.Affordable-Solar.com
"Independence You can Afford"


Name Code Qty Each Options
------------------------------------------------------------
Morningstar SunSaver 829 1 69.00
10L-12V Charge Controller
SunWize OEM20, 20 Watt 1142 1 165.00
Solar Panel
Subtotal 234.00
Shipping 25.20
Tax 0.00
Total 259.20

Any thoughts about putting one of these between the storage battery and
a charge controller?

http://store.l-f-l.com/prod/DC-DC-ADAPTER/51F1439494-

What would be the best voltage setting?

-Tom

I assume you are talking about charging your glider battery from a
storage battery, which you charge with a solar panel during the day.
This would probably work with the solar charger I mentioned, but I
offer no guarantees (there is nothing obviously wrong). I would NOT use
this without a charge controller, however. I would experiment with
output voltages to find which one was most efficient. To do this you
will need to measure both discharge current from the storage battery
and charge current into the battery you are charging. You probably can
use 18V safely. Be sure to measure voltages at both batteries to sure
something isn't going wrong (the battery under charge shouldn't measure
more than 15V unless it is cold (I did this when it was 26 deg and it
measured over 15V).

Tom Seim
DG-400
Richland, WA

wrote:
I assume you are talking about charging your glider battery from a
storage battery, which you charge with a solar panel during the day.

Yes. Basically, I want a setup that looks like:

a) Solar panel
b) Charge controller
c) Storage battery
d) charge controller
e) Glider battery

I currently have (a) & (b) rated at 12v. So in my case, I need a
solution for (d) that does 11v+ - 12v SLA charge.

For $100 I can get a fancy model charger with lots of extra options,
but it will do the job.

For a bit less than $100 I can get the car adapter/voltage booster and
a regular charge controller. Two boxes, but maybe a little more rugged
than the model charger. Since I have 2 batteries in the glider that I
now alternate using/charging, this may be the best solution, as at a
later time, I can get a 2nd controller to keep both batteries topped at
all times. Since I use the batteries one at a time, I prefer to have
an independent charger on each instead of just charging them in
parallel.

If I were starting from scratch, I think I'd set up a 24v storage
system using 2 car batteries or large SLAs. Then use the 24v to drive
a 12v charge controller for the glider battery.

-Tom