Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Simple introduction to battery chargers...
Note that the charge current depends upon the technology within, and the capacity of, the battery being charged. For example, the current that should be applied to recharge a 12 V car battery will be very different to the current for a mobile phone battery.
There are several types of Battery Charger...
First there is a simple charger... which works by connecting a constant DC power source to the battery being charged. The simple charger does not alter its output based on time of charging, or the charge on the battery. A simple charger will be inexpensive, but there is a tradeoff in quality. Typically, a simple charger takes longer to charge a battery to prevent severe over-charging. Even so, a battery left in a simple charger for too long can still be weakened or destroyed because it has been over-charged.
As the name suggests... a timer charger is stopped at a pre-determined time. Timer chargers were the most common type for Ni-Cd cells in the late 1990s. Often a timer charger and set of batteries could be bought as a bundle and the charger time was set to suit just that type of battery. Battery technology is increasing capacity year on year, so an old timer charger will only partly charge the newer batteries.
Intelligent chargers are supposed to monitor the battery's voltage, temperature and/or time under charge to determine the optimum charge current at that precise moment. So output current will depend upon the state of the battery. Charging is terminated when a combination of the voltage, temperature and/or time indicates that the battery is fully charged.
For Ni-Cd and NiMH batteries, the voltage over the battery increases slowly during the charging process, until the battery is fully charged. After that, the voltage decreases, which indicates to an intelligent charger that the battery is fully charged.
The VARTA-Rayovac group sell "15 minute" superfast chargers for special NiMH cells. What makes these chargers different is that the charging process isn't only controlled in the charger, but also in the cells themselves. The special 15 minute cells are typically rated at 2000/2100 mAh and contain control circuitry that makes such fast charging times possible without damaging the cells' elements. All of them are capable of acting as a standard overnight charger if used with standard NiMH cells that do not have the special control circuitry.
Battery chargers for mobile phones come in a wide variety of connector-styles and voltages, most of which are not compatible with other manufactuers' phones or even different models of phones from a single manufactuer. You will require your instructions again!
Inverters take DC power (battery or solar, for example) and convert it into AC "household" power for running electronic equipment and appliances. In selecting the right size inverter electricity usage has to be calculated.
For more information on battery chargers just... Click Here
There are several types of Battery Charger...
First there is a simple charger... which works by connecting a constant DC power source to the battery being charged. The simple charger does not alter its output based on time of charging, or the charge on the battery. A simple charger will be inexpensive, but there is a tradeoff in quality. Typically, a simple charger takes longer to charge a battery to prevent severe over-charging. Even so, a battery left in a simple charger for too long can still be weakened or destroyed because it has been over-charged.
As the name suggests... a timer charger is stopped at a pre-determined time. Timer chargers were the most common type for Ni-Cd cells in the late 1990s. Often a timer charger and set of batteries could be bought as a bundle and the charger time was set to suit just that type of battery. Battery technology is increasing capacity year on year, so an old timer charger will only partly charge the newer batteries.
Intelligent chargers are supposed to monitor the battery's voltage, temperature and/or time under charge to determine the optimum charge current at that precise moment. So output current will depend upon the state of the battery. Charging is terminated when a combination of the voltage, temperature and/or time indicates that the battery is fully charged.
For Ni-Cd and NiMH batteries, the voltage over the battery increases slowly during the charging process, until the battery is fully charged. After that, the voltage decreases, which indicates to an intelligent charger that the battery is fully charged.
The VARTA-Rayovac group sell "15 minute" superfast chargers for special NiMH cells. What makes these chargers different is that the charging process isn't only controlled in the charger, but also in the cells themselves. The special 15 minute cells are typically rated at 2000/2100 mAh and contain control circuitry that makes such fast charging times possible without damaging the cells' elements. All of them are capable of acting as a standard overnight charger if used with standard NiMH cells that do not have the special control circuitry.
Battery chargers for mobile phones come in a wide variety of connector-styles and voltages, most of which are not compatible with other manufactuers' phones or even different models of phones from a single manufactuer. You will require your instructions again!
Inverters take DC power (battery or solar, for example) and convert it into AC "household" power for running electronic equipment and appliances. In selecting the right size inverter electricity usage has to be calculated.
For more information on battery chargers just... Click Here
Labels: battery charger, inverter, lithium ion, Ni-Cd, NiMH battery charger
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