Rapid BAttery Charger

[-scallywag-]

the only way to "over charge" a lead acid battery is to apply too much voltage...even the cheapest 12V chargers will not hurt your battery.

Bob. your system would work fine, only add a 7 or 10a fuse inline somewhere in the circuit for short circuit protection. What you discribed is essentially what we do with multiple larger batteries in parallel. Drive around/run the engine to charge the batteries then at camp disconnect the battery bank from the truck battery then run the inverter off the battery bank.

[dsafety]

Originally Posted by -scallywag-

the only way to "over charge" a lead acid battery is to apply too much voltage...even the cheapest 12V chargers will not hurt your battery.

Bob. your system would work fine, only add a 7 or 10a fuse inline somewhere in the circuit for short circuit protection. What you described is essentially what we do with multiple larger batteries in parallel. Drive around/run the engine to charge the batteries then at camp disconnect the battery bank from the truck battery then run the inverter off the battery bank.

Where would be the best place to tie into the system? There are plenty of 12V wires in a car. Could you just clip on to one of those or would the current be too low?

Electrical stuff is black magic to me. I understand just enough to be dangerous. If I could create a perfect in-cabin charging port, I would have some place to just plug a cable in which would charge the battery. Could it be as simple as plugging in to a cigarette lighter port?

Assuming this would work, all that would need to be done is to create a pigtail with a cigarette lighter plug on one end, a fuse and a connector to the battery on the other end. Could it be as easy as that? If someone knows, please post.

Better than that, post some photos and instructions in the Innovations thread. This might be a big deal.

Bob

[roadx]

Assuming this would work, all that would need to be done is to create a pigtail with a cigarette lighter plug on one end, a fuse and a connector to the battery on the other end. Could it be as easy as that? If someone knows, please post.

yes dsaftey, a vehicle cigarette/accessories port would work with a pigtail and couple alligator/spade clips if you have a 12v battery or two 6v in series. make sure you use an inline fuse on your pig tail. low batteries will cause a lot of heat and pull a lot of amps, so keep an eye on them. the fuse size will be dependent to what amp battery and wiring gauge you have/use. dont over size the fuse.

you could also use a car ac/dc inverter and use your charger that you normally use. slower charge (probably milli amps wall wort type) but will be healthier for your battery(s)