# Re: [EVDL] Right charger for 72V of Deka Dominator Gel Cells?



## EVDL List (Jul 27, 2007)

*Re: [EVDL] Right charger for 72V of Deka Dominator Gel Cells?*

BTW guys, Ben has a build log if you're interested. It's at:

http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthread.php/ben-nelsons-electro-metro-build-thread-848.html

He's building a Metro EV in the Forkenswift tradition.


Tim

------
Date: Fri, 22 Aug 2008 19:23:38 -0700 (PDT)
From: bennelson <[email protected]>
Subject: [EVDL] Right charger for 72V of Deka Dominator Gel Cells?
To: [email protected]

Hi Everyone.

I am converting a Geo Metro to electric. Sort of a street-legal NEV setup at
72 volts.

_______________________________________________
General EVDL support: http://evdl.org/help/
Usage guidelines: http://evdl.org/help/index.html#conv
Archives: http://evdl.org/archive/
Subscription options: http://lists.sjsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/ev


----------



## EVDL List (Jul 27, 2007)

*Re: [EVDL] Right charger for 72V of Deka Dominator Gel Cells?*

While I understand your trying to do this on a budget I have experience with that exact battery setup in both GEM's and my Ford Th!nk neighbor. They both use a DeltaQ charger, which has a profile specifically for that exact battery setup. It works well and the batteries tend to stay in sync with each other even with no balancing system. 

I've not yet found a 12 volt charger I'm happy with leaving on one of these batteries on its own. The problem is many 12 volt battery chargers either don't have a gel setting or include a "gel" setting as part of another; ie, the Schumacher chargers I've seen have a flooded then agm/gel setting! That's just plain wrong. It would either be under charging a AGM or boiling a gel on that setting.

A Delta-Q charger is about $600, but that battery pack at retail is over $1,200! In the NEV application that battery pack tends to last over 3 years, sometimes as much as 5 with the vehicle at a 350 amp controller with actual currents typically max in the 200 amp range. I would be careful not to pull much more that that out of them if possible for longer life.

Hope that helps. 

Ricky Suiter
92 Saturn SC Conversion
AZ Alt Fuel Plates "ZEROGAS"


---------------------------
Hi Everyone.

I am converting a Geo Metro to electric. Sort of a street-legal NEV setup at
72 volts.

I was able to get a fantastic deal on a set of good Deka Dominator 8G31 true
gel-cell batteries. My trouble is finding the right charger/chargers for
them.

Right on the batteries, it says not to charge them at voltage higher than
14.1v.

I saw that Wal-mart carries Schumacher brand chargers. I bought a SC-1200,
which has a gel-cell setting right on it.

I checked a battery, which the voltmeter said was at 12.5V. I attached the
charger, and it said the battery was at 90% capacity. I put the charger on
the gel-cell setting and turned it on. Over the course of about a minute,
the voltage listed on the charger rose from 13.8 up to 14.5.

I am assuming that the charger was using a high voltage and low amperage to
finish the charge, since the battery was most of the way full already.

Is this voltage too high to use with the Deka 8G31's? Or is that 14.1 volt
warning only for stand-by power applications where it contantly applies a
voltage?

I would like to use multiple chargers such as the Schumacher SC-1200, but
not if it's going to damage my batteries. Multiple chargers would be the
most flexible for going to over voltages, and keeping all batteries to the
same properly charged voltage.

My other options could be to find an old Zap Xebra 72v charger, which were
used with similar gel-cells, or fork out more money for an new 72V gel cell
charger j($550-$700! 6 SC-1200s would be about $270)

I am doing this whole project as a "budget" conversion and have about $1000
total into the project. The only thing I still need to buy is a charger.

Please help!

-Ben Nelson




_______________________________________________
General EVDL support: http://evdl.org/help/
Usage guidelines: http://evdl.org/help/index.html#conv
Archives: http://evdl.org/archive/
Subscription options: http://lists.sjsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/ev


----------

