# TukTuk Batteries & Charging



## piotrsko (Dec 9, 2007)

Sulphuric acid for the batteries, I don't recall the ratio of DISTILLED water to acid, but any car battery shop can provide it, sometimes free.

Plug the Chinese charger in and see how much voltage it puts out, for now. 
For 3 cell batteries it needs to be multiples of 7 volts, for 4 cell it needs to be multiples of 9 volts, for 6 cell a multiple of 13 volts.

although up to 2.5 volts per battery cell would be allowed but not optimal because it will bubble too much.

THAT IS THE GOOD THING ABOUT LEAD ACID BATTERIES, old PROVEN technology that isn't too fussy. Hard to kill without intentionally abusing them.

Get the tuck-tuck running then see how to improve it. You could have 2 sets of spare parts.

My $.02 (USD) YMMV


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## RatherBeMaking (Jun 10, 2015)

Thanks for the response. I have done some investigating and this is what I have

5 x 12v 140ah Lead Acid Batteries
Connected in Series
The charger is 220v 60amp

There are 2 additional batteries that are brand new, in box, never used. The other batteries are installed in the TukTuk

I have put some pictures of it here:

https://goo.gl/photos/irkVkmdXbHBwiozi7

I want to go ahead and get a charge on the batteries and see if I can get it moving. 


Should I be worried about some discharge around one of the terminals? 
Should I put some de-ionised water in the batteries or just go straight to charge? 
How do I work out how long to charge it?


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## piotrsko (Dec 9, 2007)

Your wires look tiny, mine are the size if my thumb.

The mess on one terminal means that wire and battery are in need of replacement. Wash everything with baking soda slurry to neutralize the acid residue

There should be water in the cell to cover the lead plates. Usually just below the plastic cover/case. 

The charger should be set up to automatically end charge by the way it looks, however only run it for a couple of hours then test. Make sure the charger Or batteries don't get more than hot to the touch. (130f. Perhaps 50c. )


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