Battery Minder

azure

azure

Final Approach
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azure
What is the difference between the aviation and non-aviation models of the Battery Minder (TM)? (other than about $140)

Will anyone admit to using the non-aviation version? Or is it a really bad idea?
 
Well, the $200 aviation unit is an 8amp charger, the $60 cheapest one is 2 amp, and the non aviation 12v that does 8 amps is $130. They may have fine tuned the output fot the plate density that Gill and Concorde use, but I doubt it.
 
That's what they advertise. I used the non-av unit for a while, now use the "officially blessed" aviation model.

Henning said:
Well, the $200 aviation unit is an 8amp charger, the $60 cheapest one is 2 amp, and the non aviation 12v that does 8 amps is $130. They may have fine tuned the output fot the plate density that Gill and Concorde use, but I doubt it.
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I bought this one a few years back and I am impressed. I almost didn't buy it, had my doubts, but it has paid for itself.
I rotate it between 4 batteries and it has doubled the usual life of three of them. The a/c battery is only 3 yrs old so can't say about that one but the motorcycles, yard tractor batteries have never lasted this long.
 
Let'sgoflying! said:
I bought this one a few years back and I am impressed. I almost didn't buy it, had my doubts, but it has paid for itself.
I rotate it between 4 batteries and it has doubled the usual life of three of them. The a/c battery is only 3 yrs old so can't say about that one but the motorcycles, yard tractor batteries have never lasted this long.
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That's really all you need to maintain a good battery.
 
The difference, is that the aviation one has a slightly different voltage/temp curve. But in mid Illinois, the one that Dave Taylor uses, is the one I use and my Concorde AXC 35 went 7 years and started my neightbor's arrow in it's eighth year.

Like I said in the other string, get your battery on one of these.
 
I think it pays attention to maintain the electrolyte levels fastidiously between the upper and lower limits. There are significant losses here; RH in the single digits is common.
 
I bought one at a motorcycle shop for $25 and have been using it for years.
 
Liz, just be sure we're talking about the ones that deliver trickle PULSES. They were vetted at Fort Hood, where about 25% of the M60 battle tanks would actually start, until they started doing this. Then, 96% or some such would start.
 
Thanks Bruce and everyone. I gather that, despite its low 1.3 amp current, it's still quite satisfactory for a Gill wet cell aviation battery? Just takes longer to charge the battery if it's down?

Mine is the G-35 FWIW.
 
azure said:
Thanks Bruce and everyone. I gather that, despite its low 1.3 amp current, it's still quite satisfactory for a Gill wet cell aviation battery? Just takes longer to charge the battery if it's down?

Mine is the G-35 FWIW.
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You could probably recharge a near dead G35 with this but it would take way too long. The small minder is really meant to keep a nearly fully charged battery in good health for a long time.
 
...and it's benign to KEEP IT CONNECTED whenver it's at home port.
 
From the company, FWIW:

Thank your for choosing BatteryMINDer. Aviation batteries, such as Gill or Concord use a lower charge and float voltage than regular automotive, or AGM batteries. We introduced the 12248-AA-S2 8 amp, plug and run BatteryMINDer a few years ago strictly to Gill and Concord Battery settings. These settings and along with the units temperature sensor will prevent boil-out and acid spill.
 
gismo said:
You could probably recharge a near dead G35 with this but it would take way too long. The small minder is really meant to keep a nearly fully charged battery in good health for a long time.
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In fact the BatteryMinder will refuse to charge a battery that's too deeply discharged. I have 3 of them in various sizes - 1.5, 3, and 8 amp - keeping the car and tractor batteries viable.

When the battery goes down deep, as just happened with the van due to an LED on the aux power tap, I have to charge it with a regular charger first.

I think my big 8 amp unit is bad because it won't stay in the wet cell mode and the battery it's on will go dead.

I need to top off my plane battery here.
 
I bought an "Automatic Batter Charger" at Walmart, to keep my battery charged over the winter. Now I am having second thoughts about hooking it up, and leaving it on. The unit will charge the battery, then when fully charged goes into "maintain mode" which is described as "Float-Mode Monitoring" which the manual says keeps the battery fully charged by delivering a small current when necessary. It says nothing about de-sulfating.

The unit is a Schumacher XM1-5. Is this OK to use on my Tiger's Gill G-25?


Thanks.
 
gismo said:
You could probably recharge a near dead G35 with this but it would take way too long. The small minder is really meant to keep a nearly fully charged battery in good health for a long time.
Click to expand...

I read that the circuit needs some voltage to do all of the auto-fancy footwork which is why that won't bring up a dead battery.

I keep running down the battery on my rarely used van, and charge it up first with an old-fashoned beat up auto charger.

As above I have 3 Battery-Minders including the 8 amp one. That one seemed to kill a battery but it may have been too dead to work. That was where it wouldn't charge the dead battery in the van.

I just got this Schumacher one to add to my collection while it was a $34 deal and it's currently on the van. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000BQSIWK/ref=ox_ya_os_product

It doesn't say it, but it will also go to de-suphation mode and it has the readout of battery voltage and capacity. It's lunchbox sized and light but it's big enough to have a cooling fan.
 
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