Batteries Plus Shoppe | Let's Talk About Batteries
Jan
31
Posted on 31-01-2009
Filed Under (Batteries) by admin on 31-01-2009
phildartmoor asked:
I have 4 x 110ah 12v batteries with standard terminals.
How do I connect these together to create a 12v battery bank of 440ah?
Also any suggestions on what sort of connectors / bus bars i need?
I was going to speak to an electrician but thought I’d try here first.
Also when wiring is it best to connect positive to positive, negative to negative. I need to keep 12v not 24 as my charger, solar panel and inverter are all designed for 12v.
Thankyou
Ad
I have 4 x 110ah 12v batteries with standard terminals.
How do I connect these together to create a 12v battery bank of 440ah?
Also any suggestions on what sort of connectors / bus bars i need?
I was going to speak to an electrician but thought I’d try here first.
Also when wiring is it best to connect positive to positive, negative to negative. I need to keep 12v not 24 as my charger, solar panel and inverter are all designed for 12v.
Thankyou
Ad
Jan
29
Charles Brown asked:
Many people have misconceptions about hybrid car batteries: “You don’t want a hybrid ’cause every couple days you’ve gotta plug them in somewhere to recharge the batteries.”
But interestingly enough, many hybrid car owners actually would like the ability to plug in their vehicles at night. This way, they can use that much less gasoline; the gas engine part of the hybrid would now need to run that much less when they made their morning commutes. Now, nothing’s free–including household electricity. However, the idea here is that the additional charges on their monthly electric bill would still be far less than the added $3.00+ per each additional gallon of fuel. The 2008 and beyond hybrid electric vehicles are supposedly going to have the capability to plug them in.
Another popular myth is that the batteries only last a couple years at the most. Then you’ve gotta buy thousands of dollars worth of new batteries. This is far from true:
The standard warranty on hybrid batteries usually runs between 80,000 and 100,000 miles. Great advances in battery technology since 2000 have raised the life expectancy to a respectable level in 2007. Taxi services using hybrid-only cars are springing up everywhere…now THAT should raise the eyebrows of hybrid naysayers. The warranty for battery life may be at 100,000 miles, however, taxi services are seeing 200,000 to 300,000 miles with absolutely no degradation in battery performance. And we’re talking several large taxi fleets in New York City!
If the batteries DO need replacing, they will cost between $1700 – $3000, not $10,000+ like many folks say.
But the key to this long battery life lies in “smart charging” where the electronic charging computer will not let the battery get charged above around 60% of capacity, nor let it drop below 40% of its capacity. This allows the new NIMH (Nickel Metal Hydride) batteries to run practically forever.
That being said, battery technology remains the main area for the greatest advances in hybrid car technology yet to come. Lighter batteries that hold longer charges and put out higher power is the dream of every hybrid engineering company. Battery technology is where hybrids stand to gain the most benefit.
The main hope for improving this situation for hybrid cars lies with lithium batteries. These are the same batteries that are currently used to power laptops and cameras. They provide a much more concentrated and therefore smaller way of storing energy as electricity. While lithium batteries are the best option for batteries in hybrids now, they aren’t without problems…
The problem with lithium batteries is making them big enough so that they can store enough energy to power hybrid cars without having to revert to the gas engine when driving in town. Lithium batteries are very efficient when manufactured to a certain capacity and size. But if this is increased they are subject to a condition called thermal run off. This can cause larger batteries to overheat and in some instances they can actually catch fire! (You’ve noticed how hot laptop computer batteries can get.)
The main problem is the cobalt, a metal used in the manufacture of lithium batteries. Many manufacturers have been working on a solution to this problem. The most promising solution seems to be replacing the cobalt with phosphate. This produces a much safer and more reliable battery. There is some power loss as opposed to using cobalt only, but the batteries should still be a long way ahead of conventional lead-acid and NiMH batteries now used in hybrid cars.
Adham
Many people have misconceptions about hybrid car batteries: “You don’t want a hybrid ’cause every couple days you’ve gotta plug them in somewhere to recharge the batteries.”
But interestingly enough, many hybrid car owners actually would like the ability to plug in their vehicles at night. This way, they can use that much less gasoline; the gas engine part of the hybrid would now need to run that much less when they made their morning commutes. Now, nothing’s free–including household electricity. However, the idea here is that the additional charges on their monthly electric bill would still be far less than the added $3.00+ per each additional gallon of fuel. The 2008 and beyond hybrid electric vehicles are supposedly going to have the capability to plug them in.
Another popular myth is that the batteries only last a couple years at the most. Then you’ve gotta buy thousands of dollars worth of new batteries. This is far from true:
The standard warranty on hybrid batteries usually runs between 80,000 and 100,000 miles. Great advances in battery technology since 2000 have raised the life expectancy to a respectable level in 2007. Taxi services using hybrid-only cars are springing up everywhere…now THAT should raise the eyebrows of hybrid naysayers. The warranty for battery life may be at 100,000 miles, however, taxi services are seeing 200,000 to 300,000 miles with absolutely no degradation in battery performance. And we’re talking several large taxi fleets in New York City!
If the batteries DO need replacing, they will cost between $1700 – $3000, not $10,000+ like many folks say.
But the key to this long battery life lies in “smart charging” where the electronic charging computer will not let the battery get charged above around 60% of capacity, nor let it drop below 40% of its capacity. This allows the new NIMH (Nickel Metal Hydride) batteries to run practically forever.
That being said, battery technology remains the main area for the greatest advances in hybrid car technology yet to come. Lighter batteries that hold longer charges and put out higher power is the dream of every hybrid engineering company. Battery technology is where hybrids stand to gain the most benefit.
The main hope for improving this situation for hybrid cars lies with lithium batteries. These are the same batteries that are currently used to power laptops and cameras. They provide a much more concentrated and therefore smaller way of storing energy as electricity. While lithium batteries are the best option for batteries in hybrids now, they aren’t without problems…
The problem with lithium batteries is making them big enough so that they can store enough energy to power hybrid cars without having to revert to the gas engine when driving in town. Lithium batteries are very efficient when manufactured to a certain capacity and size. But if this is increased they are subject to a condition called thermal run off. This can cause larger batteries to overheat and in some instances they can actually catch fire! (You’ve noticed how hot laptop computer batteries can get.)
The main problem is the cobalt, a metal used in the manufacture of lithium batteries. Many manufacturers have been working on a solution to this problem. The most promising solution seems to be replacing the cobalt with phosphate. This produces a much safer and more reliable battery. There is some power loss as opposed to using cobalt only, but the batteries should still be a long way ahead of conventional lead-acid and NiMH batteries now used in hybrid cars.
Adham
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Jan
23
Posted on 23-01-2009
Filed Under (Batteries) by admin on 23-01-2009
bruce b asked:
It is incredible how many people just toss batteries in the garbage when they are so environmentally damaging and how many cities and towns have no way of disposing of them…Why not have a deposit and make manufacturers and suppliers take them back.
Delbert
It is incredible how many people just toss batteries in the garbage when they are so environmentally damaging and how many cities and towns have no way of disposing of them…Why not have a deposit and make manufacturers and suppliers take them back.
Delbert
Jan
23
Posted on 23-01-2009
Filed Under (Batteries) by admin on 23-01-2009
ME asked:
I have a panasonic charger for rechargeable batteries but the batteries are starting to not hold their charge as well. Do I have to buy a whole new set or can I use any rechargeable batteries with the charger I already have?
Alex
I have a panasonic charger for rechargeable batteries but the batteries are starting to not hold their charge as well. Do I have to buy a whole new set or can I use any rechargeable batteries with the charger I already have?
Alex
Jan
20
Camera-battery.org asked:
Battery Conservation Tips
Are you always running out of battery power just before you take that perfect picture with your digital camera? Here are some
tips to conserve your batteries when you are out “snapping away”.
1) Turn off your digital camera when not in use. If you are in a situation where you must snap pictures quickly, this may not
apply as turning digital cameras on and off take a few seconds, and may cause you to miss a picture-taking opportunity.
However, if you are taking a leisurely stroll and can afford a couple of seconds before snapping a still subject, by all
means, conserve your digital camera’s energy!
2) Many digital cameras have a regular viewfinder and an LCD viewfinder. While the digital LCD viewfinder has its benefits,
it can drain battery power. Turn it off when applicable and use your regular viewfinder for taking pictures.
3) Don’t stop after taking every photo and look at the picture in your digital camera’s playback mode. Granted, you sometimes
need to look at photos immediately after shooting them in order to make sure your exposure is correct, the lighting is ok,
etc., but doing this does use up your digital camera’s battery power.
4) If you are using MicroDrive media, be forewarned that these miniature hard drives may take up quite more power than
Compact Flash cards.
Taking care of you new battery pack
Normally, a new battery pack comes in a very low charge condition and must be fully charged before use. Refer to the user
manual of your portable electronic equipment for charging instructions. A new battery pack needs to be fully charged and
fully discharged or “cycled” as much as five times to condition them into performing at full capacity. Your equipment may
report a fully charge condition in as short as 10 to 15 minutes when the new battery pack is being charged for the first
time. This is a normal phenomenon especially for Nickel Cadmium (Ni-Cd) and Nickel Metal Hydride (Ni-MH) chemistries. When
this happens, remove the battery pack and let it cool
down for about fifteen minutes then repeat the charging procedure. “Conditioning” (fully discharging and then fully charging)
is necessary so as to maintain the optimum performance of a battery pack, and is recommended at least once a month
particularly for Ni-Cd and Ni-MH batteries. Failure to do so could result in reduced charge capacity and can significantly
shorten the battery packs useful life. Lithium Ion batteries do not require conditioning. It is normal for a battery pack to
get warm when charging and during use. However, if the battery pack gets excessive hot, here may be a problem with the
portable electronic equipments charging circuit and should therefore be checked by a qualified technician. Rechargeable
batteries undergo self-discharging when left unused for long periods of time. This is normal particularly in the case of Ni-
MH and Li-ion chemistries. For best results, always store a battery pack fully charged. It should be removed from the
equipment and kept in a cool, dry and clean place. The amount of runtime a battery pack produces depends on the power
requirements of components in your electronic equipment.
Don’t let under-charged batteries keep you from taking great photos.
If you infrequently use your digital camera, you may think that you after you use your digital camera, recharge your NiMH
batteries, wait a few weeks or months, then use your digital camera again, that your batteries will be charged and you’ll be
ready to snap photos, right?
Oops… Do that and you’ll be stuck with a non-functioning digital camera or one that just blinks a picture showing a dead
battery.
Rechargeable batteries don’t stay charged forever. They tend to lose a little bit of their power every day. If you charge
your batteries and frequently use your digital camera, you will probably never notice this loss of power. However, after a
couple of weeks, the power loss may be noticeable, and after a couple of months or longer of non-use, those once ready-to-go
batteries may have lost enough power to make them unusable.
Don’t get caught in this trap. Always charge your batteries before every trip, and make sure to use a battery charger with a sensor that prevents over-charge.
more info: http://www.camera-battery.org
Customer
Battery Conservation Tips
Are you always running out of battery power just before you take that perfect picture with your digital camera? Here are some
tips to conserve your batteries when you are out “snapping away”.
1) Turn off your digital camera when not in use. If you are in a situation where you must snap pictures quickly, this may not
apply as turning digital cameras on and off take a few seconds, and may cause you to miss a picture-taking opportunity.
However, if you are taking a leisurely stroll and can afford a couple of seconds before snapping a still subject, by all
means, conserve your digital camera’s energy!
2) Many digital cameras have a regular viewfinder and an LCD viewfinder. While the digital LCD viewfinder has its benefits,
it can drain battery power. Turn it off when applicable and use your regular viewfinder for taking pictures.
3) Don’t stop after taking every photo and look at the picture in your digital camera’s playback mode. Granted, you sometimes
need to look at photos immediately after shooting them in order to make sure your exposure is correct, the lighting is ok,
etc., but doing this does use up your digital camera’s battery power.
4) If you are using MicroDrive media, be forewarned that these miniature hard drives may take up quite more power than
Compact Flash cards.
Taking care of you new battery pack
Normally, a new battery pack comes in a very low charge condition and must be fully charged before use. Refer to the user
manual of your portable electronic equipment for charging instructions. A new battery pack needs to be fully charged and
fully discharged or “cycled” as much as five times to condition them into performing at full capacity. Your equipment may
report a fully charge condition in as short as 10 to 15 minutes when the new battery pack is being charged for the first
time. This is a normal phenomenon especially for Nickel Cadmium (Ni-Cd) and Nickel Metal Hydride (Ni-MH) chemistries. When
this happens, remove the battery pack and let it cool
down for about fifteen minutes then repeat the charging procedure. “Conditioning” (fully discharging and then fully charging)
is necessary so as to maintain the optimum performance of a battery pack, and is recommended at least once a month
particularly for Ni-Cd and Ni-MH batteries. Failure to do so could result in reduced charge capacity and can significantly
shorten the battery packs useful life. Lithium Ion batteries do not require conditioning. It is normal for a battery pack to
get warm when charging and during use. However, if the battery pack gets excessive hot, here may be a problem with the
portable electronic equipments charging circuit and should therefore be checked by a qualified technician. Rechargeable
batteries undergo self-discharging when left unused for long periods of time. This is normal particularly in the case of Ni-
MH and Li-ion chemistries. For best results, always store a battery pack fully charged. It should be removed from the
equipment and kept in a cool, dry and clean place. The amount of runtime a battery pack produces depends on the power
requirements of components in your electronic equipment.
Don’t let under-charged batteries keep you from taking great photos.
If you infrequently use your digital camera, you may think that you after you use your digital camera, recharge your NiMH
batteries, wait a few weeks or months, then use your digital camera again, that your batteries will be charged and you’ll be
ready to snap photos, right?
Oops… Do that and you’ll be stuck with a non-functioning digital camera or one that just blinks a picture showing a dead
battery.
Rechargeable batteries don’t stay charged forever. They tend to lose a little bit of their power every day. If you charge
your batteries and frequently use your digital camera, you will probably never notice this loss of power. However, after a
couple of weeks, the power loss may be noticeable, and after a couple of months or longer of non-use, those once ready-to-go
batteries may have lost enough power to make them unusable.
Don’t get caught in this trap. Always charge your batteries before every trip, and make sure to use a battery charger with a sensor that prevents over-charge.
more info: http://www.camera-battery.org
Customer
Comments Off