Menu toggle

Battery Managers/Chargers

Mutley

New member
Hi All,

I have not driven the 911 Cab for 3 weeks due to work and really crap weather, & yes you guessed it, went to use it on Tuesday and the battery was flat, I have an Optimate 3 which I used on my bikes to keep the battery trickled charge etc. it is a managed system that only tops them up when they drop in charge, it says it can be used on a car to.

On the bikes I had a permanent connection to the battery I just came back & plug her straight in it took 2 secs, these are to small for the car Battery so i am having to use the crocodile clips which is a pain.

Do any of you have a permanent connection to your battery were as you can just put the car away & plug her in without having to pull half the carpet out to get to the battery etc, if so were did you get it from or do you have any other suggestions apart from using her daily[8D] which unfortunately I can't do, although I did until about middle of November as the weather was great.

Many thanks for any suggestions & I would like to wish you all a Happy New Year.

Mutt
 
I use a c-tek unit (www.ctek.com)- there are a couple of versions but both do a great job, and better than the optimate I had imho. Quite a few shops sell them in the UK now. I also made a small wiring loom for it -the kit I had did have a connector to allow fitting to the battery so that the unit's plug would plug to that. A few wires and a fuse to the remote connector is what I did, and I have the connector now passed the carpet. When I need to have the car at rest for a few weeks I open the bonnet and plug the c-tek connector in. As simple as I could get it. Hope this helps!
 
Mutt,

I've got an Accumate - made by the same people as the OptiMate - and it connects in exactly the way you describe. The cables come with it and I have them permanently connected to the battery an peeping out the top of the carpet - 2 mins to click it in and it's safe and sound. I got mine for about ÂŁ35 - I believe you can order directly from the factory at http://www.accumate.co.uk/.

Regards

Dave
 
Do you have the cigar lighter type end on ther charger? You can get a connector with a length of wire attached, usually with crocodile clips at one end and a female cigar lighter socket on the other. Cut off the clips and solder ring connections on in their place. You can them permanently attach this to the battery and have the socket protruding above the carpet. Makes for a useful socket for inspection lamps etc. Remember which wire had red on so you don't get the terminals the wrong way round.
Cheers,
 
Hi Guys & thanks for the tips, I am trying to charge the battery with the Optimate using the Croc clips but so far its still in recovery 12 hours later,

Fred I do have the cigeratte lighter adapter but the Cig lighter in the car needs to be live & unfortuantely it is only live in key postion one & 2 which would mean leaving the keys in overnight, to risky.

I will call optimate and see if i can get a permanent connection leads big enough to work with a car battery, if the unit is not good enough i will look down your suggested routes.

Once again thanks again.
 
My undersatnding was that conditioners such as the Optimate were not intended to charge a flat battery, but rather to keep it in "topped up" condition during periods of storage.

Charging the battery with a charger (with the associated disconnection of the battery leads to stop frying any electrics) may be required for a real flat battery.
 
Mark thanks for the warning I went out and checked it & said it was still recovering the Batt, I unpluged it all and pressed in the clutch with a small prayer, nothing happened at the 1st two turns of the key a couple of clicks etc nothing mechanical, then tried her again and boom she fired up no problem[:D] god they are loud in a garage thats closed[8D]

so tomorrow all being well she is off to get a good run out rain or shine.

Dave out of interest regarding your Accumate how big are the permanent connectors to battery, they look small on the website similar to the ones used on bike connectors, how have you attached/fixed them to the battery as mine will not go over the domes, can the be attached to the screws that clamp the batter down etc and send current to the car???[8|]

Thanks again lads
 
The only problem I can foresee is that Optimates/Accumates are designed for bike batteries which normally have a much lower capacity rating.
I am not sure of the battery rating on a 911?

Accumate site lists the various suggested limits that Optimate and Accumate can handle:

http://www.accumate.co.uk/OptiAccuMateComparison.htm

Looking at the figures I imagine the Accumate will be up to the job unless an uprated battery has been fitted and the Optimate is going to be a close call even with a standard battery, which is a shame because I have one of those sitting in the garage for the bike...

In terms of connectivity would it be possible to connect the charger in via the cigarette lighter (isn't this how the Porsche battery maintainer connects?) - could be an easy fix since Accumate do a standard adaptor for this.

***EDIT - sorry missed the posts about the cigarette lighter socket on an earlier visit***
 
If you don't mind connecting directly to the battery rather than through the lighter socket you can get a combined charger / maintainer from halfords for about ÂŁ30. It will charge a dead battery then flip into maintain mode automatically.

Ian.
 
Mutley,
Sorry if I didn't make myself clear. The cigar lighter that you attach to the battery has a female socket on the other end. The charger (and other attachments) are then plugged into it. The cigar lighter in the car isn't used so no need to leave the keys in.
Have a look at cpc.farnell.com for AR70230 (adaptor socket)) and CP00518 (male plug) and you will see what I mean.
Cheers
 
My undersatnding was that conditioners such as the Optimate were not intended to charge a flat battery, but rather to keep it in "topped up" condition during periods of storage.

Not so.

They will recover deep discharged batteries. When 'conditioning` batteries the Optimate will cycle them and de sulphate the battery plates too. My Optimate has recovered many a distressed battery for me, sometimes it takes 3-4 days but they do work. I highly recommend them.

You can also get a permanent lead that bolts onto the battery and terminates in a female plug so it is as remote from the battery as you want it to be and therefore easy to connect to.

Do NOT use a trickle charger use a battery conditioner. I have for years on classic cars, westfields and ginettas (and now on my 951) which have spent the winter months in hibernation (and flatted batteries trying to get them up and running after rebuilds [&:])

Regarding capability `Optimate` conditioners will charge any 12v battery up to 28 amph. More than enough for Porsches I would have thought??
 
Fair enough [:)]

I thought I remembered reading in my instructions that it wasn't capable of that (but mine isn't an Optimate branded one).
Then again it's been a good 9 years or so since I bought it - and my brain may have just made it up after all this time [;)]

It's still going strong[:)] ( the conditioner, not the brain...)
 
I found that when the battery on my car did discharge, the trickle charger struggled to recharge past the point where it overcame the drain of the alarm, immobiliser (and possibly tracker) resetting.

Actually happened again last weekend and I had to use two leisure batteries in series to restart the car, so something like a Powersource starter pack or a proper charger are the right tools for the job, although I would have thought most trickle chargers would manange, all be it eventually.

I've also ordered two new chargers and they come with fittings for a "permanent" plug connector rather than crocodile clips.
 
From the manufactures site.............

OptiMate III -The last word in lead-acid battery maintenance. Optimised for modern batteries from 2.5 Ah to 28 Ah.

OptiMate III is truly the last word as regards automatic battery care and maintenance. For use by individuals and small workshops, it is a 100% automatic battery tester and charger without switch, knob or fuse. There are no decisions for the user to make, therefore no possibilities for error. All judgments and consequent actions are programmed into the circuitry, which is protected electronically against inverse polarity and short-circuit. Indeed, OptiMate is safe to the extent it is impossible to create any spark even by deliberate short-circuiting of the battery clamps. The only effect this produces is the automatic annulment and re-setting of the programme at the beginning of its automatic sequence. This is in practice very convenient for users wishing to switch from one battery to another quickly, without even switching off the mains supply.

On correct connection to the battery, OptiMate:

first does a very rapid evaluation of battery status as to whether deep-discharged, discharged or full-charged.
initiates, if necessary, a special enhanced voltage "recovery" mode whereby most even very deep-discharged batteries can be recovered over time. (Yes, this is true!).
recharges using the constant current principle for the quickest means of recharging even the smallest (2.5 Ah) lead-acid batteries safely and correctly. Constant current is the only effective principle for charging fully sealed "MF" batteries (e.g. Yuasa YT, YMF series).
double checks that the battery is indeed full by a half-hour assessment of voltage "drift" in float charge mode. (This is to avoid "error" arising from misleading voltage signals from well-worn batteries).
once it is sure the battery IS FULL, maintains it indefinitely in voltage-limited float charge mode.
then, every hour, continually conducts a self-discharge test to check for adequate charge retention! This last test is especially valuable when the battery remains connected in the circuit of the vehicle, where there may be one or other small "leak" or drain of current, either through imperfect wiring or through devices such as electronic control units, anti-theft alarms etc.


If the battery fails this "self-discharge" test, a red led warns the user who is then advised to disconnect the battery and re-start the OptiMate for a second check to establish whether the excessive self-discharge is due to battery or vehicle circuitry. If the battery is "good", the OptiMate will indicate this by a green led illuminating after at least one hour of connection: half an hour (at least) to establish that the battery is indeed full, then half an hour to check for charge retention. OptiMate makes no assumptions! For easy use on batteries remaining on the vehicle, OptiMate comes complete with a small quick-connect cord-set comprising eyelets, short 2-core cable & small push-connector allowing easy connection to the OptiMate without having to remove parts of the vehicle to access the battery every time. The battery clamp set can equally easily be connected to the push-connector for bench charging. Additional cord-sets are available for use with several vehicles plus a range of useful accessories.


I found that when the battery on my car did discharge, the trickle charger struggled to recharge past the point where it overcame the drain of the alarm, immobiliser (and possibly tracker) resetting.

If the battery is deep discharged it needs to be disconnected however I have found that the Optimate manages to maintain a healthy battery with standby accessories/alarms etc.

I must add that I have no personal interest in `Optimate` simply a v v satisfied customer having recovered batteries (and still using them) that were apparently so flat and knackered they would normally have been binned.


Do any of you have a permanent connection to your battery were as you can just put the car away & plug her in without having to pull half the carpet out to get to the battery etc, if so were did you get it from or do you have any other suggestions

*cough*
 

Posts made and opinions expressed are those of the individual forum members

Use of the Forum is subject to the Terms and Conditions

Disclaimer

The opinions expressed on this site are not necessarily those of the Club, who shall have no liability in respect of them or the accuracy of the content. The Club assumes no responsibility for any effects arising from errors or omissions.

Porsche Club Great Britain gives no warranties, guarantees or assurances and makes no representations or recommendations regarding any goods or services advertised on this site. It is the responsibility of visitors to satisfy themselves that goods and/or services supplied by any advertiser are bona fide and in no instance can the Porsche Club Great Britain be held responsible.

When responding to advertisements please ensure that you satisfy yourself of any applicable call charges on numbers not prefixed by usual "landline" STD Codes. Information can be obtained from the operator or the white pages. Before giving out ANY information regarding cars, or any other items for sale, please satisfy yourself that any potential purchaser is bona fide.

Directors of the Board of Porsche Club GB, Club Office Staff, Register Secretaries and Regional Organisers are often requested by Club members to provide information on matters connected with their cars and other matters referred to in the Club Rules. Such information, advice and assistance provided by such persons is given in good faith and is based on the personal experience and knowledge of the individual concerned.

Neither Porsche Club GB, nor any of the aforementioned, shall be under any liability in respect of any such information, advice or assistance given to members. Members are advised to consult qualified specialists for information, advice and assistance on matters connected with their cars at all times.

Back
Top