Roger Lee Posted December 27, 2010 Report Share Posted December 27, 2010 http://odysseybatteries.com/accessories/aci.htm BCSC 1a 12 Volts, 1 Amp Constant Current (Equivalent to 2 Amp tapered charger in charging time) Measures 3 ½” x 2 ¼” x 1 ½ ” and weighs 7 ounces $39.95 plus shipping call to order BCSC 3a 12 Volts, 3 Amp Constant Current (Equivalent to 6 Amp tapered charger in charging time) Measures 4 ½” x 2 ¼” x 1 ¼” and weighs 11 ounces. $59.95 plus shipping call to order BCSC 7a 12 Volts, 7 Amp Constant Current (Equivalent to 14 Amp tapered charger in charging time) Measures 6 ½” x 3 ¼” x 2” and weighs 18 ounces. $79.95 plus shipping call to order All chargers come with both clips and rings. Advanced built in circuitry protects against: Reverse polarity | Short circuit | A/C surge | Over-voltage | Over-current Fully automatic Switch mode technology Suitable for 12 volt wet-lead-acid, sealed lead, gel, and absorbed mat batteries One LED turns yellow, then green to indicate charging status Automatic cut-off and then true float to maintain a full charge indefinitely WHY BUY ACI SUPERCHARGERS? Super Chargers are not trickle chargers. They’re fully electronic and fully automatic. They are fully circuit and surge protected. No in-rush current to worry about when starting or stopping the charger. They charge more quickly and will charge any 12 volt battery including ODYSSEY BATTERIES & OPTIMA BATTERIES. Since they are electronic, they provide a ‘true’ charge at the rated current level for the full charging cycle, thus reducing the time needed to achieve a full charge. Available in three amperage current charge ratings – 1 amp, 3 amp and 7 amp for 12 volt batteries and 4 amp for 24 volt batteries. They will not overcharge the battery. Super Charger electronically monitors battery voltage and shuts off when voltage reading indicates battery is fully charged and then converts to “True Float Mode” and maintains the fully charged battery. The battery can be left connected to the Super Charger for prolonged periods without affecting battery life. Days, Weeks, Months, or even Years. They can be permanently connected to a battery with the included, fused, wire harness for easier charge connection. They reduce sulphation during the charging cycle thus prolonging battery life. They are smaller and lighter than conventional electrical chargers making them easier to use, and taking up less storage space. SuperCharger Plus 3AMP Constant current charger will charge a totally flat 12 volt battery in under 4.5 hours. 100% REPLACEMENT LIFETIME WARRANTY <top> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NC Bill Posted December 30, 2010 Report Share Posted December 30, 2010 I'm looking to set in my hangar with ship's power on and run my avionics while I learn the "buttonology" of the DYNONs and the GARMINs in my new plane. Is the 3 amp charger you mention in your post what I can hook up and run while I'm doing that and not run down my battery? Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Lee Posted December 31, 2010 Author Report Share Posted December 31, 2010 Hi Bill, That charger would work just fine. Even a 1.5 amp charger would work. What ever instrument you don't need on while playing with something else, shut it down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westcoastoz Posted December 31, 2010 Report Share Posted December 31, 2010 I can vouch for the efficacy of 'float chargers' as I have one and leave it connected 24/7 whenever the airplane is in the hangar. My battery is now 4.5 years old and still going strong which is remarkable considering the battery terminals were not disconnected when FD shipped the airplane from Germany, so was dead flat when it arrived as the "keep alive" to the avionics was connected and the lithium back-up battery in the Dynon EFIS was drawing current the entire time. My charger is not an ACI unit but of similar design. It is 1.5A (RMS rating) or effectively 900 milliamps, so does not have a lot of 'grunt' but does the job. Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Posted January 1, 2011 Report Share Posted January 1, 2011 According to what this says, these chargers peak the voltage, then float (Constant charge current will result in high voltages). The instructions for the SBS-8, or the new SBS-15 batteries specify that they be charged on a float (Constant voltage, not constant current), based on storage temperature. I called the manufacturer a few years back & they said a power supply with adjustable voltage should be used to float charge the battery & then left connected as much as possible. We managed to find one charger that only floats like a power supply, and still has the safety features of a charger built in. The voltage is manually adjustable for temperature. These are availiable at Lockwood for about $100. The only thing that I could think of that would be better is something that has automatic temperature compensation, but still does not peak charge. The oddysey charger is temperature compensated, but it also peaks so that would not be good. The instructions for the SBS batteries state: 5. Operation Constant voltage chargers are recommended. The charging voltage should be set at the equivalent of 2.29 volts per cell at 20°C/68°F or 2.27 volts per cell at 25°C/77°F. The minimum charging voltage, at any temperature, is 2.21 volts per cell. These are 6 cell batteries, so multiply by 6 to get the proper charging voltage. The full instructions can be found here: Battery Instructions Finally, don't charge the battery at a higher amperage than they are rated ex. the SBS-8 should not be charged much more than 8 amps - 10 amps absolute max. John http://odysseybatteries.com/accessories/aci.htm BCSC 1a 12 Volts, 1 Amp Constant Current (Equivalent to 2 Amp tapered charger in charging time) Measures 3 ½” x 2 ¼” x 1 ½ ” and weighs 7 ounces $39.95 plus shipping call to order BCSC 3a 12 Volts, 3 Amp Constant Current (Equivalent to 6 Amp tapered charger in charging time) Measures 4 ½” x 2 ¼” x 1 ¼” and weighs 11 ounces. $59.95 plus shipping call to order BCSC 7a 12 Volts, 7 Amp Constant Current (Equivalent to 14 Amp tapered charger in charging time) Measures 6 ½” x 3 ¼” x 2” and weighs 18 ounces. $79.95 plus shipping call to order All chargers come with both clips and rings. Advanced built in circuitry protects against: Reverse polarity | Short circuit | A/C surge | Over-voltage | Over-current Fully automatic Switch mode technology Suitable for 12 volt wet-lead-acid, sealed lead, gel, and absorbed mat batteries One LED turns yellow, then green to indicate charging status Automatic cut-off and then true float to maintain a full charge indefinitely WHY BUY ACI SUPERCHARGERS? Super Chargers are not trickle chargers. They’re fully electronic and fully automatic. They are fully circuit and surge protected. No in-rush current to worry about when starting or stopping the charger. They charge more quickly and will charge any 12 volt battery including ODYSSEY BATTERIES & OPTIMA BATTERIES. Since they are electronic, they provide a ‘true’ charge at the rated current level for the full charging cycle, thus reducing the time needed to achieve a full charge. Available in three amperage current charge ratings – 1 amp, 3 amp and 7 amp for 12 volt batteries and 4 amp for 24 volt batteries. They will not overcharge the battery. Super Charger electronically monitors battery voltage and shuts off when voltage reading indicates battery is fully charged and then converts to “True Float Mode” and maintains the fully charged battery. The battery can be left connected to the Super Charger for prolonged periods without affecting battery life. Days, Weeks, Months, or even Years. They can be permanently connected to a battery with the included, fused, wire harness for easier charge connection. They reduce sulphation during the charging cycle thus prolonging battery life. They are smaller and lighter than conventional electrical chargers making them easier to use, and taking up less storage space. SuperCharger Plus 3AMP Constant current charger will charge a totally flat 12 volt battery in under 4.5 hours. 100% REPLACEMENT LIFETIME WARRANTY <top> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Lee Posted January 1, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 1, 2011 Hi John, The SBS-8 is made by Hawker / Odyssey Company. The SBS-8 is the made for Europe market model and is the same as the US market Odyssey PC310. They are identical, just in different packaging. The European's may have published something along this line for them, but the US version doesn't seem to have these requirements. Many of the old Hawker SBS-8 batteries on CT's have been replaced with the Odyssey PC-310. Here is a copy and paste exert right from the Hawker / Odyssey company on charging their batteries right out of their manual. The chargers I had listed in the previous post is right off their website and seems to be recommended for their batteries. (Exert from the battery manual) http://odysseybatteries.com/files/US-ODY-OM-006_0208.pdf CHARGING The state of charge in an ODYSSEY battery can be determined from the following chart: State of Charge: (read with a volt meter) 12.84 + volts = 100% 12.50 volts = 75% 12.18 volts = 50% 11.88 volts = 25% To get long life from the ODYSSEY battery, it is important that the battery is kept near full charge, approximately 12.8 volts. If there are electrical loads during storage, then the negative battery cable should be disconnected or an independent float charger used. Low power 2.0 amp chargers for storage charge will keep a fully charged battery fully charged but cannot recharge if the ODYSSEY battery becomes discharged. Racing Vehicles using total loss (no alternator) - standard automotive type chargers are not designed to return 105-108% of the energy removed. They normally boost charge to 80-95% and expect the alternator to complete the charge. Chargers listed on our website at www.odysseybattery.com are specifically designed for ODYSSEY batteries that are routinely deeply discharged. They provide the 105-108% recharge and then switch to storage charge. ODYSSEY Ultimizer™ chargers as listed on www.odysseybattery.com are specifically designed for ODYSSEY batteries and are required for routine deep discharge applications. They provide 105-108% recharge and then switch to a storage charge. I remember a few years back about this very discussion, but for the life of me I can not see why a company may have more than one set of charging instructions for the exact same battery with only a different geographic location. Where did you get the info you posted? I can't find it on the Hawker / Odyssey website. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Lee Posted January 1, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 1, 2011 Here is the cheapest place I found for the Odyssey PC-310 battery. $120 plus about $13 shipping from Denver, CO http://www.portablepower.com/index.php?main_page=shopping_cart Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philip Welsch Posted January 1, 2011 Report Share Posted January 1, 2011 I bought a MW ESC/ESP 120 charger from Lockwood shortly after buying the CTLS in 2008. I bought it specifically to charge the Hawker battery and Lockwood stated that that was the charger to use. I don't see temperature adjustment as a feature on this charger. PRW Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Runtoeat Posted January 1, 2011 Report Share Posted January 1, 2011 The battery store where I purchased my Odyssey battery said to buy this charger. It is a CTEK 3300. This charger compensates for temperature automatically and has a setting for charging and maintaining the high voltage density batteries such as the Odyssey. I leave this charger connected whenever the plane is in the hangar. Actually, I used a car charger on my previous Hawker (factory original) battery and the battery went dead. I was going to throw the battery away but decided to see if the CTEK charger would bring it back. Amazingly, it did bring the battery back to full charge. I now have the old Hawker battery as a back up. http://www.summitrac...CFQTNKgodDCfOog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NC Bill Posted January 1, 2011 Report Share Posted January 1, 2011 A question before I order. Will any or all of these 3amp chargers connect and operate without taking the cowl off a CTLS? Thanks to all. Very helpful info! Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Lee Posted January 1, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 1, 2011 Hi Bill, The answer is yes. You never have to take the cowl off to charge or even jump a CT. The wire coming out the bottom of the plane just behind the nose wheel is connected directly to the positive terminal on the battery. Just slide back the small rubber boot and attach the positive lead from the charger there. Then connect the negative lead to the exhaust pipe. Then plug the charger in. Always connect the leads before plugging the charger in. p.s. The charger must have at least alligator clips on it to do this. Most chargers have clips. There are a few that want you to directly connect a semi permanent lead to the battery. If I had one of those I would clip off the ends and crimp or solder on some alligator clips. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Posted January 2, 2011 Report Share Posted January 2, 2011 There is a small hole on the side with a pot inside for adjusting the voltage. Use a small screwdriver, and be careful. Connect a meter only, then press the test button to read the voltage. Set according to the temperature chart posted earlier. It only need to be adjusted in the summer/winter if you live in a cold climate. Also, it is an ESC 120. The ESP 120 is a power supply only, and does not have the safety features. The other nice thing about the ESC 120 is that it provides 8 amps of very clean power at a constant voltage for hanger flying all your panel toys. John I bought a MW ESC/ESP 120 charger from Lockwood shortly after buying the CTLS in 2008. I bought it specifically to charge the Hawker battery and Lockwood stated that that was the charger to use. I don't see temperature adjustment as a feature on this charger. PRW Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Posted January 2, 2011 Report Share Posted January 2, 2011 The SBS batteries appear to be a little different technology than the Odyssey batteries, with the exception of the PC-310, which looks to be a relabeled SBS-8. The CT's use the SBS-8, or SBS-15. Got the instructions from the Enersys web site years ago. Here's the link SBS Literature Also, looks like the SBS batteries were originally designed to be charged with wall mount float chargers, while the Oddysey batteries are designed to be charged with typical consumer peak chargers. Enersys Chargers The SBS series also seems to be marketed to aircraft more than the Odyssey batteries for some reason, perhaps there is a safety benefit. When we order the SBS-15's they mention aviation, while the Odysseys do not. John Hi John, The SBS-8 is made by Hawker / Odyssey Company. The SBS-8 is the made for Europe market model and is the same as the US market Odyssey PC310. They are identical, just in different packaging. The European's may have published something along this line for them, but the US version doesn't seem to have these requirements. Many of the old Hawker SBS-8 batteries on CT's have been replaced with the Odyssey PC-310. Here is a copy and paste exert right from the Hawker / Odyssey company on charging their batteries right out of their manual. The chargers I had listed in the previous post is right off their website and seems to be recommended for their batteries. (Exert from the battery manual) http://odysseybatteries.com/files/US-ODY-OM-006_0208.pdf CHARGING The state of charge in an ODYSSEY battery can be determined from the following chart: State of Charge: (read with a volt meter) 12.84 + volts = 100% 12.50 volts = 75% 12.18 volts = 50% 11.88 volts = 25% To get long life from the ODYSSEY battery, it is important that the battery is kept near full charge, approximately 12.8 volts. If there are electrical loads during storage, then the negative battery cable should be disconnected or an independent float charger used. Low power 2.0 amp chargers for storage charge will keep a fully charged battery fully charged but cannot recharge if the ODYSSEY battery becomes discharged. Racing Vehicles using total loss (no alternator) - standard automotive type chargers are not designed to return 105-108% of the energy removed. They normally boost charge to 80-95% and expect the alternator to complete the charge. Chargers listed on our website at www.odysseybattery.com are specifically designed for ODYSSEY batteries that are routinely deeply discharged. They provide the 105-108% recharge and then switch to storage charge. ODYSSEY Ultimizer™ chargers as listed on www.odysseybattery.com are specifically designed for ODYSSEY batteries and are required for routine deep discharge applications. They provide 105-108% recharge and then switch to a storage charge. I remember a few years back about this very discussion, but for the life of me I can not see why a company may have more than one set of charging instructions for the exact same battery with only a different geographic location. Where did you get the info you posted? I can't find it on the Hawker / Odyssey website. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Lee Posted January 2, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 2, 2011 Hi John, Hope you had a nice New Year's Eve. I hope you all have a good sales year, too. I checked out the Enersys web site which talks more about the Odyssey. The SBS-8 is a repackaged PC-310. I went through all their info on the batteries and charging. They don't have any of that info any longer that I could find and it has all been updated and they have now added a special page that gives all the different Mfg's chargers that relate to their batteries on a chart. I think most of the older SBS-8 batteries are gone in the CTSW's except for a few. Most of us went to the PC-310 as approved by FD. I believe that the new CTLS's still come with the SBS-8 or 15 since that is what the European market has at their disposal. I am posting the battery charger approved list for the Odyssey PC-310 battery right from their site. http://odysseybatter...ers_OCT2010.pdf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FredG Posted January 2, 2011 Report Share Posted January 2, 2011 I don't see it on any list of approved chargers, but, I use an 800 ma charger by Deltran Battery Tender to keep my battery charged. My airplane is hangared in an unheated hanger in Iowa and starts without fail at 20 degrees F even if I forget to preheat. My battery has been through two winters with no apparent decrease in starting potency. The 800 ma charger is fully waterproof, which is a desired feature. The manufacturer states that their chargers are designed to work with "Flooded, Sealed, VRLA, GEL & AGM" batteries. I have also used the 1.25 amp Deltran and it also kept my battery fully charged. Not designed for wet environments so I switched to the 800 ma. I have not used these chargers to bring a discharged battery to full charge, but only for maintaining charge. Definitely not a scientific study, but I have no complaints. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Posted January 2, 2011 Report Share Posted January 2, 2011 I did a little more research. Looks like you can use a peak charger (float mode, or 3, 4 mode etc) if you don't use it to power your avionics. If you do, the extra current draw will prevent the charger from going into float mode & it can overcharge the battery. Probably why Enersys recomended a float, or constant voltage charger for the SBS-8. The PC-310 should be able to tolerate 14.4 - 14.7 volts (depending on temp) for up to 80% charge. I also did some checking & any charger that can power a parallel load (like the ESC-120 or CT Charger) can not support automatic temperature compensation, and must be manually adjusted when there are large temperature variants. If the battery is already charged, then leaving it at the default 13.5 volt setting is fine, however, if you have a discharged battery you will have to carefully increase the voltage according to the chart posted earlier in this thread. It is critical that the voltage be lowered back down when the temperature increases. Due to the size & technology the PC-310, or SBS-8 there is not a big advantage to peak charging, it will not take much less time. Also, sealed AGM batteries don't need to be peaked like normal lead acid batteries. So the advantage to a good quality peak charger is that some are temperature compensated, but they should not be used as a power supply. The "Absorption" or "Peak" mode isn't of much benefit, however, the "Absorption" voltage, and Float voltage can adjust for temperature automatically on some models. So bottom line is if you want to power your Avionics, the only charger that will do it well is the ESC-120 or CT Charger. If you only need to charge the battery then a peak charger can work - as long is it works right, and reduces the voltage to the rated float voltage prior to the battery being fully charged. Some peak chargers that I tested went well over 15 volts - so be careful. The worst offenders were the smaller ones. John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Lee Posted January 2, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 2, 2011 Hi John, Glad to have you here. I love this type of education through research and debate. We are all winners this way and no one needs to re-invent the wheel. Jump on in some other conversations. We all love to contribute and learn here on this site and there is nothing ever personal and it is always friendly. Glad to have You. Thanks, Roger Lee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GlennM Posted January 4, 2011 Report Share Posted January 4, 2011 Are the batteries really failing that fast? I am coming up on four years with my original. Maybe, keeping the charger on does help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Lee Posted January 5, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 5, 2011 Hi Glenn, 3 years is a normal service life so if you get 4 that's good and your also on borrowed time.Many have had 4 years of life so these batteries do tend to last. Once they start to go down then it may not be dead, but doesn't have enough kick to get the rotax to the required starting rpm. These are just like car or motorcycle batteries as far as service life goes. keeping it on a charger if you don't fly at least once every week is a good idea. Our type of batteries don't like to be discharged way down. Keeping it charged in between long down periods most definitely helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N89WD Posted August 10, 2012 Report Share Posted August 10, 2012 So I purchased I new battery (http://odysseybatter...ssories/aci.htm. The date code on the battery was 03/2011. I chaarged and installed the battery. I called today and spoke with Josh the owner of Bohannon Battery in FL. I explained the situatuation. He couldn't have been more rude and non-caring. He said all FD owners "bitch" about everything they get from them. Suggested we get product from somewhere else. FYI Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Posted August 10, 2012 Report Share Posted August 10, 2012 My battery has 5 years on it and is still doing fine. If it's winter or I'm not flying for a couple of weeks I hook up a gel cell charger that I had for other purposes. It has worked perfectly so far and I can get the make and model if anyone is interested. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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