Paging Dr. Ivan - re : Power Station

Discussion in 'Classic Motorcycles' started by Big Dave, Jan 18, 2006.

  1. Big Dave

    Big Dave Guest

    Just for info, mate:

    Netto are doing a "power station" car charger thingy for 20 quid (5 quid
    cheaper than Aldi).
    In the shops tomorrow.

    Dave
     
    Big Dave, Jan 18, 2006
    #1
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  2. Ta. In the event I've decided to give it a miss this time around,
    and I'm not sure where my nearest Netto shop would be[1], but still thanks
    anyway.

    Hmm, it doesn't say in the ad and you can't read it in the photo
    on the web, but I'm sure the in-store flyer photo specs the Aldi's battery
    capacity at rather more than the 17 AH of the Netto's. Black Kat's
    battery is 11 AH, and I remember noting that the Aldi device had several
    times that capacity.

    [1] South Harrow, beating Acton, I think -- I passed through both on the
    Picc line tonight and SH is definitely closer.

    --
    Ivan Reid, Electronic & Computer Engineering, ___ CMS Collaboration,
    Brunel University. Ivan.Reid@[brunel.ac.uk|cern.ch] Room 40-1-B12, CERN
    GSX600F, RG250WD "You Porsche. Me pass!" DoD #484 JKLO#003, 005
    WP7# 3000 LC Unit #2368 (tinlc) UKMC#00009 BOTAFOT#16 UKRMMA#7 (Hon)
    KotPT -- "for stupidity above and beyond the call of duty".
     
    Dr Ivan D. Reid, Jan 19, 2006
    #2
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  3. Hmm, there may be an obscured decimal point in the photo; is it
    172 AH or 17.2 AH? Given what I remember of a 100 AH battery's size, I'd
    have to guess it's the latter, so they do have the same battery capacity.

    --
    Ivan Reid, Electronic & Computer Engineering, ___ CMS Collaboration,
    Brunel University. Ivan.Reid@[brunel.ac.uk|cern.ch] Room 40-1-B12, CERN
    GSX600F, RG250WD "You Porsche. Me pass!" DoD #484 JKLO#003, 005
    WP7# 3000 LC Unit #2368 (tinlc) UKMC#00009 BOTAFOT#16 UKRMMA#7 (Hon)
    KotPT -- "for stupidity above and beyond the call of duty".
     
    Dr Ivan D. Reid, Jan 19, 2006
    #3
  4. Big Dave

    Big Dave Guest

    I'm not an electrical expert, but I think its the "cranking power"
    that's significant.

    FWIW, a friend bought one a few years ago.
    He's used it, successfully, to start his neighbours lorry......

    Dave
     
    Big Dave, Jan 19, 2006
    #4
  5. Big Dave wrote
    For cranking power Sir needs 24V.

    A standard trick employed by pikey mates of mine who used to run shite
    old lorries was to have a separate 24V system just for the starter
    motor. Guaranteed even to bring and old BMC 3 tonner to life at the
    twist of two heavy duty cables that was.
     
    steve auvache, Jan 19, 2006
    #5
  6. Austin Shackles, Jan 19, 2006
    #6
  7. Big Dave

    Big Dave Guest

    That, I did not know.
    Useful info.
    Thanks matey.

    I've just sent SWMBO down to local Netto to pick one up for me - if there
    are any left......

    Btw :
    Useful Tip No 47563529 :
    As told to me by a mate who was been selling mobile phones for aboutr 20
    years.
    Did you know that you can "recover" apparently knackered NiCads (eg: mobile
    phone batterie) by freezing them?
    You stick the battery in a freezer bag, then lob it into your common or
    garden domestic freezer.
    Leave it there for 3 or 4 days minimum (a week is better). Take it out of
    the freezer and out of the bag.
    Let it come up to room temperature on its own.Then stick it on charge for 24
    hours.
    Bingo! Almost as good as new!
    I've tried it several times and it works.
    Apparently, during normal use, bubbles form in the gel and act as a barrier
    between the "gel" and the "plates" (if NiCads use plates? I dunno)
    The bubbles disperse at low temperatures. Which ius why freezing restores
    the battery. Or so I'm told (I'm not a battery expert_
    But....You should remember that, eventually NiCads do get knackerd. Freezing
    won't work then.

    Taraa Then
    Dave
     
    Big Dave, Jan 21, 2006
    #7

  8. hmmm. battery on the bike is a bit on the flat side, mind, it's not been
    started in about 3 months. I've stuck the charger on it. Hopefully, it
    won't require freezing - not sure that's good for lead/acid ones.

    hopefully2 it'll start after a bit of a boost. I need one of they Power
    station things, innit.
     
    Austin Shackles, Jan 21, 2006
    #8
  9. Big Dave

    Big Dave Guest

    LOL (again)

    You could always try putting the bike in the freezer.........

    Dave
     
    Big Dave, Jan 21, 2006
    #9
  10. Big Dave wrote
    I have tested the recharging of NiCads under various conditions a bit
    and have also tested what happens when they are cold. To a certain
    extent cooling a battery allows faster and charging and an apparent
    improvement in capacity.

    This improvement in capacity of a fully charged NiCad seems only to hold
    for that charge (I only needed it to hold for half an hour) but not for
    subsequent charges.

    Worth noting that most of the time half an hour in the freezer
    immediately prior to charging or a dribble of freezer spray during fast
    charging situations. I didn't notice any extra gain from doing both.
     
    steve auvache, Jan 21, 2006
    #10
  11. heh

    Jump-started it from a big battery to get it fired up, ran it a bit at a
    couple of thousand. Then went and had lunch.

    After lunch it fired from it's own battery, I then blew the tryes up
    properly and went to Swansea ( 'bout 40 miles) - Pulled 85 on the motorway
    and not at full chat, so not a lot wrong with the ol' beast - 's not be
    started for about 3 or 4 months, so a good idea to blow the cobwebs out..
    Good German Engineering, I reckon.

    and by **** it was cold on the way home about 9 o'clock.
     
    Austin Shackles, Jan 21, 2006
    #11
  12. Big Dave

    Guest Guest

    RC modellers do this with car batteries.

    A common failure mode in NiCds is dendrite (spiky crystal) formation,
    which bridges the plates. In the big ones you can blow the crystals away
    by shorting them for an instant (but watch out for spot welding the
    contacts together!), but many domestic batteries (like phone and camera
    ones) can't be fixed this way because of the internal fuses.

    So if freezing destroys the crystals, then it might genuinely work.
    Trouble is that if dendrites have formed once the cell will form them
    again more readily than before, so it's a temp fix really for a cell on
    the way out.

    Be interesting to look when I get a moment to see if there's any
    write-ups on the net.


    Regards,

    Simonm.
     
    Guest, Jan 22, 2006
    #12
  13. Big Dave

    Big Dave Guest

    So that's how it works.
    I was told bubbles.
    No-one mentioned dendrite.
    Trust me though, freezing /does/ work.
    Really!

    Dave
     
    Big Dave, Jan 22, 2006
    #13
  14. Big Dave

    Guest Guest

    < oh s**t! moment >

    I meant to say that RC modellers do this with RC NiCd car batteries -
    not lead-acid!

    [to self] Switch off silly pillock mode before spouting next time...

    Regards,

    Simonm.
     
    Guest, Jan 22, 2006
    #14
  15. SpamTrapSeeSig wrote
    Similar environment, spinning a propellor rather than wheels and using
    low capacity ordinary batteries against your matched red cell packs.

    Yebbut does it?
    My pet theory is that there are little cave like structures on the
    surface of the plates and the gassing/spike growth/whatever it is can
    form in such a way as to prevent access to these areas during (abusive)
    charging (cycling) and that cooling in particular is a way of putting it
    off a bit, in some circumstances.


    Totally engrossing I am sure.
     
    steve auvache, Jan 22, 2006
    #15
  16. Big Dave

    Guest Guest

    Once tried to fix a big NiCd battery (wet cell), well stuffed by the
    owner leaving it connected to a solar panel. Not recommended, especially
    in the Himalayas. Deep discharging and distilled water improved things a
    bit, but not as much as a few big sparks might have done.

    It turns out the wet ones are particularly good at dendrites, and the
    workaround would've been shorting it, but I didn't find out till I got
    home :(. Sent him a pack made of Cyclons, which love trickle charging.

    No net in those days...



    Regards,

    Simonm.
     
    Guest, Jan 22, 2006
    #16
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