Battery powered battery charger?
#21
11-22-2015, 04:46 PM
It's funny, that would probably work but the damn condo put motion detectors on the lights so only a few are on all the time and most shut off until they detect motion. Naturally the ones near me are on the detectors...
Last edited by Mchad; 11-22-2015 at 04:50 PM.
#22
11-22-2015, 04:48 PM
Lots of good suggestions here. I am especially intrigued by the solar panel approach. I wonder how much charging power you can get using artificial lights...that might work if you have enough panels and proper light spectrum (as long as it doesn't look like you are running a grow house)
To the OP, you are looking at this technically backwards. In a battery charging system, it is the current that maintains the voltage at a specified level to charge the battery. When that current limit is reached, volts drop and charging stops and may reverse at a certain point. Voltage potential seeks to be maintained a a specific level and the current demands will fluctuate to attempt to do this. An 18 vdc source battery that has a significantly lower rated current capacity than the 12 vdc destination battery not be able to provide any charge to a 12 vdc motorcycle battery because there is not enough current to maintain 18 vdc to that large of a load, even if it is only 12 vdc at the destination.
Any power management circuitry you engineer to down-convert the voltage from 18 vdc to 12 vdc using a source battery with an equal to greater current rating will have to be able to handle the significant current demand and resulting heat that will be generated and this translates to $$$.
If you are set on using a battery for a trickle charger, a small car battery is a natural choice. They are both the same voltage and when connected, the large battery will try to keep the small battery at the large battery's voltage level by equalizing the voltage across the loads and in doing so will keep the smaller battery top-charged at their algebraically combined natural voltage level . Charge the car battery once a week and you should be good. You can get a cheap battery that fits your car and swap out every weekend, but that will get old fast.
Good luck!
#25
11-22-2015, 09:27 PM
Road Captain
INITIALLY.. I thought you wanted charge a battery in your garage that has no electricity.. *** U MEd that it was YOUR garage..
THEN.. I thought it was your garage within a condo that had some lighting but an inspector might come into YOUR garage at random and inspect?? (around here they wouldn't live long)
NOW.. I've surmised that this is a common covered parking area (Guess that's a garage where your from) thus the occasional roaming inspector and the inability to tap into the lightings electrical supply.
Does your bike sit up at the front of YOUR own parking space and you pull either your or the OL car into the remainder or do you have a dedicated parking space adjacent to the bikes space? IF so then I think the easiest thing to do would be to wire in a trickle charge plug to both the bike and then purchase a 20' extension cable to run between the two of them and let them equalize naturally overnight. IF this is not practical then I'd just buy another battery, just like in the bike, and charge it up in the condo periodically then take it down to the garage as a charging/equalizing battery.
Another poster stated more or less the same and you asked about not seriesing the battery's.. You DO NOT want to series them as this would add the voltages 12+12=24. Paralleling them just adds the ampacity not voltage and with them just connected in parallel they should naturally seek an equivalent voltage.
Nice looking bike you have and a tip of the hat to you for not wanting to put it up for the winter. Those rides you can sneak in during the winter have a special feel!
Sounds like you have it down on what works for you on the anti-salt.. I have heard spraying the bike with some S100 works good as a preventative after your washing.
THEN.. I thought it was your garage within a condo that had some lighting but an inspector might come into YOUR garage at random and inspect?? (around here they wouldn't live long)
NOW.. I've surmised that this is a common covered parking area (Guess that's a garage where your from) thus the occasional roaming inspector and the inability to tap into the lightings electrical supply.
Does your bike sit up at the front of YOUR own parking space and you pull either your or the OL car into the remainder or do you have a dedicated parking space adjacent to the bikes space? IF so then I think the easiest thing to do would be to wire in a trickle charge plug to both the bike and then purchase a 20' extension cable to run between the two of them and let them equalize naturally overnight. IF this is not practical then I'd just buy another battery, just like in the bike, and charge it up in the condo periodically then take it down to the garage as a charging/equalizing battery.
Another poster stated more or less the same and you asked about not seriesing the battery's.. You DO NOT want to series them as this would add the voltages 12+12=24. Paralleling them just adds the ampacity not voltage and with them just connected in parallel they should naturally seek an equivalent voltage.
Nice looking bike you have and a tip of the hat to you for not wanting to put it up for the winter. Those rides you can sneak in during the winter have a special feel!
Sounds like you have it down on what works for you on the anti-salt.. I have heard spraying the bike with some S100 works good as a preventative after your washing.
#26
11-22-2015, 09:56 PM
I had to keep a bike in a covered parking garage at one time.
Bike was parked side-ways in front of my car in my single designated space.
I kept the bike under a simple motorcycle cover.
Used a marine battery, 12 volt to 110 voltage inverter and a Deltran battery tender.
The 12 volt marine battery powered the inverter, the inverter powered the battery tender, the battery tender charged the motorcycle battery.
The bike cover kept the set-up hidden when used.
I would use this set-up about once a month for about two days.
If i went riding, then it all went into the trunk of the car that was sharing the space.
The Deltran battery tender was then used to charge the marine battery back in the unit.
The system was rather inefficient and supplied power for about 2 days only but it served my purpose.
Bike was parked side-ways in front of my car in my single designated space.
I kept the bike under a simple motorcycle cover.
Used a marine battery, 12 volt to 110 voltage inverter and a Deltran battery tender.
The 12 volt marine battery powered the inverter, the inverter powered the battery tender, the battery tender charged the motorcycle battery.
The bike cover kept the set-up hidden when used.
I would use this set-up about once a month for about two days.
If i went riding, then it all went into the trunk of the car that was sharing the space.
The Deltran battery tender was then used to charge the marine battery back in the unit.
The system was rather inefficient and supplied power for about 2 days only but it served my purpose.
#27
11-22-2015, 10:11 PM
INITIALLY.. I thought you wanted charge a battery in your garage that has no electricity.. *** U MEd that it was YOUR garage..
THEN.. I thought it was your garage within a condo that had some lighting but an inspector might come into YOUR garage at random and inspect?? (around here they wouldn't live long)
NOW.. I've surmised that this is a common covered parking area (Guess that's a garage where your from) thus the occasional roaming inspector and the inability to tap into the lightings electrical supply.
Does your bike sit up at the front of YOUR own parking space and you pull either your or the OL car into the remainder or do you have a dedicated parking space adjacent to the bikes space? IF so then I think the easiest thing to do would be to wire in a trickle charge plug to both the bike and then purchase a 20' extension cable to run between the two of them and let them equalize naturally overnight. IF this is not practical then I'd just buy another battery, just like in the bike, and charge it up in the condo periodically then take it down to the garage as a charging/equalizing battery.
Another poster stated more or less the same and you asked about not seriesing the battery's.. You DO NOT want to series them as this would add the voltages 12+12=24. Paralleling them just adds the ampacity not voltage and with them just connected in parallel they should naturally seek an equivalent voltage.
Nice looking bike you have and a tip of the hat to you for not wanting to put it up for the winter. Those rides you can sneak in during the winter have a special feel!
Sounds like you have it down on what works for you on the anti-salt.. I have heard spraying the bike with some S100 works good as a preventative after your washing.
THEN.. I thought it was your garage within a condo that had some lighting but an inspector might come into YOUR garage at random and inspect?? (around here they wouldn't live long)
NOW.. I've surmised that this is a common covered parking area (Guess that's a garage where your from) thus the occasional roaming inspector and the inability to tap into the lightings electrical supply.
Does your bike sit up at the front of YOUR own parking space and you pull either your or the OL car into the remainder or do you have a dedicated parking space adjacent to the bikes space? IF so then I think the easiest thing to do would be to wire in a trickle charge plug to both the bike and then purchase a 20' extension cable to run between the two of them and let them equalize naturally overnight. IF this is not practical then I'd just buy another battery, just like in the bike, and charge it up in the condo periodically then take it down to the garage as a charging/equalizing battery.
Another poster stated more or less the same and you asked about not seriesing the battery's.. You DO NOT want to series them as this would add the voltages 12+12=24. Paralleling them just adds the ampacity not voltage and with them just connected in parallel they should naturally seek an equivalent voltage.
Nice looking bike you have and a tip of the hat to you for not wanting to put it up for the winter. Those rides you can sneak in during the winter have a special feel!
Sounds like you have it down on what works for you on the anti-salt.. I have heard spraying the bike with some S100 works good as a preventative after your washing.
I park my bike up against a wall perpendicular to my OL's car. My car is in another spot about 10 yards away. Can't run cables, AND just found out from the property management that leaving batteries unattended is also a no-no according to the local FD. They will remove them. Seems silly since there are 50 other batteries and several hundred gallons of gas in the other vehicles.
So this entire thread is basically moot.
I think I may indeed buy one of those LiFePo batteries. I bought one of the original ballistics about 5 years ago for my old BMW R1200R and got rid of it quick because I didnt like the "warm up" time. But that or having to pull and charge it monthly may convince me to try again. At least for the winter - i can always put the AGM back in once I can ride regularly in March.
And thanks for the compliment on my bike. She really turned out great.
Last edited by Mchad; 11-22-2015 at 10:14 PM.
#28
11-23-2015, 06:07 AM
What about one of those little battery jumpstarters, like Powerall? Sure your battery may die, but pull this out of the bag, or bring from your apartment, and jump it with that. Not sure if you could do that via the SAE tender connector or not, but you can, you could start your bike in about 20 seconds.
#29
11-23-2015, 06:23 AM
What about one of those little battery jumpstarters, like Powerall? Sure your battery may die, but pull this out of the bag, or bring from your apartment, and jump it with that. Not sure if you could do that via the SAE tender connector or not, but you can, you could start your bike in about 20 seconds.
I'm still thinking I may give one of those lithium batteries a try and see how that works. It's only $200... Sigh.
#30
11-23-2015, 06:36 AM
Outstanding HDF Member
There ya go, a quick-connect battery-tender-type plug hidden in one of the grille openings in the front of your OL's car, and one on your bike. Having them connected one night a week would probably do it. Should she forget to disconnect and drive away, probably no harm done.