[Roadsters] battery tender

[Tom Duffy]

On 2011/07/16 5:10, cour.jpeg at gmail.com wrote:
> Splain this to me.
>
> Does the thing have a timer, with a current sensor?
>
> And what happens when it switches from red to green? (Besides the LED changing color)
>
> Is there a dual stage charging circuit, perhaps, where red = high charge rate and green = trickle?
>
> I'm always suspicious of these things since they're usually not sophisticated enough to match what they do to the CCA/battery size and age.
>
> And Tom, I think the clock is spring wound, and no current draw except for the second or two it takes to trigger the electro_mechanical windup.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000CITK8S

 From the description:

  * Perfect for charging all 12-volt lead-acid, flooded or sealed
    maintenance free batteries (AGM and gel cell)
  * Complete 4-step charging program (Initialization, Bulk Charge, Float
    Mode) allows for optimization of battery power, without overcharging

I've clicked through to the explanations on the manufacturer's website, 
and it seems legit, a microprocessor
controlled (current sensing) charger. In Float mode it is still 
providing a voltage to the battery to maintain
a small current, but I wasn't expecting that to generate much heat in 
the charger itself...

Tom.