I work in an IT dept, and sometimes the old batteries get passed around. I think that many of them will have life left even if they don't perform. I think many of them need de-sulfating. I have a couple desulfator devices and have saved MANY times the price of them saving batteries. Friend brought over a $279 Yellow Top, new, old-stock. Has been sitting fer a coupla years, dead flat. It wouldn't take a charge at all no way. I put the desulfator on there, powered by my 100 watts of solar on my 5th wheel. Doesn't cost me nuthin. I left it on there a month, and returned it functioning like new. My niece has a motorcycle shop. The mechanics never seem to have time to keep alla the batteries charged, so they lose a lot. I went out to the recycle bin, gathered up a coupla hunert pounds of them and restored them for her. Dint cost me anything in electricity either.
-----Original Message----- From: bobby burington [mailto:bobbycrea...@yahoo.com] Sent: Monday, February 09, 2009 12:28 PM To: KRnet Subject: Re: KR> battery charger --- On Mon, 2/9/09, Oscar Zuniga <taildr...@hotmail.com> wrote: > Question for you electronics types. One of our office UPSs died and I > snagged it on its way out to the trash. Hi Oscar, Yes it will make a trickle charger for any size battery. I have salvaged several of the UPS units you are talking about. Generally its not the batteries that go bad and you can put thoes small batteries on a regular 12 volt charger and recharge them. Normally for me its been the circut board that goes bad from power surges or whatever. Sometimes you will find a small fuse soldered somewhere on the power supply board or power supply side of the main board. If you can solder in a new fuse you might be in business. These are not only a trickle charger for batteries but the supply from the batteries is a 12 volt to 110 converter for the duplex outlets. I took one of the units apart, disconnected the wires from the batteries and then connected it back up to the battery in my truck. Leaving the circut boards and 110 outlets intact. Made a great 110 converter for my truck. I have been thinking this arrangement would also give me a really cheap way to put a 110 outlet on the panel or somewhere in the KR that I could plug in a laptop or other type equipment if I needed to and the weight is small ounces. Bobby Burington California KR2 Builder
