coyoteboy
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| posted on 16/3/21 at 01:21 PM |
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Charging
I notice a lot of threads about charging cars and the PITA that it is to park up (especially a tin-top) and hook up the charger and worry about
overcharging etc.
Has anyone found a convenient solution to it that doesn't require popping the bonnet, plugging stuff in, faffing and worrying about
over-charging (even with smart chargers)?
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pigeondave
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| posted on 16/3/21 at 02:48 PM |
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I have got as far as getting a permanent connection to the battery cable "SAE71 | SAE71 OptiMate Weatherproof Waterproof 12V Permanent Lead
O1" from a quad bike place in Wales.
I was going to leave the plug hanging out and plug into it behind the grill
going to house the charger in a little plastic box, need to sort a nicer way of getting power to the box
the Fury is in the garage and lives on the optimate, even took it on tour one year as i was nervous. The Fury has a permanent plug fitted
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coyoteboy
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| posted on 16/3/21 at 03:45 PM |
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oooh those leads are nice, I've not spotted them before. On a tin-top it's still a bit of a faff but better than nothing.
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pigeondave
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| posted on 16/3/21 at 03:55 PM |
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One set came with the optimate, so that went on the Fury.
Optimate was bought mainly for the Fury but as I've been WFH for the last year, and lockdown means I can't drive to Peaslake for MTB fun.
The tin top is suffering.
Seemed like the logical thing to do. Its got a little fuse in it too. Its a special plug for the Optimate.
You'd be able to make your own one up cheap enough with a plug of your choice.
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gremlin1234
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| posted on 16/3/21 at 04:39 PM |
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you can also charge though an obd port. part of the spec is a permanent live connection
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JMW
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| posted on 16/3/21 at 04:43 PM |
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On my 21 year old Boxster the cigarette lighter thingy is permanently live, and Optimate do a suitable adaptor for it I use this if I know the car is
going to be left for a while.
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gremlin1234
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| posted on 16/3/21 at 04:47 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by JMW
On my 21 year old Boxster the cigarette lighter thingy is permanently live, and Optimate do a suitable adaptor for it I use this if I know the car is
going to be left for a while.
while many are like this, modern Ford and Mazda for example do not leave the 12v outputs powered continuously. (they turn off after a few minutes)
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tims31
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| posted on 16/3/21 at 05:16 PM |
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I have a CTEK trickle charger which has leads that are permanently attached to the battery and have a plug on the other end that you just plug the
charger in. Really good at keeping the battery conditioned over the winter. Car fires upfirst time.
CTEK - AMAZON Here
Build: http://www.martinsfurybuild.co.uk/
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jelly head
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| posted on 17/3/21 at 06:59 PM |
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^^ I've got a CTEK wired in as well, just takes a second to connect / disconnect and the battery has been spot on when i've wanted to
start up.
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Charlie_Zetec
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| posted on 19/3/21 at 02:09 PM |
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I have three Ctek chargers in my garage - one for the motorbike, and the other two for my Defender (dual battery setup). On all vehicles I've
used the included adaptors that mount straight to the battery terminals, and have a dust cover for the cap when not in use. They're great, but
still have to access the battery compartment to connect them - not a big issue, as it doesn't see much use. <ore of a vehicle-specific issue
that the charger.
A friend of mine has an Optimate, and purchased a similar flylead for his Land Rover, but it's a through-panel mount with an IP (waterproof)
cover. It's mounted next to the passenger door, and accessible from the outside - pretty much lives on trickle charge in his workshop. The
advantage is that he can plug/unplug his via the panel on the side without needing access to/inside the vehicle - he just has to remember to
disconnect before he drives off!
I know Ctek do a panel mount option as well, but don't think it's IP rated from memory. If I was that fussed I could mount in a suitable
enclosure, but it's never bothered me that much having to lift the bonnet/seat base etc.. Probably would if i had to do it more frequently, but
then if it's needed that often you've either got an underlying battery/charging issue, or own an EV!
Artificial intelligence is no match for natural stupidity!
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coyoteboy
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| posted on 19/3/21 at 10:02 PM |
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😁I own and run 3 tin tops, at any one time any of them might be sat for a month. I
Opening doors and bonnets and running extensions put to whichever one I need to charge, based on which I expect to use next, is a real faff (first
world problems!)
I've been thinking in the shower. I may present an idea soon 😂
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