GregsGarage wrote:Beemer wrote:The best monitor for safety and life is not voltage but temperature!
Sorry, can't agree with you on this point. Temperature is important, but in most cases cell voltage readings will highlight a problem long before temperature does. For example, I couldn't find any mention of abnormal temperature readings during John's testing when the headway cell failed. Voltage readings are instant, waiting for a component to get too hot takes time depending on it's thermal mass.
Like trying to charge ones car while freezing cold? It will surely over volt, only locally heat. Then burn down.
An overcharged cell is a warmer cell. An non-bottom balanced cell that hit reverse voltage is a hot cell.
A simple circuit to say, an Elcon charger who's "off" & current limiter line is used to current limit on temperature.. Nothing else is needed to stop the charge when cold. Or something gets inordinately warm, (Could be only the weather). Nothing else because the correct charger does not allow over volting and bottom balancing does not allow any cell to hit reverse voltage. Racks of open circuits that get damaged from so much as throwing in a damp towel are not sensible.
Thermal mass also equates to AH. The only difference is the small stuff hits the fan much more quickly.
Still off topic