Battery charging problems

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ding dong
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Battery charging problems

Postby ding dong » Mon Aug 23, 2010 1:18 am

I have a Sakura S305 e bike which runs on 3 x 12v 14 ah SLA batteries wired to give 36v. The charger appears to be a typical common chinese type with a 3 colour LED to indicate battery condition. Needless to say the charger bears no information as to make, model, or any input/output specs.

Having recently replaced the batteries due to lack of maintenance over the past 18 months I find that after a full discharge and a 5 hour charge the batteries show a voltage of 44.5 Volts, also, whilst charging the LED does not alter colour but glows red at all times and the batteries become quite warm.

As the fully charged voltage should be around 39-40v is my charger faulty and if so can anyone recommend a supplier of a reasonably priced replacement ?

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ChrisB
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Re: Battery charging problems

Postby ChrisB » Mon Aug 23, 2010 9:43 am

The batteries really shouldnt get warm unless there is a problem with them, if SLA batteries get warm/hot damage is being done :shock:

Plenty of 36v chargers floating about on ebay from £25-£30

ChrisB
I reject reality and substitute my own !!!!!!

ding dong
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Joined: Sun Aug 22, 2010 12:50 am

Re: Battery charging problems

Postby ding dong » Mon Aug 23, 2010 11:18 am

Mmmmm !

I thought my old batteries had died from neglecting to charge them but when I I look at them they look "blown" ie mis-shaped. Could this be due to overcharging/overheating and gas expansion and if so, is there any way I can check/repair the charger. As a Yorkshireman ( and a pensioner too ! ) I dont want to purchase another one unless its essential.

As an afterthought, could a faulty speed controller have any bearing on the matter ? I suspect its faulty because the motor rotates at full speed when the "ignition" key is turned on and I am having problems getting this checked out and replaced.

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ChrisB
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Re: Battery charging problems

Postby ChrisB » Mon Aug 23, 2010 5:44 pm

Ah so theres more issues than just a possible dodgy charger then :(

You could try hooking the charger up to 3 regular lead acid batteries and see how it goes with those as they will stand a load more abuse than the SLA type.

As for the controller, could be the throttle unit playing up OR the units output has just gone short circuit and supplying full power all the time :?

With two possible issues like that it might be worth looking for another scrap one which has say a dead motor and then swap all the bits over to yours :wink:

ChrisB
I reject reality and substitute my own !!!!!!

ding dong
Posts: 4
Joined: Sun Aug 22, 2010 12:50 am

Re: Battery charging problems

Postby ding dong » Mon Aug 23, 2010 9:00 pm

As I dont have access to 3 batteries I have decided to invest in a new charger and have found one thru Ebay for £20. I can keep the old one at my shop and use it for a quick top up. I'm assuming that a short charge at full power will avoid any overheating problems and to be on the safe side I will check the charger output while it is connected to the battery. Presumably 43.5v (3 x 14.5v) should be OK for 30 mins ?

Re the other matter, I dont think its the hall effect throttle thats faulty as I still get the full power problem when the throttle is unplugged. I shall be getting that checked out in a few weeks when a local golf buggy dealer gets his new stock in ( They use an identical throttle and charge £15)

Covering all bases, Im still faced with the problem of locating a controller and think it will be cheaper to buy new parts than to buy a scrap bike with the risk of getting a dodgy or well worn components. What do you think ?


Geoff


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