Battery Charger

[BAZ Senior]

I have just noticed Aldi are selling their battery chargers again. For the price these are an excellent bit of kit for charging your power packs, and leisure batteries. They can be left on indefinitely and will maintain the battery.

ALDI - Thursday Special Buys 6th October 2011

[Psychobilly]

Thanks for the heads up

[gfletcher]

Would they be a better alternative to the suppied charger that comes with the Maplins 3in1 Jump Starters ?

If so , presumably you have to remove the back panel from the jump starter and connect the crocodile clips to the battery terminals ?

Graham

[Psychobilly]

Some of them can be charged through the output socket...

[faulksy]

wow that is cheap

[Psychobilly]

Picked mine up this morning - they have about 20 left out in the "bin" in the Swansea store...

Thanks again Martyn

[gfletcher]

Still not sure how i would use it on the Maplins jump starter.

Surely i woul d need to attach it to the positive and negative battery terminals which would involve removing the back panel of the jump starter.

Would it be any more beneficial than the charger that comes with the unit that purely plugs into the front of the jump starter ?

Graham

[Psychobilly]

Yes it would be more beneficial - the one that comes with it charges at 500mA... so taking into account the charghing inefficeincies it would take the best part of two days to charge the pack if you did run it flat...

I you pop the back off have a look how the battery is connected to the output socket... if its "direct" which it probably is then you can charge the battery through the output socket using a home made adaptor... The center tip will be positive...

Peter...

[gfletcher]

Thanks Peter

Graham

[BAZ Senior]

Dependent on what model of power pack you have, it may be possible just to connect directly to the big croc clips of the pack, as these nearly always are connected directly to the battery terminals, saving making an adapter. This is what I did before I got another battery.

Just put the charger clips onto the corresponding big croc clips, the Aldi charger will show you if polarity is correct, and then select a charging mode. I normally use the motorcycle one, as the lead acid battery is not too large. If I remember correctly these will charge up to a 120 amp/hour battery.

[Psychobilly]

Doh.. good point forgot the "obvious" .. and yes they are good for up to 120AH...

[ringz]

Lidl are doing something very similar from Monday if anyone missed the Aldi ones.

Martyn.