Maplins Power Pack

[Star-Gazer]

I bought a power pack from Maplins last year (around June).

I hadn't used it for many months and then came to use it recently and despite over 12hrs of charge it runs out of charge almost straight away. Is this normal and is there something I can do to make it work properly? I don't like the idea of buying a new one as the same thing may well happen again.

[DirkSteele]

Sealed lead acid batteries slowly discharge even when not in use. And they do not respond well to a complete discharge. A deep charger, which I imagine Maplin may well sell, may rescue the battery, but unfortunately chances are it may be beyond help.

To avoid this if you buy another, you need to recharge it every couple of months (and avoid leaving somewhere cold as it will discharge even quicker) and that will preserve the life of the battery.

[Carbon Brush]

Good advice from DirkSteele.

Gel batteries really do need looking after.

A further warning though. Quite a lot of the power pack chargers are not suitable for permanent connection.

If left running for too long, they overcharge the battery and cause it to lose capacity.

A good investment is a multimeter. Turn off the charger when the battery gets to somewhere in the region 13.2V to 13.8V. You then have a fully charged battery without risk of damage by overcharging.

[M4lcs67]

Yeah. I agree also. You have to keep them charged up all the time even if you are not using them. They are not designed to be fully discharged like phone batteries etc. If you let them run down it will wreck the cells. You can get replacement cells, but the cost of a brand new powertank is so cheap that it would probably better to get a new one.

[DirkSteele]

Actually on sale at the moment at Maplin (£20 off) so the damage to your wallet won't be to hefty.

[LukeSkywatcher]

I'd say its dead. May as well buy a new one.

[sologuitarist61]

I'm afraid it is like most things, you have to read the instructions (I know that isn't a 'man' thing ) which clearly tell you that if not used you need to recharge regularly. I usually do mine at least once a fortnight and just stick it on charge overnight. Once the cell is dead, there is no reviving it I'm afraid

[LukeSkywatcher]

When not in use (like over the summer for many of us),its a good thing to charge it once a month. I do it and leave it for about 24 hrs. Hopefully my packs will be healthy in Sept when i next use them.

If you do use them during the summer, then an overnight charge after every use is the thing to do.

[mallorcasaint]

I recently returned a Maplins jump-starter as it had stopped charging. I exchnaged it for a 13.8v bench power supply as I usually have mains power wherever I set up my gear. I also got a 4 way cigarette socket adaptor. I still have a small 7ah pack as a backup and it all works very well.

[jonathan]

A smart charger may be able to rescue your battery - something like the Ring Heavy Duty Smart Charger http://www.amazon.co...ils_o02_s00_i00

This has rescued one of my Maplins power tanks that I accidentally discharged and I use it for general charging too. Though expensive, it is the only charger you should ever need for any power tank or car battery! Forget the daft little mains plug type chargers that come with the power tanks, they are no good for charging any lead acid battery.

[StarryBob]

Lead acid batteries don't have a long 'shelf' life and the batteries in the cheaper Maplins type units are poor at best for this. Vehicle batteries are stored dry charged without the electrolyte which is added when the battery is sold, this is the way main dealers store them because they have a much much longer shelf life, some smaller places don't do this and have to check and charge them regularly. You need to put these cheap boosters on charge after you have used them to keep them topped up and then once charged you must check them every few days. My booster pack is a decent quality one and lasts quite a long time without being recharged but I still keep a check on it. It explains it in the instructions

[brantuk]

I did the same thing with my first power tank - if you leave it more than 10 or 12 weeks inactive and without a decent charge it's history. I replaced mine with a 20ah wheelchair battery and give it a full charge after every session. If I don't get out with it for a long period I give it a full charge every 2-3 months to keep it alive. Sometimes you can get a dead battery back with a deep cycle charger - but not allways

[DrRobin]

Hi,

If you power cycle you might get back some useful capacity. Charge it up and then discharge it into a load that would drain a full good battery in around 2 hours. Repeat several times. If it won't take or even hold a charge then the battery is beyond recovery. You could get a new battery, but that will probably cost as much as the whole thing or if it is less than 12 months take it back. These type of supplies are often used as temporary power so they shouldn't die completely, perhaps you got a faulty battery in the first place.

I invested in a small solar panel, I just connect it to the battery when not in use and it constantly trickle charges the battery, putting back in the self discharge. Mine came from Maplins, they were on special offer, about 5W, I think and work very well.

[Star-Gazer]

Thanks for all the useful help everyone.

I charged it for 6 hours yesterday and the light worked and the meter was in the green but this morning all that charge has gone. So I think it is dead and I will have to buy a new one and look after it as advised in this thread.

[DrRobin]

Sounds like it is beyond recovery. I buy sealed lead acid batteries from Rapid Electronics . http://www.rapidonline.com/Electrical-Power/Yuasa-Batteries-Rechargeable-Lead-Acid-62268

I buy the Yuasa 12v 7Ahr for £13 ex vat, they are good value. You have to pay postage of £5 + VAT up to £35 or free above this amount. However, the same battery in Maplins is £39.99, so about half price.

One battery powers my EQ6 for as long as I want in a night and they only weight around 2kg. I keep a couple in a plastic storage box, with the power leads.

[Coco]

I have a massive lead caravan leisure battery, its 9 months old, if I dont use a special trickle charger it soon decays..

Your mount and camera needs a full 13v not a reasonable 12v average.. if your using a cooled CCD it will soon fail when under less than peak power