Does anyone have experience with BatteryMinders Chargers?

W

Windmaker

10 W
Joined
Jul 11, 2015
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I had a mechanic with some mobility scooter experience suggest to me the other day to get a BatteryMinders charger/maintainer/desulfater for use with my new three-wheeled, Chinese made, electric mobility scooter which uses 4 x 12v/20ah batteries in it's 48 volt system. He thought it would be superior to my factory supplied charger. I looked them up online and whoa!!!........$314....that's equivalent to about two sets of new batteries. The next issue to arise was on how to connect this device to my scooter. I contacted the company's tech support and sent them a picture of my current charger and it's connector plug (to the body of my scooter) and they essentially said they didn't have an adapter like that for their charger, but that they might be able to concoct one (by splicing a similar plug) if I sent them a much bigger, clearer photo of my connector plug along side of a tape measure.

If you'd care to see what apparently is the appropriate model for my scooter tben please click on this link: http://www.batteryminders.com/48-volt-battery-charger-maintainer

You may also see my attacbed photo to observe my current charger and its connector plug

In any case, if you can contribute any experienced knowledge that you've had with one of these BatteryMinders chargers that would help me decide whether it would be worthwhile to purchase one, or not, it would be greatly apprecieated, I did find the above model charger for sale at another website for a delivered price of $226, but while that's a substantially better price, it's still a rather a healthy hunk of change to put out unless these units are extraordinarily better than a standard charger.

Thanks for looking.
 

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Do not buy that charger for your scooter. Just wait till lead batteries die and get a li-ion battery. Don't over discharge your lead battery. They need to always be fully charged.
King Tut used lead batteries. Lead is dead.
Cross the bridge to the new world.
 
999zip999 said:
Do not buy that charger for your scooter. Just wait till lead batteries die and get a li-ion battery. Don't over discharge your lead battery. They to always have fully charged.
King Tut used lead batteries. Lead is dead.
Cross the bridge to the new world.
Click to expand...

As for li-ion batteries, I'm not sure if I can locate any for my 48v system. I have previously been given the impression that the li-ion batteries are coming, but that they are nevertheless still relatively early in the development stage and have some significant kinks to be worked out. Thanks for your suggestion in any case
 
The best thing you can do now, is keep the depth of discharge on your current batteries as low as possible.

So rather than empty the pack, then charge, keep it topped up as possible. We here on ES use our batteries much differently than mobility scooter or power chair users. We tend to go out and ride as long and hard as the battery can stand. For this use pattern, draining it all the way each ride, we must have lithium.

While your use, you may be able to never discharge your lead much below 50%, and get years from lead. Our use, we'd get a month. The guys who sell you lead, of course they will say that lithium batteries are not developed yet. But in fact they are. See your cell phone, or laptop? No lead in those devices.

The desulphinating chargers such as battery minder do work. and can be worth the cost if you plan to use your scooter for many years, and continue to use lead.

But a good lithium battery for your scooter is definitely possible. It won't be cheap, it will cost more than a battery minder. It's quite possible that using lead could still be cheaper for you, if you can keep it recharged often. But if you do need to drain your lead battery all the way, then lithium would be cheapest over the long run.
 
dogman dan said:
The best thing you can do now, is keep the depth of discharge on your current batteries as low as possible.

So rather than empty the pack, then charge, keep it topped up as possible. We here on ES use our batteries much differently than mobility scooter or power chair users. We tend to go out and ride as long and hard as the battery can stand. For this use pattern, draining it all the way each ride, we must have lithium.

While your use, you may be able to never discharge your lead much below 50%, and get years from lead. Our use, we'd get a month. The guys who sell you lead, of course they will say that lithium batteries are not developed yet. But in fact they are. See your cell phone, or laptop? No lead in those devices.

The desulphinating chargers such as battery minder do work. and can be worth the cost if you plan to use your scooter for many years, and continue to use lead.

But a good lithium battery for your scooter is definitely possible. It won't be cheap, it will cost more than a battery minder. It's quite possible that using lead could still be cheaper for you, if you can keep it recharged often. But if you do need to drain your lead battery all the way, then lithium would be cheapest over the long run.
Click to expand...


First, dogman dan, let me thank you for such a thorough and informative reply. And I quickly want to add that we may have something in common if your avatar and user name reflect reality. I have an 18 1/2 lb Pomeranian (?) who considers my scooter to be his personal canine recreational vehicle and me as his personal cheauffer/traveling companion. Not that he doesn't like to run alongside with or w/o a leash often times, but he also just loves to ride into the wind with his face hanging around the leg shield.....a biker at heart, if your get my drift. Since my top speed is only 13-15 mph I haven't gotten him a set of goggles yet... :)

OK, back to business.....The previous and similar mobility scooter that I owned unfortunately after two years developed quite a bit of corrosion on the tubular steel frame and on my electrical connections and junctions to the point that it quit on me with an electrical problem nobody was able to fix [had to keep it outside and I used a typical waterproof throw cover that unfortunately also tends to hold in the condensation]. My point is that I essentially don't know how long these electric scooters can survive being kept outside, so the practical economics of battery maintenance are rather hard to calculate.

After my original post here I did find at least one of what appears to be a drop-in replacement li-ion battery for my scooter (12v-20ah), but it's cost was $249 + shipping....that would be over $1,000 for batteries for my $2,000 scooter....doesn't seem very practical to me no matter how you slice it.

Essentially it appears you've advised me that the best alternative would be to keep the SLA batteries, but be sure to keep them fully charged at all times and that matches what I've been advised before by battery company tech reps for SLA mobility scooter batteries. Since most of my trips are relatively short anyhow, that makes a great deal of sense to me. As for the $224 BatteryMinders charging device...that remains an economical question mark. I'm not even sure yet whether it could be adapted for use with my scooter, but it does sound interesting and appealing.

Before closing, and not that it has anything to do directly with battery technology, I see you work for E-bikekit and may have some suggestions or knowledge also on how to best preserve electric bikes and scooters when they must be stored outside in the weather. For instance, do you think a folding type cover (sample attached below) with so-called vent windows would make a better cover (hold in less condensation) than a standard throw cover, or do you think they are just a more expensive and gimmicky throw cover?.....how about a Shelterlogic shed in a box (6x6x6, or 8x8x8)?.....or perhaps you don't have any experience with any of them.

Hope to hear from you again....
 

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Lead is fine for this type of application. As stated keep fully charged and don't drain it too deep, but also don't leave it on the charger indefinitely as that can overcharge the battery if the charger does not drop down in voltage to storage level (float charge). If left discharged for a length of time the battery will destroy itself by putting insoluble lead onto the plates.

If you can, grease the electrical contacts and surfaces to prevent corrosion. Have used grease called No-Ox put on by hand. I'm sure other products, perhaps a spray, are available. Another member has recommended ACF-50 spray.
 
The battery medic works on one battery at a time with a sort of pluse charge to help reclaim the plates. Stil the cost of medic charger and new lead in 8 months ? 350-400 more ? Looking forward. How much would that add up to ? Li-ion or lifepo4 for 500.00usd
Where are you located ?
 
Jon NCal said:
Lead is fine for this type of application. As stated keep fully charged and don't drain it too deep, but also don't leave it on the charger indefinitely as that can overcharge the battery if the charger does not drop down in voltage to storage level (float charge). If left discharged for a length of time the battery will destroy itself by putting insoluble lead onto the plates.

If you can, grease the electrical contacts and surfaces to prevent corrosion. Have used grease called No-Ox put on by hand. I'm sure other products, perhaps a spray, are available.
Click to expand...


Sounds like good advice to me....thanks. And I appreciate the heads up on greasing or spraying the electrical contacts.
 
999zip999 said:
The battery medic works on one battery at a time with a sort of pluse charge to help reclaim the plates. Stil the cost of medic charger and new lead in 8 months ? 350-400 more ? Looking forward. How much would that add up to ? Li-ion or lifepo4 for 500.00usd
Where are you located ?
Click to expand...


I'm located in the town of Lewes, Delaware where the Delaware Bay meets the Atlantic Ocean. Accessing or charging one battery at a time is not feasible for my situation of four grouped batteries located in a hard to access location. I need to be able to access all my batteries at once and virtually every day via my input plug located in the rear cowling under the front of my seat. Thanks in any case.
 
999zip999 said:
Where are you located ? Lead is ok for a car battery, but ebike, scooter things have changed 6yrs ago. E.S can help you.
Click to expand...



Lewes, Delaware is my home (19958). My scooter was purchased online from California. Who is E.S ?
 
The fingers said:
ES = endless-sphere.
I like my Save-A-Battery charger. :D
http://www.saveabattery.com/
Shop around, you may be able to find a better price. :wink:
http://www.amazon.com/Save-Battery-2365-48-48-Volt-Maintainer/dp/B002HGFRNU
Click to expand...

Thanks for the alternative charger, but like with the batteryminders units, I don't know if their usable with a multi-battery set up with an adapter input plug as pictured above with my current charger(as an attachment to one of my earlier posts).
 
First of all, changing a plug is not rocket science, so we can walk you through how to do that. You will need to learn to use a voltmeter, to confirm that you did the rewiring right before plugging in.

The 48v model battery minder is an expensive charger. But if you do plan on using lead a long time, on this and subsequent scooters, it could be worth it.

But us folks on ES would tend to take a different approach. Add wires and plugs to the scooters wiring to make each cell possible to charge individually once in a while. Then a 25-50 buck battery minder would do the desulphinating.

And, next time you replace your lead, be sure to get the best you can, rather than the cheapest you can.

The cover. Sounds like you live close enough to the sea to be screwed. Plenty of dew, and maybe even the salt in the air. What would help condensation is warmth. Something warming the air under the cover would prevent a lot of the condensation under it. Snake heater, dog house heater, something like that maybe? It would have to be something waterproof.

Lastly, I do run the dogs several times a week just like in the avatar. I have two St bernards. Near my house is a large open area in the desert where I have built 3 miles of dirt trail. About a quarter mile on leash, then they go chase rabbits. When they tire, they return to my side and I can leash up for the return home.
 
I have a three-wheeled electric mobility scooter (15mph, Chinese made type) with which I've been having some electrical issues....but in this post I'd like to hear from anyone who wishes to recommend a good, reliable 48v battery charger to replace my manufacturer supplied trickle charger.....which I've been told isn't a very good qualityView attachment 1. This scooter uses four 12v/20ah batteries and I've been told a couple times by technicians that they recommend buying a better quality charger, and in one case, a 48v BatteryMinder brand charger. They can be purchased for a little over $200, and I'd have to modify the output cord and adapt it by adding a male plug for my three-pronged computer type female plug receiver for charging on the scooter body.

Does anyone have any other charger that they would recommend more that this one?...... especially if it is less costly, but mostly I'm concerned with getting good, maximum and reliable charging (with the above model they also claim it's capable of battery reconditioning by desulfating).BatteryMinder model 48021.jpg
 
The battery minder is a very high quality charger. I think it may even have a de-sulphinating cycle, which is supposed to extend the lifespan of lead batteries.

It could well be that the investment will be worth it, if you wish to continue using lead for a very long time. Many of us here though, would advise switching to a lithium battery. This makes sense if you run long distances. But if you use it at home where a plug is handy, maybe lead is still your cheapest option per mile.

The main thing you can do to help lead though, is to always recharge when it gets about 50% discharged. That may have a lot more effect than the charger.

Since we constantly geek out here on ES, a lot of us would recommend adding a watt meter to your ride. With a watt meter, you get a lot more information about your battery voltage, and the amount of watt hours used, than you could ever get with a typical battery gauge. Among other things, a watt meter/volt meter can tell you if the charger is overcharging your lead, which can lead to early death, or under charging it, which just results in lower available capacity.
 
Thanks for your reply dogman Dan....I run and transport my dog with this scooter also.

1, I do not make long trips, even if the scooter is functioning properly, so lithium batteries are not advisable for me yet.

2. I always charge after trips, and at least by the end of day when I've used the scooter.

3. As for a watt meter......I see online that they range in price from under $10 to hundreds of dollars. Would you mind being a bit more
specific about any recommendations you might have?
 
http://shop.saveabattery.com/50-Watt-Chargers_c7.htm I've been using the 36volt version for several years now and am quite happy with it. It's pretty simple. I only had to put matching connectors on it. Look for it on sale at Amazon or another similar site. :)
 
The different lead varieties each have a slightly different charging curve, so make sure it matches your type. Flooded, gel, and AGM are the big three...
Separate from that, none of the chargers balance the 4 blocks individually, that is, it's going to be peaking around 14.4v then floating down to 13.9v per battery, for about 55.6v total when the chargers done. But if one went up to 15.9, and one stayed at 11.9, the charger still sees 55.6v and shuts off, and both batteries start dying an early death, one from overvolting, and one from sulphating. So it's nice to have a 12v charger too, to catch up the low ones, and be ready to weed out one that goes to high volts way too quickly as they're usually dying and taking one of the other batteries with it.

Or you can go overkill and get a nice charger for each battery :)
 
Voltron said:
The different lead varieties each have a slightly different charging curve, so make sure it matches your type. Flooded, gel, and AGM are the big three...
Separate from that, none of the chargers balance the 4 blocks individually, that is, it's going to be peaking around 14.4v then floating down to 13.9v per battery, for about 55.6v total when the chargers done. But if one went up to 15.9, and one stayed at 11.9, the charger still sees 55.6v and shuts off, and both batteries start dying an early death, one from overvolting, and one from sulphating. So it's nice to have a 12v charger too, to catch up the low ones, and be ready to weed out one that goes to high volts way too quickly as they're usually dying and taking one of the other batteries with it.

Or you can go overkill and get a nice charger for each battery :)
Click to expand...


Thanks for the education Voltron....my batteries have been of the AGM type, and I can't pull them out of the scooter each time to charge the batteries individually, so I have go with the 48 volt group charger. I don't know for certain, but I suspect the better quality (smarter) chargers will compensate somewhat for the problem you stated above, and give fuller charges and also not overcharge either.
 
You shouldn't need to balance them every time depending on how even they're naturally staying, but if they're too inaccessible, you can run wires out to somewhere you can access to check the individual voltages and top one off from... that's what a balance tap is fyi.

But if your charger only has two wires, one for each end of the pack, then it can't know the voltages for the separate 12v blocks and you'll want to manually balance them. Otherwise, speaking in nominal voltages, one battery could be at 45v, and the three others at 1v apiece, and the charger will be happy thinking it's 48v, which is obviously a problem. An inverter like you would plug into your car to turn 12v into 110v AC is handy too for taking the voltage of one down, in addition to a small 12v charger for topping one off.

I learned all this running my 72 volt pack (6 12v blocks) and with no paralleling, the death of one block kills the whole system in mid ride...
 
Why just go to the 12v level wouldn't it be best to go cell level for true balance and performance. Lead is a hard sell for me. But does have it's place.
 
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