Who's Using a Trickle Charger / Battery Tender?

[GreensvilleJay]

YOU have to select the type and mode of operation. I can't see any way for someone to have their device KNOW what battery (manufacturer and model ) it is connected to until 'they' start putting 'chips' in them.
Easiest way would be to embed RFID tags with make/model info as well as date of manufacture.

great, I've just given someone a multimillion dollar - never work again idea.......

 

[lmichael]

YOU have to select the type and mode of operation. I can't see any way for someone to have their device KNOW what battery (manufacturer and model ) it is connected to until 'they' start putting 'chips' in them.
Easiest way would be to embed RFID tags with make/model info as well as date of manufacture.

great, I've just given someone a multimillion dollar - never work again idea.......

So here is something then. The Battery Tender has a selection but can and does automatically select the proper battery. Even my Hazard Fraught 4 Amp Fully Automatic Microprocessor Controlled Battery Charger/Maintainer (harborfreight.com) selects the proper battery type. Not knocking the NOCO. Looks like good stuff, but given how many power surges we have that knocks our power out for a few seconds, I would constantly be running back to the garage, and having to "reset" the charger.

 

[GreensvilleJay]

hmm, I'd love to know how they can tell the difference between battery types. 6 vs 12 is easy, but actual TYPE ?

 

[hagrid]

For lead/acid I don't think the type really matters apart from the saturation voltage.

One of my Optimates has a selector to switch between 14.2 volts and 14.8 for AMG applications. Beyond that, for 12 volt batteries the cpu controlled maintainers deduce the saturation point and then float/analyze.

 

[lmichael]

IDK how it knows but I have tested this with the Hazard Fraught charger. I have one piece of equipment with AGM and of course the tractor with standard lead acid. And it picks it up immediately. Don't ask me how but it does. I have not tried it with the Battery Tender one, but it works great with the HF one

 

[fried1765]

yeah... $39 to $78 CDN depending on the website you buy from..and of course shipping, handling and 13% for the guvs....

13% ONLY in Canada, and 15% in some provinces!
"Free medical care" ...they say!

 

[fried1765]

I had never heard of NOCO. Looked it up. So I noticed a "mode" button. Do they make you select a mode or are they smart enough to sense the type of battery and set accordingly (as is the Battery Tender and some others). Having to constantly "check" it would be a royal PIA. Every time power blinked or surged what have you then you have to run out to the shed and reset the device.

Yup,.... with the NOCO mode selector, you must "run out to the shed" to select from 6V to 12V to 24V etc.
You have a Battery Tender that will automatically switch itself for charging various voltage batteries without a "run out to the shed"?
I gotta get me one of those!

 

[The Evil Twin]

Well....my first Battery Tender Jr died yesterday. Blinky red/ green light no matter what I put it on. It was a good run for 21 years. Kept the truck topped off all last winter in single digits on top of thousands of hours on a motorcycle, mower, scooter, etc.
Hopefully the newer ones last as long. I think my next oldest is 10 or 11.

 

[fried1765]

Well....my first Battery Tender Jr died yesterday. Blinky red/ green light no matter what I put it on. It was a good run for 21 years. Kept the truck topped off all last winter in single digits on top of thousands of hours on a motorcycle, mower, scooter, etc.
Hopefully the newer ones last as long. I think my next oldest is 10 or 11.

For replacement, the NOCO Genius (Amazon $29.47) beats the price pants off the Battery Tender, or the BT Jr.

 

[lmichael]

Yup,.... with the NOCO mode selector, you must "run out to the shed" to select from 6V to 12V to 24V etc.
You have a Battery Tender that will automatically switch itself for charging various voltage batteries without a "run out to the shed"?
I gotta get me one of those!

Well Costco has a good price on them. Bottom line I don't want to have to run out to the shed every time my power "hiccups".

 

[The Evil Twin]

For replacement, the NOCO Genius (Amazon $29.47) beats the price pants off the Battery Tender, or the BT Jr.

I have heard people sing their praises but for the price I get the Deltran products it's cheaper to stick with them.

 

[fried1765]

I have heard people sing their praises but for the price I get the Deltran products it's cheaper to stick with them.

I respectfully disagree!
Deltran was early to the party, and earned a lot of respect.
Now they are price abusing that loyalty.
Equal, or better stuff out there now,....and for less money!

I currently own 10 Deltran products, but am not a creature of habit!

 

[fried1765]

Well Costco has a good price on them. Bottom line I don't want to have to run out to the shed every time my power "hiccups".

Don't know where you came up with the "run out to shed" story, but NOCO customer service states that your assumption(?) is INCORRECT!

"A NOCO Genius 1 amp. charger reset is NOT required after a power interruption"!

 

[The Evil Twin]

I respectfully disagree!
Deltran was early to the party, and earned a lot of respect.
Now they are price abusing that loyalty.
Equal, or better stuff out there now,....and for less money!

I currently own 10 Deltran products, but am not a creature of habit!

Nor am I, but the NOCO is more expensive for me AND then to buy a $20 adapter for their silly connector. Is NOCO better? Maybe. Maybe not. But when I get 7 years out of a motorcycle battery and 9 in a car..... I think I'll stick with the Deltran.

 

[GreensvilleJay]

'hiccups' can either reset the device or damage it or destroy it

if it properly resets then it'll work as before,well it should...
if it damages it, it could 'alter' how it hows,usually not good..
if it destroys it, it's more Ewaste to deal with ,as in... 'no user serviceable parts inside'

a lot of PIR motion outdoor lights have the ability to stay on , if you flip the power switch, off-on ,at a certain rate of speed. It's common to have 'hiccups' (wires blowing in the wind,bzz,) that just happen to mimic that.... then the dang light is ON until you kill power to it.

 

[fried1765]

'hiccups' can either reset the device or damage it or destroy it

if it properly resets then it'll work as before,well it should...
if it damages it, it could 'alter' how it hows,usually not good..
if it destroys it, it's more Ewaste to deal with ,as in... 'no user serviceable parts inside'

a lot of PIR motion outdoor lights have the ability to stay on , if you flip the power switch, off-on ,at a certain rate of speed. It's common to have 'hiccups' (wires blowing in the wind,bzz,) that just happen to mimic that.... then the dang light is ON until you kill power to it.

And....the point here is...?
Maintenance chargers should not be used because they might fail in a power outage?
I have been using such chargers for 20+ years, and have had only a few failures.

 

[GreensvilleJay]

The point is that a properly designed and built device should work fine after power 'hiccups', power failures and nearby lightning strikes.
None of my remote energy control systems ever failed or 'died' do to those conditions and some had 15 miles of wire attached to them.

 

[fried1765]

Nor am I, but the NOCO is more expensive for me AND then to buy a $20 adapter for their silly connector. Is NOCO better? Maybe. Maybe not. But when I get 7 years out of a motorcycle battery and 9 in a car..... I think I'll stick with the Deltran.

I am confused!
A $20 adapter?
A "silly connector" .....that being a standard two prong 110V plug?

$29.47 for the NOCO Genius 1 on Amazon, is more expensive than the Battery Tender price?
Where are you finding Battery Tender, or even BT Jr., pricing, below $29.47?

The technology is essentially the same in these little maintenance chargers.
I do not quite understand why would anyone want to pay double, just for the "Battery Tender" name?

 

[lmichael]

Don't know where you came up with the "run out to shed" story, but NOCO customer service states that your assumption(?) is INCORRECT!

"A NOCO Genius 1 amp. charger reset is NOT required after a power interruption"!

This came from You of all people
Yup,.... with the NOCO mode selector, you must "run out to the shed" to select from 6V to 12V to 24V etc.
You have a Battery Tender that will automatically switch itself for charging various voltage batteries without a "run out to the shed"?
I gotta get me one of those!

So now you're tellin me it's NOT that case? Which is it?

 

[The Evil Twin]

I am confused!
A $20 adapter?
A "silly connector" .....that being a standard two prong 110V plug?

$29.47 for the NOCO Genius 1 on Amazon, is more expensive than the Battery Tender price?
Where are you finding Battery Tender, or even BT Jr., pricing, below $29.47?

The technology is essentially the same in these little maintenance chargers.
I do not quite understand why would anyone want to pay double, just for the "Battery Tender" name?

Im not talking about the 120v end. The battery end. All my batteries are hardwired with a SAE 2 prong plug. The NOCO does not use that. They have their special widget.

https://www.batteriesplus.com/productdetails/NOCGC009?storecode=766&source=google&medium=shopping&campaign=ecommpla&gclid=Cj0KCQiAorKfBhC0ARIsAHDzslu01ExZXfaO-oOnTkWRGbeOHqo3aDF1ZMXS4MHkSjhXjlsZ6hhuZDwaAtD-EALw_wcB

Deltran is a sponsor. I run their Li batteries in my race bikes. I get em for a little less than most folks.