http://www.tbandcs.co.uk
TB and CS supply new and refurbished batteries and chargers - Industrial battery chargers, battery chargers, industrial batteries, charger servicing and charger repair.
Blackheath Trading Est, Unit 3A
Cakemore Rd
Rowley Regis
West Midlands
B65 0QN
Telephone: 0121 559 7910
Email: tbandcs@btconnect.com
2. • So there I was, a grass widow in a new country, in a
small village in a parking lot, having just dropped off my
daughter at her new pre-school when I turned the key in
the ignition and heard the all too familiar clicking of a
dead battery on my almost new car. Shock and horror, I
had left the lights on. Thankfully within an hour of making
a call a faithful repairman arrived with battery charger in
tow, to rescue me. Once the battery was fully charged he
checked it and said, ‘Well Mam, the battery is fine, you
just don’t drive it far enough to fully charge it! You should
take it out for at least a 30min spin.’ Battery charges may
not be devices that we think of often but when you need
them you really appreciate them.
3. • Just as automotive batteries are not the only
type of battery in use, so too do battery chargers
come in all types for automotive as well as
industrial use. So what types of battery charger
are available for industrial applications?
Typically there are three types of charging
system namely Constant voltage, Constant
current and Traction. The amount of current
delivered into a battery by these chargers is
carefully controlled.
4. • Constant Voltage also known as Constant
Potential types like the one used to charge the
wet lead-acid battery in my car are also used to
charge sealed lead-acid batteries used in many
industrial applications. These industrial battery
chargers are usually used when sufficient time is
available to charge the battery fully. The charger
maintains virtually the same voltage input to the
battery during the charging process and delivers
a level of power sufficient to raise the battery
voltage to the fully charged level while
monitoring the battery voltage.
5. • Constant Current chargers are the ones we are
most likely to use on a daily basis because they
are used to recharge the nickel-cadmium
batteries (Nicads) found in small portable
devices like laptops and smart phones.
Irrespective of the battery state of charge or
temperature the charger delivers a continuous
amount of current into the battery. Limiting the
charging time helps to prevent overcharging of
the battery.
6. • Traction battery chargers have a dual
action combining both of the above
scenarios where the battery voltage is
measured while a steady amount of
charge is delivered to the battery until
either a specified period has passed or the
battery reaches a pre-set level of charge.
Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs) make use
of traction batteries and hence require
traction battery chargers.
7. • Chargers need to be selected to match
the specifications of the battery being
charged to yield the best results and to
prolong the battery life.
