This technique eliminates the Absorption Charge and Float Charge periods. Slamming the battery between Bulk Charge and open-circuit self-discharge will decrease the life of the battery. Maintaining proper voltages and using a three-phase charger will extend the life of the battery.

Not really.
The bulk charge is controlled by the turbine itself which limits the maximum current to 7 amps. The voltage is set to the absorption voltage so it gets fully charged without gassing. There is only a few ma. of float. But hey the price is right.
If you have the budget, of course, a buck/boost with maximum power point and a charge controller would be best.

 

The old Xantrex C40 will work but the supplied voltage should be at least 15vdc for proper three-stage charging.

nsaspook, you get a cookie. This is great! I love Xantrex stuff. I had forgotten about them.

Manual says it'll work on a 12V system. Just use that buck regulator I spec'd above to down-regulate to 12V, and then the Xantrex C40 or C35 (35A is plenty and it's a little cheaper) for perfect charging. Has all kinds of settings to customize the charging profile for the Calcium battery! And will also work as a load controller, to prevent over-discharge (though may need electrical re-configuration).

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000OYZE58

 

The manual discusses 3-stage charging in terms of the 12V systems as well as the 24V systems so it should work, shouldn't it?

www.wsetech.com/pdfs/C_series_manual.pd

 

The manual discusses 3-stage charging in terms of the 12V systems as well as the 24V systems so it should work, shouldn't it?

www.wsetech.com/pdfs/C_series_manual.pd

Yes it should. I have the C40 on a 12 volt solar panel system that supplies the full 40A to the battery bank. It's been rock solid for years. Don't waste your money on the digital readout. Someone here had a project to decode the serial data with a uC but found out like I did long ago it's not very useful for tracking battery condition.

 

Lead acid is old school technology AND reliable when maintained even halfway decently. I prefer flooded because it lets one see the sulfation beginning on the plates and if charging is reversing it. For small stuff sealed is OK but notice the really big installations use flooded cells and not absorbed glass mat. lets you see problems before they become big.

knowing the numbers is good, but actually seeing the condition of the plates in a 200,000 amp hour 48 volt backup system in a central phone office is priceless.

Hey! does anyone even USE copperwire telephone tech anymore

 

Hey! does anyone even USE copperwire telephone tech anymore

I only keep mine live to leach power from that massive battery bank.