quick battery charging question

Thread Starter

thetank

Joined Feb 13, 2007
14
so i have A Long sealed Lead-Calcium 12V 4Ah battery(specificly Long model: WP4-12). i know absolutly NOTHING when it comes to charging batterys. can i charge the battery with a car battery charger? if so, should it be set on 2A or 10A(i imagin 50A is way too much)? can i hook up the battery to my car via jumper cables and charge it that way? and can i check it with a multimeter to verify its done charging?


in the near future the battery is going to power a 100w inverter to charge my laptop when i can't find a power outlet or in my car. in the distant future its going to power the onboard electronics for a wifi RC car, but thats another thread ;)
 

Gadget

Joined Jan 10, 2006
614
Lead Calcium.... Sorry, don't know that one. I would have thought being sealed 12v 4ah it might be a SLA (or sealed Lead acid battery) which are normally charged with a regulated voltage of around 13.5 volts.
 

Thread Starter

thetank

Joined Feb 13, 2007
14
yeah its getting to be a pain to find info in this battery, lol. i found that 14.8v seems what it would like to be charged at, but i still don't know about the current. should it equal to or exceeded the 4Ah rating of the battery?
 

beenthere

Joined Apr 20, 2004
15,819
Each battery type can accept some maximum rate of charge that depends on chemistry. Lead-calcium is absolutely new to me. Is there a manufacturer's name attached to the battery? If so, they probably have a spec sheet on it that gives charging information.
 

Tube Tech

Joined Jan 11, 2007
46
In general terms; ( I, too, know nothing about lead calcium batteries - do you add milk? )

Batteries create electricity through a chemical proces;

Charging a battery is a reversal of this chemical process;

High current causes high temperatures;

High temperatures cause changes in chemical processes. Irreversible changes, like cookie dough before and after the oven...

So, as a rule, I charge batteries slowly. 2A for a motorcycle battery, 4A for a garden tractor, 6A for the Mustang, up to 10A for the Bronco or motorhome.

I'm guessing that would be the safe philosophy.
 
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