Automated button presses

[Quixote_1]

Hi guys,
Over the years I've come to loathe PC automated systems, but only because of the fact that I am limited to winblows with the software solutions that I have come to rely on. My current setup is exasperatingly unstable and unreliable, but at no fault of the automation software developers, I'm sure. It seems like every few days I return home to find my computer B.S.O.D.ed, and in this light, I am attempting to have as many crucial systems as possible reliant on nothing but the hardware they consist of and the power source they run on.

One of these systems that I speak of is a door entry system (still in development, obviously) that runs on it's own deep cycle marine battery and an intelligent charger. The actual brains of the system is independant, a couple of one-wire boards that can interface to another system to communicate with my pc. This is perfect in that it will function on it's own, yet provide feedback to the pc when windows actually manages to run for more than a couple of consecutive days without brain-farting.

The problem is that once in a while there is a power failure, thus interupting the battery maintenance charge. When this happens, if I'm out of town for a while, upon my return, the battery is totally f**ked. Anyone that has used a deep cycle battery knows that leaving it discharged for any amount of time over a day can completely ruin your $100+ battery. SO...

I would like to know if anyone knows of something that I could rig up to replace a button on the charger that would simulate any number of button presses that I choose by closing a circuit momentarily multiple times when another circuit is charged, like a relay. I'm looking for an affordable solution that will use 12VDC.

Thanks for any leads!

 

[signal15]

Deep Cycle batteries are designed to be deeply discharged with no adverse effects.

You should NOT be using a regular battery charger on it. You should be using a charger/desulfator. I have 3 of these and they are awesome:

http://www.batteryminders.com/batterycharg...io-p-16134.html

They will even bring a battery back from the dead as long as the plates are not shorted. This takes 3-6 months, but that's why I have 3 of them. I also have a solar powered version for my truck that I rarely use.

Some chargers have a 24 hour desulfate mode on them. Those don't work. It takes months for it to actually work. The only desulfators that I've ever seen work are the BatteryMinder products, and some of the homebuilt ones from plans on the net. All said and done, the BatteryMinder is cheaper than building if you consider the time you'll put into it.

 

[Quixote_1]

Deep Cycle batteries are designed to be deeply discharged with no adverse effects.

You should NOT be using a regular battery charger on it. You should be using a charger/desulfator. I have 3 of these and they are awesome:

http://www.batteryminders.com/batterycharg...io-p-16134.html

They will even bring a battery back from the dead as long as the plates are not shorted. This takes 3-6 months, but that's why I have 3 of them. I also have a solar powered version for my truck that I rarely use.

Some chargers have a 24 hour desulfate mode on them. Those don't work. It takes months for it to actually work. The only desulfators that I've ever seen work are the BatteryMinder products, and some of the homebuilt ones from plans on the net. All said and done, the BatteryMinder is cheaper than building if you consider the time you'll put into it.

Thanks for the pointers, but from the reading I've done, all info says that you should never leave a deep-cycle battery under 40 or 50% for more than a day. That's not to say that you can't drain it completely if you charge it fully right after, but any length of time that it's under full capacity can cause your plates to be coated with crystals from the sulfuric acid. AGMs are more resilient to this weakness.
I have an intelligent charger that is good for all types of batteries. It actually charges the batt and then switches to maintenance mode. I've also managed to use it to recover a battery with it's maintenance mode and a little demineralized water from the corner store in less than a few days, though to be honest I haven't tested it's longevity yet.

I'll take a look at your link though since I'll be trying to outfit my brother's recently purchased cottage soon. Thanks!

 

[BraveSirRobbin]

I would like to know if anyone knows of something that I could rig up to replace a button on the charger that would simulate any number of button presses that I choose by closing a circuit momentarily multiple times when another circuit is charged, like a relay. I'm looking for an affordable solution that will use 12VDC.

I'm a little confused with this statement, can you ellaborate with some addtional details?

If you do have money to throw at this project a solar panel and cheap charge controller would help you keep the battery charged during a power outage. I believe JohnWPB had a thread going with some decent info on calculating panel size, etc... for a light he wanted in a remote location.

 

[signal15]

The plates on a deep cycle are thicker and will last longer. But you're still going to get sulfation. For what you are using that battery for, you absolutely need to get a charger/maintainer that desulfates ALL the time. You should easily get 10+ years out of that battery, and you're not going to do it with your current solution.

What charger do you have on it now? Is it one of those Vector chargers? Vector makes them, but other companies put their name on them. Home Depot sold them with the Husky name. Those chargers are fine for occasional use when you have a discharged battery (and actually quite good for this purpose), but they are FAR from perfect for maintaining a battery 24/7. Get something that was designed for the purpose.

 

[Quixote_1]

I would like to know if anyone knows of something that I could rig up to replace a button on the charger that would simulate any number of button presses that I choose by closing a circuit momentarily multiple times when another circuit is charged, like a relay. I'm looking for an affordable solution that will use 12VDC.

I'm a little confused with this statement, can you ellaborate with some addtional details?

If you do have money to throw at this project a solar panel and cheap charge controller would help you keep the battery charged during a power outage. I believe JohnWPB had a thread going with some decent info on calculating panel size, etc... for a light he wanted in a remote location.

I'm hoping to find a board that will close a relay or transistor momentarily, but a number of times that I choose. For instance, if I opened up the charger, removed one of the buttons and soldered the device in series with that circuit instead of the button, then set that board up to hit the button three times, then once the "coil" (or whatever the other circuit is) would be charged, then the board would close the circuit three times in a row, for the amount of time that I choose, (ie.- 1 second, * 3 with a second in between each close). This would fool the charger into thinking someone is there pressing the button the number of times needed to set it to the desired charge rate.

Thanks and I'll take a look at JohnWPB's thread when it comes time to set up the cottage. Sounds like just what I need to read.


@signal15- this is the model of charger that I bought. I think it's quite capable: http://www.canadiantire.ca/AST/browse/4/Au...2BIndicator.jsp
I can see in the list of specs that it does have Battery Desulphation. Do you think that it is good enough for what I'm doing? What model would you recommend that I buy next time if the one I have isn't adequate?

 

[signal15]

That charger is actually made by Vector. If it's like their other ones, Desulfation mode only runs for 24 hours. That's not sufficient for what you are doing. You should be running the BatteryMinder at the link I posted above if you're leaving it on 24/7. That charger you have was not intended for your application.

 

[Quixote_1]

That charger is actually made by Vector. If it's like their other ones, Desulfation mode only runs for 24 hours. That's not sufficient for what you are doing. You should be running the BatteryMinder at the link I posted above if you're leaving it on 24/7. That charger you have was not intended for your application.

OK, thanks for the eye-opener. So I take it you own one of those models? If you had it plugged into a battery and there was a power failure, would the charger turn back on and resume charging the battery once the power was restored?

 

[signal15]

That charger is actually made by Vector. If it's like their other ones, Desulfation mode only runs for 24 hours. That's not sufficient for what you are doing. You should be running the BatteryMinder at the link I posted above if you're leaving it on 24/7. That charger you have was not intended for your application.

OK, thanks for the eye-opener. So I take it you own one of those models? If you had it plugged into a battery and there was a power failure, would the charger turn back on and resume charging the battery once the power was restored?

Yes, I have one. Mine is branded Husky, but it's made by Vector. As far as I know, you can't get the Husky branded ones anymore. It's a great charger for when I need to charge a dead battery and keep it charged until I can get to it, but I would never use it to maintain a battery 24/7. Mine does not turn back on automatically after a power failure either, I have to press a button. The desulfate mode on mine is worthless.

 

[Quixote_1]

I also have this one, but at .75A, it's really slow to perform a full charge I think.

http://batterytender.com/product_info.php?...6b34707f231da4c

Is this one the same as the others you pointed out to me?