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jimmylomax · 08-05-2017, 08:40 PM

Hi. I've been stalking for quite a long time. Thanks for everything

I finally got around to installing my alternator bypass (thanks for the tutorial, btw). I, too, installed the Odyssey PC1200 AGM. Is your battery and charger still working well? Did you ever measure the actual current output from your charger (I’m assuming you at least measured the input side since you have the watt-meter)?

It seems the charger you bought seems to have been pulled from the market and the Odyssey approved suppliers list ]ODYSSEY battery - Ultimizer wasn’t updated.

I ended up buying what I thought was a similar microprocessor-controlled Schumacher/EnerSys 12A model which you would think would put out about 30% of nominal 42 AH rating in Amps. But when I put my meter on it the maximum I have observed is about 6.2A (I’ve tested in various conditions at different temperatures and states of charge - I'm guessing it puts out 6A @ 12V and 12A @ 6V). I’ve been running it for a couple months now and lately it seems the battery is depleting faster on my same commute; I’m worried I’ve damaged the battery with sulfate on the plates and want act quickly to try and knock it off as well as possible. At first I would never get the low voltage dash light on and now it comes on regularly before I get home (know what triggers it on Hondas?... I think it is probably something like dropping to ~11.9V for over 30s while discharging.)

With my tail between my legs, I’m now out to fix what I think I probably did wrong and get a proper charger adhering to your/Odyssey’s rule-of-thumb suggestion of having at least 40% current output of nominal amp-hour rating.

Interestingly, I have an older Schumacher non-solid-state charger that claims to put out 10 Amps and, iirc, I think I measured around 2 amps from it. Both chargers are using the bolt on ring terminals to the battery, but I am still using the grossly undersized (for 12A anyway) quick disconnect that does heat up considerably. Now that I write this and think more about it, I will eliminate that as root cause Monday night.

08-05-2017, 08:40 PM	#301 (permalink)
jimmylomax EcoModding Lurker Join Date: Jun 2014 Location: St. Louis Posts: 16 Red FIRE Racer - '08 Honda Fit Sport 90 day: 48.54 mpg (US) Thanks: 2 Thanked 4 Times in 3 Posts	AGM Battery maintenance Hi. I've been stalking for quite a long time. Thanks for everything I finally got around to installing my alternator bypass (thanks for the tutorial, btw). I, too, installed the Odyssey PC1200 AGM. Is your battery and charger still working well? Did you ever measure the actual current output from your charger (I’m assuming you at least measured the input side since you have the watt-meter)? It seems the charger you bought seems to have been pulled from the market and the Odyssey approved suppliers list ]ODYSSEY battery - Ultimizer wasn’t updated. I ended up buying what I thought was a similar microprocessor-controlled Schumacher/EnerSys 12A model which you would think would put out about 30% of nominal 42 AH rating in Amps. But when I put my meter on it the maximum I have observed is about 6.2A (I’ve tested in various conditions at different temperatures and states of charge - I'm guessing it puts out 6A @ 12V and 12A @ 6V). I’ve been running it for a couple months now and lately it seems the battery is depleting faster on my same commute; I’m worried I’ve damaged the battery with sulfate on the plates and want act quickly to try and knock it off as well as possible. At first I would never get the low voltage dash light on and now it comes on regularly before I get home (know what triggers it on Hondas?... I think it is probably something like dropping to ~11.9V for over 30s while discharging.) With my tail between my legs, I’m now out to fix what I think I probably did wrong and get a proper charger adhering to your/Odyssey’s rule-of-thumb suggestion of having at least 40% current output of nominal amp-hour rating. Interestingly, I have an older Schumacher non-solid-state charger that claims to put out 10 Amps and, iirc, I think I measured around 2 amps from it. Both chargers are using the bolt on ring terminals to the battery, but I am still using the grossly undersized (for 12A anyway) quick disconnect that does heat up considerably. Now that I write this and think more about it, I will eliminate that as root cause Monday night.