Ken, thanks for your info again. I guessed I wasn't reading the site correctly, I kept thinking the charger you suggested plug into the cigarette lighter.... my bad.
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trickle charge qwest!
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Bulky unit? Sounds like you've never seen one of the small Schumacher on-board chargers close up. It's slightly smaller than a VHS videocassette and it only weighs about two pounds:Malibu Rapper said:
The advantage of the onboard charger is that it's always there when you need it. You can re-charge your car anywhere you go, without having to pack a charger to bring with you.
If you need to be able to charge several different cars with the same charger, and the only place you ever need to charge them is your own garage, then by all means you can get the bigger kind, like the Battery Tender and similar models made by other brands. You can find them easily in your local Sam's Club, Costco, or auto parts store. Just make sure that the one you buy is an "automatic" charger, meaning that when the battery is fully charged, it shuts off or switches to a safe, "float" level of charging, and then will start charging again if the battery's charge starts to drain below a certain level again.
Either kind of charger (onboard or not) will work; it's just a matter of which one fits your needs better.
Incidentally, Schumacher makes a wide variety of chargers of all kinds and sizes, including the bigger kind that you can connect to various different cars. If you see the Schumacher brand name on a charger, don't assume it's the on-board charger; it's possible it's one of the bigger ones. The small, on-board charger suitable for use on the NSX is their model number SE-1-12S.
nsxtasy said:
No offense since you own one of these but that unit is huge IMO and yes I have seen it in person. It's not much smaller than the main part of the Battery Tender plus that I have. I'm a minimalist and I gotta have everything out of sight out of mind. With the Battery Tender, there is literally just a tiny cable that runs to the front of the car where I have the plug hidden. I don't have to pop the hood to plug it in. You wouldn't know there was anything there unless you had a photographic memory of all the wires that ran under the hood. But the reason why the Schumacher is so big is that you do carry the charger with you wherever you go and that's the one advantage I didn't think of that some people might get with the Schumacher. In which case I'd probably get the Battery Tender that D'Ecosse got that weighs in at 1 pound and is smaller. :biggrin:
Although either of these units can charge a car battery, I'd much prefer to use a higher amperage battery charger instead of waiting a day to get the car charged up. But for maintaining batteries, the size, ease of setup, and neatness, either one of these maintainers wins hands down over chargers.
Having seen both and knowing how they work, I'd strongly recommend the Battery Tender over the Schumacher's unless you need to carry your maintainer with you wherever you go. But the Battery Tender plus only measures 4.875x3.25x2.875, the Junior is even smaller than both, so it's not that much to pack if you gotta bring it along.
Having seen all of them and knowing how they work, I recommend getting the small Schumacher onboard charger if you want the convenience of an onboard charger. However, if you want a charger that you're going to keep in your garage anyway, I recommend just getting a higher amperage battery charger with an automatic setting (like you can get at Sam's and Costco). The higher amperage chargers have multiple settings, so you can use the low amp setting as a "maintainer" if you need that, as well as the high amp "quick charge" setting if you need, well, a quick charge. You can still do the same wiring on your car to connect to a higher amperage charger that you would for a lower amperage charger. So that one charger can be your maintainer as well as your higher amperage charger, if you don't need the convenience of the onboard charger, and there's no need to buy a separate maintainer that isn't going to be installed inside the car.Malibu Rapper said:
Here is the kind of automatic battery charger/maintainer I'm talking about if you're looking for one for your garage, that you can use as a quick charger as well as a maintainer. This one sells for $55.87 on the Sam's Club website. (I paid around $45 for another brand at Sam's a couple of years ago.) EDIT: See additional information below about chargers for $20.81.
EDIT: Added bold comment.
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pt91 said:
I extended the cable. I used 10 gauge cable to do it but since you are only talking about 3 amps max, you can go as low as 14 gauge if you wanted really small wires (the Tender cable uses about 14 gauge). The connector I have tucked up right below the parking lamp. I'll take pictures next weekend.
As for the Vector battery charger, I have that same exact model and they are great. It's an excellent high frequency charger. That's exactly the reason why I bought the Battery Tender is because I got tired of hooking the darn thing up, it's big compared to the Tender, you gotta pop the hood, route the cables, get down at the battery and the clamps are a pain to put on the aftermarket battery terminals I have. It used to be about a 5 minute job to set things up. It's all about convenience for me. I can drive into my garage get my battery maintained in less than 30 seconds everytime, less than 10 if I wanted to. Plus I don't have that extra 2 pounds to throw the balance off on the car and send me crashing into a telephone pole. :biggrin:
...which can be done in order to use any brand and type of battery charger.Malibu Rapper said:
I checked my local Sam's Club today, and they are selling a Schumacher Speedcharger (this is Schumacher's line of automatic chargers) model SC-7000A, with the choice of 70 amps (for engine starting), 20 amps (for quick charging) and 2 amps (for maintainer type trickle charging), for $20.81. That's a great deal for a high-amp automatic charger.
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I went to 3 different Sams Clubs here in SoCal and could not find that Schumacher charger that's on sale. Bummer, it's a great deal for whomever has one in their area.
Ok, here are some quick pix I took of the Battery Tender install. There really isn't much to see... I took convoluted tubing and stuffed 2 10 gauge wires in it (again, you can probably get by with 14 gauge). I ran it from the driver side bumper, next to the driver side headlight (zip tied it on AC lines), over the steering column and down to the battery. That was just the path I found best at the time, maybe there is a better way to route the wires. I wanted to have the fuse serviceable so it ended up being accessible right around the radiator area. The weatherproof plug end itself I just tuck it up under the bumper when I unplug it from the base unit.
At the steering column (it's the black convoluted tubing on top)
At the headlight
Fuse at the radiator
Battery Tender sitting happily (this is not where I normally put it)
Ok, here are some quick pix I took of the Battery Tender install. There really isn't much to see... I took convoluted tubing and stuffed 2 10 gauge wires in it (again, you can probably get by with 14 gauge). I ran it from the driver side bumper, next to the driver side headlight (zip tied it on AC lines), over the steering column and down to the battery. That was just the path I found best at the time, maybe there is a better way to route the wires. I wanted to have the fuse serviceable so it ended up being accessible right around the radiator area. The weatherproof plug end itself I just tuck it up under the bumper when I unplug it from the base unit.
At the steering column (it's the black convoluted tubing on top)
At the headlight
Fuse at the radiator
Battery Tender sitting happily (this is not where I normally put it)
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For those of you with the Schumacher onboard charger..
Did you connect the negative wire to the negative battery post or did you ground it elsewhere?
Thanks
Did you connect the negative wire to the negative battery post or did you ground it elsewhere?
Thanks
- battery terminal for me, on the small 10mm threaded piece, I just added nut/washer.
HTH,
LarryB
HTH,
LarryB
I have the Battery Tender Junior, and that works well and is enough the keep the NSX battery fully charged. It was $29.95 at PepBoys or Batteries Plus. It's about the size of an AC/DC small device converter and just the cord is actually in the car. The unit goes into the wall or extension cord and has a red/green light indicator for charging or in "float". I liked it so well I got a second one for a car I have in off-site storage.
4 days of charging w/ the 1.5 amp trickle charger and no luck, I guess the battery is gone...
Thanks for your help guys
Thanks for your help guys
We should stick this thread in the FAQ
Just this past weekend I extended my Battery Tender permanent pigtail, following Malibu Rapper's fabulous idea.
Now I simply drive in and plug in at the bumper, 5 secs tops - no hood to open, extension cord to mess with etc.
Incidentally, I forwarded the suggestion to Battery Tender to offer a longer (2-3m) cable for this very purpose so users don't have to modify on their own (simple though it is) - got a nice acknowledgement form their support group that it would be considered.
Now I simply drive in and plug in at the bumper, 5 secs tops - no hood to open, extension cord to mess with etc.
Incidentally, I forwarded the suggestion to Battery Tender to offer a longer (2-3m) cable for this very purpose so users don't have to modify on their own (simple though it is) - got a nice acknowledgement form their support group that it would be considered.
I would suggest relocating the fuse within inches of the battery rather than in front of the radiator support. Bear in mind, the purpose of the fuse is to protect wire from fire if it gets shorted. In the event of a collision, the wire could get pinched by the radiator support. The fuse would only protect wiring from the point of the fuse forward.
Anybody interested to have the Schmacher on board charger? I totally misunderstood the meaning of "on-board", shame on me, and I got this charger from the Web site Ken mentioned. The charger is in original package with receipt and it's never been used.
please pm me if anyone is interested.
please pm me if anyone is interested.
How to extend the cord?
Hi Malibu and D'Ecose,
I just bought the Battery Tender W800. But, how did you guys extend the cord? Where did you get the 10 Gauge wire and convoluted black tubing? Any saudering involved? Thanks.
Jim
Hi Malibu and D'Ecose,
I just bought the Battery Tender W800. But, how did you guys extend the cord? Where did you get the 10 Gauge wire and convoluted black tubing? Any saudering involved? Thanks.
Jim
Malibu Rapper said:I went to 3 different Sams Clubs here in SoCal and could not find that Schumacher charger that's on sale. Bummer, it's a great deal for whomever has one in their area.
Ok, here are some quick pix I took of the Battery Tender install. There really isn't much to see... I took convoluted tubing and stuffed 2 10 gauge wires in it (again, you can probably get by with 14 gauge). I ran it from the driver side bumper, next to the driver side headlight (zip tied it on AC lines), over the steering column and down to the battery. That was just the path I found best at the time, maybe there is a better way to route the wires. I wanted to have the fuse serviceable so it ended up being accessible right around the radiator area. The weatherproof plug end itself I just tuck it up under the bumper when I unplug it from the base unit.
At the steering column (it's the black convoluted tubing on top)
At the headlight
Fuse at the radiator
Battery Tender sitting happily (this is not where I normally put it)
Re: How to extend the cord?
You can use 12 gauge wiring just fine. PepBoys or your local auto parts store should carry both the wire and convoluted tubing. Because I used 10 gauge which was way overkill, I used a connector instead of soldering. I would have preferred to solder myself but it wasn't a show stopper.
BTW, I was at Lowes today and I saw in the tools section a very similar and cool product made by Vector Manufacturing. Vector makes some great battery chargers. It has the same weatherproof plugs as the Battery Tender and you can basically hook it up the same way. The difference is this thing can put out a whopping 2 amps (not that you should need it) and it only costs $20. It comes with ring terminals for a battery hookup, a set of clamps you can use for your other car, and a cigarette lighter adapter. You cannot beat the power or the price or the fact that you can pick it up locally at your neighborhood Lowes.
NSXUSA said:
You can use 12 gauge wiring just fine. PepBoys or your local auto parts store should carry both the wire and convoluted tubing. Because I used 10 gauge which was way overkill, I used a connector instead of soldering. I would have preferred to solder myself but it wasn't a show stopper.
BTW, I was at Lowes today and I saw in the tools section a very similar and cool product made by Vector Manufacturing. Vector makes some great battery chargers. It has the same weatherproof plugs as the Battery Tender and you can basically hook it up the same way. The difference is this thing can put out a whopping 2 amps (not that you should need it) and it only costs $20. It comes with ring terminals for a battery hookup, a set of clamps you can use for your other car, and a cigarette lighter adapter. You cannot beat the power or the price or the fact that you can pick it up locally at your neighborhood Lowes.
Re: How to extend the cord?
Check out the twin low-voltage cable used for exterior landscape lighting - you can get that at your local Home Depot or Lowes. (12 should be fine).
There's even a low voltage lighting brand called Malibu!
If you don't want to solder (better), use some butt splices (OK). I know the sleeving is at Radio shack (along with the butt splices & crimping tool) or you can also get heat-shrink sleeving for covering the solder joints if you go that route
http://www.radioshack.com/product.asp?catalog_name=CTLG&product_id=278-1627
http://www.radioshack.com/product.asp?catalog_name=CTLG&product_id=64-3110
http://www.radioshack.com/product.asp?catalog_name=CTLG&product_id=64-2984
http://www.radioshack.com/product.asp?catalog_name=CTLG&product_id=278-1624
NSXUSA said:
Check out the twin low-voltage cable used for exterior landscape lighting - you can get that at your local Home Depot or Lowes. (12 should be fine).
There's even a low voltage lighting brand called Malibu!
If you don't want to solder (better), use some butt splices (OK). I know the sleeving is at Radio shack (along with the butt splices & crimping tool) or you can also get heat-shrink sleeving for covering the solder joints if you go that route
http://www.radioshack.com/product.asp?catalog_name=CTLG&product_id=278-1627
http://www.radioshack.com/product.asp?catalog_name=CTLG&product_id=64-3110
http://www.radioshack.com/product.asp?catalog_name=CTLG&product_id=64-2984
http://www.radioshack.com/product.asp?catalog_name=CTLG&product_id=278-1624
Re: How to extend the cord?
Yes, that's an even better idea. Use the low voltage lighting wire and keep me in business by buying my own brand, Malibu. It's weatherproof, stays together, and will be a lot easier to run than the 10 guage I used.
D'Ecosse said:
Yes, that's an even better idea. Use the low voltage lighting wire and keep me in business by buying my own brand, Malibu. It's weatherproof, stays together, and will be a lot easier to run than the 10 guage I used.
gfunk808 said:
You can go with something like this http://www.macgen.com/honda/batterycharger.html or just disconnect the battery to prevent it from becoming discharged.
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Briank said:
A baby generator ......pretty cool.:biggrin:
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When you disconnect a battery can you just disconnect the negative post and leave the positive post on?
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