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Old 01-10-2018, 09:50 PM
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michaellxv (Michael)
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Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Adelaide, Australia
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Which smart charger for AGM batteries?

So I recently purchased one of the ALDI 38AH AGM batteries discussed here
http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/s...d.php?t=170312 and this raised the question of which charger I should get to go with this battery.


I have an old car battery charger that puts out continuous 12V DC 2.68A which would charge it but it's dumb and wont stop charging when the battery is full.


A smart charger has been recommended but which one? They seem to come in anything from 3 stage to 9 stage and anything up to 15A . A charge rate of 1/10th C has been recommended which would mean 3.8A max for this battery.


I also have a jump start with a 17AH battery and a compressor/inflator with a 7AH battery that would benefit from some smart charging.


I have looked through the Jaycar and SCA offerings, found a few other online vendors and of course eBay and there is a wide range to choose from starting from $20 up to well more than I want to spend.


Do I really need any more than 3 stage?
The smaller chargers cover the range 6-20AH, but would they work on a larger capacity battery but just take longer?
The larger chargers start at 20AH and go up from there, quite often with a min charge rate of 2A which is too much for my smaller batteries.


any recommendations on a good value smart charger?


Michael.
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