Birdboy Posted April 20, 2009 Report Share Posted April 20, 2009 I recently bought a 12v 14a Deben double battery pack. Charged it a few times and worked great, went out lamping last night and it wasnt as pwerful as previous nights. Can i ask you guys how long you are charging your batterys for ? Also, on the wall mains charger for the Deben, there is a green light. Should this go out when fully charged ? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wymberley Posted April 20, 2009 Report Share Posted April 20, 2009 Hi, Birdboy, I'm pretty sure you'll find that the green light is supposed to come ON when the battery charge starts and OFF when it is fully charged. Do you also have a red "power" light. I've just checked on a partially charged battery to make sure that is right. Also, it is good for the battery if you fully discharge it occassionally - I rig up a bulb and let it run down. Charging time: The charger output will be specified on the body in milli amps (mA) If we have the same one, I suspect yours is 800mA. Obviously, this is 0.8A. Your required charge time for your 14A battery is 14 divided by 0.8 which is 17.5 hours. If the charger output is different (300mA, 500mA), alter the figure as necessary. To be honest, I had the same problem as you and I had a feeling that my green light was going out too soon and I now use a different make charger which has no light so I am dependent on the above method. One final point, it's always better for the battery to charge as slowly as possible so if I know that I won't be needing it straight away, I'll charge with my flapper battery (1.2AH) charger at 300mA. Hope that helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Birdboy Posted April 20, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 20, 2009 Spot on. Yes, a massive help. Ive charged mine overnight and the green light is still on. I will give it an extra few hours now and hope the green light comes off. Ive also got the red light to which seemd to always stay on. Thanks Wymberley Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wymberley Posted April 20, 2009 Report Share Posted April 20, 2009 You're welcome. Just spotted your locaton; I'm Exmouth. Couple of additional points you may find of interest: Not all chargers give the same output info, some use VA. We think we have the same one (the red indicates power on) and if so, you'll see 9.6va as well as the 8oomA. If you get one with just the VA, then; 12volt battery times 14amp divided by 9.6 and bingo. For draining the battery I've used an old cigar lighter plug with a short length of cable to which I soldered a car side light (5 watt) bulb. I'm running a little test comparing your charger with the make I now use but lamping tonight will put this back a bit. If the result is of note I'll post again when it's finished. Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Birdboy Posted April 20, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 20, 2009 I would be interested in your findings, thanks for the test. Many thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wymberley Posted April 21, 2009 Report Share Posted April 21, 2009 Hi, Birdboy, Charged my battery (same as yours), disconnected as soon as green went out, let it stabilize for 30 mins and checked voltage; just scraped 13. Used it last night but not with my rifle lamp - another hand-held lamp spotting for my oppo, so can't compare but as nowt has changed I know it would have soon dimmed. Recharged using Cluson 800mA and after similar stabilizing period had 13+ volts. Again as nowt has changed, I know all will be well. Don't ask me to explain this, I haven't a clue. You say that you recently purchased the kit. If your charger is the 800mA and part no. DA2595, you won't find either of those descriptions on the Deben website. I'm old enough to qualify as cynical. Finally, if you find 14 volts ideal (I do), if yours came in a bag, stuff your head in and see if you have 2 times 7 and then look at the price of a 7 and 14, I feel mine can't last much longer even though it's still fine, had it years. When the time comes, I fully intend to tear the joining tape apart, recover any joining cables (if it's possible) and save almost enough for 100 V Max (tight fisted as well). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dusk2dawn Posted April 21, 2009 Report Share Posted April 21, 2009 I recently bought a 12v 14a Deben double battery pack. Charged it a few times and worked great, went out lamping last night and it wasnt as pwerful as previous nights. Can i ask you guys how long you are charging your batterys for ? Also, on the wall mains charger for the Deben, there is a green light. Should this go out when fully charged ? Thanks Hi I dont have the scientific answers but through experience have found that new batteries usually take several partial discharges and recharges before they reach their peak working potential. I have treated all my batteries the same and they have done very well, I always recharge after every session and top up the charge every 3 months when they are stored, completely discharge 3 times a year and recharge from scratch. I use a Deben 800ma charger. One of my 7amp batts is at least 8yrs old and still going strong. Rgds D2D. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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