PC680 battery charger

carl nank · #1 09-04-2009, 07:33 AM

I looked up the PC680 and did not find anything regarding type of battery charger for this battery.

Any help on that matter?

Fearless · #2 09-04-2009, 07:49 AM

I'm going to use a Battery Tender Jr on mine. I use it on my riding mowers.

William Slaughter · #3 09-04-2009, 07:55 AM

I use a Battery Tender Plus. Works great. Schumacher also has some "smart" chargers at very reasonable prices. Check out the tech documents on the Battery Tender web site for info on what makes a "smart" charger, well, smart.

Brantel · #4 09-04-2009, 08:05 AM

Most normal battery chargers will not fully charge a PC-680 battery. They just don't go high enough on the voltage. The Battery Tender models mentioned above do appear to be OK for the PC-680.

The same people that make the batteries also make a charger made for the Odyssee batteries.

I got battery and charger from Battery Mart. They have free shipping and a decent price and I ordered it one day and had it two days later.

The charger works great. There is a fan in it that runs anytime it is powered up even in trickle mode so that is not so great.

Pmerems · #5 09-04-2009, 08:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brantel

Most normal battery chargers will not fully charge a PC-680 battery. They just don't go high enough on the voltage.

The same people that make the batteries also make a charger made for the Odyssee batteries.

I got mine and my battery from Battery Mart. They have free shipping and a decent price and I ordered it one day and had it two days later.

The charger works great. There is a fan in it that runs anytime it is powered up even in trickle mode so that is not so great.

Which Odyssey charger do you have (6,12,25 amp)?

Do you have perment connections to the battery for charging in the airplane? If so any issues when charging?

Brantel · #6 09-04-2009, 08:21 AM

Hey Paul,

I bought the 6 amp version and it is plenty fast. It comes with a charger pigtail that you can mount to the battery post and a matching connector on the charger cable.

The charger works great, I just wish the fan turned off after going into maintenance phase.

I also made provisions to charge thru my 12V lighter jack in the cockpit.

nucleus · #7 09-04-2009, 08:46 AM

I have a Xenotronix mounted on my firewall, it is a special super-duper gel-cell [I mean AGM] smart charger. I have the power-plug cushion clamped to the motor mount near the oil door. Open the oil door, stick on an extension cord and you are charging. This is very nice convenient setup, but there is one major flaw:

If you leave the master on, and drain the battery completely, the smart charger will not charge the battery! It doesn't even recognize that you have a battery! I wish the charger had a switch to turn it into a "dumb charger" for just that instance.

I also would not recommend Xenotronix period. I had a problem where the charger was draining the battery (it is always connected) and it was a bit of a chore to get a Return Authorization; multiple phone calls, leaving voicemails, etc. In the end they fixed it, but they had a surly attitude and continued to insist that there was NO WAY the charger could have been draining the battery... Funny though how the discharge problems went away the instant I disconnected the battery charger...

If someone finds a nice lightweight gel-cell firewall mountable smart charger with a dead battery/dumb charger switch, let me know.

Hans

Jamie · #8 09-04-2009, 09:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nucleus

I have a Xenotronix mounted on my firewall, it is a special super-duper gel-cell smart charger.

...

If someone finds a nice lightweight gel-cell firewall mountable smart charger with a dead battery/dumb charger switch, let me know.

Correct me if I'm wrong...but to the best of my knowledge the PC680 is not a gel cell.

Brantel · #9 09-04-2009, 09:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jamie

Correct me if I'm wrong...but to the best of my knowledge the PC680 is not a gel cell.

You are correct, it is an AGM battery which is different than a gel cell.

Pmerems · #10 09-04-2009, 09:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brantel

Hey Paul,

I bought the 6 amp version and it is plenty fast. It comes with a charger pigtail that you can mount to the battery post and a matching connector on the charger cable.

The charger works great, I just wish the fan turned off after going into maintenance phase.

I also made provisions to charge thru my 12V lighter jack in the cockpit.

Brian,

What provisions did you make to charge through your 12V lighter jack?

I installed a lighter jack (10 amp fused) connected to my "always on" fuse panel (connected directly to the battery). I don't think I need to make any modifications to the wiring I have in place already, do I?

Thanks,