RE: [A/S] 1972 Modern intelligent power converter vs. Battery Charger

["Oliver Filippi" <ofilippi@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Craig,

Thanks for the lead, and info.  The Battery Minder you referred to is an
intelligent battery charger and functions a lot like the Intellipower
converter.

Adding the solar charger is an excellent idea if you boondock a lot.

The Batterymart web site also has a good explaination of the operation of
the intelligent charger and how it attempts (and succeeds, as long as the
drain is less than or equal to the output of the charger) to keep the
battery fully charged.

Note that such capability doesn't come super cheap, but the extended battery
life AND higher battery performance over its life is a significant plus vs.
the inexpensive trickle charger.

Note that lead acid storage batteries perform best when kept fully charged
but not over charged.  Overcharging and discharging them to low levels prior
to recharging are the two biggest causes of reduced battery life.  Yes,
"deep cycle" batteries handle the heavy discharge/recharge use better than
standard lead acid batteries, but still exhibit a shortened life under this
use pattern.

Oliver Filippi