"Lighter-plug" trickle chargers?

10293 Views 13 Replies 9 Participants Last post by FolsomSue, May 8, 2009

FolsomSue

Discussion Starter · May 7, 2009

Hi all

After getting through a Canadian winter and depleting my battery at one point (I drive it such a short distance each day that I wasn't really recharging the battery properly... now I treat myself to a weekly highway spin to compensate) I started to wonder about trickle chargers.

My boss suggested I get a solar charger that can plug in via the lighter socket. I've also seen Mercedes (which sells smarts in Canada) sell plug-in trickle chargers which use AC instead... but interface via the lighter socket as well.

I've heard that in some cars out there these types of chargers simply don't work... does anyone know if they work on our smarts, is there any risk of damage, etc. etc.?

Thanks in advance

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Smart Bob

· #2 · May 7, 2009

Battery Charger

You would have to leave the key in the #1 position to use the power point as a plug-in for the charger. Acquire a Battery Tender & it has a wire lead that you can permanently connect to the battery. Run the wire under the battery cover and carpet and have it exit under the dash in front of the counsole. You can then plug in your Battery Tender Charger, roll one of the windows down slightly, place the power cord outside the vehicle and connect to an A/C power source. You can then charge your battery without having to lift the carpet and remove the troublesome styrofoam battery cover. You can also lock the doors. Make sure you place something non-combustible under the battery charger in order to avoid the possiblility of a fire. A board or insulated metal coaster will work as the charger can get warm, especially if the battery is low.

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jetfuel

· #3 · May 7, 2009

Smart Bob said:
You would have to leave the key in the #1 position to use the power point as a plug-in for the charger. Acquire a Battery Tender & it has a wire lead that you can permanently connect to the battery. Run the wire under the battery cover and carpet and have it exit under the dash in front of the counsole. You can then plug in your Battery Tender Charger, roll one of the windows down slightly, place the power cord outside the vehicle and connect to an A/C power source. You can then charge your battery without having to lift the carpet and remove the troublesome styrofoam battery cover. You can also lock the doors. Make sure you place something non-combustible under the battery charger in order to avoid the possiblility of a fire. A board or insulated metal coaster will work as the charger can get warm, especially if the battery is low.

...hey Bob...do you have a dimmer switch on your computer?..if so ..turn it down a bit ......thanks

jetfuel

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FolsomSue

Discussion Starter · #4 · May 7, 2009

Thanks Bob... although the fire hazard precautions have me a little jittery... or maybe it was the electric-blue font you chose...

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1983JZR3W

· #5 · May 7, 2009

I have a Deltran Battery Tender on all three of my collector cars. They are all hard wired into the battery and not into a cig lighter or inside plug. They work great and I will be wiring one into my black Brabus coupe as soon as it arrives.

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2442

· #6 · May 8, 2009

FolsomSue said:
Thanks Bob... although the fire hazard precautions have me a little jittery... or maybe it was the electric-blue font you chose...

If the charger starts a fire, you get a prize. The battery tender from Harbor Freight will not overcharge or boil away the electrolite. (Approx. $6,00).

Hard wire it to the battery and you only handle the regular 110volt power cord.

Donald LaFavor

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rcexplorer

· #7 · May 8, 2009

Here is another option. I added an additional lighter socket directly under the fuse panel (drivers side). I needed a 24/7 power due to pulling my Smart behind my RV. When pulling, there is a breaking box that you need to set on the drivers floor, anyway, the lighter socket took me about an hour and I believe cost me under $3.00. Easy to plug a battery minder into.

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mvaldes

· #8 · May 8, 2009

I have my battery tender set up pretty much as SmartBob describes. It's easy to set up and to connect and disconnect. If you still want to use one that plugs into the lighter, you can easily add an outlet in the glove box. Radio Shack (at least in the US) sells a fused 12v accessory plug. You just drill a hole in the back of the glove box, feed the wires through and push in the outlet and it snaps in place. The wires it comes with are long enough to reach the battery and you just connect them to it. The whole process takes about 1/2 hour and then you have an unswitched outlet to use for whatever you wish.

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Smart Bob

· #9 · May 8, 2009

Another Charger Option:

In addition to a Battery Tender, I also use an Accumate 6/12 Four-stage Smart Charger-maintainer. It comes with the lead to hard-wire your battery to the charger. I like this charger over the Battery Tender because it will charger 6 volt batteries as well as 12 volt and you only need one unit. I have two horseless carriages that have 6 volt systems. The Accumate is available at: www.tecmate.com or www.tecmate-int.com.

I was being over-cautious about the fire issue but a battery charger can get a bit warm at times. I plug my Accumate into the hard-wire lead and set in on the floor mat. I place a large metal coaster under it to conduct away any heat. A fire would be extremely un-likely but better to be safe.

As for Jet-Fuel, I am happy that I finally got your attention. Maybe you need some darker sunglasses so your monitor won't blind you. LOL!

I think a lot of your comments are clever and make this site entertaining. By the way, it would be interesting to see what you really look like?

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jefferios

· #10 · May 8, 2009

Thanks for changing the text color to something a bit better to read. :bigthumbup:

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WhiteNBlack08

· #11 · May 8, 2009

Smart Bob said:
By the way, it would be interesting to see what you really look like?

I've met jetfuel in person, trust me on this one, stick with the image in the avatar!

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jetfuel

· #12 · May 8, 2009

...OK people you are drowning in a glass of water...
...for the charger deal...an earphone type of female plug with 20 or 18 gauge wire from the battery to the place of your choosing (under the hood) and the charger with the male end ....plug and play...

...Bob ...this is what I look with a tie...

jetfuel

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Smart Bob

· #13 · May 8, 2009

Jet Fuel, what do you look like sans cravat? Also, the hardwire lead that comes with the battery charger I described has a fuse on the positive side & ring terminals on each end to connect to the battery terminal bolts. The positive terminal is labeled so that you will not reverse the polarity. The battery Tender charger cable, I think, is not fused but has a + sign to identify the positive lead. Both have a connector so you can un-plug the alligator clip leads and plug into the hardwire adapter.

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FolsomSue

Discussion Starter · #14 · May 8, 2009

Thanks again

to Smart Bob et al for all of the ideas!

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