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Old 09-24-2007, 09:44 AM
talmy talmy is offline
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Location: Oregon
Hybrids: 2007 TCH
Posts: 240
Default Re: Anyone have a charger for their HV battery pack yet?

Quote:
Originally Posted by jamnpb View Post
If so couldn't you make a full wave rectifier for a 240 volt AC plug that puts out a low current for charging? I know it's a 255 volt battery pack, but 240 volt seems close to the 90% charge where it's supposed to charge up to. I wouldn't even need anything fancy, a timer could turn it on and off so there isn't anything too sophisticated.
Don't even think about building a simple charger for NiMH batteries. You need to monitor and control the charging current during the cycle and not overcharge (the TCH never fully charges the battery so as to preserve its life).

Also, 240 VAC actually produces 339 volts on its peaks, which without some intelligent current limiting will toast the battery. And the battery output voltage is not proportional to it's charge (this would be true for a capacitor), but is quite flat over most of its range.
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