Battery pooched?

Weaselinsuit

Weaselinsuit

Joined
Jul 11, 2020
Messages
665
Age
60
Location
North Saanich, British Columbia
Bike
2014 ST1300
Like an idiot, I forgot to hook up the trickle charger to my battery. Just realized it so hooked up my Noco Genius 2.

The Noco will only sit in standby mode which their site says indicates that the battery charge is too low to be detected.

Any way to save the battery or am I doomed to pay the stupid tax, i.e., buy a new battery?
 
Is this a lead acid battery? If so, do what Larry suggested - or you can connect it to an older battery charger that is not a sophisticated maintainer type. Once it starts taking a charge, then connect it to a smart charger, preferably one with a sulfation cycle (pulsed voltage that breaks down the lead sulfate that accumulates on the plates). If lead was not shed from the plates (this can short out adjacent plates) you stand a good chance of recovering the battery. If it is 4 years old, I'd just replace it. If it is not new, make sure you carry a booster charger with you in case the battery dies on you while you are on a trip.

If it is a Lithium battery, it is probably toast. Recycle it.
 
Hmm. Wonder if a light bulb and a bridge rectifier would work, plugged into a 120v AC circuit.

Yes, it is dangerous if you are not careful, so don't try this at home kids.

Works on lead acid batteries. Anyone know if it would work on a lithium too?

If so, I can post a link to the how to for folks..... again, you need to know the steps for this as you are dealing with 120v AC!

Here's the idea though.

1710112683880.jpeg
 
The previous advice to hook it to another battery might work, If it is fully discharged the Lithium tender might not begin charging, it needs to see a certain voltage before it begins, Hook it to another battery to get an initial charge then switch to the charger.
 
If charging current is a concern, connect a high-wattage 12v incandescent bulb in line with one of the jumpers. It will limit maximum current to that of the bulb itself.

This also work for finding short circuits, when you can't keep power on long enough to find the short. Wire a bulb in place of the fuse, so it acts as a current limiter and a visual indicator.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Obo
Something to try... happened to me. I had a battery too far discharged simular situation and the charger I had wouldnt detect it. I also have a cheapo HF charger .75 amp job. Tried that on the battery to get it bumped to a detectable level. -It worked. Then went with the larger more expensive charger that then finished the job. Maybe it would work for you or...maybe not. Its a cheap experiment.
 
SMSW said:
Is this a lead acid battery? If so, do what Larry suggested - or you can connect it to an older battery charger that is not a sophisticated maintainer type. Once it starts taking a charge, then connect it to a smart charger, preferably one with a sulfation cycle (pulsed voltage that breaks down the lead sulfate that accumulates on the plates). If lead was not shed from the plates (this can short out adjacent plates) you stand a good chance of recovering the battery. If it is 4 years old, I'd just replace it. If it is not new, make sure you carry a booster charger with you in case the battery dies on you while you are on a trip.

If it is a Lithium battery, it is probably toast. Recycle it.
Click to expand...
If it's a lithium battery they have a built in low voltage switch. It'll drop to 11.5 volts and turn off. Some AGMs have this feature as well. Lead acid they can be revived unless they are totally sulfates.
 
dtcoleman said:
If it's a lithium battery they have a built in low voltage switch. It'll drop to 11.5 volts and turn off. Some AGMs have this feature as well. Lead acid they can be revived unless they are totally sulfates.
Click to expand...
It probably depends on the battery/brand. My Shorai's instructions said to never discharge it all the way down. But that was several years ago, and these things have been changing yearly. When all else fails, read the instructions.
 
SMSW said:
It probably depends on the battery/brand. My Shorai's instructions said to never discharge it all the way down. But that was several years ago, and these things have been changing yearly. When all else fails, read the instructions.
Click to expand...
Earlier Shorai lithium batteries didn’t have BMS protection circuit.
 
Obo said:
@Weaselinsuit reading all these threads is now part of your penance.

Pay the stupid tax, accept your lesson with dignity, heal that knee and get out for a ride.
Click to expand...
Lesson learned with what little dignity I ever had. Working on the knee. Also have to work on waistline so I can get into riding pants. Stupid lack of movement + excess calories. If only I'd have known.......
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom