[Vwdiesel] Boosters

[Val Christian]

Bill,

My 2003 VW Jetta TSI had a solar panel in the parking lot, which was 
connected to the cigar lighter.  I asked for it when I bought the 
car, and they gave it to me without hesitation.  It will keep the 
battery topped.  I installed it in the rear dash panel, and plugged
it into the rear cigar lighter / power jack in the trunk.

Val

> 
> I can highly endorse these "battery tender" type trickle chargers for
> greatly extending battery life. My experience has been they can triple
> battery life. I bought a used  Rockwood diesel pusher motorhome (which is
> for sale) in 1999 & the two engine batteries (12 V in parallel) which were
> on the motorhome when I bought it are still going strong & must be at least
> 12 years old, thanks to a battery tender which I have left connected to the
> motorhome. These float chargers cost from half the price of a battery to as
> little as $10 at Harbor Freight. To bad auto manufacturers don't inbed solar
> cells in the dashboards & rear package shelves of new cars. The only car
> that I think has such an option is the Toyota Prius.
> 
> As an aside, I have been having computer problems. My old computer which
> runs XP died. My new computer, which runs Windows 7 seems to require a whole
> new learning curve which I don't understand. I thought this posting had
> disapeared & then reappeared, fortunatly. If some postings come thru that
> look like they are half complete, blame my lack of Windows 7 skills.
> 
> Bill Toensing, Nevada City, CA
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> 410
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> On Fri, Dec 24, 2010 at 3:00 PM, James Hansen <jhsg at sasktel.net> wrote:
> 
> > I have one too, same deal.
> > 12 v socket that is fairly handy, charges easy, can hook it up in the dark
> > (it won't turn on the relay that powers the cables if the polarity is off),
> > but it is a small thing, and certainly will not boost a dead battery, but,
> > most boosts happen because the host needs just a little push to get sparked
> > up, so for that it is fairly handy.
> > I keep one around for the stock car mostly, if there is a charging system
> > problem that lowers battery voltage during a race.    I have a voltage reg
> > going to the hei, to feed it 18v regardless of input voltage, to reduce
> > horsepower losses from lower spark voltage... so really if it starts with
> > the battery pack helping, and there are enough electrons left in the
> > battery, it runs at full power. The boost pack is just the thing, handier
> > than a battery and cables, but small.
> > IIRC, the first ones were horrible expensive, but could put out current
> > like
> > a hot damn- had big nicads in it. They would jump start rocks.
> > -another farmer jim, who does use a smart charge, and solar tenders....
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: vwdiesel-bounces at vwfans.com [mailto:vwdiesel-bounces at vwfans.com] On
> > Behalf Of Val Christian
> > Sent: December-24-10 4:07 PM
> > To: vwdiesel at vwfans.com
> > Subject: [Vwdiesel] Boosters
> >
> > Yep, battery boosters, and in jump start packs.
> >
> > Farmer Jim down the road, says he gets his 12 cyl combine going with one
> > of them.  Debugging a car, he dropped on off for me to play with.
> > Interstate 3000.  LEDs on the clamps, long, but not long enough clamps,
> > polarity wrong warnings, a go/no-go meter for the onboard battery,
> > a roadsize flasher, and so on.
> >
> > So I tried it.  Yep it boosted things, but I'm not sure that it was any
> > different than a battery with jumper cables.  I returned it before I took
> > it apart.
> >
> > So are these things something like a 20 Ah battery, and other than the
> > onboard charger, the warning electronics, and the cute little LEDs in the
> > jumper clamps, is there any fancy electronics?  Or is it simply a battery,
> > with a switch, in parallel with your existing, presumably cranked-out
> > battery?
> >
> > Anyone know?
> >
> > Diesel relevancy:  Eventually, your diesel will need a jump.  If the other
> > engine has a 130+ Amp alternator, and you have 4 ga or better cables, your
> > life is always easier.
> >
> > ps: Farmer Jim should consider a solar trickle charger for the combines
> > parked outside, and a smart charger for the batteries inside.  Actually,
> > I think one of the combines already has one...
> >
> > _______________________________________________
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> >
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