different voltages series

[hubbytuby]

Is it posible to contect different voltage batteries in series. For example i have three 12 volt batteries in series but want to add a 6v to get a total of 42vts. Is this possible? Thanks

 

[Morelite]

NO, do not do it. The 6v will not take it. Always keep combined batteries matched for voltage, capacity, type and also age.

 

[VidPro]

^ what he said, it is possible, it does attain the goal you asked about, but it would be very bad to do that , with batteries.

 

[Morelite]

Can you give us some details on your project? You may be able to use 4 12v batts in series with a power resistor to lower the voltage to 42v. Why not use 7 6v batts in series?

 

[Mr Happy]

Is it posible to contect different voltage batteries in series. For example i have three 12 volt batteries in series but want to add a 6v to get a total of 42vts. Is this possible? Thanks

Yes, of course you can do this just as long as certain conditions are met.

A 12 volt lead acid battery is nothing other than a battery of six, 2 volt cells in series (that is where the word battery comes from).

A 6 volt battery, likewise, is three cells in series.

Therefore if you put a 12 volt battery in series with a 6 volt battery, you get an 18 volt battery consisting of nine cells in series. If you could buy an 18 volt battery it would be just like this.

What you have to do when considering this is match the individual cells for type and capacity. If your 12 volt and 6 volt batteries are of the same type and have the same amp-hour capacity, then you are good to go. If not, you are not.

 

[Turbo Guy]

Cells / batteies in series is not a problem. As mentioned above it would be best if they have same or similiar capacity and it is also best if they have same load carrying ability,in other words the drain (load) ideally should not be greater than the weakiest battery can supply. If capacities are not the same then the first to run empty( if this should happen) will be reverse charged by the other and will be ruined or worse.

Many get series and parallel confused. You can never connect different voltage batteries or cells in parallel. The reason is simple .. The higher voltage one(s) would over charge the lower voltage one(s).

 

[VidPro]

sure but dont forget if he tosses some YUSA 12V 13A gell cells, and then uses a panasonic 6V 13A starved electrolyte in , it will still do an uneven discharge.
even of the same brand the differances in resistance and impedance (or some such thing) between the cell types, will end up with one item going down faster than the other. then before you know it, longevity ends

but the current is all the SAME in the curcuit, SO.

like golf cart batteries, or big buss/truck batteries, sometimes the same brand 6v ones have quite different characteristics than the 12v, even if the use of them is to create the same 24-36-42 volts. because the intended use of them is different

is matching capacity enough? could be, and probably more so when talking same type of lead acid.

and that is the solution, so simple, if you can get 6V cells and 12V cells, then just get all 6V cells, just like the truck and the golf cart, and the El-scooter

 

[mdocod]

Since we had some incorrect responses here I'll pile on here to attempt to reassure the correct answer, which is that connecting batteries in series is perfectly fine provided considerations are taken for individual cell capacity and performance characteristics within the total battery assembly.

Mr. Happy and Turbo Guy < CORRECT

 

[VidPro]

yr to late, i just solved the puzzel perfectally. just took me some time to recall the data, i was getting there. eventually

 

[PeAK]

Yes, of course you can do this just as long as certain conditions are met.
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.
.

What you have to do when considering this is match the individual cells for type and capacity. If your 12 volt and 6 volt batteries are of the same type and have the same amp-hour capacity, then you are good to go. If not, you are not.

Hubbytubby...hmmm, I can almost picture it ?

The emphasis on capacity by Mr. Happy is to prevent the lower capacity batteries from being "cell reversed" by the larger capacity batteries which will cause immediate damage to them. See "cell reversal" in google if you're not sure what this means. If you make constant measurements, you can run the with different capacities but stop using them the moment the smaller pack drops to below 5.5V (1.1V/cell).

PeAK

 

[Mr Happy]

stop using them the moment the smaller pack drops to below 5.5V (1.1V/cell)

This would be a reasonable voltage for nickel chemistry, but with the reference to 12 V and 6 V batteries I am almost sure we are talking about lead acid accumulators here.

A reminder should be given that it is really inadvisable to discharge lead acid batteries close to empty as this tends to cause internal damage. Even the "deep cycle" ones last better if you refrain from deep cycling them too often.

 

[hubbytuby]

My project is the blitz 240 queenslander build. I have already made it with 3 12v batteries. The power didnt seem to match up to Jetskimarks (my inspiration) moded blitz so i decide to run a forth 12v battery down to like 8v and then connected them all together and was able to overdrive my bulb almost perfectly. It is hard to drain the fourth battery just right to the point where the bulb doesnt flash, Which has happen several times. Does anyone have any cheap alternatives to what i am trying to acheive? Thanks

 

[Mr Happy]

A reminder should be given that it is really inadvisable to discharge lead acid batteries close to empty as this tends to cause internal damage.

i decide to run a forth 12v battery down to like 8v

:shrug:

If you ran a 12 V battery down below 12 V you have killed it.

Why not use a 6 V battery like you said at the top of this thread?

 

[PeAK]

My project is the blitz 240 queenslander build.
.
.

I dug and found your project here and your desire for power:

& last your problem

.
.
...why isnt the light as bright as jetskimarks. At full charge he gets around 21000 lumens. At full charge with 3 12v batteries its only like 16000 lumens, like Queenslanders. 5000 lummens is a huge difference.

Is the huge interest in these lights on this forum to find furry little animals at night ? :candle:

"Grasshopper, all power corrupts...absolute power corrupts absolutely" (Master Po)​

PeAK

 

[hubbytuby]

:shrug:

If you ran a 12 V battery down below 12 V you have killed it.

Why not use a 6 V battery like you said at the top of this thread?

When you say i have killed it do you mean that the battery has no more power or I am doing damage to it? First I would charge the fourth battery to full power then i would use it till it drops a few volts, then hook i in the series of the other 3 12v batteries, and there is a noticable difference between 3 12v bats and 3 12v bats with a fourth one rundown alittle.

 

[hubbytuby]

I dug and found your project here and your desire for power:

& last your problem



Is the huge interest in these lights on this forum to find furry little animals at night ? :candle:

"Grasshopper, all power corrupts...absolute power corrupts absolutely" (Master Po)
​

PeAK

HAHA I have no idea wat you mean by the fury little animals

 

[Turbo Guy]

When a nonimal 12V PB battery is at 12 volts no load it is dead / empty. The lowest it should be under a moderate load is 10.5 volts and when the load is removed it should bounce up to approx. to between 12.1 and 12.2 volts which is approx.40 to 60% state of charge..

 

[Mr Happy]

My project is the blitz 240 queenslander build. I have already made it with 3 12v batteries. The power didnt seem to match up to Jetskimarks

How do you know it didn't match up? Have you seen Jetskimark's light in real life to compare with?

When you say i have killed it do you mean that the battery has no more power or I am doing damage to it?

Yes, I mean you have damaged it beyond repair. Destroyed it. Turned it into scrap metal.

As Turbo Guy said, a 12 volt battery is about 14 V when fully charged and is 12 V when completely empty. But lead acid accumulators do not like being completely empty. If you have a battery at 12 V you should charge it immediately. Discharging them below 12 V is called "destroying the battery". You will discover, if you own a car, that after accidentally leaving the lights on until the battery is dead you will very soon be buying a new battery. They really, really do not like being run flat like that.

 

[hubbytuby]

How do you know it didn't match up? Have you seen Jetskimark's light in real life to compare with?


Yes, I mean you have damaged it beyond repair. Destroyed it. Turned it into scrap metal.

As Turbo Guy said, a 12 volt battery is about 14 V when fully charged and is 12 V when completely empty. But lead acid accumulators do not like being completely empty. If you have a battery at 12 V you should charge it immediately. Discharging them below 12 V is called "destroying the battery". You will discover, if you own a car, that after accidentally leaving the lights on until the battery is dead you will very soon be buying a new battery. They really, really do not like being run flat like that.

Yes i have seen Jetskimarks blitz in person, he lives 2 miles away from me. So everytime I run my batteries to there dead, I am in fact hurting them? If so how do they still work after doin this many times? And why would Queenslander build a light that would hurt the batteries by running itself? I am very new to all of this, also im 18, once i saw marks blitz i was hooked. Dam got me at a young age, im doomed!

 

[Mr Happy]

Yes i have seen Jetskimarks blitz in person, he lives 2 miles away from me. So everytime I run my batteries to there dead, I am in fact hurting them? If so how do they still work after doin this many times? And why would Queenslander build a light that would hurt the batteries by running itself? I am very new to all of this, also im 18, once i saw marks blitz i was hooked. Dam got me at a young age, im doomed!

With 12 V lead acid batteries it is best not to run them down until they are completely empty. There are some ("deep cycle") batteries that can take this treatment better than others, but none of them like it. The best thing is to run them only partially empty (before the light starts to dim) and then recharge them again.

The damage is not total, but adds up a little bit at a time. Each time you over discharge a battery it becomes a little bit less able to take a charge, and a little bit less able to deliver current. You may not notice the damage the first few times, but eventually you will.

Regarding the brightness of your light, have you made sure your batteries are big enough, and that your wires are fat enough? That bulb draws a hefty current, and every bit of unnecessary resistance in the circuit will steal volts from the bulb.