Hello all.
I am working on a project and am at a cross street trying to choose which route to go. In a nutshell I am trying to power my light project with either a 12v lithium motorcycle battery or 18V makita batteries. I prefer to go with the makita batteries because they are so easy to change out when they need recharging and they have a charge indicator built in. I am unfamiliar with the charge circuits on these batteries and I want to eliminate future problems.
I intend to wire the makita batteries in parallel together and only tie in their +/- terminals (2-3 batteries at a time). As a battery dies I can slide one out and place another one in while one stays in place to eliminate any outtage issues. Is this possible with these types of batteries? Will having a charged 18v lxt battery connect in parallel to a dead/dying 18v lxt battery cause any issues. I know that doing this with sealed lead acid batteries is no issue. Will one battery attempt to charge the other or will circuitry built in the battery stop this from happening. I would prefer to have them isolated but dont want to have to build a circuit for that to eliminate a headache. I guess a simple diode blocker would work but dropping .7V across it seems like a waste in such a power hungry circuit since I will be pulling between 3-6amps from it all the time.
ALSO,
I will be powering the system with 120v mains power. I will be dropping the AC down with an adjustable PS. This PS can be adjusted between 10v-20v. It would be really nice if I could have the batteries plugged in at the same time on this same bus so if I decide to go with wall power or battery power and not have to throw a switch to select a source. I realize that I probably won't be able to charge these batteries like this though that would be super optimal. To charge the batteries I will remove them individually and put them on the makita charger.
If I do go with the adjustable PS what voltage should I use. I realize going with 10V will be a large potential drop and cause problems, and 20V may overcharge the makita batteries. I realize matching the voltage will be optimal but I do not know the real voltage range of the lithium batts.
The reason I can choose such a wide range of voltage is because the PS that these batteries are feeding is a DC-DC converter that has a wide range of input. Optimally I would go with 12V motorcycle battery and choose a 12.5v ps so it will charge it. The reason I do not go with this option is because it is very easy for anyone to pull a makita battery off the system and charge it vs pull a motorcycle battery and have to hook that up to a charger.
I appreciate advice on what I should do with the makita batteries and how to go about making sure I dont destroy them, over charge them, etc.
thanks
Joe
I am working on a project and am at a cross street trying to choose which route to go. In a nutshell I am trying to power my light project with either a 12v lithium motorcycle battery or 18V makita batteries. I prefer to go with the makita batteries because they are so easy to change out when they need recharging and they have a charge indicator built in. I am unfamiliar with the charge circuits on these batteries and I want to eliminate future problems.
I intend to wire the makita batteries in parallel together and only tie in their +/- terminals (2-3 batteries at a time). As a battery dies I can slide one out and place another one in while one stays in place to eliminate any outtage issues. Is this possible with these types of batteries? Will having a charged 18v lxt battery connect in parallel to a dead/dying 18v lxt battery cause any issues. I know that doing this with sealed lead acid batteries is no issue. Will one battery attempt to charge the other or will circuitry built in the battery stop this from happening. I would prefer to have them isolated but dont want to have to build a circuit for that to eliminate a headache. I guess a simple diode blocker would work but dropping .7V across it seems like a waste in such a power hungry circuit since I will be pulling between 3-6amps from it all the time.
ALSO,
I will be powering the system with 120v mains power. I will be dropping the AC down with an adjustable PS. This PS can be adjusted between 10v-20v. It would be really nice if I could have the batteries plugged in at the same time on this same bus so if I decide to go with wall power or battery power and not have to throw a switch to select a source. I realize that I probably won't be able to charge these batteries like this though that would be super optimal. To charge the batteries I will remove them individually and put them on the makita charger.
If I do go with the adjustable PS what voltage should I use. I realize going with 10V will be a large potential drop and cause problems, and 20V may overcharge the makita batteries. I realize matching the voltage will be optimal but I do not know the real voltage range of the lithium batts.
The reason I can choose such a wide range of voltage is because the PS that these batteries are feeding is a DC-DC converter that has a wide range of input. Optimally I would go with 12V motorcycle battery and choose a 12.5v ps so it will charge it. The reason I do not go with this option is because it is very easy for anyone to pull a makita battery off the system and charge it vs pull a motorcycle battery and have to hook that up to a charger.
I appreciate advice on what I should do with the makita batteries and how to go about making sure I dont destroy them, over charge them, etc.
thanks
Joe
