Thursday 14 November 2019

Product Information - Assessing Battery Conditioner Options -& The Car Buyer Survey


Battery Conditioners

The Banner Batteries - AccuGard Car ...No 1800.



    • 12v three stage battery charger and maintainer
    • Charges the battery then maintains it for long periods
    • Leave on your battery all the time!
    • Fully automatic 




The unit comes with Two separate attachments.

This one is used to connect direct to either the Battery or to some other Live Power source.


This one is used to make a Temporary connection direct to the Battery Terminals.

Product Description

ACCUGARD battery charger is the answer to keeping a 12 volt battery in tip-top condition whenever the battery is not used. 
Basic battery chargers simply apply an uncontrolled current/voltage that restores charge to the battery.
However, they cannot charge a battery accurately to full charge, may only partially charge a battery and can most certainly overcharge which may result in gassing and loss of water. 
Consistently under or over charging a lead acid battery will reduce its lifespan. 
Older cars have charging systems that are not optimised for modern hybrid batteries so may not provide full charge. 
The CORRECT WAY to charge a flooded wet cell or gel type lead acid battery is through a controlled multi-stage process. 
Three stage charging is the method most lead acid battery manufacturers recommend as the best and most efficient way to return full capacity to the battery and extend battery life. 
The Car battery charger/maintainer is a three stage charger that operates as follows: 
Constant Current Charging or Bulk Charge Mode. 
Constant Voltage - Absorption Mode Constant Voltage - Float Mode. 
ACCUGARD can therefore be left permanently connected to the battery of the car and will keep it fully and correctly charged even if you have accessories such as clocks and alarms systems connected to the car. 
It will also charge and maintain unconnected batteries. 

User Comments

1 November 2016
Evening All – Just to say our Roadster has an umbilical socket under the bonnet which our trickle charger plugs into. 
The car is always trickle charged between runs – easy and effective. 
The umbilical from the battery was a dealer addition – given the battery difficult to get at directly. 
Cheers - David 


Ref – Trickle Charger.
Our Roadster came with a BANNER ACCUGARD POWER CHARGER.
As the umbilical was dealer fitted – I assume that a twin cable is run from the battery and threaded through the car to a spot in the engine bay for easy access.
That cable concludes with a female connector socket.
A cable is linked to the charger itself by the male plug – with the Banner unit powered by a 13amp three pin wall socket for trickle charge - which we left on constantly when car not in use.
Hoping this explanation is clear – if not, let me know.
PS – Can’t do photos as Roadster currently with my son.
Cheers - David 

1 November 2016
My Roadster also has the same umbilical small socket under the bonnet which I trickle charge constantly when not on the road....and I agree with David that it is easy and effective...and very simple.
I believe mine was fitted by Ledgerwood Morgan from nearly day one ten years ago.
No messing about with the battery,etc.
I am nervous about plugging anything into the cigarette lighter socket given a grim set of problems blowing fuses and no lights at night in Northern France in a brand new Plus four years ago!......so the umbilical socket was put in place on my new Morgan’s thereafter.
Cheers
Sam

25 October 2016
I've used this since I bought my first Morgan in 2008. Occasionally I forget to connect it and if I don't use the car for a few weeks the battery goes flat, with just a clock and immobiliser to power. 
I understand this charger produces optimum current depending on the state of the battery, and can safely be left connected for as long as you want, so I try to remember to plug it in (my Morgan dealer fitted a hard-wired socket under the bonnet for the purpose) any time I'm not expecting to use the car for more than a few days. 
Several years on, it seems to be doing the job. On the other hand, my 6 year old 70,000 mile car has never been near a charger and it's battery seems fine, so you wonder....
Dr. Richard Corke

 CTEK MXS 5.0 & Others


Automatic charging of Auto and MC batteries with recond function 
    • Fully automatic ‘connect and forget’ 8 step 12V charging
    • Smaller battery, normal battery, AGM and Recond programs
    • Built in automatic temperature compensation
    • Patented float/pulse maintenance for batteries up to 160Ah
    • 5-year warranty


The unit comes with Two separate attachments - Battery Terminal Attachment & Clamps used to make a Temporary connection direct to the Battery Terminals.


This one is used to connect direct to the Cigarette Lighter Socket is sold as an extra.


This Extension Cable is also sold as an extra.

Cold Weather Performance
The MXS 5.0 comes with automatic temperature compensation for the best charging performance, even in extreme conditions.                         
The MXS 5.0 is an advanced microprocessor controlled battery charger which gives unrivalled performance for lead acid batteries from 1.2-110Ah. 
It comes with automatic temperature compensation built in which ensures the best charging performance, even in the most extreme conditions. 
The MXS 5.0 also includes battery diagnosis to establish whether your battery can receive and retain a charge, patented automatic desulphation program, an AGM option which maximises the performance life of most Stop/Start batteries and a special Recond mode for reconditioning deeply discharged batteries. 
The MXS 5.0 uses CTEK’s patented float/pulse system, which is the most efficient maintenance mode when a battery is connected for long periods. 

 User Comments

1 November 2016
Hi Paul,

I hope that your battery is not dead flat as it is said that the Gel Battery is prone to completely die when that happens.

If not the CTEK will certainly keep it well alive from now on.

Good Luck & Best Wishes

Frank
Paul Stephens
I’m coming late to the table ....
I’ve always used a cable direct from the battery to keep mine charged. Always worked well. 

This enabled me to sacrifice my lighter socket for a much more useful USB socket. I can now charge phone without the old adapter vibrating out of the lighter socket after about a mile of Mog driving!

Chris
I totally agree Nicola,  
Knowing that the Morgan Gel Battery will discharge if not maintained with a Conditioner Charger of which the CTEK is one of the best. 
For nine years, I successfully used the Cigarette Lighter Socket attachment for my CTEK conditioner. 
Occasionally the No.18 fuse, which the Cigarette Lighter Socket shares with the Side Light, blew without me being aware. 
Now that I have also attached the CTEK Direct To Battery attachment it is so much easier.
Frank
I have used the CTEK trickle charger conditioner for the last 10 years in the same way as Derek and it is very easy to use in this way and the original battery is still going strong. 

You just need to make sure that the connection with the socket is fully secured as my connector has a tendency to partially pop out.

Stephen
I have used a trickle charger through the cigarette lighter for the last 9 years and it has worked well.  All you need to remember is to check after a power cut that it has re-set itself properly!
Derek Wright 
Agree with Nicola, I have CTEK with wire & clip  permanently attached. Very easy to use. 
Best Wishes

Pete
The CTEK has an attachment that stays on battery and other end sits behind passenger seat. Easy attach clip system. No fiddling once attached. It's brilliant.
Best wishes
Nicola (No. 30)

..............................................................................

The Power Cut Off Switches
I Always use this and leave the screws out of the aluminium Battery Access Cover!




GRAHAM ARCHER

Some Morgan Owners, who have no power at their home parking place have an On/Off switch fitted to allow them to turn the power drain off. 
These, with removable  Key, are inserted into the main Positive power cable coming from the battery and are normally fitted in an 'easy to access' place such as in the panel next to the battery access plate. 
Race Cars with forward mounted batteries tend to have them fitted in the scuttle in front of the windscreen so that the power may be quickly turned off in the event of an accident.




 Any gadgets such as Clock and Radio need resetting every time the car is used. The ECU resets itself.

Frank
..............................................................................

Best Car Battery Chargers 2018 - The Car Buyer Survey.




We test the best gadgets that can keep your car battery in tip-top shape.
Although many will think of a car battery charger as simply for that moment when you've left the lights on and the car won't start, today's chargers are far more sophisticated than that. 
The best models are full of clever technology that can not only charge a battery, but will also optimise its condition, keeping it topped up even when left unused for long periods.
If you regularly leave your car in the garage for weeks on end, one of the these chargers and maintainers may be the answer, especially since they have the muscle to deal with the latest types of car battery – including lithium-based cells. 
They can also handle the high-output batteries needed to support stop-start systems.

How we tested them

Every charger we tested had to charge a flat battery. We monitored each one until the battery was full, and calculated the charging rate delivered. 
We also tested how low a battery's charge could be before it was rejected by a charger, as well as measuring its efficiency and checking it for EMC (electromagnetic compatibility).
We checked each charger for instructions and displays that are easy to understand, as well as the quality of all leads and accessories provided. 
Finally, we checked for sparks during deliberately careless use and weighted our findings against the retail price of each charger.

CTEK Time To Go CT5

Price: Around £91
Mean current supply: 4.9 amps
If you're worried that battery charging is complicated, this fantastically easy-to-use model is the charger for you. 
It offers the same charging modes as the other CTEK chargers, but presents them in a simple manner, with a useful charging progress display that indicates when your battery has enough charge for an engine start to be attempted. 
The instructions may seem a little limited, but the charger is fairly self-explanatory in use.
In terms of performance, it nearly reached its claimed 5 amp output and easily passed our misuse and electromagnetic compatibility tests. Not cheap, but a tidy and very effective package.

NOCO Genius G7200

Price: Around £90
Mean current supply: 5.2 amps
Imported from the US, the NOCO G7200 finished a close second in our test and comes with leads nearly a metre longer than our Swedish victor. 
Its 35mm clamps have the widest jaws in our test, too. Better still, it charged our test battery to 80% 40 minutes quicker than the CT5.
It's a shame that its mean charge rate came such a long way short of its claimed 7.2 amps, though, and it's a rather bulky device. Still, there's a handy process display and it offers 24v and lithium battery modes.

NOCO Genius G3500

Price: Around £55
Mean current supply: 3.4 amps
Another product from the US, the NOCO G3500 is rather more handily sized than its G7200 sibling, but far less powerful, too. 
Like the bigger charger, it'll charge lithium batteries, and has modes for battery conditioning, cold-weather charging and 6V batteries. The leads are good and long, and the clamps open wide, too.
Performance-wise, it took a little over 14 hours to charge a flat battery to 80% – a fair bit slower than some of the chargers we tested. But it's a versatile machine for a reasonable price.

CTEK MXS 3.8

Price: Around £54
Mean current supply: 3.6 amps
The MXS 3.8 didn't quite reach its claimed output, but is more affordable than the test-winning CT5 from the same Swedish company. 
It's easy to use, too, with good instructions, and comes with a handy storage bag that'll take the charger and its spare connection lead. 
It's not quite as versatile as our test-winner, though, and its connection leads are rather shorter.
However, its compact nature, as well as its special motorcycle mode for smaller batteries, make it a fine choice for motorists on two wheels as well as four.

Sealey Compact Auto Maintenance Battery Charger SMC14

Price: Around £69
Mean current supply: 3.1 amps
The hefty Sealey claimed a charging output of 8 amps, but only delivered that in pulses. Its actual output averaged 3.1 amps, which disappointed, with a 15-hour charge time for our flat battery. 
It's a shame, because it's a versatile charger with a range of modes, including one for battery conditioning.
It has a useful LED charging progress display and passed our misuse test, but the sample we tested didn't fare well in our EMC assessment.

Victron Energy Blue Smart IP65 Charger

Price: Around £90
Mean current supply: 6.7 amp
The Victron has a clever trick up its sleeve – its own smartphone app that displays the charging rate and state of the battery it's connected to. 
The app can also be used to change the charging settings when your phone's in Bluetooth range. It's a pretty effective charger, too, almost meeting its 7 amp claimed rating and it brought our test battery to 80% charge two hours quicker than any of the others.
It's not entirely foolproof in operation, though – it can spark during careless use and was slow to warn us when we connected it with the wrong polarity. Our EMC test results were disappointing, too.

Optimate 5 Start/Stop

Price: Around £74
Mean current supply: 3.5 amps
The Optimate is perhaps better suited to motorcyclists than car drivers – its part-insulated clamps seem purpose designed to fit around the cramped terminals of motorbike batteries. 
Its modest 3.5 amp output will be sufficient for bikes, too – it's rather short of its claimed 5 amp output. 
It's a shame that its display isn't particularly intuitive, but the instructions are at least clear and comprehensive.
It felt safe in use – it refused to spark even when treated carelessly and it matched the performance of the smallest CTEK and NOCO chargers.

AA Battery Charger & Maintainer

Price: Around £29
Mean current supply: 0.9 amps
AA branding has no doubt helped this charger to become one of the best-sellers on the market, but others in our test are far more capable. 
Even after 30 hours connected, our flat battery still wasn't fully charged – no doubt a consequence of a low 0.9 amps charging output, which can't even match the modest 1.2 amps claim of its maker.
It seems that battery maintenance is the AA machine's true calling in life, and here its long leads (the longest of all on test) prove very useful. 
Passing our EMC test and refusing to spark when misused, it should prove very safe, too.

Ring Advanced Smart Charge RSC706

Price: Around £60
Mean current supply: 3.7 amps
The Ring has a rather simple, almost minimalist design, but we'd have liked clearer markings – some of the graphics seem better suited to an MP3 player than a battery charger. 
It also fell a long way short of its claimed 6 amp power output.
Most worrying was that its residual current was enough to cause sparks after being disconnected from the battery, and its EMC results weren't very encouraging, either.

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