RottenRow Posted January 6, 2022 Share Posted January 6, 2022 Hi Marty, It definitely sounds like your battery is past its prime then. I use the 5Ah Cyclon (£13.99 at Component Shop) and charge it at about 2.4V on a benchtop power supply with the current limited to about 0.5A. This means if the battery is quite flat it doesn't take more than 0.5A but as the voltage rises the current will drop below that but the battery still gets fully charged. It's normally left on charge overnight. The manufacturer's data sheet states that the current limit isn't necessary due to cell's low internal resistance but I use it anyway. A fully charged 5Ah cell should supply 7 amps for 30 minutes before the voltage drops to 1.67V, that is a lot of starts of an engine with 3 parallel connected glowplugs. If you are interested, the data sheet is here but it covers the whole range... https://www.enersys.com/4a4b68/globalassets/documents/product-documentation/cyclon/emea/en-cyc-sg-004_0614.pdf I've had this battery several years now and the previous one was many years old as it was secondhand when I got it. Brian. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoff S Posted January 6, 2022 Share Posted January 6, 2022 I think Cyclons are intended for float back up and to be charged from a constant voltage. That's how I charged mine and certainly didn't bother with a current limit. I was fortunate that I was able to use a bench power supply at work ? As RR writes, they're very robust. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin Fraser Posted January 12, 2022 Author Share Posted January 12, 2022 On 06/01/2022 at 14:17, Geoff S said: I think Cyclons are intended for float back up and to be charged from a constant voltage. That's how I charged mine and certainly didn't bother with a current limit. I was fortunate that I was able to use a bench power supply at work ? As RR writes, they're very robust. Hi Geoff, I've had a 5amp Cyclon cell arrive today and hooked up 3 old plugs to it - no shortage of power there! Cheers, Marty 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Skilbeck Posted January 12, 2022 Share Posted January 12, 2022 Yep I use one of these on a Laser V twin, powering the plugs in series. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin Harris - Moderator Posted January 12, 2022 Share Posted January 12, 2022 May be misleading but I’d add a few feet of cable to drop the voltage a little if those plugs are burning as brightly as they appear! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul De Tourtoulon Posted January 12, 2022 Share Posted January 12, 2022 1 hour ago, Martin Harris - Moderator said: May be misleading but I’d add a few feet of cable to drop the voltage a little if those plugs are burning as brightly as they appear! No that's ok I have a stock of plugs to sell, so carry on Frank,,,? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin Fraser Posted January 12, 2022 Author Share Posted January 12, 2022 2 hours ago, Martin Harris - Moderator said: May be misleading but I’d add a few feet of cable to drop the voltage a little if those plugs are burning as brightly as they appear! Hi Martin, Yeah that's what I thought but this little rig is all a bit gimcrack just to test the JP battery. My field box lead is a couple of feet long so hopefully the plugs in the Saito wont be so bright. Cheers, Marty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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