I have a 40 amp battery charger that has a 5 position switch to select
the battery charging voltage. Works great. Allows steps from about
13.2 to 17 volts. Prob done by a multi-tap transformer?

Trouble is - AC voltages in Mexico can be as high as 128-130 VAC and
other places can be as low as 105 VAC. The charger reacts by changing
the battery charging voltage up or down - a little but enough to vary
the DC amps that get to the batteries. I'm not going to replace the
charger.

I'm looking for a cheap variac/scr/triac something gizmo that I can
wire into the AC line to the charger and make the effective voltage
(RMS value?) go up or down by +/- 10% or so. The AC in is about max 9
amps. It could even be a big wired wound variable resistor I suppose.
Then I can set the AC line voltage to what my genset puts out and use
the charger at it's max 40 amps all the time.

Any ideas or products. Preferably cheap and never needs replacement
like the 27 years old charger.

(No I'm really not going to replace the charger.)

Are you kidding? Forget about it and forget about the voltage variation.

--
_______________________________
Joel, P.E.



"Panama" wrote in message
...
I have a 40 amp battery charger that has a 5 position switch to select
the battery charging voltage. Works great. Allows steps from about
13.2 to 17 volts. Prob done by a multi-tap transformer?

Trouble is - AC voltages in Mexico can be as high as 128-130 VAC and
other places can be as low as 105 VAC. The charger reacts by changing
the battery charging voltage up or down - a little but enough to vary
the DC amps that get to the batteries. I'm not going to replace the
charger.

I'm looking for a cheap variac/scr/triac something gizmo that I can
wire into the AC line to the charger and make the effective voltage
(RMS value?) go up or down by +/- 10% or so. The AC in is about max 9
amps. It could even be a big wired wound variable resistor I suppose.
Then I can set the AC line voltage to what my genset puts out and use
the charger at it's max 40 amps all the time.

Any ideas or products. Preferably cheap and never needs replacement
like the 27 years old charger.

(No I'm really not going to replace the charger.)

"Panama" wrote in message
...
I have a 40 amp battery charger that has a 5 position switch to select
the battery charging voltage. Works great. Allows steps from about
13.2 to 17 volts. Prob done by a multi-tap transformer?

Trouble is - AC voltages in Mexico can be as high as 128-130 VAC and
other places can be as low as 105 VAC. The charger reacts by changing
the battery charging voltage up or down - a little but enough to vary
the DC amps that get to the batteries. I'm not going to replace the
charger.

I'm looking for a cheap variac/scr/triac something gizmo that I can
wire into the AC line to the charger and make the effective voltage
(RMS value?) go up or down by +/- 10% or so. The AC in is about max 9
amps. It could even be a big wired wound variable resistor I suppose.
Then I can set the AC line voltage to what my genset puts out and use
the charger at it's max 40 amps all the time.

Any ideas or products. Preferably cheap and never needs replacement
like the 27 years old charger.

(No I'm really not going to replace the charger.)

In one radio station in which I worked, they had some regulating transformers
that
would give 118 vac out with 95-135 volts in. There were taps to run it off 220,
which
they did, with an input of + or - 20 volts for 230 out. There was one thing that
should
be noted is that they get very warm if running near the rated load. They also
used to
hum a bit.

Leanne

google "AC line regulation"

Go from there.

Rufus



Panama wrote:
I have a 40 amp battery charger that has a 5 position switch to select
the battery charging voltage. Works great. Allows steps from about
13.2 to 17 volts. Prob done by a multi-tap transformer?

Trouble is - AC voltages in Mexico can be as high as 128-130 VAC and
other places can be as low as 105 VAC. The charger reacts by changing
the battery charging voltage up or down - a little but enough to vary
the DC amps that get to the batteries. I'm not going to replace the
charger.

I'm looking for a cheap variac/scr/triac something gizmo that I can
wire into the AC line to the charger and make the effective voltage
(RMS value?) go up or down by +/- 10% or so. The AC in is about max 9
amps. It could even be a big wired wound variable resistor I suppose.
Then I can set the AC line voltage to what my genset puts out and use
the charger at it's max 40 amps all the time.

Any ideas or products. Preferably cheap and never needs replacement
like the 27 years old charger.

(No I'm really not going to replace the charger.)

"Panama" wrote in message
...
I have a 40 amp battery charger that has a 5 position switch to select
the battery charging voltage. Works great. Allows steps from about
13.2 to 17 volts. Prob done by a multi-tap transformer?

Trouble is - AC voltages in Mexico can be as high as 128-130 VAC and
other places can be as low as 105 VAC. The charger reacts by changing
the battery charging voltage up or down - a little but enough to vary
the DC amps that get to the batteries. I'm not going to replace the
charger.

I'm looking for a cheap variac/scr/triac something gizmo that I can
wire into the AC line to the charger and make the effective voltage
(RMS value?) go up or down by +/- 10% or so. The AC in is about max 9
amps. It could even be a big wired wound variable resistor I suppose.
Then I can set the AC line voltage to what my genset puts out and use
the charger at it's max 40 amps all the time.

Any ideas or products. Preferably cheap and never needs replacement
like the 27 years old charger.

I would not really worry about the voltage out as long as it is greater then
13.7vDC it should charge the batteries fine. You should be able to pick up
a used variac off ebay or get one new from fisher scientific. They
generally will supply from 0% to 120% of the input voltage. You should wire
a volt meter into the variac to see your output voltage before you plug the
charger into it. We use tons of them to regulate our furnaces at school so
they are straight forward to wire just keep in mind they supply a % of the
input voltage. So if you are overdriving the output and the input ramps up,
the output side may be more voltage then what the charger can tolerate.

good luck,
mark

Panama wrote:

.....Any ideas or products. Preferably cheap and never needs replacement

like the 27 years old charger.

(No I'm really not going to replace the charger.)

Is it less expensive to continually buy new batteries after your old cheap
battery charger fries them?

Priorities, man!

DSK

I also have used the regulating transformers at large commercial on shore
radio/computer installations. Sola was the brand we used, one on each leg of
3 phase shore power. Some critical units had small single phase
transformers mounted in the rack. They covered about 95-135 volts in for
constant output. However, they take several cycles of power change for the
change to be seen at the output. I got into trouble having a large UPS unit
feeding the transformers, as the transformer change was slower than the UPS
and we got into a voltage bucking problem. Ended up taking the transformers
out and just using the UPS. Do a web search for Sola line regulator
transformers (they are really a mag amp autotransformer device). E-bay has
them from time to time.

Doug K7ABX

"Leanne" wrote in message
...
In one radio station in which I worked, they had some regulating
transformers
that
would give 118 vac out with 95-135 volts in. There were taps to run it off
220,
which
they did, with an input of + or - 20 volts for 230 out. There was one
thing that
should
be noted is that they get very warm if running near the rated load. They
also
used to
hum a bit.

Leanne

Throw out that charger and get a good one. Those kinds of
variations in line voltage should not affect the output. I've
seen line voltages from 105 to 128 in our travels and the
battery charger always maintains the proper voltages and
currents. By the time you get a way to control the line
voltage you can by a new charger that works properly.

Doug
s/v Callista

"Panama" wrote in message
...
I have a 40 amp battery charger that has a 5 position switch to select
the battery charging voltage. Works great. Allows steps from about
13.2 to 17 volts. Prob done by a multi-tap transformer?

Trouble is - AC voltages in Mexico can be as high as 128-130 VAC and
other places can be as low as 105 VAC. The charger reacts by changing
the battery charging voltage up or down - a little but enough to vary
the DC amps that get to the batteries. I'm not going to replace the
charger.

I'm looking for a cheap variac/scr/triac something gizmo that I can
wire into the AC line to the charger and make the effective voltage
(RMS value?) go up or down by +/- 10% or so. The AC in is about max 9
amps. It could even be a big wired wound variable resistor I suppose.
Then I can set the AC line voltage to what my genset puts out and use
the charger at it's max 40 amps all the time.

Any ideas or products. Preferably cheap and never needs replacement
like the 27 years old charger.

(No I'm really not going to replace the charger.)

Sounds like you need an "autotransformer".

Many Variacs are actually autotransformers, in that they accept 110V input,
and output from 0 to 130 volts AC. The principle works as such:

=======================
mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
| | ^
A B C

If you supply the inputs to wires A and B, and outputs on A and C, and C is
the adjustable portion of the Vairac. If the voltage from A - B is 110
Volts, when C is farther out on the transformer, you will see a higher
voltage from A - C (above 110 Volts). When it is inside of B you will
reduce the voltage (below 110 Volts).

My bench Variac actually inputs 110V, and outputs from 0 to 220V.

You can also do this with a multi-voltage transformer:

Do not care about Secondary
==========================
mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
| | | | |
A B C D E
100 110 120 130
This is a common multi-input voltage transformer used in international
equipment, having inputs of 100, 110, 120, 130 Volts. This will typically
be a low voltage transformer, but you really don't care about the secondary
side.

If you typically see from 100 to 130 volts and you want 110 volts, you would
hook up the output to A-C. and the input to:

100V A - B
110V A - C
120V A - D
130V A - E

With this setup, you will boost or decrease the voltage depending on where
you have the input.

You will need to find a transformer large enough to supply your peak
wattage, and remember that even if you normally draw 9A at 110V, in the 100
V boost configuration, your input current will be 9.9A.

Also autotransformers DO NOT isolate the secondary from the line, so
electrical shock is still possible.


"Panama" wrote in message
...
I have a 40 amp battery charger that has a 5 position switch to select
the battery charging voltage. Works great. Allows steps from about
13.2 to 17 volts. Prob done by a multi-tap transformer?

Trouble is - AC voltages in Mexico can be as high as 128-130 VAC and
other places can be as low as 105 VAC. The charger reacts by changing
the battery charging voltage up or down - a little but enough to vary
the DC amps that get to the batteries. I'm not going to replace the
charger.

I'm looking for a cheap variac/scr/triac something gizmo that I can
wire into the AC line to the charger and make the effective voltage
(RMS value?) go up or down by +/- 10% or so. The AC in is about max 9
amps. It could even be a big wired wound variable resistor I suppose.
Then I can set the AC line voltage to what my genset puts out and use
the charger at it's max 40 amps all the time.

Any ideas or products. Preferably cheap and never needs replacement
like the 27 years old charger.

(No I'm really not going to replace the charger.)