Installation of permanent battery charging leads

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scooterblair
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Installation of permanent battery charging leads

Post by scooterblair »

Anyone have any advice/experience installing permanent battery re-charging leads on their scooter to eliminate the need to remove the floor mat and battery compartment cover when re-charging? FYI, I have a Buddy 170i. :?:
tortoise
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Post by tortoise »

One option is a size "N" DC connector plug & jack.
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PeteH
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Post by PeteH »

What sort of charger are you using? If you have a Battery Tender Jr, which charges at a maximum of .75A, you can use the 12v accessory jack on the legshield with the 12v 'plug' cable accessory for the BTJr. Lots of folks use this solution, as the BTJr is a good fit for the Buddy's battery. Easier then bending over all the time to wire in a charger :)

As the fuse for this accessory jack is 1A as shipped from Genuine, the use of higher-current chargers will most often blow the fuse.
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az_slynch
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Post by az_slynch »

I'm been installing one of these charger adapter pigtails in each of my bikes:

http://www.amazon.com/Schumacher-WM-12- ... B003WDDLTO

The newer ones come with a weatherproof boot. I like that I can plug in either my 1A charger or my .75A trickle charger.
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scooterblair
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Post by scooterblair »

PeteH wrote:What sort of charger are you using? If you have a Battery Tender Jr, which charges at a maximum of .75A, you can use the 12v accessory jack on the legshield with the 12v 'plug' cable accessory for the BTJr. Lots of folks use this solution, as the BTJr is a good fit for the Buddy's battery. Easier then bending over all the time to wire in a charger :)

As the fuse for this accessory jack is 1A as shipped from Genuine, the use of higher-current chargers will most often blow the fuse.
Thanks, I found an accessory jack on line for my Battery Tender Jr., this sounds like the easiest solution.
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Post by Stormswift »

I think the extra pigtails that live in my battery compartment were pre installed by the dealer I bought my bike from. I think they key be permanent leads of some sort. No one could ever tell me what they are for....
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Stormswift
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Post by Stormswift »

This was my original post. I am still not sure what those loop things are for
viewtopic.php?t=14510&highlight=battery+removal
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Robbie
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Post by Robbie »

Stormswift wrote:This was my original post. I am still not sure what those loop things are for
viewtopic.php?t=14510&highlight=battery+removal
Those leads do appear to be for a tender.......would be nice if they showed you where they put the plug in when they wired it up.
Likely tied under the floorboard in a accessable (if they had shown you,eh?) spot for easy tender connect.

No, they don't hurt a thing if left disconnected.

Rob
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Post by Stormswift »

Robbie wrote:
Stormswift wrote:This was my original post. I am still not sure what those loop things are for
viewtopic.php?t=14510&highlight=battery+removal
Those leads do appear to be for a tender.......would be nice if they showed you where they put the plug in when they wired it up.
Likely tied under the floorboard in a accessable (if they had shown you,eh?) spot for easy tender connect.

No, they don't hurt a thing if left disconnected.

Rob
that's what I thought also. I just keep them tucked inside the battery compartment. When I need to charge battery without removing it I use cigarette lighter charger
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zuki
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Post by zuki »

I use the battery tender jr also I run the wire under the battery box and zip tie it just so u can get to it but its not in the way.


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SuperFlyBuddy
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Post by SuperFlyBuddy »

zuki wrote:I use the battery tender jr also I run the wire under the battery box and zip tie it just so u can get to it but its not in the way.
Ditto. I like the charge port down low (vs. using accessory socket) so it's easy to plug in during the winter when the scooter is covered.
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thatvwbusguy
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Post by thatvwbusguy »

If you would like a permanently mounted socket that your Battery Tender can plug directly into, try an RV Roof Connector. I have used them for solar panels and battery chargers in the past and they work great. You could easily mount one of these in a body panel and then plug your charger in without fishing around for the connector.

Image

They are usually available for less than $10.00 on eBay and at many RV or solar supply stores.

http://www.solarseller.com/low_voltage_ ... red___pair
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uklemond
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Re: Installation of permanent battery charging leads

Post by uklemond »

scooterblair wrote:Anyone have any advice/experience installing permanent battery re-charging leads on their scooter to eliminate the need to remove the floor mat and battery compartment cover when re-charging? FYI, I have a Buddy 170i. :?:
I did this the other day as my battery was having issues in the cold weather here in Boston. On the right and left of the battery compartment you will see a slight indent. My cable was flatish, so by placing it in this indent i was able to close the cover and screw it back in without issue.

Bike starts like a dream now :)

I wanted to see if i could fit it under, but instead i just have it poke out of the mat at the back It is out of the way and easy to get to each night when i get her home to the basement.
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Post by jmazza »

thatvwbusguy wrote:If you would like a permanently mounted socket that your Battery Tender can plug directly into, try an RV Roof Connector. I have used them for solar panels and battery chargers in the past and they work great. You could easily mount one of these in a body panel and then plug your charger in without fishing around for the connector.

Image

They are usually available for less than $10.00 on eBay and at many RV or solar supply stores.

http://www.solarseller.com/low_voltage_ ... red___pair
If you're going to do that, just get the accessory outlet lead for the Battery Tender.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003CJ ... 08_s00_i00
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thatvwbusguy
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Post by thatvwbusguy »

You can use the converter plug, but your charging rate will be reduced by the thin wiring from the 12V socket to the battery as well as the far from ideal electrical contact provided by the friction only connection of the plug.

The SAE 2-pole connector offers a solid, low loss connection (which is why most small battery charger manufacturers use it) and you won't have to worry about blowing the scooter's 1A accessory outlet fuse, since it is attached directly to the battery.
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skully93
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Post by skully93 »

you lucky folks that have accessible power where you park!

I just yank my batteries out during colds spells, haul them upstairs.

Since it's likely we'll add another Buddy to the stable this Spring, I will probably pick up the 2-lead battery tender, so I can charge 2 at a time.
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TVB

Post by TVB »

skully93 wrote:you lucky folks that have accessible power where you park!
I just yank my batteries out during colds spells, haul them upstairs.
Or you could set up a portable gasoline-powered generator next to the scooter, and run that to keep the battery charged during the winter.

What?

Why are you looking at me like that?

;)
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skully93
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Post by skully93 »

TVB wrote:
skully93 wrote:you lucky folks that have accessible power where you park!
I just yank my batteries out during colds spells, haul them upstairs.
Or you could set up a portable gasoline-powered generator next to the scooter, and run that to keep the battery charged during the winter.

What?

Why are you looking at me like that?

;)
Actually, I was just going to see if I could use the tears of children. Gas is expensive!
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Beamster
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Post by Beamster »

thatvwbusguy wrote:You can use the converter plug, but your charging rate will be reduced by the thin wiring from the 12V socket to the battery as well as the far from ideal electrical contact provided by the friction only connection of the plug.

The SAE 2-pole connector offers a solid, low loss connection (which is why most small battery charger manufacturers use it) and you won't have to worry about blowing the scooter's 1A accessory outlet fuse, since it is attached directly to the battery.
Powerlet has 15 amp outlet/plug setups that are sized for chargers and heated clothing. One could either use their sae to plug adaptor on the Battery Tender and install their outlet or use their plug directly installed on the Tender wire after cutting off the sae wire end and use the same outlet as the previous setup.

It would be a nice clean setup but it might cost a bit more than some want to spend to merely replace the standard Battery Tender sae wire connection setup. It is probably more suitable for a motorbike that would have more than one use for the outlet, like charging and then heated clothing or gps, etc.
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Post by Beamster »

skully93 wrote:you lucky folks that have accessible power where you park!
We all have power where we park; you too.

http://batterytender.com/products/solar.html
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Re: Installation of permanent battery charging leads

Post by jenaflynn »

uklemond wrote:
scooterblair wrote:Anyone have any advice/experience installing permanent battery re-charging leads on their scooter to eliminate the need to remove the floor mat and battery compartment cover when re-charging? FYI, I have a Buddy 170i. :?:
I did this the other day as my battery was having issues in the cold weather here in Boston. On the right and left of the battery compartment you will see a slight indent. My cable was flatish, so by placing it in this indent i was able to close the cover and screw it back in without issue.

Bike starts like a dream now :)

I wanted to see if i could fit it under, but instead i just have it poke out of the mat at the back It is out of the way and easy to get to each night when i get her home to the basement.
Off topic, you're in Boston, I am too. Any scooter/Buddy groups here?
uklemond
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Re: Installation of permanent battery charging leads

Post by uklemond »

jenaflynn wrote:
uklemond wrote:
scooterblair wrote:Anyone have any advice/experience installing permanent battery re-charging leads on their scooter to eliminate the need to remove the floor mat and battery compartment cover when re-charging? FYI, I have a Buddy 170i. :?:
I did this the other day as my battery was having issues in the cold weather here in Boston. On the right and left of the battery compartment you will see a slight indent. My cable was flatish, so by placing it in this indent i was able to close the cover and screw it back in without issue.

Bike starts like a dream now :)

I wanted to see if i could fit it under, but instead i just have it poke out of the mat at the back It is out of the way and easy to get to each night when i get her home to the basement.
Off topic, you're in Boston, I am too. Any scooter/Buddy groups here?
There are a couple of scooter groups here in Boston. They can be found on the meetup website. I am a member of two i think, but never really done anything with them.
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