Hi Jack, So this is a 24 Volt battery, consisting of the 12 cells that you see, each 2V and connected by the lead straps to each other. And yes, the cells are really 21" tall. Testing it is relatively simple since you can measure each cell individually, in contrast to most Lead-Acid batteries. All you need is a Voltmeter, firs measure each individual cell at rest and write down the voltages. Then put it on charge and after a couple hours while the charger is still on, measure again and write down the voltages again. Then disconnect the charger and start using the Forklift for as long as you need. At the end, measure and write down the voltages again. Any weak cells will have a larger voltage swing between the charging and the after-use voltage. Also, all charging voltages should be pretty much the same and preferably the after-use ones also as close as possible.
Another way to verify cells is to take a few drops of the electrolyte inside and measure its density (preferably after a good long charge) to verify that the acid in all cells is of equal strength. The density also tells you the State of Charge during operation, but it is a bit of a bother to measure it regularly for all 12 cells, the voltmeter is easier. BTW, do not despair if you see the fluid level below plate top or find the behavior of the battery weak upon first use. Just fill distilled water until the top is just covered, then fully charge the battery, then top each cell up to the fill mark with distilled water, then use the battery a couple times and it might come back to normal operation from being weak. Capacity may still be limited, though there are Forklift battery maintenance companies that can give you options on reconditioning the batteries. Alternative is to replace the current battery with sets of 4 (not 2!) series connected Golf Cart batteries. Depending on how much current the Forklift draws, you may need 2 or more of those strings in parallel to handle the load. (So, 4+4 or 4+4+4). For the charger, you need at least 240V 30A outlet, similar to what a Dryer or Stove would have. Success! Cor van de Water Chief Scientist Proxim Wireless office +1 408 383 7626 Skype: cor_van_de_water XoIP +31 87 784 1130 private: cvandewater.info http://www.proxim.com This email message (including any attachments) contains confidential and proprietary information of Proxim Wireless Corporation. If you received this message in error, please delete it and notify the sender. Any unauthorized use, disclosure, distribution, or copying of any part of this message is prohibited. -----Original Message----- From: EV [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of via EV Sent: Wednesday, January 04, 2017 3:38 PM To: Lee Hart Cc: Electric Vehicle Discussion List Subject: Re: [EVDL] Forklift Battery Options? The "battery pack" is a steel box 13" wide, 21" tall and 37" deep. It has what look like twelve 5 3/4" X 6 1/4" X 21" "batteries" connected together with heavy lead connectors. There's also a watering system connecting to each of the "batteries". I have no clue if each of these "batteries" is really 21" tall since they are in the steel box. All of these "batteries" are connected positive to negative. Any idea where I can get info on testing the individual cells? I was told that an electrical engineer was considering buying the forklift to resell and he was going to test the cells before he agreed to buy the forklift. For his intent, he would obviously require a fully functioning battery pack. As you mentioned, I don't have that requirement. My main challenge will be keeping the thing charged between infrequent uses. Luckily the charger seems to be fully automatic so I think I can just leave the thing plugged in constantly between uses. Regards, Jack > On Jan 4, 2017, at 5:13 PM, Lee Hart <[email protected]> wrote: > > via EV wrote: >> I would be shocked if my duty cycle was ever more than an hour or two. > > In that case, you don't really need a brand-new industrial-strength battery. They are built to work for 8 hours a day, day in and day out, for 10-20 years. But (as you know), they also cost thousands of dollars. > > First, I would test the battery you've got. It might be weak, but usable. It might only have one bad cell (individual cells can be replaced in industrial batteries). > > If it's too far gone to bother with, recycle it. 6v golf cart batteries are the most economical replacement. Since you have a 12v pack, you need at least two. However, they won't be happy delivering the high current you're likely to draw. So, I would use 4 or 6 of them (whatever fits mechanically). You will probably have to build a rack to stack them to fit in the space where the old battery sat. Wire the golf cart batteries in series pairs for 12v, then these pairs in parallel. > > 4 or 6 golf cart batteries will also work better with the charger you've got, and will add enough weight so the lift won't be as likely to tip over with a heavy load. > > -- > Teaching children to program goes against the grain of modern education. > Just imagine the chaos if they learned to think logically, plan, create, > implement, test, and execute! > -- > Lee Hart, 814 8th Ave N, Sartell MN 56377, www.sunrise-ev.com _______________________________________________ UNSUBSCRIBE: http://www.evdl.org/help/index.html#usub http://lists.evdl.org/listinfo.cgi/ev-evdl.org Read EVAngel's EV News at http://evdl.org/evln/ Please discuss EV drag racing at NEDRA (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NEDRA) _______________________________________________ UNSUBSCRIBE: http://www.evdl.org/help/index.html#usub http://lists.evdl.org/listinfo.cgi/ev-evdl.org Read EVAngel's EV News at http://evdl.org/evln/ Please discuss EV drag racing at NEDRA (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NEDRA)
