Misc: Electrical (General) Best Battery 6V ?

Alyson

Alyson

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The *!@?# battery in my bike does not have enough power to make the horn do more than squeek like a mouse. I've had the horn out to clean the points et al, and it's much louder with the 6V battery charger (low amp) than in the bike. The charging system works, so I'm figuring it's the dinky toy sized battery that just does not have the umph to do what's needed. It came with the bike and now it's time to replace it with something more substantial. My bike is 6 volts, nothing extra other than lights and horn(s). I'm thinking of twinning my horn to two horns. What should I look for ? Thanks in advance, Alyson
 
LoneStar

LoneStar

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Are you connecting the charger directly to the horn, no battery in circuit? A battery charger will put out more than the rated battery voltage - it has to, in order to charge the battery - so it's normal for the horn to respond to higher voltage. If you have a meter, you can check a few things:

  • What voltage is your fully-charged battery? (no-load, and while driving the horn)
  • How many amps does the horn draw? It may be out of adjustment, and drawing too much current.

You may just need a new battery. Almost any lead-acid or AGM battery in good condition will put out enough current for a brief period to blast the horn; a large one isn't required. Sometimes a failing battery will test good on volts, but not actually deliver much current.

I generally use a Powersonic PS-682 AGM battery, 9AH, inside an original rubber case.
 
Alyson

Alyson

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Thanks LoneStar, the battery checks out at 6.2V so has a good charge, it's just so small and I recall maybe 2AH so a little on the weak side. I've not an issue if it fits inside the rubber case or not as I can always cover it with a bit of painted flashing.
 
C

chankly bore

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A 6 volt standard LUCAS "ALTETTE" horn should draw 4 to 6 amps, if my memory serves. Try adjusting the screw on the back of the horn in and out- no more than a quarter turn at most.
 
O

oexing

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I have had lots of failed lead batteries, either from broken lead bridges inside from vibration, or from long periods of no use . So I have decided on having LiFePo4 cells inside old cases that you could exchange once one cell has died. They don´t leak and discharge very slowly over winter . That type is not the explosive Lithium type and I don´t have special balancers for them on the standard generators. Still waiting for recent order like in my link below. I would not believe they actually got 12 Ah per cell but I don´t care about capacity on my bikes. Just the BMW got a three phase alternator and the electronics need a battery for starting the job.

Vic
LiFePo4 batteries
 
LoneStar

LoneStar

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Vic,

An interesting idea, using LiFePo4 32700 cells. Their voltage, at 3.2, is lower than other lithium chemistry, so a pair in series should be compatible with the Vincent 6V dynamo / regulator scheme.

Given that most suppliers claim c. 6000 mAH per cell, though, it's a safe bet the 12800 mAH claim is a lie; not sure I'd trust them on anything else. But just a pair of cells would give 6.4V / 6AH for c. $10, adequate for most use, or use four for 12AH.

Have you actually tried this setup, or are you just now experimenting?
 
O

oexing

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I believe I got two bikes with 6 V and these LiFePo4 batteries , sorry , my brain is no more as sharp as was in younger years. I had NiMh types for some time in some but not worth the money. They do 1.2 V per cell so you need quite a few for 6 or 12 V systems.
A few weeks ago I got a Li-Ion pack from Aliexpress, was a mistake as I did not fully read the description. The block got a total 14.8 V from the LiIon cells so the Earles BMW with 280 W would not be able to fully charge it. So next week I hopefully get 4 of these LiFePo4 cells to go into the R 69S .
Yes, the Li-Ion types have higher voltage at 3.7 V BUT these are the explosive kind like in laptops or smartphones.
You can certainly get readymade LiFePo4 packs with all sorts of wattage and voltage but I would not want to pay that money. Enter a search for "LiFePo4" at Ebay or Aliexpress for looking at a choice of cells or packs.
So far I had no troubles from these batteries even with ancient regulators on 6 V Bosch dynamos, no electronic balancers like for Li-Ion packs recommended. You cannot go wrong much at that kind of money when you solder up the cells for going into the old emptied case.

Vic
 
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