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can i charge a car battery with a power supply

by Prof. Haley Dickinson II Published 3 years ago Updated 2 years ago

A typical modern ATX supply of 450W can deliver 30amps at 12V. The problem with charging your car battery is that this 12V voltage is not high enough. You need a bit higher, like 13.8V to be safe; for quick charging during a few hours and manual disconnect, you can even use 14.5V.

Can you use a battery charger as a power supply?

But there are some general guidelines you can follow to determine if you can use a particular battery charger as a power supply. Battery chargers that have a Barrel Connector , can be used as a power supply. Voltage ratings for these types of chargers will usually be 12 or 5 volts.

How much does it cost to charge a car battery?

There are plenty of "battery tender" type charges on the market which are a much better alternative. These are relatively cheap (under $20 here in the States), and provide the battery conditioning needed to keep your battery in tip-top shape without issues.

Can a battery charger overcharge the battery?

A typical battery charger (at least newer ones) have systems built in which will charge the battery to capacity, then check it often enough to know when it needs a little something more, but won't overcharge and damage the battery in the first place.

Can a power supply be used by anyone?

The power supply can be used by anyone from the maker in their garage, to the experienced engineer prototyping new ideas. But, good quality power supplies can be quite expensive and acquiring one might leave a dent in your bank account. Are there any alternatives to using a power supply? Can you use a battery charger as a power supply?

Can I charge my car battery with a DC power supply?

No. If your power supply is well-regulated (with linear regulators or switched mode power supply), so that it outputs 12V at all load levels, the voltage is way too low. Common float charging voltages that can be left indefinitely on are 13.5V - 13.8V.

Can I charge battery with 12V adapter?

Your 12v adapter would only be able to raise the battery voltage to 12v, but to charge a car battery fully you would need to raise the voltage to 13.8v. The 16v adapter would raise the voltage too high and could cause damage.

Can I charge a car battery with ATX power supply?

No, you have not. You are likely to lose the battery this way, and possibly the PSU, and maybe some of your property and/or your life. 12V isn't suitable for 12V battery charging. You need a higher voltage (it depends on the battery type).

Can you charge a battery with an AC adapter?

You may even have some in your home but not even know it- when AC adaptors are used to charge electronic devices, they're often referred to simply as “chargers.” However, an AC adapter is a type of external power supply, also referred to as plug-in adapter or power brick, that can charge anything from a cell phone to a ...

Is a power supply the same as a charger?

In short - a Power Supply is intended to provide a constant voltage to static applications, whereas a Charger is designed to provide a continuously regulated current to mobile devices, which have an integrated Battery.

Can you start a car with a 12V power supply?

No with a cheap 12v adapter, because the biggest problem is the amperage, a car can suck 200 Amp easily when starting, that's 2400watts. Check the wattage of your power supply.

How do I convert my PC power supply to 12V?

0:025:16How to Hack a Computer Power Supply (PSU) To Use as a 12V DC ...YouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipAnd you know some crazy stuff but I'm just going to keep this very simple for beginners. And showMoreAnd you know some crazy stuff but I'm just going to keep this very simple for beginners. And show you step-by-step how to do to turn this into a basically just a DC power source 12 volt DC power.

How can I charge a car battery without a car charger?

How To Charge A Car Battery Without A ChargerMethod 1 – Use Jump Leads.Method 2 – Use Solar Panel and Solar Charger.Method 3 – Use UPS Inverter.Method 4 – Charge Battery By Putting It Into Another Vehicle.Method 5 – Use A Car Jump Starter.Method 6 – Use A Battery Isolator.

How do you charge a car battery with AC power?

Connect the car battery with the home inverter. The first thing you should do is making sure that you connect the car battery with the power supply properly. You can do so by connecting the negative part of the battery to the black wire of the inverter. After that, connect the positive part to the red wire.

Can I use a 5V power supply on a 12V?

So now you know you can get 12V DC from 5V DC but as you increased the voltage, the output current must reduce to respect conservation principle. So in reality you can extract very limited amount of power from your converter.

Do you need AC or DC to charge a battery?

When it comes to electric vehicles, the converter is built inside the car. It's called the "onboard charger" though it really is a converter. It converts power from AC to DC and then feeds it into the car's battery. This is the most common charging method for electric vehicles today and most chargers use AC power.

What are lead-acid batteries?

As the first kind of rechargeable battery, lead-acid batteries were invented. Gaston Planté, a French physicist, initially invented this battery in 1859. In comparison to other types of batteries (rechargeable), these batteries have the least energy density.

Charging Behavior of Batteries

The battery’s current acceptance drops as the charge and voltage rise during constant voltage or taper charging. If the current has stabilized at a reduced rate for several hours, the battery will be fully charged.

Basic of lead-acid batteries

Since their beginnings, lead-acid batteries have gone a long way. They devote a large portion of their workforce to research, science, and industrial technologies. Because of their high voltage, resilience, infrastructure, and low cost, they will survive for a long time.

How many volts does a battery charger use?

There isn’t one specific type of battery charger used for all mobile devices. They come in a range of output voltages and currents which depend on the size of the battery used in the mobile device. For example, a smartphone battery is usually rated at 3.8 volts, while a laptop battery tends to be 11.1 volts.

What is a power supply?

A Power supply is a very essential device in an electrical and electronic system. It is an electrical device whose main job is to provide power to an electrical load. It has the means of providing the load with a range of stable voltages and currents. The power supply can be used by anyone from the maker in their garage, ...

Why is a benchtop power supply important?

This is because the power supply has the ability to provide a range of voltages and currents at its outputs depending on the power requirements of the load.

What is the purpose of a battery charger?

The battery charger’s main purpose is just that, to recharge a mobile device’s battery. You might be reading this article on your smartphone, or laptop and sooner or later your battery is going to run out of charge. So you will need to use a battery charger to recharge it.

What is the second type of battery charger?

The second type of battery charger ( Type B) like ones used for portable power tools (where the battery can be removed), has the charging circuit contained inside the charger. Of the two types, Type A is more suitable to be used as a power supply as Type B is a bit more complex.

How does a power supply work?

It has an input power connection to receive energy (in the form of current) and an output which gets connected to an electrical/electronic load (in this case, mobile devices).

What happens if a power supply is not supplying enough power?

If the power supply has trouble supplying sufficient power it is going to cause inefficiencies in the system. A power supply is one type of power source designed to ‘supply’ power to an electrical or electronic load (as pictured below).

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