Miata List Archive

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Mail From: egrominger (Gary & Emmy Rominger)

The battery on my 95 is dead and I want to try slow charging it. I happen
to have a 12V, 1.25A "Advanced Battery Charging System" with a cigarette
lighter plug. (About $75 retail, paid $20 on eBay.) It's got a BMW logo on
it but is there any reason it wouldn't be safe and effective to use on my
Miata?
Thanks,
Gary
Aptos, CA

This read-only message was archived from a public mail list.
Mail From: miataturbo (Sam Sharp)

The problem is that the lighter is not hot unless the key is on. I'd want to
charge it for 48 hours at this rate, so you'll have to leave the key turned
on for the whole time. Ok if it's in a garage, not so good if it's on the
street. Leave it in the ACC position, and make sure everything is turned
off. How cool would it be to get a female lighter socket and wire it
directly to the battery?
Sam

On 5/15/05, Gary & Emmy Rominger <(email redacted)> wrote:
>
> The battery on my 95 is dead and I want to try slow charging it. I happen
> to have a 12V, 1.25A "Advanced Battery Charging System" with a cigarette
> lighter plug. (About $75 retail, paid $20 on eBay.) It's got a BMW logo on
> it but is there any reason it wouldn't be safe and effective to use on my
> Miata?
> Thanks,
> Gary
> Aptos, CA
>
> _______________________________________________
> Miata mailing list
> (email redacted)
> ftl.realbig.com/mailman/listinfo/miata
>
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Mail From: john.freas (John Freas)

Previously on trickle charger, Sam Sharp said...
The problem is that the lighter is not hot unless the key is on. I'd want to charge it for 48 hours at this rate, so you'll have to leave the key turned on for the whole time. Ok if it's in a garage, not so good if it's on the street. Leave it in the ACC position, and make sure everything is turned off. How cool would it be to get a female lighter socket and wire it directly to the battery?
That's a solution if you want to use the aforementioned charger.

A potentially larger problem I see with using the switched cigar lighter socket for charging is that when the car is switched on, it's entirely possible that the combined current load from such items as the ECU, gauges, etc. will draw more than the 1.25 amps that the charger is trickling. At the very least you'd have a much longer recharge time than with the car switched off, and you're facing 48+ hours now.

You can buy accessory jacks (cigar lighter sockets) at places like Radio Shack that you can wire in anywhere you like. If you want to use that cigar lighter charger thingy I'd get one of those and do just what Sam suggests; connect it back at the battery and use the charger directly at the source.

-John
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
John Freas
Red '90 Base-ish #7690
Columbus, IN
- Standard Disclaimer Applies -
Team LS1,2, SP, the Gap...
I love my Miata girl and my brand spankin' new Miata Baby!
"I have no idea what those dimple things on the windshield frame are for."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Mail From: Larry (Larry Alster)

The problem with that is you need to leave the ignition in the on position
otherwise the cigarette lighter is turned off on a Miata. You need to make
sure everything in the car is off otherwise you will never get it to take a
charge!


Larry

White Knight 1991 Crystal White #99 CSP
Silver Bullet 1992 Silverstone #17 EM FM I+ Turbo
Honey B 1992 Sunburst Yellow J.R. M45
Whooosh 2004 Titanium MazdaSpeed MX5

LowCountry Miata lowcountrymiataclub.net
Masters Miata
RAGS 074

----- Original Message -----
From: "Gary & Emmy Rominger" <(email redacted)>
To: <(email redacted)>
Sent: Sunday, May 15, 2005 6:58 PM
Subject: [Miata] trickle charger


> The battery on my 95 is dead and I want to try slow charging it. I happen
> to have a 12V, 1.25A "Advanced Battery Charging System" with a cigarette
> lighter plug. (About $75 retail, paid $20 on eBay.) It's got a BMW logo
> on
> it but is there any reason it wouldn't be safe and effective to use on my
> Miata?
> Thanks,
> Gary
> Aptos, CA
>
> _______________________________________________
> Miata mailing list
> (email redacted)
> ftl.realbig.com/mailman/listinfo/miata
>

This read-only message was archived from a public mail list.
Mail From: egrominger (Gary & Emmy Rominger)

I take it that a BMW's lighter receptacle is hot even with the ignition off.
Right? I'm going to take Sam's idea and hook it directly to the battery.
Thanks to all.
Gary


on 5/15/05 3:54 PM, Larry Alster at (email redacted) wrote:

> The problem with that is you need to leave the ignition in the on position
> otherwise the cigarette lighter is turned off on a Miata. You need to make
> sure everything in the car is off otherwise you will never get it to take a
> charge!
>
>
> Larry
>
> White Knight 1991 Crystal White #99 CSP
> Silver Bullet 1992 Silverstone #17 EM FM I+ Turbo
> Honey B 1992 Sunburst Yellow J.R. M45
> Whooosh 2004 Titanium MazdaSpeed MX5
>
> LowCountry Miata lowcountrymiataclub.net
> Masters Miata
> RAGS 074
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Gary & Emmy Rominger" <(email redacted)>
> To: <(email redacted)>
> Sent: Sunday, May 15, 2005 6:58 PM
> Subject: [Miata] trickle charger
>
>
>> The battery on my 95 is dead and I want to try slow charging it. I happen
>> to have a 12V, 1.25A "Advanced Battery Charging System" with a cigarette
>> lighter plug. (About $75 retail, paid $20 on eBay.) It's got a BMW logo
>> on
>> it but is there any reason it wouldn't be safe and effective to use on my
>> Miata?
>> Thanks,
>> Gary
>> Aptos, CA
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> Miata mailing list
>> (email redacted)
>> ftl.realbig.com/mailman/listinfo/miata
>>
>



l

This read-only message was archived from a public mail list.
Mail From: miataturbo (Sam Sharp)

It doesn't have to be "on". I checked, and the lighter is hot in the ACC
position. I'd still prefer to do it another way. I use a trickle charger in
the trunk that clips directly to the battery terminals.
Sam

On 5/15/05, John Freas <(email redacted)> wrote:
>
> Previously on trickle charger, Sam Sharp <(email redacted)> said...
>
> The problem is that the lighter is not hot unless the key is on. I'd want
> to charge it for 48 hours at this rate, so you'll have to leave the key
> turned on for the whole time. Ok if it's in a garage, not so good if it's on
> the street. Leave it in the ACC position, and make sure everything is turned
> off. How cool would it be to get a female lighter socket and wire it
> directly to the battery?
>
> That's a solution if you want to use the aforementioned charger.
> A potentially larger problem I see with using the switched cigar lighter
> socket for charging is that when the car is switched on, it's entirely
> possible that the combined current load from such items as the ECU, gauges,
> etc. will draw more than the 1.25 amps that the charger is trickling. At
> the very least you'd have a much longer recharge time than with the car
> switched off, and you're facing 48+ hours now.
> You can buy accessory jacks (cigar lighter sockets) at places like Radio
> Shack that you can wire in anywhere you like. If you want to use that cigar
> lighter charger thingy I'd get one of those and do just what Sam suggests;
> connect it back at the battery and use the charger directly at the source.
> -John
> ------------------------------
> John Freas <+(email redacted)>
> Red '90 Base-ish #7690 <tinyurl.com/q82r>
> Columbus, IN
> - Standard Disclaimer <john.freas.home.comcast.net/disclaimer.html>Applies -
> Team LS1,2, SP, the Gap...
> I love my Miata girl<geocities.com/clash_girl/Spike_Scrapbook.html>and my brand spankin' new Miata
> Baby! <john.freas.home.comcast.net/Evan.JPG>
> "I have no idea what those dimple things on the windshield frame are for."
>
> ------------------------------
>
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