Brief Information On Battery Accessories

By Author: Amar Iqbal
Total Articles: 5
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Most common battery accessories are terminals, cables and clips. Battery monitors and battery chargers are battery accessories to be found in service stations and in use by some individuals.

Terminals
Terminals are positive and negative types to suit the automotive batteries. These are made of high quality brass and are available in a variety of sizes to suit different Ah capacity batteries. These can be stop end terminals, clamp type that can be tightened and press fit type.

Cables
Battery cables need to carry heavy currents and should have insulation that will work in severe conditions. Battery cables are usually flexible, multicore type, available from 8mm to 70 mm diameters and even 125mm diameter in special cases for high power traction batteries. These are matched with stop end terminals or battery terminals for connection to the battery.

Clips
Crocodile type Clips may be needed when you are testing the battery or when you put the battery to charge.

Battery Monitors
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... This is a useful accessory to have. Simple monitors let you know the condition of the battery. Sophisticated battery monitors let you know the voltage and residual charges and may even have a digital display indicator that lets you know the condition of the battery during charging and discharging processes.

Battery Chargers
Battery chargers are two types: one is the SMPS based type and another is the traditional transformer based charger. SMPS based chargers again are simple, with constant voltage or constant current charging or a bit more sophisticated types offering variable rate of charging and automatic disconnect when battery is fully charged. These are compact and ideal for single users or in service stations. Service stations may have large transformer chargers with thyristor controls to charge more than one battery simultaneously.

Battery Power Packs
Commonly found in service stations, battery power packs are used to jump start engines and incorporate safety protection circuits, cable clamps and cables as well as a robust housing.

Miscellaneous
You can buy battery boxes to hold lead acid batteries of different sizes. A battery hydrometer lets you know specific gravity of electrolyte in flooded batteries and is a useful tool to have to check the condition and while topping up. Crimping tools, cable jump leads, distilled water, battery to battery cable-stop end terminal combinations are the other battery accessories that can prove useful.

Inverters
Inverters can range from simple 50 watts type to power lights or anything from 500 watts to 2000 watts to power an entire caravan home and run fans, lights, TV, electronic equipments and a small fridge. Leading brands offer inverters with short-circuit protection, overload, low battery cut off and other features.