...has become, improbably controversial, spurred along some new technological developments.

By virtue of customer complaints about Gill sealed batteries, our previously recommended battery charger choice, the Battery Tender Plus by Deltran Corp., has been withdrawn from the aviation market and another company, VDC Electronics, has introduced an aviation-specific design based on charging profiles from the Concorde Battery Company. Our tests of this device show that it's promising, with circuitry that reduces the peak charging voltage limit and lowers the float voltage for aviation AGM batteries.

The charger also has a temperature sensor that keeps voltages optimized for storage environment, which will benefit batteries in hot hangars, in our view. In this report, we'll examine this new technology and explore whether the aviation charger meets its claimed specifications and if it's worth the money. (It does and it is.) For comparative purposes, we're also looking at some off-the-shelf chargers. Surprisingly, many charging profiles are recommended by battery manufacturers and these profiles aren't just limited to battery chemistry/construction types such as flooded and sealed cells. They also apply within the same genres and from brand to brand.

To improve performance, higher end chargers have user settable profiles, something that's especially important for AGM--absorbed glass mat--batteries that are becoming popular for aircraft use.

Temperature sensors have been around a long time, but have previously been restricted to high-end chargers used for multiple deep-cycle battery setups. Some chargers have a...

NOTE: All illustrations and photos have been removed from this article.




More articles from The Aviation Consumer
Piper Seneca: Piper's popular six-place twin has proved enduring becau..., July 01, 2007
Top 10 aircraft safety investments: if you think traffic nags and back..., July 01, 2007
A noise reduction rating is nice, but it's not everything.(NOTES FROM ..., July 01, 2007
Passive headsets: Clark, Telex are tops: the lab reports say one thing..., July 01, 2007
Cracked crankcases: repair or replace? Buying a new four-cylinder case..., July 01, 2007

Looking for additional articles?
Search our database of over 3 million articles.

Looking for more in-depth information on this industry?
Search our complete database of Industry & Market reports by text, subject, publication name or publication date.

About Goliath
Whether you're looking for sales prospects, competitive information, company analysis or best practices in managing your organization, Goliath can help you meet your business needs.

Our extensive business information databases empower business professionals with both the breadth and depth of credible, authoritative information they need to support their business goals. Whether it be strategic planning, sales prospecting, company research or defining management best practices - Goliath is your leading source for accurate information.