External 24 VDC Battery Maintaining Station Project

[DeuceRoadTripper]

RE: External 24 VDC Battery Maintaining Station Project

Each year I store my vehicles for the winter months, remove the batteries and start a ritual of swapping 12VDC battery maintainers from bank to bank of batteries each week. This year I built a small 24VDC battery maintainer station that will be used to keep each vehicles batteries changed without removing them. Yes, there are a number of articles and opinions about removing the batteries, charging them individually, using 12VDC battery maintainers. And there are a number of articles just the opposite saying 24VDC charging works too. I am getting old and fat – and I am going to give this a try. Here is what I did – this is just my opinion:

There are two types of vehicle auxiliary ports a portable 24VDC battery maintaining station would have to contend with. The new style single pin NATO port and the older style 2 pin port. I have vehicles which use both.

 

[DeuceRoadTripper]

WARNING: 11.26.2014 - REVISED COMMENT: DO NOT PURCHASE THE J-6362/U NATO SLAVE CABLE CURRENTLY BEING SOLD ON EBAY! THE CENTER PIN IS NOT THE CORRECT DIAMETER FOR THE ORIGINAL SINGLE PIN NATO CONNECTORS ORIGINALLY INSTALLED ON THE M923 M939 M35 VEHICLES. READ ALL COMMENTS ON THIS PROJECT BEFORE BUILDING A BATTERY MAINTAINER STATION FOR YOUR VEHICLE. - SORRY FOR POSTING THIS BEFORE I HAD A CHANCE TO FULLY TEST ALL THE PARTS BEFORE POSTING THIS INFORMATION.

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These are the parts I purchased for my 24VDC battery maintainer station:

1) J-6362/U Hummer Charging Cable
1) NATO Slave Cable Adapter
1) Deltran 24VDC @ 2.5A Power Tender Plus 022-0158-1
1) 4x4 Electrical Conduit Box & Cover
1) 2x4 Electrical Conduit Box, Standard Outlet & Cover
3) Romex 1/2" Conduit Connectors
1) 2” x 4” – Standard Wood 8’

* (I am not going to promote any one website or person selling these items, do some research)

 

[DeuceRoadTripper]

This is the NATO slave cable adapter. You can find these on the internet (I am not going to promote any one website or person selling these items, do some research) and have it shipped to your door. The NATO slave adapter is used to simply convert from the older style 2-pin auxiliary vehicle port to the newer style single pin NATO port we now see on the new vehicles.

Why not simply change out the port on the vehicle with the new style single pin NATO plug? Because that would just be stupid in my opinion and wreck the vehicles original design. Use the adapter, it works just fine.

 

[DeuceRoadTripper]

The J-6362/U Hummer Charging Cable is a standard NATO single pin charging cable with a built in fuse. This cable can be used for battery maintaining and/or connected to accessories. It uses a standard 3 pin connector found on 120VAC computer and battery equipment. You are going to cut it off…

The Deltran 24VDC @ 2.5A Power Tender Plus 022-0158-1 comes with a vehicle 2-pin adapter cable that allows you to disconnect the charger from the battery charging cable. Cut the ends off and solder the Deltran charging adapter cable to the J-6362/U Hummer Charging Cable and tuck all that inside the 4x4 conduit box.

I also cut the female end of the extension cord off and wired it directly to a 2x4 handy box with an outlet on it. Mounted everything to a 2x4 wood post with feet and painted it shop floor grey. Here is the end result:

 

[Wildchild467]

It looks good! you get to keep your truck inside? Lucky Duck.

 

[Hoefler]

Thanks for posting. This is a big deal for those of us who live up north. I didn't do anything to my batteries last year and paid for it this spring. The harsh winter killed 6 of my lesser batteries.
I have put all of my trucks in the barn this year but have yet to get the batteries on tenders.
Pete

 

[Jeepsinker]

I have this problem, but with 30 or so trucks there isn't much I can do about it other than run them all for an hour or so.

 

[patracy]

I've kinda got something like that. But I used a 2 pin trailer connector and a 24v kids scooter battery charger. Trying to resurrect some 6TL's right now that I killed with too high of voltage.

 

[Plugugly]

I just got my NATO pin-plug today, and my charger should be here Friday. I went with the GEISLV-SR plug from these guys for $35, and the NOCO Genius G7200 charger. [h=3][/h]

 

[fuzzytoaster]

I take the easy route and slave everything off with the CUCV but I'd definitely go this route if I had power accessible. Looks good!

 

[steelandcanvas]

Nice write-up, thanks for another good project idea.

 

[DeuceRoadTripper]

- WARNING - PLEASE READ -

Today I noticed after 5 days of “charging” the Battery Tender still said my batteries where not fully charged on the M35A2 I was testing it on first. I called the BatteryTender.com Company and spoke with the owner. We did some testing and discovered the NATO charging slave cable I purchased off eBay is not going to work. I apologize for posting this part number before fully testing all the parts.

The problem is – the NATO slave charging cable I posted is not fully compatible with the original M393 M923 M35 power port on the side of the vehicle. The center pin on the connector is slightly smaller than the typical jumper cables you would use to start the vehicle. It will not make good contact and the charger will not work because of this.

I also tested the 2 pin adapters on eBay with an original NATO jump cable. These adapters do work and the center cylinder is the correct diameter. I see no problems with the 2 pin adapters.

The GOOD NEWS the owner of BatteryTender.com said the 24 VDC 2.5 Amp tender will have no problems charging and maintaining your vehicles 2 or 4 battery system. Granted you have a good connection to the vehicles batteries.

I updated my notes on the second post of this thread to warn people not to purchase the cable I did from eBay as it will not work!

Today I am searching for an original NATO single pin slave plug either 500 amp or the accessory plug used in many military jump cables to change the cable end on my charging station. I hope this thread did not cause too many problems for those that may have already ordered this particular cable. I will update my project notes once I replace the plug.

 

[DeuceRoadTripper]

11.26.2014 - SIDE NOTE: I temporarily hard wired the BatteryTender.com charger to the batteries in the M35A2 vehicle just to verify the charger will turn “GREEN” when the batteries are fully charged. While posting my comments the charger did turn “GREEN” and I have a full 25 VDC at the battery aux port.

This charger does work. I just need to change my NATO slave plug so I can plug it directly into the vehicle. I will move the charger over to the M923 today and verify it does the same with a (4) battery system.

 

[patracy]

Here's the route I'm taking.

http://www.autozone.com/truck-acces...hopkins-2-pole-flat-connector-set/141583_0_0/

Just cut them in half, one end to the charger end, the other to the truck. I use the enclosed positive end on the vehicle side. $2.99 You could also use the "charger" side too on another vehicle if you reversed the wiring. (I'd cover the wires in tape to prevent confusion for others)

 

[DrillerSurplus]

- WARNING - PLEASE READ -

Today I noticed after 5 days of “charging” the Battery Tender still said my batteries where not fully charged on the M35A2 I was testing it on first. I called the BatteryTender.com Company and spoke with the owner. We did some testing and discovered the NATO charging slave cable I purchased off eBay is not going to work. I apologize for posting this part number before fully testing all the parts.

Today I am searching for an original NATO single pin slave plug either 500 amp or the accessory plug used in many military jump cables to change the cable end on my charging station. I hope this thread did not cause too many problems for those that may have already ordered this particular cable. I will update my project notes once I replace the plug.

I have a few of the 500 amp NATO plugs new in boxes I bought to make slave cables. $85/ea + shipping

 

[Plugugly]

The link in post #9 also has multiple styles of plugs available. Some prewired and some like the one I chose, with common connectors on the other side of the NATO plug.

 

[papakb]

Looks like somebody else thought the NATO connectors might work for them. Picked this up at a local surplus store.

 

[Smike740]

Deuce Road tripper

I purchased the same NATO slave plug adapter as you to make an external charging connector prior to seeing your post. In my case the inside pin diameter of the slave adapter was OK, however the outside diameter was slightly too big. I was able to bend the fingers on the adapter slightly to reduce the diameter and now everything works OK. This was for a M923A2, I assumed the NATO plug dimensions were all the same.

 

[BillabongKong]

Does anyone have any experience with this unit?

http://www.pulsetech.net/PROHD-PulseTech1224Volt-Pulse-Charger-Battery-Recovery-Unit-7340.aspx

If anyone has one of these for sale please contact me Thanks Frank

 

[wilfreeman]

Here's the route I'm taking.

http://www.autozone.com/truck-acces...hopkins-2-pole-flat-connector-set/141583_0_0/

Just cut them in half, one end to the charger end, the other to the truck. I use the enclosed positive end on the vehicle side. $2.99 You could also use the "charger" side too on another vehicle if you reversed the wiring. (I'd cover the wires in tape to prevent confusion for others)

How about this - it's a little more expensive (and out of stock right now), but a good idea for the battery tender or battery minder.
http://www.batteryminders.com/battery-minder-accessory-model-ezc-01-ez-connector-mounting-screws/