> I have an Optima battery that won't keep a charge. Does
> anyone know if or how I might be able to revive it. Any help
> would be greatly appreciated.
Is it losing it's charge, or not taking one in the first place ?
If it's the latter, the battery just acts like an open circuit, then this
procedure _might_ work. I've never tried it with an Optima, but it worked
better than half the time on the older 'Gates' sealed lead-acid cells.
The idea is to get the charge voltage up high enough that the battery begins
to take a charge; while keeping the current low enough to not overheat
anything. 50 volt is usually enough, although I've gone as high as 100.
Then put a resistor in series that will limit the current to a few milliamps
(only a watt or two dissipation in the battery). Monitor both voltage and
current at the battery; lower the source voltage as necessary to keep the
current/power down. It may take a few days of this.
Even if it works, the result will not have full capacity. But I used to get
75% or more (and these were fairly old batteries, damaged by being run flat
and left that way).
Randall
|