Dodd battery powered Sensation M901, battery seems to not be charging...

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vonpod

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When I unplug the battery from wall socket, the Sensation clicks off and lights on front dim.... not enough power coming from battery it seems.  I usually cycle it every three months, meaning unplug and let it run out of juice before plugging it back in and fully charging it overnight.  Any thoughts?  Unit works fine when battery is plugged in so there's juice going through...

srb

I'm assuming you are using SLA gel cells?  Lead Acid batteries do not suffer from memory effects like Ni-Cad batteries and do not need to be power cycled.

In fact, unless they are specifically designated as deep discharge, they definitely should not be fully drained. 

The number of charge cycles in its life is greatly decreased when allowing to discharge beyond 50% - 60%.  I would size the battery(s) so that the number of hours of play required would result in ~ 30% discharge (or to ~70% capacity) if no charger is attached.

However, if you are using a smart charger that is always connected to keep it topped up, that is probably optimum for battery life.

It could be that the age of the batteries in combination with periodic complete discharging has exhausted the battery and it's time for replacement.

Steve

vonpod

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Only had the setup for a year, bought it used here.  Probably cycled it three times, one of the times was when I was away for a couple months and shut everything in the house down.  Not sure how long the previous owner had the components.  When I open the black box there are two blue "packs" inside.  The battery did not come with any specs. Am I harming anything by simply running it the way it is while I figure out my next move? 

vonpod

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Though I do have a memory of the owner saying something about cycling... That's the only reason why I would have done it I think.  Let me hunt around for our correspondence and see what's what.

vonpod

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I found specs for the battery charger, it is a Soneil. The charger has a light on it, when the Sensation is off the charger light is green meaning supposedly the batteries have a full charge yet when I unplug the charger, as I said, the Sensation does not receive enough power to operate and the light on the charger goes orange.  So the charger is giving info that the battery is charged which seems not to be the case.

vonpod

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And though I don't have the specs on the battery, the owner stated he cycled the battery and would unplug the battery from the wall socket and let it run on its own claiming the heat it was generating wasn't good for the batteries.  I didn't go that far but I did cycle it a few times, as I said.  Maybe Seth has some ideas....

srb

If the charger is operating properly, then it's likely just time for a battery replacement, particularly if the normal mode they were run in with the previous owner was deep discharge cycling.  Sure, batteries are better off without additional heat, but if I had to choose between the added heat from a charger vs. deep cycling the batteries, I would choose the added heat from the charger.

Lead acid batteries do survive in much higher ambient temperature environments in under the hood automotive applications, so I wouldn't worry about that too much.

Again, if you do have SLA batteries (and I assume you do having a pair of 12V batteries vs a single 24V Li-Ion), a pair of 12V 5AH SLA batteries can be replaced for < $30 shipped or found locally.

Steve

vonpod

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Thanks so much for you help Steve.  I have also sent a note to the owner asking exactly how long he owned the battery.  And I've CC'd Seth.

Unfortunately I am not absolutely sure about what the batteries are, I apologize for my ignorance, but will start to hunt around for Dodd replacements.  I live in NYC and between that and online dealers I should be able to find something.  Alas, I cannot reach anyone at Dodd.  Are they out of Business?  Their website has a link for "contact" but when I click it there's no email or phone info.

Thanks again.

virtue

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We bought from PowerStream. 

They're around $10 for the "generic."

http://www.amazon.com/Battery-Power-Patrol-SLA1055-Electronics/dp/B003LNYXSI

The lithium ion packs are less inclined to swell and lose charge over time.  They have protection circuits also.

Seth

bardamu

Hello Vonpod,
The bigger the batteries the easier life they will have. If you have small low quality ones and you discharge them every time to a high degree they will go down quickly.
Yes, the notorious gary seems to be out of business. i mean he will take your money and leave you standing empty handed.
Sincere greetings, Edward

sfox7076

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I am not sure what money he has taken, but he has had a rough run of it.  He should file for bankruptcy and start over.  He did fix an amp of mine about 3 months ago.  But, well, now he no longer has a phone it seems.

bardamu

Hello,
He has taken my money and so far he didnt do a lot. He seems to have spend it but not on parts. And yes it is impossible to connect to him to get any updates on the pre amp he should build for that money.
Would it be that easy to start over again? First he will have to start finishing all the back orders to regain confidence.
Sincere greetings, Edward

sfox7076

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It isn't that easy, but if his creditors came after him, your money is not yours at the time and they get it.  That said, how could he be any worse off than he already is?  No one is sending him money right now because of the issues he has.  And he has millions of dollars in med bills.  He needs to shed that in order to provide what he can to his customers.  Only way is bankruptcy.  Otherwise, all he is doing is waiting for the debt collectors to take it all.  It may suck for most of us, but I think it is his only way out.  If he chooses to later fill those orders, he can.  The med bill issue is the greatest cause of individual bankruptcies in the US.  http://www.cnbc.com/id/100840148