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LM338k to continuously charge a bettery?

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Qaisar Azeemi

Qaisar Azeemi

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Can i use LM338k to charge the bettery continuously. means can i keep it connected with bettery to carge it continuously without any damage.

 

This circuit appears to be meant for charging a 6V battery. The IC will dissipate 10-12W while charging and needs a fairly large heatsink. If it's mounted on a heatsink of adequate size, it can be used safely for continuous charging. That is, as far as the charger is concerned.

However, the battery has to be considered too. Overcharging is harmful with most battery types. For example, if you charge a 6V, 4Ah battery with this circuit, it will charge from empty to full in about 6 hours. If you continue charging it for a long time after that, it may overheat the battery and also reduce its life if you do it regularly.
 

is Trickle charge is good to be connected to the battery continuously for ever?

secondly is float and trickle charging are same? means can they b left connected to the battery indefinitely?
 
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Float charging and trickle charging are very similar and some people use the terms interchangeably. They both charge at low current, mainly to compensate for self-discharge, but there is one important difference between the two. Trickle charging keeps charging a battery as long as it is connected to the charger. Float charging stops charging when the battery is full and resumes charging when the charge has dropped below a preset level.

Therefore, continuing a trickle charge for a long time can overcharge a battery, although it is less harmful than overcharging at the full charging current. A true float charging can be continued indefinitely.
 
It's really neither. The charging current is about 1A which is too high to be either a trickle or a float charger unless the battery is a huge one of >>100 Ah capacity.
 

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