As promised to another I picked up a so-called Gel/AGM hybrid with a clear top so I could check things out with testing. I'm used to higher-end types like Mk/Deka Gels for standby, so I was intrigued.
My whole interest was piqued by seeing AGM like CV voltages being used on these things, when that is a big NO-NO with a true classic GEL, where one should never exceed 14.1v. What's up with that? If I wanted an agm, I would have gotten one.
And of course seeing things like AGM / GEL / MF on the same cased vrla in my world meant three different types! WHAAAT?
I didn't want to spend a lot of money on something I'm going to destroy testing, and I wanted it small to make it easier and faster to detect problems. So I found this Mighty Max high-rate Gel hybrid. (It is a GEL battery, but built like an AGM which gives it a few interesting capabilities)
Here is what I picked up - remember this is a sacrificial motorcycle starter - not something bigger I might pick up later on. Just for the clear top.
It arrived with a relatively high 13.1v OCV. Gave it a standard charge with my Optimate just to be on the safe side. Passed all tests prior to charge, and finished the 12-hour after-charge test just fine. It's an Optimate charger thing.
Funny: So I removed the top flat clear plate to check it out. Bummer - what looks like sulfation is actually the whitish gel material all over the place. So I guess watching the natural sulfate-desulfate process during the charge procedure is out. Ok, no biggie. During the first discharge, 3 of the caps blew off with a huge pop! This was the result of the initial manufacturing filling procedure. An air bubble or two got released about an hour into my first discharge. I put those caps back on!
After a 30% discharge, this time instead of the Optimate charger, I put it on a more standard CC/CV charge of 14.4v with a different dedicated charger, which for most Gels in the past, is the kiss of death.
Well - at 14.4v CV, what I noticed is that the gel material that seems like a little extra on the top of the plates, started to slowly melt like candle wax and appeared as a more clear uniform liquid-like covering! However, I expected some complaints like the sound of rice-crispies and perhaps some squealing. None heard. I wish I had picked up a stethescope! I always forget to put this in my battery-doctor bag. Seriously.
So I let it rest for an hour and did another 30% discharge. But this time, I recharged at a much lower 14.1v CV, which of course meant that that absorb (tail current if you want to think of it that way) took much longer to complete. This time, the gel which had seemed to re-congeal back to white, didn't seem so um, melty - and stayed looking like the gel consistency I first received it with.
No complaints, but I am cycling it a little bit now just for fun. Not seriously, because after all this IS a starter, and most likely has a higher acidic content than what you'd get with the normal storage versions.
I'll need a lab or another lifetime to make an accurate prediction, but I'll cut to the chase:
DRAWBACK: Like all vrla's like gels and agm's, engineering your system so that it doesn't sulfate by undercharge in a daily-cyclic routine is tough. Even tougher with the lower CV voltage of 14.1v of a gel! So - unless you live and die by your slide-rule and pocket-protector, for the Gel Hybrid, it is probably better to use it in a standby, or weekend-warrior, random type of application where there is plenty of spare time in the rest of the week for it to be fully charged to fight sulfation walk-down due to undercharge.
The most immediate benefit might be for the consumer's devices to have a wider range of CV's to operate in, and not result in immediate overcharge, or undercharge (like charging an agm at low CV's) due to poor consumer build devices, or things like wall-wart component aging, high-resistance contacts or the like.
So I'll hammer on this thing without being too outrageous, and report back. No, it's not an MK/Deka gel, but then again, it doesn't cost like one.
My whole interest was piqued by seeing AGM like CV voltages being used on these things, when that is a big NO-NO with a true classic GEL, where one should never exceed 14.1v. What's up with that? If I wanted an agm, I would have gotten one.
And of course seeing things like AGM / GEL / MF on the same cased vrla in my world meant three different types! WHAAAT?
I didn't want to spend a lot of money on something I'm going to destroy testing, and I wanted it small to make it easier and faster to detect problems. So I found this Mighty Max high-rate Gel hybrid. (It is a GEL battery, but built like an AGM which gives it a few interesting capabilities)
Here is what I picked up - remember this is a sacrificial motorcycle starter - not something bigger I might pick up later on. Just for the clear top.
12V 11.2Ah GEL Battery for Honda 1200 VFR1200F 10-14 - MightyMaxBattery
Buy now 12V 11.2Ah GEL Battery for Honda 1200 VFR1200F 10-14. Mighty Max Battery is the name you can trust for all your SLA, AGM, LiFePO, and Power Sport batteries.
www.mightymaxbattery.com
It arrived with a relatively high 13.1v OCV. Gave it a standard charge with my Optimate just to be on the safe side. Passed all tests prior to charge, and finished the 12-hour after-charge test just fine. It's an Optimate charger thing.
Funny: So I removed the top flat clear plate to check it out. Bummer - what looks like sulfation is actually the whitish gel material all over the place. So I guess watching the natural sulfate-desulfate process during the charge procedure is out. Ok, no biggie. During the first discharge, 3 of the caps blew off with a huge pop! This was the result of the initial manufacturing filling procedure. An air bubble or two got released about an hour into my first discharge. I put those caps back on!
After a 30% discharge, this time instead of the Optimate charger, I put it on a more standard CC/CV charge of 14.4v with a different dedicated charger, which for most Gels in the past, is the kiss of death.
Well - at 14.4v CV, what I noticed is that the gel material that seems like a little extra on the top of the plates, started to slowly melt like candle wax and appeared as a more clear uniform liquid-like covering! However, I expected some complaints like the sound of rice-crispies and perhaps some squealing. None heard. I wish I had picked up a stethescope! I always forget to put this in my battery-doctor bag. Seriously.
So I let it rest for an hour and did another 30% discharge. But this time, I recharged at a much lower 14.1v CV, which of course meant that that absorb (tail current if you want to think of it that way) took much longer to complete. This time, the gel which had seemed to re-congeal back to white, didn't seem so um, melty - and stayed looking like the gel consistency I first received it with.
No complaints, but I am cycling it a little bit now just for fun. Not seriously, because after all this IS a starter, and most likely has a higher acidic content than what you'd get with the normal storage versions.
I'll need a lab or another lifetime to make an accurate prediction, but I'll cut to the chase:
- The agm-like construction of the gel allows it to have a lower IR. Ok fine. Higher voltage under load.
- Treat it like an AGM with high CV voltages above 14.1v, and you'll get agm-like cycle life, not the boasted typical 2X the cycle life of a gel! Limit inrush current to no more than 0.15 to perhaps 0.2C max.
- But unlike in the past, treating the gel hybrid like an agm is not an immediate death-sentence. You're just cutting out some of the extended cycle life you got a gel for in the first place.
- Temp-comp should always be used with a remote probe on a battery terminal, especially for classic Gel, and while not ideal, you may not be punished immediately for using only ambient from your SCC.
DRAWBACK: Like all vrla's like gels and agm's, engineering your system so that it doesn't sulfate by undercharge in a daily-cyclic routine is tough. Even tougher with the lower CV voltage of 14.1v of a gel! So - unless you live and die by your slide-rule and pocket-protector, for the Gel Hybrid, it is probably better to use it in a standby, or weekend-warrior, random type of application where there is plenty of spare time in the rest of the week for it to be fully charged to fight sulfation walk-down due to undercharge.
The most immediate benefit might be for the consumer's devices to have a wider range of CV's to operate in, and not result in immediate overcharge, or undercharge (like charging an agm at low CV's) due to poor consumer build devices, or things like wall-wart component aging, high-resistance contacts or the like.
So I'll hammer on this thing without being too outrageous, and report back. No, it's not an MK/Deka gel, but then again, it doesn't cost like one.
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