Charger bodge

[Mussels]

OK this isn't strictly a pedelec question but it's something that has been asked on here before, I'm just putting it a different way.
My car is rarely used and the battery doesn't have time to recharge when I use it, yesterday it wouldn't start.
I have a nice expensive battery charger but it's a touch too high voltage at 42.5 with no load, it also won't cut out properly as it's for a LiPo battery.
I know that with a 4A 12V charger my battery will take about 24 hours to charge so I'm not really worried about having an auto cutoff, I'll just stick it on for a few hours. Knowing that a flat lead acid battery presents very little resistance I presume that connecting my charger direct to the car battery will damage something (even if it's just a fuse). So I had a look and wondered if this would do the trick to control current and voltage being fed to my car battery.
L200C Adjustable Voltage and Current Regulator : Voltage Regulators : Maplin
The max continuous input for these is 40V, will the extra 2.5V on no load work OK with it? The max output is 2A, how would two in parallel work?
Any thoughts on making this work, I don't really want to spend £40+ for what is probably a one off use.

 

[eTim]

Why not try a Ctek or one of the motorcycle maintenance chargers, then you can leave it connected to the car battery and fahgeddaboudit.

 

[Lloyd]

I have a track car that doesn't get started from one month to the next and bought one of these.

Solar-Powered 12V 1.5W Battery Trickle Charger : Solar Battery Chargers : Maplin

Although it would be a failure of epic proportions if you kept your car garaged.

 

[Mussels]

I have a track car that doesn't get started from one month to the next and bought one of these.

Solar-Powered 12V 1.5W Battery Trickle Charger : Solar Battery Chargers : Maplin

Although it would be a failure of epic proportions if you kept your car garaged.

That would be ideal in future but I don't fancy having to run the wires through from dashboard to battery, the cigarette lighter socket is turned off normally so won't be any good. I can't leave something on long term as I have to run a power lead out of the front window to the car. I could buy a normal charger but I'd like to avoid it if possible as it's only a problem in winter.

 

[flecc]

How about a jump start? I have this problem with my occasionally used Qashqai and the jump start solves the problem. It's also useful in a variety of other ways too.

Here's one at MachineMart, but there are cheaper ones around from mail order companies:

JumpStart
.

 

[Mussels]

How about a jump start? I have this problem with my occasionally used Qashqai and the jump start solves the problem. It's also useful in a variety of other ways too.

Here's one at MachineMart, but there are cheaper ones around from mail order companies:

JumpStart
.

I looked at a few like that but they cost more than a charger. On a similar wavelength I wonder if the Wisper battery can be used for that, I suspect again that I'd need a voltage regulator.

 

[flecc]

I looked at a few like that but they cost more than a charger.

True, but not much more and I find it has so many other uses. From it's cigar socket in the side I use it to charge my intermittently used SatNav, the bright 17 watt lamp that it has is very useful at times, especially the odd power cut, and when there's a power cut I run the laptop from it via an adapter so I still have TV.

The next model up has an integrated tyre pump.
.

 

[Mussels]

I needed the car tonight and admitted defeat, I got a cheapo Halfords charger. Interestingly they won't give the charging rate, instead saying 'this one is only suitable up to xcc engine size'. So they know better than the customer then, or is it that they want to hide low spec from the customer? - know what my money is on, at least it was cheap.

 

[Grizzly Bear]

Flat lead acids! You'll be buying a new one soon!

 

[Old Timer]

How about a jump start? I have this problem with my occasionally used Qashqai and the jump start solves the problem. It's also useful in a variety of other ways too.

Here's one at MachineMart, but there are cheaper ones around from mail order companies:

JumpStart
.

Maplins do them for under £40 and sometimes they have them on sale for £20

 

[Old Timer]

That would be ideal in future but I don't fancy having to run the wires through from dashboard to battery, the cigarette lighter socket is turned off normally so won't be any good. I can't leave something on long term as I have to run a power lead out of the front window to the car. I could buy a normal charger but I'd like to avoid it if possible as it's only a problem in winter.

I`ve got three waterproof sockets on the outside walls of our house and they are invaluable at times and I keep an old battery topped up in a shed just in case. But then I do like a gadget