I found this article on wiki:
“Charge and discharge:
In normal automotive service the vehicle’s engine-driven alternator powers the vehicle’s electrical systems and restores charge used from the battery during engine cranking. When installing a new battery or recharging a battery that has been accidentally discharged completely, one of several different methods can be used to charge it. The most gentle of these is called trickle charging. Other methods include slow-charging and quick-charging, the latter being the harshest.
In emergencies a battery can be jump started, by the battery of another vehicle or by a hand portable battery booster.”
Does this mean that if I were to bring the battery to the point where I get the battery low indicator light that turning the car off (or mabe letting it run?) Would recharge the battery? Why then switch out the battery when it goes dead?
Trying to run two portable DVD players and a power inverted 37w unit and trying to see how much stress I’d be putting on the car battery and how long I could go before the battery goes dead. However if it’s true that the battery recharges it self, then I dont think this would be a problem unless I run the units for too long.
So I guess my next question would be (another post) that when something is inserted into the cigarette lighter port, is it running directly off the car battery, or the alternator?
Brad
Tags: Car Batteries, Cigarette, Electrical Systems
i dont really know how much your battery will be able to take..but i do know that a battery just doesnt recharge its self like “that” (snapping fingers) and people get new batteries for that reason..some just die and there is no recharging it. good luck though
The battery doesn’t “recharge itself”. As the article you quoted explains, the vehicle’s engine-driven alternator recharges the battery.
If you were to run the battery to the point where it was low, so long as you still had enough charge to start the car, you could start the car. Then the engine-driven alternator would gradually recharge the battery.
When someone says a battery is “dead”, there are two things they could mean. One is that it is empty of charge but still functional. In that case, it can be recharged. Another is that it no longer holds a charge, in which case the battery needs to be replaced.
Most car batteries are not designed to be deep-cycle discharged on a regular basis and running them low repeatedly will reduce their life. That’s not a really a big deal, just understand that your battery may last 3 years instead of 5. It may be even worse if it’s really hot or really cold.
On the bright side, you will get a good feel for how much charge your battery holds. So you’ll probably detect a reduction in charge (and know that it’s time to replace it) before you get **** somewhere.
The alternator is what recharges your battery .Your battery is there to start the car , once the car has started the alternator take’s over and runs the car and recharge’s the battery for the next start up.
I am afraid I cant follow your question.
You clearly explain how a battery charger or alternator charge the car battery. So my question has to be.
If a battery could recharge its self why would you need a cars alternator or a battery charger?
If you power electrical items from the car battery with out your cars engine running yes after a while the car battery will run flat.
How long that takes depends on the items and the condition of the battery in the car.
That’s why every car has an alternator…
“In normal automotive service the vehicle’s engine-driven alternator powers the vehicle’s electrical systems and restores charge used from the battery during engine cranking.”
When The vehicle is off no it does not recharge, That’s why if you leave a light on in your car. Your battery Commits ******* and Wont crank the engine. Thus leaving you to need a jump start.
Anything that’s left on in the car while the battery is inoperative can kill the battery. Something like using a DVD player, I really doubt that’s your problem. If your battery is in fact dead. And you want to run 2 DVD players, I suggest you buy a stronger battery. There cheap anyways $30-50 at pep-boys. I’m running a 2000 Watt amp and 4 15in subs, and a under glow neon kit ( Shh Dont tell ) That Sure as hell Was a pain to get the car to even start with the amp trying to steal the battery power, So i went out and bought a new stronger battery.
Good luck
Batteries wear out just like anything else. You can run them dead and recharge them. But with age the battery starts to deteriorate from the abuse and start to become weak and unable to accept a charge. At this point it will need to be replaced. If you could invent a battery that could indefinitely be recharged you would be rich.
The only thing that will charge your battery is your alternator.