Re: Remote Car Battery Voltage Monitoring

["Robert Green" <ROBERT_GREEN1963@xxxxxxxxx>]

"B Fuhrmann" <b-fuhrmann-usenet@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:120s91r12q0i771@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> "Robert Green"  wrote ...
> > Another thought would be some sort of docking cradle on the front bumper
> > that allowed feeding a charging current to the car without the need for
> > connecting charging cables or a charger that can be dragged down the
> > street
> > for several blocks until the car manages to run over it (the reason why
I
> > just don't leave the sucker plugged in all the time for him!).
>
> With the low current needed for a trickle charger, just wire it to a
> cigarette lighter plug and drape the wire across the steering wheel.  It
> would be hard to drive off without noticing it.

I've thought about that as well as the solar panels but the car's parked in
an area that gets very little sun.  My damn toothbrush can recharge without
any wires - why can't the car (aside from the massive size difference!)?

> Another solution would be to wire a 3 wire 1/4" phone plug to it and a
jack
> to the car in an appropriate location where it will unplug if you drive
> away.  Connect the 3rd terminal to get power from the car's jack and use
it
> as a safety circuit to shut off the charger if it is not connected.

This is probably the most appropriate solution.  I especially like your idea
of wiring it so that if it is accidentally disconnected via a "drive off"
that there won't be a live 12VDC plug lying in the driveway.  I was also
thinking of affixing the charging cable to a spring-wound reel so that when
disconnected, it would retract into the reel housing.  Not sure where to
find one for 12VDC charging wire, but can probably make one from a
retractable clothesline pulley.

The one downside to this solution is that sometimes, depending on weather
and other factors, the van is backed in, not nosed in.  I suppose recharge
connectors on both ends would solve the problem.  I think I'll end up
getting RV connectors because another issue cropped up yesterday - the need
to recharge his 24VDC powerscooter while it's sitting in the van.  That
means at least 4 separate conductors going to the van in addition to any
supervisory wiring that I might need.   My concern for those would be to
waterproof them and make sure they didn't get clotted with road slime and
become useless.

> A lot easier, more reliable, and cheaper than monitoring the voltage and
> calling your cell phone.

I'm still not giving up on the cell phone notification.  It will tell me if
the  car charger wasn't plugged in to begin with!  Whatever I do, I think I
will incorporate the ability to determine whether the car is plugged in and
if, so, what the charge level is.

Thanks for the insights, Bill.

--
Bobby G.