Poor Mans Satiator

[Cyklefanatic]

Although the Grin Satiator is the very best ebike battery charger I just can’t get past the high initial price.
So in order to maximize my battery life I came up with this simple solution.
Use a cheap mechanical rotary timer. The older ones can be set to 15 minute increments. Mine is around 30 years old.
So when I want to charge my battery I rotate the timer to charge for the next day. Usually I set the time to between 45-120 minutes to achieve 75-95% charge a few hours before my next ride.
This allows the battery plenty of time to cool down before charging and also after charging. It remains in its charged state only a few hours. I don’t do any complicated calculations I just guess at the amount of charge to add and I am always pretty close to what I need.
This strategy should give me a long battery life without spending a lot of money on a good charger.
The picture shows the timer setup to start charging in 12 hours for 1.5 hours and ready to ride in 15 hours or so. I don’t spend more than 10 seconds programming it.

 

[Ebiker01]

this only covers one Benefit out of many of the Satiator. Just buy one, it is well worth it. I need a 2nd one , b/c i'm tired of plugging it out and back into the home outlet , whenever i need to go for a long ride. Charging at 6-8ah is a bliss !

 

[ki11a]

I might be mistaken but I am pretty sure most pros agree that fast charging of any kind degraded the battery faster.

 

[Alex M]

Other than 80-90% limit there is only one other benefit of the Satiator that I can think of - programmable charging rate. Not to charge it faster than manufacturer recommends - this is generally a bad idea - but a sort of an opposite, when charging starts with very low current and gradually ramps up to the desired value.

 

[FlatSix911]

Although the Grin Satiator is the very best ebike battery charger I just can’t get past the high initial price.
So in order to maximize my battery life I came up with this simple solution.
Use a cheap mechanical rotary timer. The older ones can be set to 15 minute increments. Mine is around 30 years old.
So when I want to charge my battery I rotate the timer to charge for the next day. Usually I set the time to between 45-120 minutes to achieve 75-95% charge a few hours before my next ride.
This allows the battery plenty of time to cool down before charging and also after charging. It remains in its charged state only a few hours. I don’t do any complicated calculations I just guess at the amount of charge to add and I am always pretty close to what I need.
This strategy should give me a long battery life without spending a lot of money on a good charger.
The picture shows the timer setup to start charging in 12 hours for 1.5 hours and ready to ride in 15 hours or so. I don’t spend more than 10 seconds programming it.
View attachment 63816

Not a bad idea... I have used one to time my hot water heater for years.

 

[ki11a]

Other than 80-90% limit there is only one other benefit of the Satiator that I can think of - programmable charging rate. Not to charge it faster than manufacturer recommends - this is generally a bad idea - but a sort of an opposite, when charging starts with very low current and gradually ramps up to the desired value.

Yeah maybe like a slow trickle charge, that would be ideal I would think.

 

[Bruce Arnold]

I use a TP-Link smart outlet. You can start it and set a timer, or schedule it to run at certain times for a stated length of time. I can tell Alexa to turn it on or off if desired. Works better for me than the old style programmable timer I used to use.

 

[FlatSix911]

I use a TP-Link smart outlet. You can start it and set a timer, or schedule it to run at certain times for a stated length of time.
I can tell Alexa to turn it on or off if desired. Works better for me than the old style programmable timer I used to use.
View attachment 63919

Nice idea! Just make sure the device can handle the current load of 4-8 Amps.

 

[Johnny]

I might be mistaken but I am pretty sure most pros agree that fast charging of any kind degraded the battery faster.

Most of the ebike packs are 10ah+ hence 6-8A charging is strictly in between 0.5-1C which is not fast charging. For the larger packs 8A is even less than 0.5C. It is usually considered fast charging when you exceed 1C.

Decent quality cells should not degrade when charged in 0.5C-1C.

 

[tomjasz]

Other than 80-90% limit there is only one other benefit of the Satiator that I can think of - programmable charging rate.

Capable of SO much more...

 

[Gionnirocket]

Capable of SO much more...

Maybe so... But how much of the other capabilities do you actually use?

 

[Gionnirocket]

Although the Grin Satiator is the very best ebike battery charger I just can’t get past the high initial price.
So in order to maximize my battery life I came up with this simple solution.
Use a cheap mechanical rotary timer. The older ones can be set to 15 minute increments. Mine is around 30 years old.
So when I want to charge my battery I rotate the timer to charge for the next day. Usually I set the time to between 45-120 minutes to achieve 75-95% charge a few hours before my next ride.
This allows the battery plenty of time to cool down before charging and also after charging. It remains in its charged state only a few hours. I don’t do any complicated calculations I just guess at the amount of charge to add and I am always pretty close to what I need.
This strategy should give me a long battery life without spending a lot of money on a good charger.
The picture shows the timer setup to start charging in 12 hours for 1.5 hours and ready to ride in 15 hours or so. I don’t spend more than 10 seconds programming it.

I was using a home automation timer... But I found my solar charge controller hack much more accurate and just as easy.

 

[tomjasz]

Maybe so... But how much of the other capabilities do you actually use?

Most capabilities, but then I do have 3 different voltages to deal with. I also use the tracking feature to monitor performance. I also use it to prepare batteries for storage when not running them all. If you can't find any of the programming useful then by all means use what fits your budget. As I get closer to a dirt nap, I find my time more valuable than the cost of a great tool.

 

[Gionnirocket]

I'm with you there... I'm definitely not going to be the richest man in the cemetery. I'm burning it all before I go!
But I don't think most have multiple bikes/batteries to worry about. And the tracking features is interesting for anecdotal reasons, but what can you do with the information? By the time a battery has past, technology will make the information obsolete.
Not really about budget but what's reasonable and practical for charging a single battery

 

[Cyklefanatic]

I use a TP-Link smart outlet. You can start it and set a timer, or schedule it to run at certain times for a stated length of time. I can tell Alexa to turn it on or off if desired. Works better for me than the old style programmable timer I used to use. View attachment 63919

The length of charge and the delay of starting the charge is highly variable, I think it would be safe bet that I could plug in my battery set the timer and completely forget about it faster than you get a response from Alexa.

 

[tomjasz]

what can you do with the information?

Use it to increase my knowledge base and help sort confused CS callers.

 

[Gionnirocket]

Use it to increase my knowledge base and help sort confused CS callers.

... and that's why you are the undisputed Bafang MAN!!!

 

[Alex M]

I was using a home automation timer... But I found my solar charge controller hack much more accurate and just as easy.

Adjustable solar charge controller that can do variable voltage in 30-60V range is same good as Satiator. I don't need a stupid display with charging diagram, - only the voltage.
Most solar controllers work in nominal 12 or 24 or 48V, nothing in between and nothing higher than 48, so I would imagine that some hacking is necessary. Plus, you need a DC power supply if you're indoors.

Members making their living selling batteries will tell you to pay up and buy a good tool, and from their standpoint this is the best way. Those with not much knowledge and/or with enough money for Satiator will tell you the same, and for them this is also the best way to proceed.

 

[Gionnirocket]

Adjustable solar charge controller that can do variable voltage in 30-60V range is same good as Satiator. I don't need a stupid display with charging diagram, - only the voltage.
Most solar controllers work in nominal 12 or 24 or 48V, nothing in between and nothing higher than 48, so I would imagine that some hacking is necessary. Plus, you need a DC power supply if you're indoors.

Members making their living selling batteries will tell you to pay up and buy a good tool, and from their standpoint this is the best way. Those with not much knowledge and/or with enough money for Satiator will tell you the same, and for them this is also the best way to proceed.

This one has a variable voltage from 6v - 60v in 0.1v scale. I'm using the charger that came with the battery. Some basic wiring skills necessary.
Smart Charger Alternative

 

[Bruce Arnold]

Nice idea! Just make sure the device can handle the current load of 4-8 Amps.

Of course it can. It's UL certified and rated at 12 amps.