Wireless battery charging.

[X5chemist]

My X5 has an amp draw. F11 and F60 circuits are problems. I hope to have the problems solved soon. I didn't put the X5 on a charger overnight. The battery was at 12.1V. It was enough to crank it over. I use a bluetooth adapter to check voltage at the cigarette lighter. If it's under 12V, a battery pack is used to boost it. I normally charge it every other day if not driven daily. Today, I took out a new tool, an 18V A/C converter. My biggest 18V 9aH battery was used to charge the battery. After almost 2 hours, voltage was 12.4. It would have been higher if I didn't open the rear hatch a few times for tools or spare parts. Testing it previously, the 18V battery lasted a little over two hours. 2.5 hours is enough to drain the 18V low enough it stops charging. The battery tender is big. It does 4 amp charging. If I used a small milliamp charger, the 18V battery could go a lot longer. The converter also has a cooling fan. With the 4 amp charger, the cooling fan would start and run for several minutes. A previous test, over 2 hours, took the battery from 12.1V to 12.8V.

Wireless charging is possible!

[workingonit]

I do see a bunch of wires and chargers atop your engine, though. What does the "18v A/C converter" add to the situation? and what brand is it?

In a previous thread, you stated that you cycled between using a 750 milliamp and a 4 amp charger https://xoutpost.com/1216535-post6.html, and in the next post in that thread, I replied with what charger-maintainers I use, and why. The X5 isn't driven-daily, and has so much electronics in it that depend on having adequate battery voltage, that I pay special attention to its state of charge (see red-scripted references below):

Originally Posted by workingonit

The daily-used HHR isn't on a charger, but the Cobalt is on a 1amp Autozone charger/maintainer, the X5 has a 1.25amp Battery Tender Plus c/m, and the GMC is hooked to a 2amp Amazon Basics c/m.

My Chevy 2500HD pickup is seldom needed, and often goes 3 months between uses (I've converted the bed to haul my camping supplies, and it stays on an Amazon Basics 2amp c/m in-between camping dates, and the camping trailer's AGM battery is on a 1.33amp Battery-Minder c/m, too).

I use these charger/maintainers to de-sulfate and float-charge the batteries, also keeping them from freezing in the winter, and to ensure the vehicle is ready to go (I also use Stabil in the fuel to help that, too). The trucks get the 2amp chargers because I can easily/periodically check the electrolyte level (especially in Texas summer heat), whereas the X5, HHR, and Cobalt aren't as easy to check. The X5 battery showed signs of overcharging this summer, using an Amazon Basics 2amp c/m, so I swapped to the lower amperage Battery-Tender that previously was in the Cobalt. I've had that c/m for 10 years, and the Battery-Minder c/m on the trailer battery has been doing just fine for 10 years on the Optima Yellowtop, so it doesn't need supervision.

While you're fighting your battery drain problem, I can see the merits of using the 4 amp Battery Tender, but don't quite see what the 18v device adds.

Four amps constant charging (even if the charger reduces the current as the state of charge rises) seems to me a sure-fire way to cause problems, especially in summer heat. Two amps was too much, in my opinion, for the X5 battery last summer, when I didn't drive it for a week or two at a time, and left it charging.

Now that I'm driving it almost every day, the 1.25amp Battery Tender maintains the charge it has already received from the alternator while driving (13.5amps at idle, 14.5 above that). I have a voltage monitor plugged into the front cigarette lighter (and I use Torque Pro to also monitor voltage), while I keep the Battery Tender plugged-into the cigarette lighter behind the console.

I simply plug in an outdoor extension cord to power it, in plain sight next to the handbrake handle, just so the wife can't drive off with it still plugged-in, as are the other vehicles...ask me why!.

[X5chemist]

On occasion, I work on my X5 on flat driveway. A friend mine passed away two years ago. I go visit his widow often. I try to be there around lunch time. I go out for or take her lunch. She's 90 years old. After my friend passed away, she told me I could work on my cars there anytime. Not wanting to bother her too much during a thermostat change, I took my 18V converter. It's rated for 1.25 amps. The 4 amp charger uses less than the inverter rating. The inverter was connected for almost two hours. It did a good job of maintaining the battery charged up. In a fix, I could use it temporarily charge up the battery. After a battery reaches 80% charge, charging amps do drop down. Mostly to maintain. My X5 has 850 mA in draw. A new DME should reduce it 500 mA. F60 will drop it 200 mA. Once those are fixed, the X5 can sit for months with a good battery. The experiment was mostly for a boat battery test. Warm weather is coming soon. If I can find a stock hitch, it will be used as a boat tow vehicle. It's good to have a good boat battery in the middle of a lake!

[workingonit]

Originally Posted by X5chemist

... Today, I took out a new tool, an 18V A/C converter.....

I see what you're doing now, it's an INVERTER, that you're using to power your Battery Tender by changing the 18vdc from the Ryobi tool battery to 120vac for the charger. Yep, it's wireless.

At $70, that'll make a good spare "power station" that's a bunch cheaper than a Jackery, Bluetti, or especially a Goal Zero power unit.

Hmm, my wife has Ryobi One + tools, with two 18vdc batteries....????? My equivalent tools are 18vdc Milwaukees, and their inverter is $100, so I have a choice to make, if I need one.

[Bmwe5320023.0]

He must be using this device to use ryobi batteries as 120v power source.
https://www.homedepot.ca/product/ryo...ery/1001489458

I guess that's not a bad idea if you need your battery topped up without a power plug available.

I found these battery connectors, if you need to disconnect your battery it's very handy.


https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B096HD6P8F/...ing=UTF8&psc=1


X5chemist

How's your progress with the drain issue?

[workingonit]

Originally Posted by Bmwe5320023.0

He must be using this device to use ryobi batteries as 120v power source.
https://www.homedepot.ca/product/ryo...ery/1001489458....

That's the same inverter I spotted on my local Home Depot site for $70 USD. At $108 Canadian, you're getting ripped off.

[Bmwe5320023.0]

In canada were getting ripped off for everything in automotive. Prices are 1.5-2 times higher.

US battery $200
https://www.summitracing.com/parts/ado-49agm

Canada battery $450
ACDelco 49AGM Professional AGM Automotive BCI Group 49 Battery https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B006N91BLY/...DS47XMQ9PBPARX

[X5chemist]

Originally Posted by Bmwe5320023.0

X5chemist
How's your progress with the drain issue?

Feeling like this BMW owner. Spare parts in the back and no time to install them. I did have a little time to spare last week. I decided to replace the thermostat. I felt is was more important since premium fuel just went above $4.00 here. The engine reaches operating temp really quick. MotoRad and Mahle thermostats behave differently. Before codes, MotoRad had the needle straight up and down. The Mahle runs a frog hair over the middle. It's just enough to notice it. MPG was down a bit but should return to normal and maybe better.
A new DME is here. Thanks to E46 Fanatics and TheFixer, an EWS delete DME source was found. I'll keep the OEM DME for a spare. It can be coded later. The EWS starter wires will have a hidden switch to avoid cranking.

Fighting two separate fuses with amp draws is annoying. Electrical troubleshooting is not my best skill. I'm learning as I go. A FoxWell and Pine Hallow Diagnostics has taught me a lot. Not to mention the three hours paid to a BMW specialty shop which confirmed my amp diagnosis. They offered two solutions but no guaranteed fixes. I'm deleting one permanently. The other one, I'll have to check three switches.

Before I remove the EWS, I do plan to troubleshoot it. I'll measure amps on each EWS wire after a sleep command. Knowing which wire has draw is knowledge to pass to other owners.

[X5chemist]

The Ryobi inverter was on sale one day. Out of curiosity, I checked the reviews. No one had tried to use it as a mobile 18V vehicle charger. Ryobi does offer bigger Watt inverters. I wanted s small one to use under the hood. No more electrical cord to trip over. It was surprising to hear a small fan kick on to cool it internally. I guess the large Battery Tender does get close to the 1.25 A inverter capacity. Soon, I'll take the 700 mA battery tender off my '83 C10 and try it out. The smaller charge could probably work for hours off a 9 aH 18V battery.