Nothing to do with welding !!!!

[silversurfer]

Hi all. Advice sought.....Almost every day I have to re charge the batteries on my mobility scooter. Dedicated charger gives 24 volts, 5 amps. What I need to know is what is the 230volt INPUT current please. Hoping to get a dinky little petrol generator so I can recharge while out some distance from home, so need to know what capacity needed. Thanks. Am sure the sparkies among us will know the answer !!

 

[awemawson]

OK the input current will be 24/230 x 5 assuming 100% power supply efficiency, so about 0.5 amps. In practice slightly higher as efficiency could be as low as 80%

 

[Davek0974]

In a perfect world it would be about one tenth of the output - 240v/10=24v therefor 5A/10 = 0.5A but we don't live in a perfect world and we have losses and inefficiency to deal with, so it's going to be hard to say exactly, but at a guess probably 1 to 1.5A input. A tiny genny would do that, 500w or so, but it's not as cheap as plugging in



Answer overlap, must type faster

 

[brightspark]

get a 12 volt to 230v inverter and plug your charger in to that if your out in the car

 

[Robotstar5]

Another question is how long does it take to charge?

 

[slingshot2000]

Why not fit the petrol motor directly onto the drive train and cut out the 'tansformer/charging ' losses.

Or just make a petrol driven one ?

Kind regards

Jon

(Edited for spelling errors !)

 

[Fazerruss]

You would be better off getting a second set of batteries that you can have ready charged and then swap over when required

 

[Nomolos]

You would be better off getting a second set of batteries that you can have ready charged and then swap over when required

not so easy to do on some scooters there bolted into the bodywork if it’s a small boot version then yes a second pack would help, a larger road style would be difficult

 

[CompoSimmonite]

I considered something similar after I had the indignity of my batteries going flat - to be fair I had done 12 miles
I borrowed a small generator off a friend and was shocked to see the variation in voltage depending on rpm plus how "raw" the current was. Friend said such was well known to caravan users and that is why he now has an inverter generator. Only negative is they are considerably more expensive than standard gennies.
My scooter is also 24v so I then looked into making my own generator with a 24v alternator (boat best source as lot smaller than lorry items) together with the Honda motor off my concrete mixer Only problem then is the scooter batteries are AGM or gel so need special charging circuit to avoid damage. Before I thought more about the idea I then moved over to a making a custom PETROL powered mobility scooter out of a rear engined ride on mower. The rules / law is quite lax so very easy to conform to them. I had no problem registering with DVLA and was given Q reg plus free tax disc without mot, insurance or any inspection.
I've still got my electric scooter but woudln't try venturing too far again !
Currently I'm working on a new idea of a two wheeled mobility scooter (need to check fine print of law to see if the definition says they had to be 3 or more wheels) based on a new Monkey bike and golf buggy motor. Speed will still be 8 mph max but the plan is for something that I can easilly lift in and out of my camper (detachable batteyr pack) and be able to explore places like canal towpaths where it's too narrow or rough for my other scooters.

Paul H

 

[silversurfer]

not a welding question.

Thanks to all for suggestions. Cant reply to all but heres some of them.
carrying extra batteries and changing them over is not practical. Difficult to get at and not easy if a bit disabled.
Engine driven 24volt alternator, no place to input that amount of power.
Convert to petrol power. Nice idea but noisy !!!! Would not be popular in shops !! Charging time is roughly double running time, but a breif 1 hour top up at furthest point would help.(has to go through the dedicated charger.
As last reply said, batteries are AGM/Gel, dont like them so changing back to sealed lead acid ones, easier to charge. AND CHEAPER
Another thought was tiny generator and charger running all the time when in open should extend run time a lot,like 5 amps in, 15 out is better than just 15 out Maybe !! Thanks anyway, I have the answer to original query....

 

[the snooper]

what you need if you are considering using any type of engine is

whilst out on the street use an engine and altenator to supply all the power to the motors ie swap from battery to engine and when in shops back to battery that way your only limits will be down to the size of the fuel tank.
similar idea to diesel electric trains

 

[Robotstar5]

whilst out on the street use an engine and altenator to supply all the power to the motors ie swap from battery to engine and when in shops back to battery that way your only limits will be down to the size of the fuel tank.
similar idea to diesel electric trains

The first hybrid mobility scooter?

 

[awemawson]

And don't forget to add regenerative braking to charge the battery while slowing down

 

[silversurfer]

nothing to do with welding.

Thanks to all for the replies and suggestions. 50 years ago I would have loved to convert to petrol power,had the bits and capability. These days I can only work sitting down !! Could even do decent welding then, long before migsand tigs ! These days have to rely on one grandson who is a decent mig/tig man, or if anything a bit heavy I have a son who can weld two halves of a ship together underwater !!! Thanks again, am always here looking and learning. Regards..