YABTP: Making the "Battery Conditioner Connected" light | Page 3 | FerrariChat

YABTP: Making the "Battery Conditioner Connected" light

Discussion in 'Technical Q&A' started by wkumari, Dec 6, 2011.

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  1. f355spider

    f355spider F1 World Champ
    Owner Rossa Subscribed

    May 29, 2001
    17,913
    USA
    That is what is strange, I am not particularly picky or selective in battery tenders, I have $20 ones, and $150 ones...I find they all work satisfactorily, and really could care less about desulfation modes, temperature compensation, etc, etc. The Ferrari/Ctek is the first I have had the doesn't seem to work correctly...and I have seen a few threads of others unhappy with them, and even experiencing failures. I only keep buying newer ones on occasion, because I give away my existing ones to friends or family members that are unfamiliar with them and need one. ;) The Granite sounds good in their ad script on their website, and Brian Crall's endorsement is a heavy influence for me. If it doesn't work out, I can always use one of my $20 cheapos, or one of my Griots Garage battery managers.
     
  2. f355spider

    f355spider F1 World Champ
    Owner Rossa Subscribed

    May 29, 2001
    17,913
    USA
    Got my parts from Mouser today, and made up my cable for the Granite conditioner, works great! Thank you Warren. :)
     
  3. wkumari

    wkumari Karting

    Jul 15, 2011
    169
    Northern Virginia
    Full Name:
    Warren
    No worries, glad it all worked out.

    W
     
  4. jeetdds

    jeetdds Karting

    Sep 17, 2011
    55
    Louisiana
    Full Name:
    Dr Jeet S Patel
    Warren made me an adapter for the ctek 3300; it works beautifully and looks esthetically pleasing....like it was manufactured professionally.

    Blessed to have you; you are a lifesaver
     
  5. treynor

    treynor Formula Junior

    Dec 6, 2003
    420
    Texas
    Full Name:
    Ben
    Glad I found this thread - one of my OEM tenders has died, and rather than shelling out $400 for a replacement, I'm going to make a few cables and put some CTEKs to work.

    And... small world, Warren :)
     
  6. f355spider

    f355spider F1 World Champ
    Owner Rossa Subscribed

    May 29, 2001
    17,913
    USA
    The only trick to making up the connectors, is having the correct crimping tool. I used the ratcheting double crimp tool provided with Dave Helms gold connector kit (for the junior power timer connectors), but something less expensive should work. I saw this one online, (as an example).
    Crimping Tool for Junior Power Timer Terminals
    You may be able to get the more common crimping tool to work...
     
  7. wkumari

    wkumari Karting

    Jul 15, 2011
    169
    Northern Virginia
    Full Name:
    Warren
    Yup. A good crimping tool is vital, but in addition to this I put a small dab of flux in the trough, and then a small blob of solder. I then put in the (tinned) cable and heat the connector from below with the iron - this does a nice job of soldering in the wire, before crimping. After crimping the connector I dub on a bit more flux and then apply some more solder outside the crimp. This wicks into the crimp nicely. I crimp the connector really tightly because I have some solder *inside*, and I don't want it to all loosen when I apply solder outside.

    The other trick that makes assembling these easier / that makes them come out looking nice is the heat-shrink. I keep a small, cheap hot air rework station on my workbench, set to ~400C - Tenma 400W Hot Air Rework Station 21-11425 - Micro Center
    The focused hot air does a great job with the heatshrink, without burning a: my fingers and b: the cable like a hot air gun does.

    A final trick is that I squirt a small blob of hot glue into the connector before screwing it together (to make extra sure the connector doesn't unscrew, and also make sure the cables don't wiggle inside the connector) and then another squirt just before I tighten the cable clamp on the strain relief. I then quickly tighten the screws (before the glue dries) and then a final squirt in the back of the connector, before slipping over the final heat-shrink. The hot air used to shrink the heat shrink remelts the glue and it flows again, providing great strain relief (I have used Apple products for a while and become sad when the cables break at the connectors....)

    The final step is to test the cable to make sure it is correct - I built a little test rig:
    https://www.kumari.net/gallery/var/albums/Cars/Ferrari-599GTB/Charger-cable/IMG_0142.jpg?m=1424470303

    (I used this as an excuse to play with a laser cutter / etcher and print the labels on the box : https://www.kumari.net/gallery/var/albums/Cars/Ferrari-599GTB/Charger-cable/IMG_0146.jpg?m=1424470305 )
     
  8. Bob in Texas

    Bob in Texas F1 Rookie

    Apr 23, 2012
    2,665
    Just East of Weird
    Full Name:
    Bob
    #58 Bob in Texas, Jul 24, 2015
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    This was a great thread for my newly acquired 430 that did not come with the OEM battery charger. I ordered the parts from Mouser and built a connector using Warren's instructions. I borrowed a crimper from work and after practicing with some spare pins, I was able to do the pins and jumper and then added some shrink wrap. Not quite up to Warren's standards but all safe and sound. I'm using a Granite save-a-battery charger
    Image Unavailable, Please Login
     
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  9. f355spider

    f355spider F1 World Champ
    Owner Rossa Subscribed

    May 29, 2001
    17,913
    USA
    Warren,
    I am with you...I also tin the connection with some solder and also use heatshrink...just to give a more "finished" look. I did not apply sealant to the threads, not a bad idea.

    Bob, I am also using the Granite per Brian Crall's endorsement/recommendation. While I have had good luck with even the least expensive battery tender to some very expensive ones (with the one exception being the Ferrari/CTek), the Granite is a very nice unit, with some cool features.
     
  10. Bob in Texas

    Bob in Texas F1 Rookie

    Apr 23, 2012
    2,665
    Just East of Weird
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    Bob
    Yeah, Hugh, it's a great little unit. I mounted it on the wall next to the car and now the car wont start and i get the little cute icon. Just like it should be.

    We're very fortunate in Austin as Brian is now one of our locals.
     
  11. wkumari

    wkumari Karting

    Jul 15, 2011
    169
    Northern Virginia
    Full Name:
    Warren
    I'm still making these cables, but am perfectly happy for folk to make their own (each one takes me around an hour to make - I could cut that down to <10 minutes if I was willing to cut a bunch of corners, but I just wouldn't be comfortable with the result).
    I've put up a page with detailed instructions including part numbers, pinouts, etc.
    https://www.kumari.net/index.php/cars/ferrari-battery-charger-cable/diy
     
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  12. F430 Driver

    F430 Driver Formula Junior

    Apr 23, 2008
    444
    Central New Jersey
    warren,

    Hi. I may need a 2nd one from you. First one is working perfectly in my 458. Have a 488 deposit down so if the connector is same on that car (I would think it was?) I'm going to need an additional one for that vehicle as delivery approaches

    Marc
     
  13. Kevin Rev'n

    Kevin Rev'n Two Time F1 World Champ
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    Nov 29, 2009
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    Kevin
    #63 Kevin Rev'n, Nov 17, 2015
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    Thanks for the tip on the tool. I tried to purchase today but apparently they do not know how to ship to Hawaii, or they ship via private escort hand delivery. Such a waste of an exercise too since you have to register an account and verify emails etc. to make a purchase.
    Image Unavailable, Please Login
     
  14. treue

    treue Formula Junior

    Jan 22, 2004
    290
    Oklahoma
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    Tom Treue
    #64 treue, Nov 17, 2015
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
  15. Bob in Texas

    Bob in Texas F1 Rookie

    Apr 23, 2012
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    Bob
    Jeez, Kevin. I will hand deliver it for $8000, a clear savings of $2000.
     
  16. F430 Driver

    F430 Driver Formula Junior

    Apr 23, 2008
    444
    Central New Jersey
    That is priceless! LOL
     
  17. f355spider

    f355spider F1 World Champ
    Owner Rossa Subscribed

    May 29, 2001
    17,913
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    THAT, made my day...hilarious. ;)
     
  18. f355spider

    f355spider F1 World Champ
    Owner Rossa Subscribed

    May 29, 2001
    17,913
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    Warren,
    this is awesome of you to consolidate all the info in a single DIY. I previously used this thread to make an adapter for my Granite battery tender and it worked great. I really appreciate your sharing of information, and producing cables for the less inclined to "do it yourself" types.

    Cheers! :)
     
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  19. treynor

    treynor Formula Junior

    Dec 6, 2003
    420
    Texas
    Full Name:
    Ben
    +1, this is a great thread and I have also successfully built my first DIY cable after reading Warren's tutorial.
     
  20. AZDiverDLR

    AZDiverDLR Karting

    Sep 7, 2014
    92
    Tucson, AZ
    Full Name:
    Dave Rowley
    Warren,

    Thanks so much for posting all the details for this. I just completed making a cable for my F430. Works just like you described. Bravo!

    Dave
     
  21. 2dinos

    2dinos F1 Rookie

    Jan 13, 2007
    2,772

    I listen for the sound of it dragging on the ground.

    Hope you figure it out.
     
  22. Keith360

    Keith360 Formula Junior

    Feb 6, 2015
    570
    Santa Barbara County
    Full Name:
    Keith Williams
    The factory Ferrari connector under the 3-screw cover that also services the master cylinder reservoir has three wires. The optional cable connects to a three terminal connector which is part of the main harness. I'm guessing the third wire is to illuminate the warning light in the instrument cluster.
     
  23. BJJ

    BJJ Formula 3
    BANNED

    Feb 25, 2014
    1,301
    I put the charger into the boot and connected the mains to a cable extension reel. The action radius is limited to about 50 m, but within this radius it works nicely.

    Cheers, Bernhard
     
  24. wkumari

    wkumari Karting

    Jul 15, 2011
    169
    Northern Virginia
    Full Name:
    Warren
    You are most welcome - I'm glad it's working nicely for you.

    I'm planning on building another batch of cables either this weekend or next weekend; I seem to get a bunch of people wanting them either shortly before winter (when people put their cars away) or in spring (when people start them up and discover why Ferraris come with tenders :)).

    I keep thinking it would be interesting to keep track who asks for cables, but never get around to it - so far I've provided them for 458s (Spider / Speciale / Italia), 599GTBs (and a 599XX), some F430s and a remarkable number of Californias. Oh, and an F12 / FF or two.
     
  25. jmillard308

    jmillard308 F1 Veteran
    Owner Silver Subscribed

    May 29, 2003
    6,568
    Perth West Oz
    Full Name:
    John Millard
    Another successful cable completed

    Thanks Warren!!!!
     

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