Battery chargers can save you time and energy so you don't have to keep buying new batteries. Charging batteries in simple circuits with a charger and the batteries themselves can show you how the various properties of electricity differ throughout circuits. You can learn about charging 6 volt batteries in series with a 12 volt charger provided you follow these steps.
When dealing with the 6 volt (6V) batteries, make sure to take safety precautions. Don't mix different makes or powers of batteries with one another because the differences in their capacity can cause uneven or hazardous charging. Use rubber gloves if necessary, and avoid touching wires that aren't appropriately insulated. Pay attention to how hot circuit elements can be to prevent overheating.
Charging 6V Batteries in Series
To create an electrical circuit in series, make an electrical circuit that loops through each element one after another like they were metal chains linking together. In a series circuit, the flow of charge in the form of current remains constant throughout the circuit.
For two 6V batteries, you can connect the positive output wire (in red) of the charger that is 12 or more volts to the positive terminal of the first battery. Then, connect the negative end of the first battery to the positive end of the second one, and connect the negative end of the second battery to the negative output wire (in black) of the charger.
You can test the charge in the circuit using a multimeter or voltmeter. If you have one of these available, connect the positive terminal of the device to the positive terminal of one of the 6V batteries, and connect the device's negative terminal to the negative end of one of the batteries. Change the range of the multimeter or voltmeter to around 0 to 12 volts, and read the number it tells you. Five volts or less means you should recharge the battery.
At what voltage is a 6 volt battery dead? If the multimeter or voltmeter can't read any charge across it, it's dead. If you keep track of the voltage of your batteries, you can prevent this from happening. Otherwise it might be difficult to recharge the batteries back to how they once were.
Charging batteries in series increases the voltage across each battery. The voltages themselves should add together to equal the voltage of the battery pack source. For example, you can connect two 6V batteries in series with a 12V source to recharge them. This works because, in a series circuit, current has only one direction or path to take, and, as a result, it remains constant throughout the circuit while the voltage changes with each battery connected in series.
Charging Deep Cycle Batteries in Parallel
If you need a battery to create a power source over a long period of time, you may consider using a deep cycle battery. These types of batteries can run reliably until they're discharged at about 80% or more, and the term deep cycling refers to this method of recharging only after being discharged such a great amount.
Because they can go so long without needing to be recharged, they're very useful for applications that need to run for long periods of time without stopping. This makes them ideal for marine applications, recreational vehicles, materials handling and even renewable energy.
Connect deep cycle batteries in parallel with one another by connecting the positive end of one battery to the positive end of the other. Then, connect the negative end of one battery to the negative end of the other. Finally, pick one battery and connect its positive end to the positive output of the charger and its negative end to the negative output of the charger.
The Basics of Wiring Up Your Battery Bank in Series Parallel
There are many ways to wire batteries to attain the kind of bank that you need to suit your needs. For instance, commonly RV's and solar applications run off a 24V DC type of system. In order to build up your battery voltage and capacity, you will need more than one battery in order to attain the storage and voltage that you need. Also, you may run into space or cost issues with the larger 12v batteries. Often people will use two 6 Volt batteries wired in series-parallel to get to the 12 volts and 500Ah that they need.
Good battery interconnect cables are an essential part of putting your battery bank together. Choosing the proper gauge wire is critical and the correct wire length determines the efficiency of your system. Cables that are too long will result in power loss and unnecessary resistance. We currently offer 1/0 AWG, 2/0 AWG, and 4/0 AWG battery interconnect cables.
Our other battery wiring guides and examples
Wiring Your Batteries In Series | Wiring Your Batteries In Parallel
What Does Wiring Your Batteries in Series Parallel Mean?
When you wire batteries together in series parallel you will increase the voltage and amperage by the number of batteries in the group. For instance, below the two 6V 250Ah batteries pictured there, if wired in series parallel will give you a total of 12V at 500Ah. You can see several other example of what a 12V 500Ah, 24V 1000Ah, 36V 1500Ah and 48V 2000Ah battery bank in series parallel looks like.
The equations are simple for series parallel configuration. There are two basics ones below.
How Many Batteries Do I Need?
(Total Volts Needed) / (Volts of Single Series) = Number of Batteries Needed
(Total Amps Needed) / (Amps of Single Battery) = Number of Batteries Needed
(Total Batteries for Amps) / (Batteries Needed for Total Volts) = Number of Strings
example.. 24V (needed) / 6V (per battery) = 4 (batteries needed per series)
example.. 2000Ah (needed) / 250Ah (amps per battery) = 8 (batteries needed total)
example.. 8 (batteries for amps) / 4 (batteries for volts) = 2 (series strings of 4 batteries)
The total batteries for each equation should match or you will need to increase the voltage of the batteries that you are using or the amperage of the batteries that you are using. This may not always be an easy task depending if you have size requirements or restrictions.
What Will My Total Voltage & Amperage Be?
(Total Batteries Per Series) x (Volts of Single Battery) = Total Volts
(Total Amps of Series) x (Number of Series Strings) = Total Amps
example.. 4 (batteries per series) x 6V (per battery) = 24V (total voltage)
example.. 1000
(batteries total) x 2 (series strings) = 2000Ah (total amperage)
The total batteries and amperage should match your needs or you will need to increase the voltage of the batteries that you are using or the amperage of the batteries that you are using. This may not always be an easy task depending if you have size requirements or restrictions.
Wiring Batteries In 12V Series Parallel Configuration
The following wiring configuration requires four 6V batteries. Using any four 6V batteries group them in two groups of two.Wire each group positive to negative will give you 12V on the furthest negative and positive post not wired to another battery. Then with the two groups wire the two groups together positive to positive and negatives to negative to give you 500Ah.
Wiring Batteries In 24V Series Parallel Configuration
The following wiring configuration requires eight 6V batteries. Using any eight 6V batteries group them into two groups of four. Wire each group positive to negative will give you 24V on the furthest negative and positive post not wired to another battery. Then with the two groups, wire them together positive to positive and negatives to negative to give you 500Ah.
Wiring Batteries In 36V Series Parallel Configuration
The following wiring configuration requires (12) 6V batteries. Using any (12) 6V batteries group them in two groups of six. Wire each group positive to negative will give you 36V on the furthest negative and positive post not wired to another battery. Then with the two groups wire the two groups together positive to positive and negatives to negative to give you 500Ah.
Wiring Batteries In 48V Series Parallel Configuration
The following wiring configuration requires (16) 6V batteries. Using any (16) 6V batteries group them in two groups of eight. Wire each group positive to negative will give you 48V on the furthest negative and positive post not wired to another battery. Then with the two groups wire the two groups together positive to positive and negatives to negative to give you 500Ah.