Keep those 6V and 12V batteries properly charged!

This article describes the construction of a charger specially designed for small lead-acid batteries. Lead-acid batteries are found in many pieces of electronic equipment. The small type provides a convenient and relatively inexpensive means of storing a useful amount of energy. Unlike nickel-cadmium cells, they do not suffer from the "memory effect" which results in the gradual loss of capacity when they are not fully discharged before recharging. In fact, they provide their best service life when used in "float" applications where the charge is kept "topped-up" rather than allowing it to fall to a low state.