Vdc Electronics Batteryminder
VDC Electronics BatteryMINDer
CW EVALUATION
Staying better informed about current affairs
SAY, SPORT, HOW’S YOUR BATTERY doing? While we’re on the subject, how well is its charging system working? Since most bikes have only an “idiot light” rather than an ammeter or voltmeter, you really don’t know the answer to those questions. As long as the battery has sufficient juice to fire up the engine and the alternator delivers enough of a trickle charge to make the light go out, you can only assume that everything is hunky-dory.
VDC Electronics has a quick-and-easy way for you to keep closer tabs on such matters: the BatteryMINDer, a simple, inexpensive little box that monitors battery voltage and charging-system output. Installation involves merely connecting the unit’s two wires to the battery terminals and attaching the box to a convenient nearby location (atop the battery, next to the toolkit, behind a sidecover, etc.) using the supplied velcro patch. Then, with the ignition off, push the little button marked, uh, “push,” and observe the unit’s lights. If the battery’s condition is good (between 12.3 and 13.4 volts), the lights above the Poor,
Fair and Good columns all will illuminate. If the voltage is between 12.1 and 12.3, only the Poor and Fair lights will come on. If the voltage is below 12.1, the red Poor light alone will illuminate.
VDC Electronics, Inc. 147D Woodbury Rd. Huntington, NY 11743 www.vdcelectronics.com 800/379-5579 Price...$20
Ups Can buy with pocket change No-brainer to install
^fbowns Doesn’t show actual volts or amps May be hard to access on some bikes
To check alternator output, start the enwhile pushing the button. If the charging system is
functioning properly, all three battery-condition lights and the separate alternator light will illuminate. Their failure to do so indicates a posible problem. Obviously, the BatteryMINDer won’t tell you what’s wrong with your charging system, but it will let you know if something is wrong. That’s pretty valuable information for a measly $20.
