Reddit reviews BLACK+DECKER BC15BD Fully Automatic 15 Amp 12V Bench Battery Charger/Maintainer with 40A Engine Start, Alternator Check, Cable Clamps
We found 6 Reddit comments about BLACK+DECKER BC15BD Fully Automatic 15 Amp 12V Bench Battery Charger/Maintainer with 40A Engine Start, Alternator Check, Cable Clamps. Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.
15 amp bench battery charger maintains and charges any AGM, GEL, or WET automotive or marine 12V batteryFully automatic high frequency charging delivers 3 stage charging, automatically switching from fast charge, to top-off, to trickle chargeBattery reconditioning feature helps extend battery life; 40 amp engine start helps start your vehicle in about 90 secondsEquipped with reverse polarity protection; LCD screen displays charging status and battery status with easy to understand iconsFeatures a patented alternator check which indicates if the alternator is maintaining battery level; ETL Certified for performance and safety
I have an inverter with alligator clips on it that has at least 300 watts (you can gather things you think you would use and add up the watts to see your needs):
https://www.amazon.com/POTEK-Inverter-Adapter-Charging-Smartphone/dp/B01FEUD9OO/ref=sr_1_9?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1504464365&sr=1-9&refinements=p_72%3A1248861011
Then I have a marine deep cycle battery (I actually have two because I use them for other stuff also):
I can't find the exact one, but it is just Deep Cycle marine battery 12 volts and about 100 amp hours rated, they are about $75-100 at Costco or Walmart.
If you search for 24DC or the larger 27DC Marine battery you will find them.
Then of course you need a charger, I love this one, but there are others:
https://www.amazon.com/BLACK-DECKER-BC15BD-Battery-Charger/dp/B00KNMKRU8/ref=pd_bxgy_263_3?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B00KNMKRU8&pd_rd_r=KVPBC0ZVG9ZQGWAPD6HS&pd_rd_w=4Xk7X&pd_rd_wg=SRKI5&psc=1&refRID=KVPBC0ZVG9ZQGWAPD6HS
You just clamp on the inverter and you are all set, instant power supply :)
Edit: you could also get one of these and use your car charger with it, it might extend the life of the big deep cycle battery since you don't have to run the inverter
The bimmersoftware.com cable you have seems to be the only sure thing; it's the one I used. I used this 15amp charger with no problem when flashing my Z4 so your 25 amp one shouldn't have any problem. The OTG cables were these Cable Matters ones.
I totally understand how you feel; I freaked the hell out when the flash failed on mine and the car wouldn't start.
A battery charger is a great thing to keep in the trunk as well. Here's one example although they have cheaper and more expensive / elaborate models: http://www.amazon.com/Decker-BC15BD-Battery-Charger-Engine/dp/B00KNMKRU8/ref=lp_15707061_1_22?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1451959575&sr=1-22
I've been looking into those automatic battery chargers/engine starters for this purpose but what I'd really like is a manual voltage adjust or programmable one so I can be sure that it's indeed charging at the correct voltages for bulk, absorption, and float stages of whatever battery gets hooked up. After learning a bit about all this I'm not sure I trust the garden variety auto battery charger. Also if I'm not mistaken the amperage rating on them needs to be higher to charge in any reasonable amount of time? The 1A battery tender type charging devices seem like they might take a long time? Perhaps someone has some experience with this and can chime in on a good solution for us.
Battery tenders are really great at keeping already good batteries good, but they don't work well for actually charging a battery. I have a trailer, dirt bikes and a car I don't drive often on battery tenders but I have a dedicated battery charger in with my tools. I'm using this Black and Decker unit that I really like and it also has a trickle charger.
BLACK+DECKER BC15BD 15 Amp Bench Battery Charger with 40 Amp Engine Start and Alternator Check https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00KNMKRU8/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_VrheAbSWKK9S2
You're on the right track there. You'll need a cigarette lighter socket adapter and a battery charger. I have this one.
That should do it for you. You'll have the battery, the charger, the adapter and the fan. You'd also be able to add a light, phone charger, fridge, etc to the existing set up in the future.