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| Reviews Summary for A&A Engineering Smart Chargers |
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Reviews: 16
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Average rating: 4.9/5
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MSRP: $$79.95 for 1A version, $139,95 f
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Description: Three-stage chargers that will not overcharge lead acid batteries, even when left connected.
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Product is in production.
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More info: http://www.a-aengineering.com
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WB1FPA
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Rating: 5/5
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Dec 4, 2011 05:24
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Good quality unit
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Time owned: 3 to 6 months
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Purchased the 1A unit to charge my 7Ah and 33Ah gel cells. Unit works just as advertised. I have a good feeling these back up batteries are going to stay in good condition a lot longer than others I've had before the A&A unit. Worth the $$. Tom Howey WB1FPA
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WA2RUG
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Rating: 5/5
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Dec 3, 2011 12:25
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As-advertised
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Time owned: 6 to 12 months
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I have been using the 5A (w/solar option) model for almost a year to charge/maintain a pair of 18Ah 'Gel-cells' which is my only station power
supply. It has been operating continuously and flawlessly for months, and I am seamlessly ready for power failures and glitches without a hiccup. My operating style is very casual: rag-chewing on two meters and mostly listening on HF. So, my battery setup is adequate for my needs and the charger is a perfect match....it performs as expected and I am very pleased with it. It is solidly built, purchase and shipping was fast and no-nonsense, and I am glad it is made right here in the USA. The only improvement I would like to see is a rear output (but not-sure if there's really space for it).
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KA8ZSB
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Rating: 5/5
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Apr 24, 2011 16:44
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7 years on 1 battery
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I bought an A&A 1Amp charger to use with my wife's tiller. When the battery failed I replaced it at Sears, only to be told (with wonder) that the battery had originally been purchased in 2004, almost to the day. I have had one of the 5Amp chargers for a 200 AHr battery for some years, and now have a pair of the 5Amp chargers for the 200AHr batteries used with the Ham radios. Well worth the price.
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W6GJI
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Rating: 5/5
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Nov 5, 2008 10:08
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Excellent charger, great service.
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I've owned the 5 amp version for 6 years. It has worked perfectly until recently, when the fan started to get noisy. A quick call to Stas and a new fan was received a few days later (no charge). I will gladly do business with A & A Engineering in the future.
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WB2FTX
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Rating: 5/5
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Mar 7, 2008 07:55
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Good deal
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I have the 5 amp model connected to a 75 amp-hr gel cell used to power a 25 watt two meter repeater... Works as it should, keeps the battery up to charge and had never failed me in over 5 years of service... No problem with bringing the battery back up to capacity after the AC power fails... This repeater has no separate AC power supply, just the A&A charger and the battery. Easily powers the repeater and then tops off the battery charge.. Quiet, have never even heard the fan running.. Plan to buy another one for a different installation
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HK3PZ
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Rating: 5/5
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Feb 1, 2008 07:06
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You do not notice it, but it is there, doing its job...
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I have had one of the first 5 Amperes units built, for very close to 10 years, I believe. It keeps a 105 Amperes Lifeline Deep Cycle battery, which is permanently connected to my equipment, in good shape. Only once did I require a spare IC, for the original was burnt by an EMI discharge in my QTH's vecinity, and the service I received from Stas was top notch. Highly recommended.
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K0HPS
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Rating: 5/5
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Aug 19, 2007 14:39
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Try it, you'll like it! I have both QRP & 5-Amp versions.
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I got one of A&A's QRP charger kits for Christmas and really liked it so when my old, surplus, Lambda "swap meet special" power supply gave up the ghost and would no longer keep a float charge on my 255 A-Hr Concorde Sun Extender battery I decided to get a real charger and bought one of A&A's 5-Amp models. I hooked it up last night and it took a few hours to go through the three stages and reach float status but it performed just as described. I made a few QSOs this morning and the charger switched to bulk mode and then back to float a few minutes after I finished, again just as described.
A&A's Stas Andrzejewski (W6UCM) was very helpful and patient in answering my technical questions, definitely going above and beyond the level of service I've come to expect from typical equipment manufacturers.
I own a number of power supplies, used in a variety of applications, but for powering a typical 50 or 100-Watt rig in the shack I don't think you can beat the combination of a deep cycle battery and one of A&A's 5-Amp chargers. Having an emergency source of power for our gear is a very real part of this hobby and I just found out that the charger even has auxiliary DC input pads on the PCB that can be used to connect a solar module. I need to find out more about that feature but it looks like the charger can perform double duty as a solar charge controller.
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HK3PZ
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Rating: 5/5
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May 3, 2006 15:05
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Install and forget about
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I have had a 5A unit for, I believe, 7 or 8 years, may be more, without anything to complain about. It is permanently connected to a 108 AH Lifeline deep cycle battery and to an Icom IC-706MkIIG transceiver. Only once did I need something from A&A, a replacement for the IC, which was damaged by lightning, and I received prompt and effective help from Stas. This charger is really one of those things you install and forget about. Highly recommended. Alberto Ospina, HK3PZ
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W5EZY
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Rating: 5/5
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Apr 10, 2006 06:15
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Best Power Setup
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Time owned: 6 to 12 months
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I totally agree with AB0RE. I have had the 1A model for almost a year now, and I wouldn't have it any other way. No problems, and I have plenty of emergency power for my hf and vhf radios. I only have about $130 in the charger and deep cycle battery from Walmart. I built the kit version and it went together well. I doubt I will ever go to a power supply setup again. If you try it, I think you will feel the same way.
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AB0RE
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Rating: 5/5
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Apr 9, 2006 23:14
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Very happy with 5A Version
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I purchased a deep cycle and floated it on a power supply for a while. Then I decided I wanted a real charger for the battery... a set-up in which I would not have to worry about over-charging or under-charging the deep cycle.
I've owned the 5A version for a year and a half now and have been very happy with it. It has been hooked up to the deep cycle battery in my shack and I have been using it to power my HF and VHF/UHF radios.
The outside of the charger is very attractive and does not look like a D-I-Y hack-job. The ammeter and charging stage LEDs on the front of the unit always let you know exactly what the charger is doing. (This is a quality three-stage charger.) Both the input (AC) and output (DC-to-battery) of the 5A charger are fused - the panel mount fuse holders can be found on the back of the unit. All these features give me additional peace of mind that I won't burn the house down by improperly charging a battery.
Build quality on the inside of the unit appears to be good as well. The inside of the unit basically reminds me of a 7A power supply with a brain. At first I was asking "okay, so why $150?" but after using the charger for a while I feel it's worth every penny. The charger is designed to draw next to no current from the battery if AC power is removed so if you have a power outage you don't have to worry about coming back to a dead battery.
It's also worth noting that the service I've received from Stas has been second to none. When I got the unit the fan was noisy (I could hear it over my CPU). After fiddling around with the fan (mounting it differently, etc) I finally contacted A&A Engineering about a month ago. Stas sent a replacement fan out at no cost. Now, the fan is so quiet I have to actively listen for it to be able to hear it. Stas has also answered numerous other questions about the charger for me. I wish all ham radio suppliers were this in-tune with their customers.
What are my nitpicks?
- It'd be nice to have a "back of unit" set of outputs as well, which would eliminate the need to have cables at the front of your shack's shelf.
- I'd prefer to have powerpoles as the output connector instead of binding posts. However, since hams aren't the only guys buying this charger (boaters, RVrs, etc, also are) this may be a tough idea for A&A to implement. I'm toying with the idea of putting a set of powerpoles on the back of the unit.
- It'd be nice if the major ham stores would get on board and carry this charger so we didn't have to order direct from A&A and deal with the wait time, shipping charges, etc.
Overall, I'd say but it and you won't regret it. For a little over $200 you can get this charger and a deep cycle battery. This costs just a bit more than a quality power supply, but this configuration is much more useful to have in the event of an emergency power outage.
73,
Dan / ab0re
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