Fitting a magnetic charging receptacle for Battery Tender or CTEK trickle chargers

[white98sh]

Here's the writeup copy and pasted from my build thread.

My car sits for weeks at a time and usually the battery is dead by the time I can enjoy it. That meant carrying a heavy jump box in the trunk (FYI the Jump-N-Carry JNC660 is the best I've used).

Then I read about the CTEK trickle charger and decided to try it out. Wow, it even reconditioned a 6-year old and presumed dead battery back to life (it couldn't save my MagnaPower ETX18L lightweight battery though, lasted only 2 years). The only downside was I had to keep my hood open all the time to connect the trickle charger using the clamp connections, allowing dust all over the car and frunk. So I happened upon a magnetic connector made by nakidparts.com for Corvettes and decided to give it a shot. They offer Battery Tender and CTEK versions and are made in the USA. http://www.nakidparts.com/id127.html

A pic of the setup on a C6.
View attachment 124825

It allows you to just drive away without worrying about whether the charger is connected. The wires are the specific length for Corvettes so I had to lengthen mine 38" for the ground and 34" for the positive to locate the connector on the driver's side which is closer to my electrical outlet.

Here's some pics of the wiring and setup.

Stock magnetic charger receptacle

Extending wires using sealed bullet connectors. I've never used these before but they work fine. Just a little finicky to connect using a standard wire stripper. Apparently there are special tools for crimping bullet connectors.

I only had the same color connectors so I did 1 side male the other female to prevent any mixups in polarity.

Sealed and weatherproof

I used a lot of black heatshrink tubing to make it look OEM. Thanks Harbor Freight! Then route the wiring.

Location of the receptacle and wiring through the mesh. Prep surfaces with an alcohol pad and stick on using 3M extreme outdoor mounting tape.

Yay! Now I just need to get a car cover and cut a hole to fit my antenna and this baby will be able to be stored, dust-free and charged!

Pretty discreet when disconnected. I guess the front plate distracts your attention... grrr NJ! Get with it!

 

[turbolence46]

i like it

 

[B2FiNiTY]

very cool thinking!

 

[warrenw]

Nice, I really like the Rosenberger magnetic connector. I have used these in industry. They are very high quality, German built connectors that also contain a magnetic switch. Those exposed contacts on the front of your car do not have 12V on them until the mate is attached. I also use a Ctek charger but use just the Ctek connector on the front of my car, hidden in the lower bumper opening. I like your drive away option. less to remember.
http://www.rosenberger.com/0_documents/de/catalogs/ba_automotive/MagCode_Flyer_2010.pdf

 

[TomCat]

I use a battery tender on everything in my garage (except daily driver) they solved all my battery issues. I use the quick connect two-prong plug (that comes with most tenders) and just wire-tie it under the hood.

 

[nsxto]

Neat idea, I was thinking about making something like this after using the apple/sony connectors. Thanks for sharing man!

 

[white98sh]

Thanks for the link! Looks like Rosenberger makes really great products.

For some reason the CTEK connector that came with my car was too short to reach the bumper, I had to just have it hanging under the car which I was afraid I would forget about.

 

[joboy77]

I like this idea, but 80 bucks is a lot to not have to lift your hood.

 

[Larry Bastanza]

Is there a weatherproof cover? I notice in the pic it looks like the contacts are exposed. Are they the actual contacts live from the battery?

I use the plug version, that has a weatherproof cover and would be concerned if the contacts are exposed, otherwise that is pretty cool....

Regards,
LarryB

 

[white98sh]

Is there a weatherproof cover? I notice in the pic it looks like the contacts are exposed. Are they the actual contacts live from the battery?

I use the plug version, that has a weatherproof cover and would be concerned if the contacts are exposed, otherwise that is pretty cool....

Regards,
LarryB

From the PDF that Warren linked to:

The flat contacts carry power only (red) when the movable plate in the Port that carries the mag- nets (turquoise) is attracted by the magnets in the Clip. Other metal objects or permanent magnets cannot en- ergize the contacts. Thus the MagCodePowerSystem is 100% short-circuit-proof.

 

[Larry Bastanza]

interesting, sounds like a winner!

From the PDF that Warren linked to:

The flat contacts carry power only (red) when the movable plate in the Port that carries the mag- nets (turquoise) is attracted by the magnets in the Clip. Other metal objects or permanent magnets cannot en- ergize the contacts. Thus the MagCodePowerSystem is 100% short-circuit-proof.

 

[michaelbrat]

That's really cool. Thanks for sharing the process with us!

Mike B

 

[mskrotzki]

I like this idea, but 80 bucks is a lot to not have to lift your hood.

I have a 104 year old, two storey garage which is quite cramped. Since I have to park on the side with the stairs to the upper floor, it would be a real chore to access the front of the car, especially 6"above the ground.

Here is my solution:











No holes, no cuts, simple to access, totally reversible and no cost!