Battery Charger as a 12VDC Power Supply?

[Huw Powell]

> Can I use an automotive battery charger as a 12vdc power supply for testing
> purposes?  I need to test my air conditioning compressor clutch off the car.

Hmmm, I'd think twice about - it depends on what you will be running. 
Chargers may be poorly regulated and fairly high voltage depending on
design.  At a minimum, measure the output voltage with a digital meter
first and see if it seems stable, and below 14.5 volts.  Also make sure
it has the current capability to properly drive your device under test.

I would prefer to strap a car battery across one for this purpose, to
filter out the crap - but then you could just use the battery if you had
one handy, right?

Since an AC clutch is probably pretty simple, at most a winding of
coiled wire forming an electromagnet, you might be ok.  I would think
twice before hooking up a charger standing alone to anything with
semiconductors in it though.

-- 
Huw Powell

http://www.humanspeakers.com/audi/

http://www.humanthoughts.org/