On-board Desulfator | Battery MINDer vs Pulse Tech
Here at BatteryStuff, we're big on charging batteries and maintaining them. A hot topic around here revolves around proper restoration and storage of lead acid batteries. If you're not already familiar, lead acid batteries such as your car battery, motorcycle battery, RV battery, or even marine battery use electrolyte as the catalyst that produces electricity. When sulfatation occurs inside the battery, you'll quickly see decreased performance and early failure.
Enter the on-board desulfator
Both Battery MINDer and Pulse Tech offer devices that are solely designed to combat sulfation and restore the health of the electrolyte inside your batteries. Battery MINDer makes the OBD-12, for 12 volt systems for example, and Pulse Tech offers their very own Power Pulse, the PP12L, also for 12 volt systems.
The PP12L and the OBD-12 are very similar. They are both on-board desulfators, not chargers. Because they do not put out any voltage or current, there is no need for AC power. They both hook up directly to the terminal posts of your battery system via positive and negative cables. Pulse Tech and Battery MINDer have slightly different patents on their sulfation removing algorithms, but both are just as effective when used long term.
A Look at Battery MINDer...
The Battery MINDer has an easy to read battery condition indicator, which lets you know the state of charge of the battery. The OBD-12 has a low voltage cut off of 12.9 volts. This unit is designed only to turn on when a charge current is going into the battery. An alternator or regular charger can be used simultaneously to charge the battery and supply power to the ODB-12 to start de-sulfating.
Left connected by with no alternative source of power, the ODB-12 will show the state of charge on the battery, but it will not actually perform any restoration pulsing. We recommend using this desulfator in conjunction with a 3 stage smart charger, or on a vehicle that is used on a fairly regular basis, especially for long term restoration as it does take time for the sulfate crystals to be efficiently dissolved and turned back into healthy electrolyte. This desulfator has a convenient charger port that accepts a standard 2 way plug.
What About the Pulse Tech?
The PP12L only has a single red LED to inform the user that it's on and working. Because Pulse Tech started their business making military grade products, their desulfators are more for function than form. Simple, but very effective. The Power Pulse will use the battery's own electrical power to run the unit. The desulfation process will be ongoing and not stop. It will theoretically run until there is no more power in the battery. Don't worry, the drain is very little as it can be left connected for up to 60 days before the battery will have been drained to a significant level.
The Verdict
Which one is the better unit? The conclusion of this VS segment is a DRAW. Both desulfators will get the job done, but the way they differ really caters to different applications. For instance, we would recommend the ODB-12 for an RV/Marine application where there is a solar panel present to constantly maintain the battery and keep the voltage above the 12.9v cut off. However, those who are installing one for an automotive daily driver application should use the PP12L as they will get the benefits of having a desulfator on 100% of the time.
Either Way Your Batteries Will be Rejuvenated
If you just want to attach a desulfator to a battery and leave it in storage LONG TERM, more than 3 months, without any source of re-charging, then we would recommend a powered unit such as the BatteryMINDer 2012 or the PulseTech XC100-P instead. Not having a source of charge will prevent the ODB-12 from functioning at all, and using the PP12L without supplying any recharge to the battery for more than 60 days can cause the battery to be drained too far down causing more sulfation, which would be counter productive.
Do you need assistance in choosing the Battery MINDer vs the Pulse Tech? Please give us a call and we'll find the right one for you. Our TECH line is open Mon - Fri, 7 AM - 4 PM PST. 541-474-4421.
