car battery charger SC1820 manual

10. CONTROL PANEL START/STOP BUTTON Press to immediately begin charging your properly connected battery. If the button is not pressed, charging should begin in ten minutes. CHARGING STATUS LED INDICATORS CHARGING (yellow/orange) LED lit: The charger is charging the battery. CHARGED (green) LED lit: The battery is fully charged and the charger is in maintain mode. CLAMPS REVERSED (red) LED flashing: The connections are reversed. BAD BATTERY (red) LED lit: The charger has detected a problem with the battery. See Troubleshooting for more information. NOTE: See Operating Instructions for a complete description of the charger modes. DIGITAL DISPLAY The display will show the battery VOLTAGE when the charger is not charging a battery. When it goes into charging mode, the display will automatically change to ON (to show charging has started) and then show the percent-of-charge of the battery being charged and either 6 or 12 (the voltage of the battery, determined by the charger). If you manually stop the charging process (by pressing the START/STOP button) before the battery is fully charged, the display will • 7 • • Voltage – The Digital Display shows the voltage at the charger battery clamps in DC volts, or the voltage of the battery, depending on what mode the charger is in. • % – The Digital Display shows an estimated charge percent of the battery connected to the charger battery clamps. CHARGE RATE The charger will automatically adjust the charging current, based on battery size, in order to charge the battery completely, efficiently and safely. RATE SELECTION BUTTON Use this button to set the maximum charge rate. Press the button until the desired charge rate is selected. • 3A – For charging small batteries, such as those commonly used in garden tractors, snowmobiles and motorcycles. Also used to maintain fully charged large batteries. • 15A – For charging automotive, marine and light truck batteries. Not intended for industrial applications. BATTERY TYPE BUTTON Use this button to select the battery type. • Standard – Used in cars, trucks and motorcycles, these batteries have vent caps and are often marked “low maintenance” or “maintenance-free”. This type of battery is designed to deliver quick bursts of energy (such as starting engines) and has a greater plate count. The plates are thinner and have somewhat different material composition. Standard batteries should not be used for deep-cycle applications. • AGM – The Absorbed Glass Mat construction allows the electrolyte to be suspended in close proximity with the plate’s active material. In theory, this enhances both the discharge and recharge efficiency. The AGM batteries are a variant of Sealed VRLA (valve regulated lead-acid) batteries. Popular uses include high-performance engine starting, power sports, deep-cycle, solar and storage batteries. • GEL – The electrolyte in a GEL cell has a silica additive that causes it to set up or stiffen. The recharge voltages on this type of cell are lower than those for other styles of lead-acid battery. This is probably the most sensitive cell in terms of adverse reactions to overvoltage charging. Gel batteries are best used in VERY DEEP cycle application and may last a bit longer in hot weather applications. If the wrong battery charger is used on a gel cell battery, poor performance and premature failure will result. 11. OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS WARNING: A spark near the battery may cause an explosion. IMPORTANT: Do not start the vehicle with the charger connected to the AC outlet, or it could result in damage to the charger NOTE: This charger is equipped with an auto-start feature. Current will not be supplied to the battery clamps until a battery is properly connected. The clamps will not spark if touched together. CHARGING A BATTERY IN THE VEHICLE 1. Turn off all the vehicle’s accessories. 2. Keep the hood open. 3. Clean the battery terminals. 4. Place the charger on a dry, nonflammable surface. 5. Lay the AC/DC cables away from any fan blades, belts, pulleys and other moving parts. 6. Connect the battery, following the precautions listed in sections 6 and 7. 7. Connect the charger to a live grounded AC outlet. 8. Select the battery type and charge rate. 9. Charging will begin within ten minutes and finish automatically. (Press the START/STOP button to begin charging immediately.) 10. When charging is complete, disconnect the charger from the AC power, remove the clamps from the vehicle’s chassis, and then remove the clamp from the battery terminal. CHARGING A BATTERY OUTSIDE OF THE VEHICLE 1. Place battery in a well-ventilated area. 2. Clean the battery terminals. 3. Connect the battery, following the precautions listed in sections 6 and 7. 4. Connect the charger to a live grounded AC outlet. 5. Select the battery type and charge rate. 6. Charging will begin within ten minutes and finish automatically. (Press the START/STOP button to begin charging immediately.) 7. When charging is complete, disconnect the charger from the AC power, disconnect the negative clamp, and finally the positive clamp. 8. A marine (boat) battery must be removed and charged on shore. AUTOMATIC CHARGING MODE When an Automatic Charge is performed, the charger switches to the maintain mode automatically after the battery is charged. • 8 • BATTERY CHARGING TIMES APPLICATION BATTERY SIZE CHARGING TIME (Hours) 6A 8A 10A 15A POWERSPORTS 6Ah 2 32Ah 5 AUTOMOTIVE 300 CCA 4 1000 CCA 10 MARINE 50Ah 5 105Ah 11 1.5 4.5 3.5 8 4 10 1.5 4 3 7 3.5 8 1 2 1.5 4 2 5 Times are based on a 50% discharged battery and may change, depending on age and condition of battery. ABORTED CHARGE If charging cannot be completed normally, charging will abort. When charging aborts, the charger’s output is shut off and the BAD BATTERY (red) LED will light. The digital display will show an error code (see the Troubleshooting section for a description of the error codes). Do not continue attempting to charge this battery. Check the battery and replace, if necessary. DESULFATION MODE Desulfation could take 8 to 10 hours. If desulfation fails, charging will abort and the BAD BATTERY (red) LED wil light. COMPLETION OF CHARGE Charge completion is indicated by the CHARGED (green) LED. When lit, the charger has switched to the maintain mode of operation. MAINTAIN MODE (FLOAT-MODE MONITORING) When the CHARGED (green) LED is lit, the charger has started maintain mode. In this mode, the charger keeps the battery fully charged by delivering a small current when necessary. If the charger has to provide its maximum maintain current for a continuous 12 hour period, it will go into abort mode (see Aborted Charge section). This is usually caused by a drain on the battery or the battery could be bad. Make sure there are no loads on the battery. If there are, remove them. If there are none, have the battery checked or replaced. MAINTAINING A BATTERY The SC1280 charges and maintains 6-volt and 12-volt batteries. NOTE: The maintain mode technology allows you to safely charge and maintain a healthy battery for extended periods of time. However, problems with the battery, electrical problems in the vehicle, improper connections or other unanticipated conditions could cause excessive current draws. As such, occasionally monitoring your battery and the charging process is required. USING THE BATTERY VOLTAGE TESTER 1. With the charger unplugged from the AC outlet, connect the charger to the battery following the instructions given in previous sections. 2. Plug the charger AC power cord into the AC outlet. 3. If necessary, press the BATTERY TYPE button until the correct type is indicated. 4. Read the voltage on the digital display. Keep in mind that this reading is only a battery voltage reading; a false surface charge may mislead you. Compare the reading to the chart below. 6 V Battery Voltage Reading 12 V Battery Voltage Reading Battery Condition 6.4 or More 12.8 or More Charged 6.1 to 6.3 12.2 to 12.7 Needs Charging Less than 6.1 Less than 12.2 Discharged POWER-UP IDLE TIME LIMIT If no button is pressed within 10 minutes after the battery charger is first powered up, the charger will automatically switch from tester to charger if a battery is connected. In that case, the charger will be set to charge at the 3A rate and gel cell battery type.