Battery Charger Controls, Reading Ammeter

E.	BATTERY CHARGER CONTROLS

CHARGE RATE AND VOLTAGE SWITCH SETTINGS

NOTE: It is important to determine the battery type before charg- ing. (See BATTERY TYPES)

WARNING: This charger will continue to charge even after the battery is charged.

This is a manual (non-automatic) battery charger. A manual charger will continue to charge and will not shut off. You must keep a visual check on the ammeter to determine when the bat- tery is charged.

WARNING: Overcharging will damage the battery.

2 Amp Charge Rate – All Models

For small 12 volt batteries (31 ampere hours or less) use only the 2 amp charge rate. The smaller the battery, the greater the risk of harming it by using a higher charge rate. The 2 amp charge rate may also be used to warm or trickle charge larger batteries.

6 Amp Charge Rate (PS-620 Only)

Use the 6 Amp charge rate for faster charging of larger 12 volt batteries.

10 Amp Charge Rate (PS-1025 Only)

Use the 10 amp charge rate for faster charging of larger 12 volt batteries.

PS-620	PS-1025
CHARGE RATE SELECTOR	CHARGE RATE SELECTOR
2 AMP OFF 6 AMP	2 AMP 10 AMP 50 AMP
	START

FIGURE 3: BATTERY CHARGE RATE SELECTORS

50 Amp Engine Start (PS-1025 Only)

Select “50 Amp Start” to assist in engine cranking of 12 volt sys- tems. DO NOT use on 6 volt systems. Use the 50 amp engine start position for cranking automobiles or light trucks. Do not crank engine if battery is not in the vehicle. This will reduce the chance of damaging sensitive electronic equipment in the ve- hicle.

IMPORTANT: Very low/depleted batteries may need to be charged at 10 Amps for 15–20 minutes before switching to En- gine Start.

F.	READING AMMETER

PS-620

PS-1025

FIGURE 4: METERS

AMMETER (See FIGURE 4)

The ammeter gives a reading of the current drawn by the battery from the charger. When a fully discharged battery is connected to the charger, the ammeter will read the maximum output rating of the charger, 2, 6, or 10 Amps, depending on the charge rate selected. The charge current will gradually taper down as the battery approaches full charge. As the charge current tapers down, the ammeter needle will move left.

PERCENT OF CHARGE

The percent of charge scale is intended as a visual aid to help simplify reading the state of charge. It is scaled for use with the 6 or 10 amp charge rate only. For the 2 amp charge rate, use the red triangle. The percent of charge is based on current drawn by the battery. For this reason, accuracy will vary with the size and

battery type. Typically a 28 ampere hour gel cell battery will draw less current at the end of charge then a 140 ampere hour wet cell battery. This means that the indication for a fully charged large battery may be slightly less than 100%.

For the 2 amp charge rate, a red triangle has been provided within the green area of the meter scale. It's accuracy has been calibrated for use with small batteries. As a battery takes on a charge, it draws less current from the charger. Correspondingly less of the red area will fall under the meter needle.