Using the BUILT-IN Battery Tester

OVERVIEW

The charger has a built-in battery tester that displays either an accurate battery voltage or an estimate of the battery’s relative charge based on the battery voltage and a scale set by the Battery Council International.

TESTING SEQUENCE

There are four basic steps required to use the charger as a battery tester.

1.Connect the charger battery clamps to the battery. Be sure to follow all of the precautions listed under “OPERAT-

ING INSTRUCTIONS”.

2.Connect the charger power cord to a 120 VAC outlet. Again, be sure to follow all of the precautions listed under “OP-

ERATING INSTRUCTIONS”.

3.If necessary, press the Battery Type button until the correct type is indi- cated.

4.Read the voltage on the digital meter or press the display mode button to set the tester to “Battery %” and read the battery percent.

TESTER AND CHARGER When first turned on, the charger operates only as a tester, not as a charger. To continue to use it as only a tester, avoid pressing the CHARGE RATE switch button. Selecting a charge rate activates the battery charger and deactivates the tester.

POWER-UP IDLE TIME LIMIT

If no switch button is pressed within ten minutes after the unit is first powered up, the unit will automatically switch from tester to charger, if a battery is connected. In that case, the unit will be set for the 2A charge rate and REGU- LAR battery type.

TESTER WITHOUT TIME LIMIT

If either the DISPLAY MODE or BAT- TERY TYPE button is pressed within the first ten minutes after the unit is powered up, the unit will remain a tester (not a charger) indefinitely, unless a charge rate is selected.

TESTING AFTER CHARGING

After the unit has been changed from tester to charger (by selecting a charge rate), it remains a charger as long as it has power. Disconnect and reconnect the power to change the unit back to a tester.

TESTER STATUS LED’s

When the charger is operating as a battery tester, the status LED’s light under the following conditions.

•The CHARGED (green) LED will light if a fully charged battery is tested.

•The CHARGING (yellow) LED does not light in the battery test mode.

•The CHECK (red) LED will light if a battery is not properly connected.

•When the tester display mode is set to voltage, none of the Status LED’s light (it could be testing a battery) as long as a voltage greater than one volt is detected.

INITIAL PERCENT CALCULATION When a battery % is calculated for the first time after connecting a battery, the digital meter will show two dashes (“--”) for several seconds while the tester analyzes the battery.

NOTES FOR TESTING BATTERY %

A recently charged battery could have a temporarily high voltage due to what is known as “surface charge”. The voltage of such a battery will gradually drop during the period immediately after the charging system is disengaged. Consequently, the tester could display inconsistent values for such a battery. For a more accurate reading, the surface charge should be removed by temporarily creating a load on the battery, such as by turning on lights or other accessories.

The battery % ranges from 0 to 100.

The battery tester is only designed to test 12V batteries. Testing a device with a rapidly changing voltage could yield unexpected or inaccurate results.