Schumacher PSC-12500A owner manual Using the built-in Battery tester

using the built-in BATTERY tester

OVERVIEW

This battery charger has a built-in battery tester that displays either an accurate bat- tery voltage or an estimate of the battery’s relative charge based on the battery volt- age and the Battery Council International scale.

TESTING SEQUENCE

There are four basic steps required to use the PSC-12500A as a battery tester.

1.Connect the charger battery clamps to the battery. Be sure to follow all of the precautions listed under “OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS”.

TESTER WITHOUT TIME LIMIT

If either the DIGITAL Display or Bat- tery Type button is pressed within the first 15 minutes after the PSC-12500A is powered up, it will remain a tester (not a charger) indefinitely, unless a charge rate is selected.

TESTING AFTER CHARGING

After the PSC-12500A has been changed from tester to charger (by selecting a charge rate), it remains a charger. To change the PSC-12500A back to a tester, press the CHARGE START button until all charge rate LEDs are off.

2.Connect the charger power cord to a 120V AC wall outlet. Again, be sure to follow all of the precautions listed under

“OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS”.

3.If necessary, press the Battery Type button until the correct type is indicated.

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

TESTER AND CHARGER

When first turned on, the PSC-12500A

operates only as a tester, not as a charger. To continue to use it as only a tester, avoid pressing the charge start button. Se- lecting a charge rate activates the battery charger and deactivates the tester. Press- ing the CHARGE start button when the engine start LED is lit (except during the 180 second cool down) will shut off the charger and activate the tester.

POWER-UP IDLE TIME LIMIT

If no button is pressed within 15 minutes

after the PSC-12500A is first powered up,

it will automatically switch from tester to charger, if a battery is connected. In that case, the charger will be set for the small battery charge rate and 12V regular battery type.

TESTER STATUS LEDs

When the PSC-12500A is operating as a battery tester, the status LEDs light under the following conditions:

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

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

•TheconnectedLEDlightsifaproperly connected battery is detected.

•When the tester digital display is set to voltage, the CHARGED and CHARG- ING LEDs won't light (it could be testing a battery or an alternator).

INITIAL PERCENT CALCULATION When a battery % is calculated for the first time after connecting a battery, the digital display will show three dashes (“---”) for a period as long as 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

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