using your battery charger

OVERVIEW

Using this battery charger is very simple. First, connect the battery and AC power following the precautions listed under “OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS”. Then se- lect the appropriate BATTERY TYPE and charge rate for your battery. The charger will then do everything automatically. This section explains a few details.

CHARGING: If the charger does not detect a properly connected battery, the CONNECTED (yellow) LED will not light. Charging will not begin unless the CON- NECTED LED is on. When charging be- gins, the CHARGING LED will be lit.

AUTOMATIC SHUT OFF: When the small battery or REGULAR BAT- TERY charge is selected, the charger is set to perform an automatic charge. When an automatic charge is performed, the charger stops charging automatically after the battery is charged.

ABORTED CHARGE: If charging can’t be completed normally, charging will be aborted. When charging is aborted, the charger’s output is shut off and the digital display blinks on and off. In that state, the charger ignores all buttons. To reset from after an aborted charge, either disconnect the battery or unplug the charger.

DESULFATION MODE: If a battery is left discharged for an extended period, it could become sulfated and not accept a normal charge. If the charger detects a sulfated battery, the charger will switch to a special mode of operation designed for such batteries. Activation of the special desulfation mode is indicated by blinking the CHARGING LED. If successful, nor- mal charging will resume after the battery is desulfated. The CHARGING LED will then stop blinking and light continuously. Desulfation could take up to 10 hours. If desulfation fails, charging will be aborted and the digital display will blink.

CO M PLE T I O N O F CH A RG I N G: Charge completion is indicated by the CHARGED (green) LED; when lit, the charger has stopped charging and switched to the Maintain Mode of operation, if the deep cycle battery type was selected. For other battery types, the CHARGED LED comes on when the bat- tery is charged enough for normal use.

MAINTAIN MODE: When the CHARGED (green) LED is lit, the charger has started Maintain Mode. This mode of operation is also known as Float-Mode Monitoring. In this mode, the charger keeps the battery fully charged by delivering a small amount of current, when necessary. The voltage is maintained at a level determined by the BATTERY TYPE selected.

Note: For battery types other than Deep Cycle, the charged LED might be lit be- fore Maintain Mode is started.

GENERAL CHARGING NOTES:

The charger is designed to control its cooling fan for efficient operation. Con- sequently, it is normal for the fan to start and stop when maintaining a fully charged battery. The fan does not run in Tester Mode.

If the charge mode is changed after charg- ing has started (by pressing the CHARGE start or BATTERY TYPE button), the charging process will be restarted.

The voltage displayed during charging will usually be higher than the battery’s resting voltage.

The voltage displayed during charging is the battery voltage, not the RMS charg- ing voltage.

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Schumacher SC-12000A owner manual Using your battery charger, Overview, General Charging Notes