Lincoln Electric CK3154-1 Manuel De L'opérateur page 5

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The ammeter built into this charger indicates the amperage
that the battery is drawing from the charger. The meter will
read 15 amps if the battery is discharged and the charger is set
on the 12 volt 10, 12, or 15 amp setting. As the battery charges,
the meter wil taper back to around 7 amps. A charger with
AUTO ON-OFF TECHNOLOGY will drop to zero amps and the
CHARGE COMPLETE light with come on when the battery is
fully charged. On the 12 volt 2 amp setting the meter will read 5
amp as it charges.
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Manual battery chargers need to be disconnected from a
battery when the battery is fully charged. If this is not
done, the battery will overcharge, resulting in possible
battery damage.
A large automotive battery (65 amp hours or 100 minutes
of reserve capacity) that is completely discharged (lights
will not come on at all) should never take longer than 8
hours to charge on the 12 volt 10 amp setting. Batteries
with a partial charge, smaller batteries, and chargers with
a higher amperage output such as 12 or 15 amps will take
even less time to charge. If the meter shows that the
battery is drawing amperage (from 7–15 amps) and after
charging for up to eight hours, the battery still isn't fully
charged, have the battery professionally tested or
replaced. On battery chargers equipped with AUTO ONOFF
TECHNOLOGY, if the meter shows zero amps, then
preactivation of the battery may be required.
The following instructions will allow you to determine how
long it will take to bring a specific battery to full charge. If
the charger is so equipped, a green light on the charger
will indicate the battery has become fully charged.
CAUTION
Batteries that have 25% charge or less can easily freeze
and should be charged at once, but DO NOT CHARGE A
BATTERY THAT IS ALREADY FROZEN.
1. Determine the present level of charge in the battery
with a hydrometer or electronic percent-of-charge
tester.
2. Determine the size of the battery in AMP HOURS or
RESERVE CAPACITY. If these ratings are not printed
on the battery, contact your local battery dealer for this
information. These are the only ratings that can be
used to determine length of charging time. Then use
the formula in step 3 for the charging rate capabilities
of your charger.
READING THE METER
The 6 volt setting is a constant current setting and the needle
with not move from right to left.
The battery area in red at the top of the meter should not be
used as a precise measurement of the battery's percent of
charge. There are differences between charge models and from
battery to battery that prevent it from accurately representing
the actual percent of charge.
Chargers with AUTO ON-OFF TECHNOLOGY will show 100%
when fully charged.
TIME TO CHARGE
3. Use the battery rating, the charge level of the battery,
and the amp setting to be used on the charger, in the
formula provided below.
Battery's Present State of Charge: 25%
Percent of Charge NEEDED: 100% – 25% = 75%
NOTE: If the battery is rated in RESERVE CAPACITY,
use the following formula to convert reserve capacity to
Reserve Capacity + 15.5 = Amp-Hour Rating
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EXAMPLE:
Expressed as a Decimal: = .75
Amp setting on Charger: 10
Amp-Hour Rating of Battery: 60
amp-hours.
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