Projecta Intellicharge 7Amp Battery Charger

Product Description

TYPES OF BATTERIES     Most types of lead acid batteries including GEL, AGM, WET CELL and CALCIUM
SIZE (MM)     202x61x108
WEIGHT     1.15Kg

 

FEATURES

7-STAGE AUTOMATIC CHARGING

This is a fully automatic battery charger with 7 charge stages. Automatic charging protects your battery from being overcharged so you can leave the charger connected to the battery indefinitely. 7-stage charging is a very comprehensive and accurate charging technique that gives your battery longer life and better performance compared to using traditional chargers.
Projecta’s Intelli-Power chargers can be adjusted to suit a number of different battery types including GEL, AGM, WET and Calcium. The chargers can also help restore drained and sulphated batteries.

The 7 charge stages are:
Desulphation; Soft Start; Bulk; Absorption; Analysis; Recondition and Float.

Desulphation

The Desulphation stage is designed to break down sulphation occurring in batteries that have been left flat for extended periods of time, returning them back to full charge.

Sulphation occurs when lead-sulphate hardens and clogs up the battery cells.

Soft Start

This is a preliminary charge process that gently introduces power to the battery, protecting the battery and increasing battery life.

Bulk (Constant Current)

The Bulk stage reduces charging time by charging the battery at the maximum rate (constant current) to a set voltage, at which point the battery is approximately 80% charged.

Absorption (Constant Voltage)

The absorption stage charges the battery to 100% by adjusting the charge rate allowing the battery to absorb more power.

Equalisation (Calcium mode only)

Designed especially for calcium batteries, this stage returns calcium batteries to full service by removing acid stratification of the electrolyte.

Analysis

The analysis mode tests the battery to ensure that it has taken the charge; if the battery passes the test the charger will proceed to the float stage, but if the battery fails the test, the charger will apply a recondition charge to try to return the battery to full charge.

Recondition

If after charging, the battery is unable to hold the charge the battery reconditioning function is initiated automatically. This is most likely to take place on batteries that have been deeply discharged, prior to charging. The Recondition mode will then run for 4 hours and at the end will retest the battery. The Intelli-Power battery charger will perform the recondition charge up to 3 times before switching the charging cycle to Float with an error indication.

Float

The Float stage maintains the battery at 100% charge without overcharging or damaging the battery. This means the charger can be left connected to the battery indefinitely.

MULTI CHEMISTRY

The Multi-Chem function allows you to set the charging profile to suit each battery’s chemistry type (GEL, AGM, WET and Calcium). This ensures correct and thorough charging and maximises battery performance and battery life.

POWER SUPPLY

When Power Supply mode is selected, you can safely run an appliance or load from your battery. An appliance can also be run directly from the battery clamps if required, for example using the charger as a memory saver when disconnecting the battery from the vehicle.

CHARGE STATUS INDICATOR

The CHARGING and FULLY CHARGED LEDs will illuminate and flash in various patterns to indicate the different stages of charging. See below for flash patterns.

POLARITY PROTECTION

Prevents the output leads from sparking due to accidental reverse connection or short circuit making the charger safer to use around batteries.

OVER TEMPERATURE PROTECTION

If the temperature within the charger rises too high, the charger will begin to cool down by turning on the fan, and if the temperature continues to rise it will begin reducing the power output. If still unsuccessful, the charger will shutdown until it cools down.

SWITCHMODE TECHNOLOGY

Using the latest technology in battery chargers, switchmode chargers convert 240VAC power to 12VDC power using electronic components unlike traditional battery chargers that rely on heavy transformers. This allows the charger to be lightweight and compact without sacrificing on performance.

COOLING FAN

The charger is fitted with a thermostatically controlled fan to cool onboard electronics and maintain charging performance. The cooling fan will engage automatically when there is a high load on the battery or there is sufficient heat build up.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Q. How do I know if the battery is charged?

A. The charger’s FULLY CHARGED LED will illuminate (solid). Alternatively use a Battery Hydrometer (Projecta Part No. BH100). A reading of 1.250 or more in each cell indicates a fully charged battery.

Q. I have connected the charger properly but the ‘CHARGING LED’ does not come on?

A. In some cases batteries can be flattened to the point where they have very little or no voltage. This can occur if a small amount of power is used for a long time, for example a map reading light is left on for a week or more. Projecta 7 Stage chargers are designed to charge from as little as 2.5 Volts.

If the voltage is lower than 2.5 Volts use a pair of booster cables to connect between two batteries to provide more than 2.5 Volts to the battery being charged. The charger can then start to charge the battery and the booster cables can be removed.

Q. Can I use the charger as a power supply

A. Yes, by selecting Power Supply mode you are able to use the charger as a power supply to run an appliance. Ensure the appliance being run is not greater than the charger’s output current and where possible connect the charger to a battery, and the battery to the appliance.

The charger may also be used to connect to a vehicle while changing the battery to maintain the vehicles computer and radio settings.

Q. Why does the charger reset when I connect a load directly to the battery charger in Power Supply mode.

A. The charger will reset when in Power Supply mode if the load exceeds the chargers capacity. Some appliances when turned on or first connected to the charger will cause the charger to reset and it will re-try by slowly ramping up its output.

Q. How can I tell what stage the battery charger is in?

A. Below are the conditions that are displayed by the LEDs for each of the charge stages.

Q. What happens if my battery charger is in Desulphation mode or Soft Start mode, but I want to start bulk charging?

A. Desulphation mode is time limited to 6 hours and Soft Start is limited to 1 hour. If you can not wait for the battery charger to move through these stages you can select Power Supply mode to charge the battery. After an hour of charging in Power Supply mode, there should be sufficient charge in the battery to bypass both Desulphation and Soft Start. Select the correct battery chemistry type to continue charging the battery. Whilst in Power Supply mode the charger will output a full current up to 13.8V.

Q. What if I have an appliance connected to the battery whilst charging?

A. Powering an appliance while charging your battery will impact on the battery chargers ability to accurately measure the battery’s response to the charge being applied.

The battery charger has been designed to accommodate this situation although not recommended.

For optimum charging it is recommended to charge without any appliance load on the battery. Power Supply mode is recommended when an appliance is connected to a battery and is drawing power.

Q. Can I select a different battery chemistry for charging my battery?

A. Yes the battery chemistry selection can be different to your battery type if the charge voltages match the battery manufacture’s recommendations.

Q. Why does CALCIUM mode take so long to charge?

A. To fully charge a Calcium battery, the battery requires an extra charging stage called ‘Equalization’. This consists of a constant current being fed into the battery until 16V is reached. This rejuvenates the battery cells. This charging stage can take up to 12 hours.

Q. Why do I need a special Calcium mode?

A. Because of the different chemistry used to make a Calcium battery, a different charging algorithm (or technique) is required. Calcium batteries are also affected when deeply discharged or used heavily. They need to be recharged by a Calcium charger to fully recharge the battery and to maximize the battery’s life and performance.

Q. What is a Calcium battery?

A. Calcium batteries are lead acid batteries that have had calcium added to the lead plates, either to one plate (called Calcium Hybrid) or to both plates (called Calcium–Calcium).

The added calcium provides a number of benefits:

i. Lower internal resistance which provides a small increase in CCA performance.

ii. The ability to withstand higher engine bay temperatures.

iii. Low self discharge rate, which increases the shelf life, typically 4 times longer than a Lead–Lead battery.