Rugged…Tough…Intelligent….Automatic…Waterproof…Reliable Battery Chargers

4. Type of battery chemistry: Chargetek offer chargers for several battery chemistries. While the standard units are lead-acid types, Chargetek has the capabilities do custom applications for other chemistries such as Lithium Ion, Ni-Cd, Ni-MH, etc.

5. Is a maintenance or three-state charger required?

Maintenance Use: Will the charger be used to maintain the charge on a car, lawnmower or other personal craft that will not be used often and has its own charging system? A maintenance charger can be used for these types of applications.

Three State Charger: If the charger will be the primary charger for the battery then the three state charger is what you need. This will return 100% capacity every time and reduce the voltage when complete to maintain the battery at full capacity indefinitely.

6. UL/CSA or other safety agency requirements: Are there safety agency requirements that need to be complied with such as UL and CSA. Are there any particular specifications that need to be met? Chargetek products are being tested to CSA and UL specification 1236, which is a very stringent marine specification, which allows them to easily pass many other applications with little or no changes.

Battery Characteristics.

1. Battery Chemistry: Chargetek has products that can charge virtually any battery chemistry. Their chargers can be easily altered with simple flash programming at the factory to charge any battery and produce any charging algorithm to your specification. Please consult Chargetek Sales for any requirements you may have.

2. Voltage Rating: The battery must have the proper charging voltage applied. For example, it is acceptable to apply a 12V charger to two 6V batteries in series since this equals 12V but not to use the charger to charger the batteries individually.

3. Charging Current Acceptance: The charging current is one of the most important criteria in choosing a charger. An excessive amount of current will overheat the battery resulting in reduced battery life and poor capacity. Some batteries are able to accept very large charging currents while others are more sensitive. You must check your battery specification to insure that you are not applying current in excess of the recommended amount.

4. Depth of Discharge: Is your application one where the battery is only moderately used or will it undergo deep discharges. Is it heavily discharged infrequently or very often? Is there a requirement to charge quickly or is there "plenty of time". The following procedure will provide a good rule of thumb in determining your charger requirements:

a. Calculate the amount of drain on the battery in terms of amp hours. For example, if your battery is providing 10 amps for 3 hours this is equal to 30 amp hours (number of amps multiplied by number of hours) Similarly, 3 amps for 10 hours is also 30 Amp hours. (However, this is not an exact equality since at the higher discharge currents more energy is lost in the battery during discharge due but it is close enough in most cases. For a more exact calculation, refer to the discharge curves of the battery specification where discharge time as a function of current is provided.)

b. Now that the number of amp hours is calculated, divide this amount by the number of hours you have available to charge to determine charging current. For example, if you have only six hours to charge, you will require a 6 amp charger (30 amp hours divided by 6 hours = 5 Amps.)

c. Multiply the number obtained in (3) by 1.3 to provide for charge acceptance and energy lost during charging: (5 Amps * 1.2= 6 Amps)

d. Now check the battery specification to insure that the battery can accept 6 amps and charge effectively. If not, the recharge time you allowed will have to be increased.

Please consult Chargetek Support if you have any questions with your selection.