Battery Charger.
Submitted: Wednesday, Nov 07, 2018 at 14:32
ThreadID:
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2517.
I have a Calibre 17 Amp three stage charger which is 10 year old ,I used it in a caravan for a few years and has being sitting in the shed,went to use it and noticed the green light was on ,this come on went the battery is charged, when the battery is hooked up the light is
orange if flat and changed to green as it charge.I tested the supply it is 14.55 volt is there any way I can
test it without a flat battery.
Reply By: RMD - Wednesday, Nov 07, 2018 at 16:17
Wednesday, Nov 07, 2018 at 16:17
IF the battery is a healthy one but dicharged a little, the the charger will most likely output 14,5 v until it reaches the threshold voltage of the circuitry inside the charger and the voltage then reduces eventually, to a float charge of around 13.7v.
If the battery is sulphated and won't accept charging, the charger will try to hold it up near 14.5v because it can't detect a peak of increase. Maybe the chargers threshold is about 14.7v and the charger hasn't can't reach that voltage.
Need a bit more info to be able to decide anything meaningful.
What is the battery type, Deep cycle or start type battery?
How old is the battery you have which is connected to the charger?
Is the battery flat? You didn't mention if the battery was charged or discharged.
If flat, how long has it been flat/discharged for?
You may be able to connect the charger to only your car battery and if it is in good condition the charger should then charge it up fully and go into it's float mode when no more charge is required.
AnswerID:
622016
Follow Up By: 2517. - Thursday, Nov 08, 2018 at 08:37
Thursday, Nov 08, 2018 at 08:37
Thank you for reply,I will
check it and let you know the results.
FollowupID:
894652
Follow Up By: 2517. - Saturday, Nov 10, 2018 at 14:19
Saturday, Nov 10, 2018 at 14:19
I tested the car battery and it was 12.5 volts,connected the charger and it went to 13.7 volts after 2 hrs it dropped back to 13 .5 volts.Now is the charger working properly?,after 2hrs the car battery dropped back to 12.5 volts.The charger read 14.5volts when it is turn on and not connected.
FollowupID:
894701
Follow Up By: Allan B (Sunshine Coast) - Saturday, Nov 10, 2018 at 14:52
Saturday, Nov 10, 2018 at 14:52
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The published specs for that charger are......
Boost & Absorption: 14.6V - 14.8V.
Float: 13.2V - 13.4V
So it would appear that if your charger employs those specs then it is not achieving them OR the battery is faulty and not allowing the charger to attain those voltages.
Also, I would expect the charger output voltage when not connected to the battery to be more than 14.5 volts. This suggests that either the charger is faulty OR your meter is reading incorrectly.
You need a second opinion.... either an auto electrician or a batter
shop. I believe anything else is guesswork.
FollowupID:
894706
Reply By: Allan B (Sunshine Coast) - Wednesday, Nov 07, 2018 at 19:01
Wednesday, Nov 07, 2018 at 19:01
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From what I can determine, this model indicates as follows.....
Red light on = "Power On"
Green light on = "Charging in Boost and Absorption" modes
Yellow light on = "Charging in Float" mode
Note that the green light is "ChargING", not "ChargED", so your charger may be working correctly.
When you say that you "tested the supply at 14.55 volts", where did you measure that? Presumably it was at the charger output clips. If so, were they connected to the battery at the time? Or were they disconnected with the charger switched on?
Try leaving the charger switched on and connected to the battery. The light should changed to Green within an hour or two indicating that it has moved to the Float mode. If the battery is old and in poor shape, the charger may not move to the Float mode.
Edit: changed to... "connected to the 'battery' at the time".
AnswerID:
622018
Follow Up By: 2517. - Thursday, Nov 08, 2018 at 08:38
Thursday, Nov 08, 2018 at 08:38
Thank you for your reply,will do what you say.
FollowupID:
894653
Follow Up By: 2517. - Saturday, Nov 10, 2018 at 14:23
Saturday, Nov 10, 2018 at 14:23
Hi the green light is on all the time so is the light faulty or the charger?
FollowupID:
894703
Follow Up By: Allan B (Sunshine Coast) - Saturday, Nov 10, 2018 at 14:38
Saturday, Nov 10, 2018 at 14:38
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By "all the time" do you mean immediately after connecting the battery and switching the charger on? You really need to express your observations carefully to allow diagnosis.
FollowupID:
894704
Follow Up By: 2517. - Saturday, Nov 10, 2018 at 20:18
Saturday, Nov 10, 2018 at 20:18
If the charger is plugged into the power point and turn on the green light come straight on and stay on ,if connected to a battery it does the same,I connect it to my other vehicle and the same result.
FollowupID:
894717
Follow Up By: Allan B (Sunshine Coast) - Saturday, Nov 10, 2018 at 20:34
Saturday, Nov 10, 2018 at 20:34
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Well that is what it should do.... it is going directly into boost mode.
The question is whether it will eventually complete boost & absorption modes and move to float mode (Yellow). It would seem that it does not, at least on the battery you first instanced. Try leaving it on when connected to to the "other vehicle" and see if it enters float mode (yellow).
FollowupID:
894719
Follow Up By: 2517. - Saturday, Nov 10, 2018 at 21:09
Saturday, Nov 10, 2018 at 21:09
Ok thanks.
FollowupID:
894721
Follow Up By: 2517. - Sunday, Nov 11, 2018 at 19:52
Sunday, Nov 11, 2018 at 19:52
Had a play with charger ,it will not turn on now,so that the end.I need a new charger any recommendations,I would like a 15 to 20 Amp charger just to top up battery’s in 4 wd, had a look on eBay very confusing.I have a 25 amp Ctek in caravan would prefer a cheaper charger.Thanks
John.
FollowupID:
894766
Follow Up By: Allan B (Sunshine Coast) - Sunday, Nov 11, 2018 at 22:53
Sunday, Nov 11, 2018 at 22:53
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Have a look at
these chargers. Good quality at a fair price and an Australian store.
Otherwise browse ebay but be careful of cheap rubbish and false information.
If it is just for top up then a 10Amp charger would suffice.
FollowupID:
894771
Follow Up By: 2517. - Saturday, Dec 29, 2018 at 15:06
Saturday, Dec 29, 2018 at 15:06
Hi Allen,Merry Xmas .
Went to trash and treasure a couple of weeks ago and brought a Project 10 Amp battery charger for $10,never been out of the box.Being very hot here in the Riverina and the charger is doing the job no worries, thanks for your help.
FollowupID:
895904
Follow Up By: Allan B (Sunshine Coast) - Saturday, Dec 29, 2018 at 17:00
Saturday, Dec 29, 2018 at 17:00
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Hi
John,
A good charger at a very good price indeed.
Glad to have been of some help.
And a very joyful New Year to you mate.
FollowupID:
895906