More battery chargerinfo needed

ldj

Well-known Member
A few weeks ago I ask question about a old Exide 6-12-24v battery charger.
All the #"s are gone off the settings and I am wanting to know where to set it. I remember some of the positions are for lo, med, and hi. for that voltage while some had just lo and hi. Here and the voltages for each position while connected to a multi-meter.

Position # Volts
1 ----- 0
2 ----- 7
3 ----- 8
4 ----- 12
5 ----- 13
6 ----- 15
7 ----- 17
8 ----- 19
9 ----- 22
10 ----- 23
11 ----- 27

If anyone has a 6-12-24v charger or even a 6-12v charger and check the voltage for each position lo,med,hi that would give me some idea where to set it. Maybe someone with knowledge.

I am confused, for example, seems to me, position 4@12v would be too high for a 6v battery and too low for a 12v battery.
Any help appreciated
 
If you charger doesn't have an ammeter, you can use an amprobe to measure the current. The voltage you are measuring may drop under load, so use ammeter. Slow charging is better than fast charging. Boiling a battery isn't good.
 
Assuming you're measuring the charger output with no load on it, the voltage is going to read way high compared to what the voltage will be when connected to a battery. The problem is compounded by the fact that pretty much all cheap (and quite a few expensive) multimeters read peak-to-peak voltage, not true RMS.

Here's my guess as to your settings:
1 ----- 0==>OFF
2 ----- 7==> 6v LO
3 ----- 8==> 6V MED-LO
4 ----- 12==> 6V MED-HI
5 ----- 13==> 6V HI
6 ----- 15==> 12V LO
7 ----- 17==> 12V MED-LO
8 ----- 19==> 12V MED-HI
9 ----- 22==> 12V HI
10 ----- 23==> 24V LO
11 ----- 27==> 24V HI

What I would suggest you do is to hook the charger up to a 12 volt battery, then monitor the battery voltage with your meter as you turn the knob through its positions. If the voltage doesn't rise, you're probably on a six volt range. As soon as the battery voltage starts to rise, you're on a twelve volt range. If the voltage exceeds 16 volts, you're on a twenty-four volt range.

Also, it's possible the charger has some eight volt ranges, which are likely positions 4, 5 and 6.
 
I agree with each of your statments Geo and I believe messing with a charger with unknown out put is a shortcut to ruining batteries. A good dependiable smart charger can be had for as liitle as $40 which is far less than a single ruined battery,not to mention weakening others.
 
Thanks for info.
I like the idea of going by amp, but I have no idea what the amp should be when charging. I need 6-12-24v charger since I use all 3 voltage batteries. Old cars and tractors are 6v, military vehicles are 12v. and most everything is 12v
 
I have many different chargers. My favorite is a batteryminder 12248. It's 12v only but it has a 2,4 and 8 amp settings. I've had this charger, might be newer ones available, for 6 years and it has never damaged a battery like my old school manual chargers have over charged and cooked batteries.

The key to safe charging, monitor the battery's temperature.

I have an old craftsman 15 amp charger. So 15 amps is good for a short period of time. Just watch temp and don't boil electrolyte.
 
An idea as to what to expect for me. I bought a Schumacher 10A auto/manual charger from TSC years ago. IF the battery is low on charge, it will
peg to 10 and work it's way back as it charges. When at 2A the full charge light comes on but will continue to charge obviously at a slower rate as
the differential voltage between the charger output which is rising as it unloads and the battery is getting smaller. When finished the battery is
sitting a little over 14v and after 24 hrs will settle out to around 13 give or take. I use 12.75v as my charge or don't charge number rain or shine.

If you pump too many amps into it you will boil the water out of the H2SO4 solution and get it all over the top of the battery and connections, if a
conventional battery; might blow the cap off if not removed prior to charging. I don't know what happens to these new sealed glass mat non
spillable types. Might just blow up??????
 

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