Maintenance And Care - Schumacher SC1280 Owner's Manual

BATTERY CHARGING TIMES
BATTERY
APPLICATION
POWERSPORTS
AUTOMOTIVE
300 CCA
1000 CCA
MARINE
Times are based on a 50% discharged
battery and may change, depending on age
and condition of battery.
ABORTED CHARGE
If charging cannot be completed normally,
charging will abort. When charging aborts,
the charger's output is shut off and the BAD
BATTERY (red) LED will light. The digital
display will show an error code (see the
Troubleshooting section for a description of
the error codes). Do not continue attempting
to charge this battery. Check the battery and
replace, if necessary.
DESULFATION MODE
Desulfation could take 8 to 10 hours. If
desulfation fails, charging will abort and the
BAD BATTERY (red) LED wil light.
COMPLETION OF CHARGE
Charge completion is indicated by the
CHARGED (green) LED. When lit, the
charger has switched to the maintain
mode of operation.
MAINTAIN MODE
(FLOAT-MODE MONITORING)
When the CHARGED (green) LED is lit, the
charger has started maintain mode. In this
mode, the charger keeps the battery fully
charged by delivering a small current when
necessary. If the charger has to provide its
maximum maintain current for a continuous
12 hour period, it will go into abort mode
(see Aborted Charge section). This is

12. MAINTENANCE AND CARE

A minimal amount of care can keep your
battery charger working properly for years.
• Clean the clamps each time you are
finished charging. Wipe off any battery
fluid that may have come in contact with
the clamps to prevent corrosion.
• Occasionally cleaning the case of the
charger with a soft cloth will keep the
finish shiny and help prevent corrosion.
CHARGING TIME (Hours)
SIZE
6A 8A 10A
6Ah 2 1. 5 1. 5
32Ah 5 4.5 4
4 3.5 3
10 8 7
50Ah 5 4 3.5
105Ah 11 10 8
usually caused by a drain on the battery or
the battery could be bad. Make sure there
are no loads on the battery. If there are,
15A
remove them. If there are none, have the
1
battery checked or replaced.
2
MAINTAINING A BATTERY
1. 5
The SC1280 charges and maintains 6-volt
and 12-volt batteries.
4
NOTE: The maintain mode technology
2
allows you to safely charge and maintain
a healthy battery for extended periods of
5
time. However, problems with the battery,
electrical problems in the vehicle, improper
connections or other unanticipated
conditions could cause excessive current
draws. As such, occasionally monitoring your
battery and the charging process is required.
USING THE BATTERY VOLTAGE TESTER
1. With the charger unplugged from the
AC outlet, connect the charger to the
battery following the instructions given
in previous sections.
2. Plug the charger AC power cord into
the AC outlet.
3. If necessary, press the BATTERY TYPE
button until the correct type is indicated.
4. Read the voltage on the digital display.
Keep in mind that this reading is only a
battery voltage reading; a false surface
charge may mislead you. Compare the
reading to the chart below.
6 V Battery
Voltage
Reading
6.4 or More
6.1 to 6.3
Less than 6.1 Less than 12.2
POWER-UP IDLE TIME LIMIT
If no button is pressed within 10 minutes
after the battery charger is first powered up,
the charger will automatically switch from
tester to charger if a battery is connected. In
that case, the charger will be set to charge
at the 3A rate and gel cell battery type.
• Coil the input and output cords neatly
when storing the charger. This will help
prevent accidental damage to the cords
and charger.
• Store the charger unplugged from the AC
power outlet in an upright position.
• Store inside, in a cool, dry place. Do not
store the clamps clipped together, on or
around metal, or clipped to the cables.
• 8 •
12 V Battery
Battery
Voltage
Condition
Reading
12.8 or More Charged
12.2 to 12.7 Needs Charging
Discharged