Frequently Asked Questions; How Do I Know If The Battery Is Charged?; Can I Use The Charger As A Power Supply?; Why Does Calcium Mode Take So Long To Charge? - Projecta PC400 Instructions Manual

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Q. How do I know if the battery is charged?
A. The charger's FULL 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 BULK 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 6 Stage chargers are designed
to charge from as little as little as 3.0 Volts.
If the voltage is lower than the voltages stated above use a pair of booster cables
to connect between two batteries to provide more than 3.0 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. Projecta 6 Stage chargers are designed to only supply power to the battery clips when
they are connected correctly to a battery. This is to prevent sparks during connection to
the battery or if connected incorrectly by mistake. This safety feature prevents the charger
from being used as a 'Power Supply'
Q. How can I tell what stage the battery charger is in?
A. Coloured LEDs indicate the various stages of charging. Refer to "LED Charge Indicators"
section of this booklet on page 6.
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
'Equalisation'. This consists of a constant current being fed into the battery until 16 Volts
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.
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