Frequently Asked Questions - Projecta HDBC90 User Manual

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Q. How do I know if the battery is fully charged?
A. The Charge Meter's needle will decrease towards the left. A fully charged battery is
indicated by a very low reading. Refer to STEP 6 of the charging instructions for an
illustration of the Charge Meter.
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. Why does the Charge Meter indicate a fully charged battery straight away?
A. There are four possible reasons why the Charge Meter may indicate a fully charged
battery straight away.
1. The battery is fully charged.
2. The battery has taken a surface charge.
3. The battery has a faulty cell.
4. The BATTERY VOLTAGE setting on the charger is set lower than the battery voltage.
Q. What is Surface Charge?
A. Batteries unused or left flat for some time build up a resistance to being recharged.
When the charger is first connected, these batteries will take a surface charge, and the
Charge Meter will indicate a fully charged battery within a short while. The battery
however is not fully charged, the charger is voltage sensitive and cannot differentiate
between a surface charge and a fully charged battery. After a few hours the battery
may start to accept some charge but most batteries with this condition will not recover.
Q. What is a Faulty Cell?
A. 12 Volt batteries contain 6 cells and one faulty cell is enough to ruin your battery.
If after eight hours of charging your battery is still flat, you should test the cells using
a hydrometer. If one reading is lower than the rest it indicates a faulty cell. It is
pointless to continue charging, as the battery needs replacing.
Q. Can I use the charger as a power supply?
A. No. The HDBC90 cannot be used as a power supply. Do not attempt to connect the
clamps to anything other than a suitable battery.
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