testing a die hard auto battery charger


  #1  
Old 12-13-18, 12:44 AM
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testing a die hard auto battery charger

hello
i have an older die hard battery charger (appx 2001)
basic charger settings: 6volt/12volt, 2a/10a, auto/deep cycle/manual

i am trying to charge a basic 550cca battery from a mid sized car.
when i plug in the charger it "pins" the meter to the fully charged position with the green light immediately.
the result is the same weather i choose auto or manual, 2a or 10a

i tested the voltage of the dead battery at about 5-6 volts
in attempted charge mode indicated above the volt meter across the battery terminals reads 13v in auto mode and 15v in manual mode, the 2a or 10a settings make no difference

is this a bad charger or bad battery?
i do not have another battery available to test/compare results

thanks
 
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Old 12-13-18, 04:29 AM
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Hi, not completely sure but I believe the battery is shorted, I had the same situation some time ago and that’s what the out come was.
I found this info
Geo

What does it mean when the green LED blinks ON/OFF and the needle bounces?

All automatic battery chargers in the automotive market today have some sort of voltage regulation to prevent overcharging the battery. The rate of the flashing is dependent on the battery type, its rated capacity, the degree of discharge, its age, the temperature, as well as the amperage rating of the battery charger.

If the charger’s green LED begins blinking when you connect the charger clips to the battery, the amperage in-rush current to the battery is reaching the pre-set shut-off voltage and the charger is shutting down. The voltage will drop as soon as the charger shuts down, turning the charger back on. This may also mean the charger has detected a battery problem - for instance, its ability to take or hold a charge. Sometimes a battery may be sulfated (accumulation of lead sulfate on the battery plates), and the sulfation is creating a high resistance to the current flow (ability to accept a charge). Or, perhaps the battery is deeply discharged (below 8-volts).

o
 

Last edited by Geochurchi; 12-13-18 at 04:57 AM.
  #3  
Old 12-13-18, 09:55 AM
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Post the model number from the charger.

Normally when you plug in a charger and it's not connected to the battery....... there will be no meter activity.
When you connect to the battery the meter could pin if the battery was dead or very low.

On a 12v battery that measured 6v...... I'd put the charger on it set to 12v 2A for one hour and then switch to 12v 10A. Use the manual mode at this time. If you have your meter connected to the battery while it's charging..... you should see the voltage rise very slowly when on lo charge.
 
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Old 12-31-18, 01:37 PM
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Thanks

I finally had The opportunity to test another battery this weekend, the battery in question was clearly weak requiring a jump from my booster pack.
When I hooked the battery up to the charger the same thing happened-it went right to green light fully charged condition.
The only difference was this time the needle move gradually and pinned out to Green light in about 15 to 20 seconds, where on the other battery the needle pinned immediatly and forcefully directly to green.

I was considering buying a new charger and trying it again. any recommendations for a good basic charger?
 
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Old 12-31-18, 04:15 PM
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Since we have no idea of any information of your old charger maybe it would be best to start with a new one.
 
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Old 12-31-18, 05:29 PM
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In my experience, if a battery is low on voltage, the higher the needle will go when plugged in & I have seen the needle slam to the right when initially connected. I just leave them on & charging & I find that as the battery becomes more charged, the needle will continually fall back to the left the more the battery charges. Just me but thats the way I have always understood it. Its the way I do it.
 
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Old 12-31-18, 05:29 PM
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Usually that means the battery is very dead and the charger is trying to run at full capacity to charge it.
If that is a 12 volt battery, then 5-6 volts means it is probably not serviceable.
 
 

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