Automatic charger should be for every motorist

Sooner or later, any motorist faces the problem of a discharged battery, especially when the temperature has dropped below zero. And after a couple of launches by the method of "lighting up" there is a strong confidence that the automatic charger belongs to the essentials. The market today is just rife with a variety of such devices, from which the eyes literally run. Different manufacturers, colors, shapes, designs and, of course, prices. So how do you figure this out?

Choosing an automatic charger

Before going on a shopping trip, you need to decide which battery to charge. They come in a variety of forms: serviced and unattended, dry-charged or flooded, alkaline or acidic. The same applies to chargers: there are manual, semi-automatic and automatic chargers for car batteries. The latter are preferable to choose, since they practically do not require external intervention, and the entire charge process is controlled by the device itself.

They provide the most optimal mode of charging the battery, and there is no dangerous for the battery overvoltage. Smart electronic stuffing will do everything according to the correct, pre-defined algorithm, and some devices are able to determine the degree of discharge of the battery and its capacity, independently adjust to the desired mode. This automatic charger is suitable for almost any type of battery.

Most modern charging and starting-charging devices have a so-called fast charging mode (BOOST). In some cases, this can really help a lot when, due to a weak battery charge, the engine can not start the starter. In this case, it is enough to charge the battery in BOOST mode for a few minutes, and then start the engine. It is not possible to recharge the battery for a long time in the BOOST mode, since this can significantly shorten its service life.

How does the automatic charger work?

Usually this device regardless of the manufacturer and price category is intended for charging, as well as cleaning the plates from lead sulfate (desulphation) of twelve-volt storage batteries having a capacity of 5 to 100 Ah, and also quantifying their charge level. Such a charger is provided with protection against improper connection and short-circuit of the terminals. The use of microcontroller control allows you to select the optimal mode for almost any battery.

The main operating modes of the automatic charger:

• Charging mode. Usually occurs in several stages: first a charge occurs before reaching a voltage of 14.6 V with a stable current of 0.1 C (C is the battery capacity in Ah), then a charge of 14.6 V is applied until the current drops to a value of 0 , 02 C. At the next stage, a stable voltage of 13.8 V is maintained until 0.01 C is reached, and in the final stage the battery is recharged. If the voltage drops below 12.7 V, the cycle is repeated.
• Desulphation regime. In this mode, the device operates in the following cycle: 5 seconds of a 0.1 C charge, followed by a 10-second discharge with a current of 0.01 C until the battery voltage reaches 14.6 V, after which a normal charge occurs.
• Battery test mode. Allows you to determine the degree of its discharge. In this mode, after the battery is loaded with a current of 0.01 C for 15 seconds, the voltage is measured at its terminals.
• Control and training cycle. If additional load is connected and the charging or training mode is switched on, the battery is discharged to 10.8 V first, then the preset mode is activated. By measuring the current and charging time, an approximate battery capacity is calculated, which is displayed on the display after the charging is completed.

It should be remembered that a correctly selected automatic charger for a car battery can not only ensure its reliable and trouble-free operation, but also significantly extend the service life.