Schumacher 10 Amp, PS-1022MA, PS-2100MA, 15Amp, 2Amp User Manual

For
Lead-Acid
Batteries

AUTOMATIC & MANUAL OPERATION

Model: PS-1022MA 2/10 Amp

PS-2100MA 2/15/100 Amp

For 6 & 12 Volt Batteries

INSTRUCTION MANUAL

–Save–

Important Safety Instructions

Read instructions and rules for safe operation carefully.

Working in the vicinity of a lead-acid battery is dangerous. Batteries generate explosive gases
during normal battery operation. For this reason, it is of utmost importance that each time
before using your charger, you read this manual and follow the instructions exactly.

A. GENERAL BATTERY SAFETY

1. Before you use your battery charger, be sure to read all in­structions and cautions printed on:

• Battery Charger

• Battery

• Vehicle or unit using battery

2. Use battery charger on LEAD-ACID type rechargeable bat­teries only, such as used in automobiles, trucks, tractors,
airplanes, vans, RVs, trolling motors, etc. Charger is not in­tended to supply power to low-voltage electrical system other
than in an automotive application.

WARNING: Do
batteries that are commonly used with home appliances.
These batteries may burst and cause injury to persons and
damage to property.

3. Use only attachments recommended or sold by manufac­turer. Use of non-recommended attachments may result in
fire, electric shock, or injury.

4. When disconnecting the battery charger, pull by the plug
not by the cord. Pulling on the cord may cause damage to
cord or plug.

5. Position battery power cord so it cannot be stepped on,
tripped over, or subjected to damage or stress.

6. Do not operate charger with damaged cord or plug. Have
cord replaced immediately.

7. Do not operate charger if it has received a sharp blow, been
dropped, or otherwise damaged in any way. Take it to a quali­fied professional for inspection and repair.

8. Do not disassemble charger. Take it to a qualified profes­sional when service or repair is required. Incorrect reassem­bly may result in electric shock or fire.

9. To reduce risk of electric shock, unplug charger from outlet
before attempting any maintenance or cleaning.

10. Do not use an extension cord unless absolutely necessary.
Use of an improper extension cord could result in fire or
electric shock. If an extension cord must be used, make
sure that:

• Pins on plug of extension cord are the same number, size,

and shape as those of plug on charger.

not use battery charger for charging dry-cell

• Extension cord is properly wired and in good electrical
condition.

• Wire size is large enough for AC ampere rating of charger,
as specified below:

AC INPUT RATING, AMPERES AWG SIZE OF CORD
Equal to or but less than Length of Cord, Feet
Greater than 25 50 100 150

0 2 18 18 18 16
2 3 18 18 16 14
6 8 18 16 12 10

11. Always charge battery in a well ventilated area.

NEVER operate in a closed-in or restricted area without ad­equate ventilation.

WARNING: Risk of explosive gas.

12. Use charger as far away from battery as DC charger cables
permit.

13. Do not expose charger to rain or snow.

14. NEVER charge a frozen battery. If battery fluid (electrolyte)
is frozen, bring into a warm area to thaw before charging.

15. NEVER allow battery acid to drip on charger when reading
specific gravity or filling battery.

16. NEVER set a battery on top of charger.

17. NEVER place charger directly above battery being charged.
Gases from battery will corrode and damage charger.

18. NEVER touch the battery clamps together when the charger
is energized.

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00-99-000297/202

B. PERSONAL PRECAUTIONS AND SAFETY

1. WARNING: Wear complete eye protection and protective

clothing, when working with lead-acid batteries.

2. Make sure someone is within range of your voice or close
enough to come to your aid when you work with or near a
lead-acid battery.

3. Have plenty of fresh water and soap nearby for use if bat­tery acid contacts skin, clothing, or eyes. If battery acid con­tacts skin or clothing, wash immediately with soap and wa­ter.

4. Avoid touching your eyes while working with a battery. Acid
particles (corrosion) may get into your eyes! If acid enters
your eye, immediately flood eye with running cold water for
at least 10 minutes. Get medical attention immediately.

5. Remove all personal metal items such as rings, bracelets,
necklaces and watches when working with a lead-acid bat­tery. A lead-acid battery can produce a short-circuit current
high enough to weld a ring (or the like) to metal, causing a
severe burn.

6. Take care not to drop a metal tool or other metal onto the
battery. Metal may cause sparking or short-circuit the bat­tery or another electrical devise. Sparking may cause an
explosion.

7. Always operate battery charger in an open well ventilated
area.

8. NEVER smoke or allow a spark or flame in the vicinity of the
battery or engine. Batteries generate explosive gases!

C. PREPARING TO CHARGE

1. Make sure you have a 6 or 12 Volt lead-acid battery. Check
car owner’s manual to make sure. NOTE: Model PS-1022MA
is a 12 Volt only charger.

2. Clean battery terminals. Take care to keep corrosion from
coming in contact with your eyes.

3. If required, add distilled water in each cell until battery acid
reaches levels specified by battery manufacturer. This helps
purge excessive gas from cells. Do not overfill. For a battery
without cell caps, carefully follow manufacturer's recharg­ing instructions.

4. Study all battery manufacturer's specific precautions, such
as removing or not removing cell caps while charging, and
recommended rates of charge.

5. Make sure area around battery is well ventilated while bat­tery is being charged. Gas can be forcefully blown away by
using a piece of cardboard or other non-metallic material
such as a fan.

6. If necessary to remove battery from vehicle to charge, al­ways remove grounded terminal from battery first. Make sure
all accessories in the vehicle are off, so as not to cause an
arc.

7. A marine (boat) battery must be removed and charged on
shore. To charge it on board requires equipment specially
designed for marine use.

8. Select charge rate suitable for the battery being charged ­(2, 10, or 15 Amp).

When charging a battery in a motor home or RV always connect
one lead of the output cable to the battery. Never connect to a
remote receptacle or other means for the purpose of remotely
charging the battery. The wires may be inadequate for handling
the charge current of this charger and may over heat. Often these
wires are bundled in with other wires which could be damaged
and lead to a direct short across the battery and charger. If this
occurs a fire can result, equipment and appliances operated from
the battery may also be damaged.

GROUNDING METHOD

GROUNDING AND AC POWER CORD CONNECTION IN­STRUCTIONS - Charger should be grounded to reduce risk of

electric shock. Charger is equipped with an electric cord having
an equipment-grounding conductor and a grounding plug. The
plug must be plugged into an outlet that is properly installed and
grounded in accordance with local codes and ordinances.

DANGER - Never alter AC cord or plug provided. If it will not fit
outlet, have proper outlet installed by a qualified electrician. Im­proper connection can result in a risk of electric shock.

This battery charger is for use on a nominal 120 Volt circuit, and
has a grounding plug that looks like the plug illustrated in sketch

A.

During operation do not place the charger or its cables on the
vehicle seat or carpeting.

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D. BATTERY CHARGER CONTROLS

NOTE: A buzz, or hum is normal when the output cables have

been disconnected and the AC power cord is still connected to
an electrical source (i.e. wall outlet).

Model PS-1022MA

Two switches permit Battery Type and Charge Rate selection.
Switch #1 (3 Modes)
Mode 1 – Manual Position: Use for charging in 2 Amp or 10 Amp
charge rates on 12 Volt batteries only. This charging must be
monitored and manually stopped when the battery is charged.
Overcharging will damage the battery.
Mode 2 – Automatic Position for Conventional Batteries. If you
are not sure of your battery type, use the (regular) conventional
setting.
Mode 3 – Automatic Position for Maintenance-free and Deep­cycle batteries.
Switch #2 (2 Charge Rate Modes)
Mode 1 – Select the 2 Amp setting to charge small 12 Volt bat­teries (31 Ah or less) or to warm larger lead-acid batteries.
Mode 2 – Select 10 Amp for larger 12 Volt batteries for a faster
charge.

(SWITCH #1) (SWITCH #2)

BATTERY TYPE

SELECTOR

MANUAL AUTOMATIC

CONVENTIONAL
LOW MAINTENANCE

CHARGE RATE

SELECTOR

Model PS-2100MA

Two switches permit Battery Type and Charge Rate selection.
Switch #1 permits selection of either regular battery in automatic
operation or Deep-cycle battery in automatic operation. If you
are not sure of your battery type, use the regular battery setting.
Switch #2 (4 Charge Rate Modes)
Mode 1 - Select 15 Amp, 6 Volt Manual Operation to charge
medium and large size wet-cell, lead-acid, 6 Volt batteries. Do
not charge small batteries such as used in motorcycles, lawn
and garden equipment. Note: Manual Operation. Monitor fre­quently while charging a battery.
Mode 2 - Select the 2 Amp automatic setting to charge small
12 Volt batteries (31 Ah or less) or to warm larger lead-acid bat­teries.
Mode 3 - Select 15 Amp automatic for larger 12 Volt batteries for
a faster charge.
Mode 4 - Select 100 Amp Engine Start to assist in engine crank­ing of 12 Volt systems. DO NOT use on 6 Volt systems. Use the
100 Amp Engine Start position for cranking automobiles or light
trucks. Note: Use only with battery in the vehicle. This will re­duce the chance of damaging sensitive electronic equipment in
the vehicle.

(SWITCH #1)

BATTERY TYPE SELECTOR

(SWITCH #2)

CHARGE RATE SELECTOR

AUTOMATIC

MAINTENANCE-FREE

DEEP-CYCLE

2 A 10 A

CONVENTIONAL

MAINTENANCE

E. READING METERS

FOR: PS-1022MA

024681012

FULLY DISCHARGED BATTERY

Initial charge current to the battery is

typically 10 Amp. The needle points

toward the 25% mark.

AMMETER

The ammeter indicates the measured amount of amperes being
drawn by the battery. When you first start charging a battery, the
reading will be high with the needle near 10 using the 10 Amp
charge rate. As the battery charges, the needle will fall to about
4 to 5 Amps, indicating a charged battery in the manual setting.
In automatic setting, when the battery is charged, the ammeter
will go to zero and then will pulse frequently to monitor the bat­tery. At the 2 Amp charging rate, you will see little needle move­ment.

024681012

APPROACHES FULL CHARGE

Charge current to the battery is

typically 5 Amp. The needle points

toward the 100% mark.

The percent of charge scale is intended as a visual aid to help
simplify reading the state of charge of the battery. The meter is
scaled for use with the 10 Amp charge rate only. For the 2 Amp
charge rate use the red triangle. The percent of charge is based
on current drawn by the battery. For this reason accuracy will
vary with size and battery type.

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AND LOW

MAINTENANCE­FREE AND
DEEP-CYCLE

Charge current to the battery is 0 Amp and,

the Full Chargegreen LED glows. The needle

15 A, 6 V
MANUAL

024681012

FULLY CHARGED BATTERY

points toward the Full Charge LED.

(Automatic Position)

15 A2 A

12 V AUTOMATIC

100 A, 12 V
ENGINE START

FOR: PS-2100MA 2/15/100A 6/12V

The meter indicates the amount of current measured in amperes
that is being drawn from the charger by a battery. In the 15 Amp
charge rate, a typical discharged battery may initially draw more
than 15 Amp during the first few minutes of charge. As the bat­tery continues to charge, the current should gradually taper to
within 6 to 8 Amp at full charge.

When the battery has reached ‘Full Charge’, the LED indicator
will glow green. The red LED indicator will glow red if the clamps
are incorrectly connected to the battery terminals.

When charging a 6 volt battery, the LED will light before the bat­tery is fully charged. Monitor the meter and stop charging when
the meter indicates around 7–8 amps.

The START area of the meter is reserved to indicate when a high
rate of current is being drawn from the charger. It is normal for
the meter pointer to be in this area while cranking a vehicle.

When using the 2 Amp charge rate, the meter may indicate some
activity but doesn’t have the resolution to accurately display the
battery’s state of charge. For this reason, you should depend on
the full charge light indicator.

F. DC CONNECTION PRECAUTIONS

CHARGING

CHARGING

0

510

FULL
CHARGE

DC AMPS

15

START

100

CHECK

BATTERY

1. Connect and disconnect DC output clamps only after re­moving AC cord from electric outlet. Never allow clamps to
touch each other.

2. Attach clamps to battery posts and twist or rock back and
forth several times to make a good connections. This tends
to keep clamps from slipping off terminals and helps to re­duce risk of sparking.

G. OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS: CHARGING BATTERY IN VEHICLE

A SPARK NEAR BATTERY MAY CAUSE BATTERY EXPLO­SION. FOLLOW THESE STEPS TO REDUCE RISK OF SPARK
NEAR BATTERY:

1. Position AC and DC cords in such a way as to reduce risk of
damage by hood, door, or moving engine part.

2. Stay clear of fan blades, belts, pulleys, and other parts that
can cause injury to persons.

3. Check polarity of battery posts. POSITIVE (POS, P,+) bat­tery post usually has larger diameter than NEGATIVE (NEG,
N, -) post.

4. Determine which post of battery is grounded (connected to
the chassis). If negative post is grounded to chassis (as in
most vehicles), see No. 5. If positive post is grounded to the
chassis, see No. 6.

5. For a negative-grounded vehicle, connect POSITIVE (RED)
clamp from battery charger to POSITIVE (POS, P,+) un­grounded post of battery. Connect NEGATIVE (BLACK)
clamp to vehicle chassis or engine block away from battery.
Do not connect clamp to carburetor, fuel lines, or sheet-metal
body parts. Connect to a heavy-gauge, unpainted metal part
of the frame or engine block (see Figure 7).

6. For a positive-grounded vehicle, connect NEGATIVE
(BLACK) clamp from battery charger to NEGATIVE (NEG,
N, -) ungrounded post of battery. Connect POSITIVE (RED)
clip to vehicle chassis or engine block away from battery.
Do not connect clamp to carburetor, fuel lines, or sheet-metal
body parts. Connect to a heavy-gauge metal part of the frame
or engine block.

7. When disconnecting charger, disconnect AC cord, remove
clamp from vehicle chassis, and then remove clamp from
battery terminal, in that order.

8. See charge period for length of charge information.

FIGURE 7: CONNECTION TO NEGATIVE –

GROUNDED BATTERY

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