Schumacher 612A-PE, 5216A-PE, 520A-PE User Manual
Battery
Charger
520A-PE, 612A-PE, 5216A-PE
Battery Charger
Models:
Owner's Manual
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Important Safety Instructions
Read Rules for Safe Operation and Instructions Carefully
Working in 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.
WARNING: Handling the cord on this product or cords associated with accessories sold with this product, will expose you to lead, a
chemical known to the State of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm.
A. GENERAL BATTERY SAFETY
Wash hands after handling.
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 autos, trucks, tractors,
airplanes, vans, RV's trolling motors, etc. Charger is not
intended to supply power to low-voltage electrical system
other than in an automotive application.
WARNING: Do
cell 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. Locate 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.
not use battery charger for charging dry-
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.
• Extension cord is properly wired and in good electrical
condition.
• Wire size is large enough for AC ampere rating of charger,
as specified below:
Length of cord (feet): 25 50 100 150
AWG size of cord: 18 18 16 14
(American Wire Gauge)
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. Locate 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 clips together when the charger
is energized.
SCHUMACHER ELECTRIC CORPORATION
801 BUSINESS CENTER DRIVE • MOUNT PROSPECT, ILLINOIS 60056-2179
Send Warranty Product Repairs to: 1025 E. Thompson, Hoopeston, IL 60942-0280
Call Customer Service if you have questions: 1-800-621-5485
1
00-00-000480/0103
B. PERSONAL PRECAUTIONS AND SAFETY
1. WARNING: Wear complete eye protection and clothing
protection, 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. Check the battery voltage, for 6 volt batteries only the 6 volt
10 Amp automatic position is available, all other positions
are for 12 volt batteries.
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. Be 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 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.
CAR / LIGHT CCA RES. RECHARGE
TRUCKS CAP TIME-HOURS
MARINE / OR MCA AMP HR
DEEP CYCLE 220-350 24-40 3-5
CCA: COLD CRANKING AMPS RES. CAP.: RESERVE CAPACITY
MCA: MARINE CRANKING AMPS AMP HR: AMPERE HOUR
LAWN & GARDEN 20-30 12-18
EQUIPMENT 30-40 18-24
MOTORCYCLE 10-15 6-9
BATTERY SIZE/RATING
200-315 40-60 3-5
315-550 60-85 5-9
550-850 85-150 9-13
350-600 40-70 5-9
600-935 70-104 9-13
CHARGE TIME USING THE 2 AMP RATE
WITH SMALL AND MEDIUM SIZE BATTERIES
SIZE IN RECHARGE TIME
AMP HR IN HOURS
15-24 9-21
2
D. BATTERY CHARGER CONTROLS
612A-PE & 5216A-PE (6 & 12 Volt Batteries)
▲
10 amp
6 Volt
(MODE 1) (MODE 2) (MODE 3) (MODE 4)
SWITCH
#1
10 amp
12 Volt
AUTOMATIC MANUAL
520A-PE (12 Volt Batteries)
SWITCH
▲
#2
2 amp
12 Volt
SWITCH
#3
50 amp
start
12 Volt
Select the 2 Amp setting for small 12 volt batteries and the 10 Amp setting
for larger ones. This charger does not have an engine start feature.
THE 612A-PE & 5216A-PE OFFER FOUR ACTIVE MODES
OF OPERATION.
Modes 1 and 2 are selected by Switch #1, both offer automatic
charging. Mode 1 offers a 10 Amp charge rate for 6 volt batteries.
Mode 2 offers a 10 Amp charge rate for 12 volt batteries. Modes
3 and 4 are selected by Switch #3.
Mode 3 offers a 2 Amp charge rate for 12 volt batteries. This
position operates in the manual mode of charging.
Mode 4 offers 50 Amps to assist in engine cranking of 12 volt
systems. Do not use for crank starting of 6 volt systems, doing
so will cause overloading and may result in permanent damage
to the charger. Use the 50 Amp position for crank starting automobiles and light trucks. Use only in combination with a battery
in the vehicle. This will reduce the chance of damaging sensitive electronic equipment in the vehicle.
Switch #2 is used to select the automatic or manual operations
of either Switch #1 or Switch #3.
MANUAL 2 AMP - FOR 12 VOLT BATTERIES.
When the manual 2 Amp position is selected the charger will
continue to charge and will not shut off. You must keep a visual
check on the ammeter to determine when the battery is fully
charged. When the ammeter reads around 1 Amp the battery is
charged. The 2 Amp rate is mainly intended for use with small
batteries like those used with motorcycles and lawn and garden
equipment. For larger batteries the 2 Amp rate may be used for
overnight warming of an automotive battery in cold climate conditions, do not leave connected for more than 12 hours at a
time. Do not, under any conditions, leave the charger permanently connected to a battery for the purpose of maintaining it
during long periods of non-use. Doing so will result in permanent damage to the battery.
WARNING: In the 2 Amp manual position, the charger will continue to charge even after the battery is fully charged.
WARNING: Overcharging will damage the battery.
AUTOMATIC CHARGING
When the battery reaches the full charge state, charge current
is turned off and the charger switches to the maintainer mode of
operation. This action occurs when the ammeter tapers down to
approximately 5 Amps. In this state, the battery voltage is constantly being monitored. When the battery voltage drops to a
predetermined value, charge will turn on for a few seconds replacing the small amount of energy that was lost while the charge
current was at 0 Amps.
2 amp
MANUAL VERSUS AUTOMATIC CHARGING
(612A-PE & 5216A-PE)
For your safety, in the 6 and 12 volt 10 Amp position, these
chargers will only turn on when properly connected to a battery
with a voltage over 0.7 volts. In the 2 Amp position, the charger
will turn on for any condition. If a battery is so depleted of charge
that it’s voltage is less than 0.7 volts, switch to the 2 Amp position for a few seconds then back to the 10 Amp position. You
may use Switch #2 to rapidly toggle between settings. For 12
volt batteries only, you may leave in the 2 Amp position until the
ammeter begins to move up the scale. Note: The longer a battery has been left under this condition the more severe the damage may be to the battery. The damage may not be fully recoverable by charging.
ENGINE STARTING (612A-PE & 5216A-PE)
1. Connect and disconnect the battery charger following the
instructions given in the section for, "Charging a Battery in
a Vehicle."
2. Charge the battery for 10 minutes before cranking the
engine. This allows you the benefit of drawing current from
both the battery and the charger.
3. Select the 50 Amp Start position and crank the engine.
4. If the engine fails to start, recharge the battery for 10 minutes
or longer and try again. If after several repeated tries the
engine fails to start, a problem may lie elsewhere within the
vehicle.
AMMETER AND LED INDICATOR(S)
The ammeter gives a reading of the amp draw on the charger.
When a fully discharged battery is connected to the charger, the
ammeter will read the maximum output rating of the 10 amp
charge rate. The charge current will gradually taper down as the
battery approaches full charge. As the charge current tapers,
the ammeter needle will move to the left.
For 612A-PE: When fully charged, the ammeter needle will suddenly drop to 0 and a green LED will turn on. For 5216A-PE and
520A-PE, the Full Charge LED glows green. (They also have
Power On LEDs that glow yellow.) The 0 is not printed on the
meter scale, the LEDs are located in its place. When using the 2
Amp setting, use the Full Charge LED as the indicator of a fully
charged battery. Ignore needle.
NOTE: As the battery approaches the full charge state the ammeter needle and LED will fluctuate back and forth between
CHARGED and CHARGING. For the average size automotive
battery, allow 5 to 10 minutes for the battery to stabilize.
rate
SWITCH
10 amp
rate
3
E. READING AMMETER:
METER FOR 612A-PE
D C AMPS
CHARGED CHARGING
2 4 6 8 10 12
CHARGE COMPLETE
FULLY DISCHARGED BATTERY
Initial charge current to the battery is
typically 10 Amps.
METER FOR 5216A-PE AND 520A-PE
START
FULL CHARGE
POWER ON
FULLY DISCHARGED BATTERY
Initial charge current to the battery is
typically 10 Amps. The needle points
towards the 25% mark.
D C AMPS
CHARGED
2 4 6 8 10 12
CHARGE COMPLETE
CHARGING
APPROACHING FULL CHARGE
Charge current to the battery is
typically 5 Amps.
START
FULL CHARGE
POWER ON
APPROACHING FULL CHARGE
Charge current to the battery is
typically 5 Amps. The needle points
towards the 100% mark.
D C AMPS
CHARGED
2 4 6 8 10 12
CHARGE COMPLETE
CHARGING
FULLY CHARGED BATTERY
Charge current to the battery is 0
Amps. And, the Full Charge green
LED glows.
START
FULL CHARGE
POWER ON
FULLY CHARGED BATTERY
Charge current to the battery is
0 Amps. And, the Full Charge green
LED glows. The needle points
towards the Full Charge LED.
F. CIRCUIT BREAKER
This battery charger is equipped with a self-resetting circuit
breaker. This device protects the charger from temporary overloads. In the event of an overload, the circuit breaker will trip
open and after a short cooling off period will reset automatically.
This process is known as cycling and can be recognized by an
audible
clicking sound.
NOTE: Clicking sound is normal. Wait until charger automatically resets itself.
CAUTION: Persistent clicking (more than 30 minutes) may indicate reverse connection or shorted battery cells. (See
TROUBLESHOOTING).
G. BATTERY TYPES
Three basic types of lead-acid batteries can be given a charge with this charger: (1) Conventional and Low Maintenance, (2) Maintenance Free, (3) Deep Cycle / Marine.
Conventional and Low Maintenance Batteries. These are the
antimony/lead batteries. Conventional/Low Maintenance batteries require periodic addition of water to the acid solution (electrolyte). Additional water may be added by removing the filler
caps located on the top of the battery.
IMPORTANT: When antimony is known to be one of the materials used in the battery's construction, that battery is a Low
Maintenance/Conventional type.
CAUTION: Some Low Maintenance batteries have a relatively
smooth top without any apparent battery filler caps. If, however,
ing of electrolyte level and provides access to the battery for
water additions, the battery is probably a Low Maintenance/
Conventional type.
Maintenance Free Batteries. These are calcium/lead batteries
and normally do
not require water additions. Therefore, filler
caps have been removed from the battery surface. These batteries will have a smooth or sealed appearance.
Deep Cycle Batteries. These heavy duty batteries are used in
boats, construction equipment, sump pumps, etc. They are normally marked
DEEP CYCLE on the outside of the case.
the battery manufacturer/distributor recommends periodic check-
H. OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS: CHARGING BATTERY OUT OF THE VEHICLE
When charging battery out of the vehicle, take care to determine the battery type. To reduce risk of a spark near battery, follow these
steps when battery is outside vehicle. WARNING: A spark near battery may cause battery explosion. WARNING: When removing battery
from vehicle or boat, disconnect grounded pole first. When disconnecting, make sure all accessories are off, so as not to cause an arc.
(NOTE: A marine (boat) battery
must be removed and charged on shore. (To charge on board requires special equipment designed for
marine use.) WARNING: When reinstalling battery, attach the ground post first.
4
1. Check polarity of battery posts. Battery case will be marked
POSITIVE
NEGATIVE
by each post: POSITIVE (POS, P, +) and NEGATIVE (NEG,
N, -). NOTE: The positive battery post usually has a larger
diameter than the negative post.
2. Attach a 24-inch long (or longer) 6-gauge (AWG) insulated
BATTERY
+-
battery cable to NEGATIVE (NEG, N, -) battery post. (Not
provided with charger.)
3. Connect POSITIVE (RED) charger clip to POSITIVE (POS,
24", 6 GAUGE
CABLE
P, +) post battery. Rock clip back and forth to make good
connection.
4. Position yourself and free end of 24 inch cable as far away
from battery as possible. Then connect NEGATIVE (BLACK)
charger clip to free end of cable. WARNING: Do not face
battery when making final connection. Rock clip back and
forth to make a good connection.
FIGURE 7 CONNECT NEGATIVE BATTERY CLIP
TO 24 INCH CABLE END
FIGURE 7 shows the connection.
5. Plug charger AC cord into 120 volt grounded outlet.
6. Select auto or manual charging, see charge controls.
7. When battery is fully charged, unplug charger from AC power
8. When battery is fully charged and charger is unplugged,
(1) remove clip from end of Negative end of cable, and (2)
remove clip from Positive battery post, in that order.
9. Clean and store battery charger.
source.
I. OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS: CHARGING BATTERY IN VEHICLE
BATTERY CHARGER
POWER
CORD
TO
GROUNDED
POWER
OUTLET
When charging battery in vehicle, take care to determine the battery type and which pole is grounded. To reduce risk of a spark near
battery, follow these steps when battery is inside vehicle. WARNING: A spark near the battery may cause battery explosion.
1. Position AC power cord and DC charging cords to reduce
risk of damage by hood, door, or moving engine parts.
2. Stay clear of fan blades, belts, pulleys, and other parts that
can cause injury.
GROUND
(NEG)
3. Check polarity of battery posts. Battery case will be marked
by each post: POSITIVE (POS, P, +) and NEGATIVE (NEG,
N, -). NOTE: The positive battery post usually has a larger
diameter than the negative post.
4. Determine which post of battery is grounded (connected)
to chassis. NOTE: The negative post is normally grounded.
NEGATIVE GROUNDED POST
5A. For negative-grounded vehicle, connect POSITIVE (RED)
clip from battery charger to POSITIVE (POS, P, +)
ungrounded post of battery. Connect NEGATIVE (BLACK)
clip to vehicle chassis or engine block away from battery.
Connect to a heavy gage metal part of the frame or engine
FIGURE 6 CONNECTION TO NEGATIVE
GROUNDED BATTERY
block.
WARNING: Do not connect clip to carburetor, fuel lines, or
sheet-metal body parts. NOTE: Attach clips to battery post
and twist or rock back an forth several times to make a
good connection. This tends to keep clips from slipping off
terminals and helps to reduce risk of sparking.
FIGURE 6 shows connections for a negative-grounded
battery.
6. Plug charger AC cord into a grounded 120 volt grounded
outlet.
7. Select either automatic or manual, see charger controls.
8. When battery is fully charged, unplug charger from AC power
source.
9. Remove charger clips from (1) chassis and (2) battery post,
in that order.
POSITIVE GROUNDED POST
5B. For positive-grounded vehicle, connect NEGATIVE (BLACK)
10. Clean and store battery charger.
clip from battery charger to NEGATIVE (NEG, N, -)
ungrounded post of battery. Connect POSITIVE (RED) clip
to vehicle chassis or engine block away from battery.
Connect to a heavy gauge metal part of the frame or engine
block.
5
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