Schumacher PS-620, PS-1025 User Manual

For Lead-Acid Batteries

MANUAL OPERATION

Model: PS-620 2/6 Amp

PS-1025 2/10/50 Amp

For 12 Volt Batteries

INSTRUCTION MANUAL

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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, 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 not use battery charger for charging dry-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.

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 18 16

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 clamps together when the charger is energized.

19. NEVER crank engine with PS-620 charger attached to battery.

00-99-000296/202

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 device. 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. GROUND AND AC POWER CORD CONNECTIONS

Charger should be grounded to reduce risk of electric shock. Charger is equipped with an electric cord having an equipmentgrounding conductor and a grounding plug. The plug must be plugged into an outlet that is properly installed and grounded in accordance with all local codes and ordinances.

This battery charger is designed for use on a nominal 120 Volt circuit and has a grounded plug that looks like the plug illustrated in FIGURE 1 (A). This plug should be used in a grounded outlet. The plug pins must fit the receptacle (outlet).

ADAPTER: A temporary adapter, as shown in FIGURE 1 (B) and (C), may be used to connect the charger plug to a two-pole receptacle (outlet) as shown FIGURE 1 (B).

NOTE: Adapter use not allowed in Canada. NOTE: The temporary adapter should be used only until a properly grounded outlet can be installed by a qualified electrician.

DANGER: NEVER alter the AC cord or plug provided. If it will not fit outlet, have proper outlet installed by a qualified electrician. Improper

connection may result in an electric shock. DANGER: Before using an adapter as illustrated, be certain that center screw of outlet plate is grounded. The green-colored rigid ear or lug extending from adapter must be connected to a properly grounded outlet. Make certain it is grounded. If necessary, replace original outlet cover plate screw with a longer screw that will secure adapter ear or lug to outlet cover plate and make ground connection to grounded outlet.

FIGURE 1: GROUNDING METHODS

D. PREPARING TO CHARGE

1. Make sure you have a 12 Volt lead-acid battery.

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.

8. Select the proper charge rate. See Figure 2, BATTERY CHARGER SELECTION GUIDE.

Ampere Charging Recommended Battery Uses

Rating Hours

2 Amp 3-8 Motorcycle, snowmobile, lawnmower,

6 Amp 6-8 Car, truck, RV, trolling outboard,

10 Amp 3-5 Car, truck, RV, trolling outboard,

50 Amp 7 sec. on Engine crank assist

FIGURE 2: BATTERY CHARGER SELECTION GUIDE

Estimated

car (trickle charge), truck, RV, marine

tractor farm equipment

240 sec. off

E. BATTERY CHARGER CONTROLS

CHARGE RATE AND VOLTAGE SWITCH SETTINGS NOTE: It is important to determine the battery type before charg-

ing. (See BATTERY TYPES)

WARNING: This charger will continue to charge even after the battery is charged.

This is a manual (non-automatic) battery charger. A manual 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 charged.

WARNING: Overcharging will damage the battery. 2 Amp Charge Rate – All Models

For small 12 volt batteries (31 ampere hours or less) use only the 2 amp charge rate. The smaller the battery, the greater the risk of harming it by using a higher charge rate. The 2 amp charge rate may also be used to warm or trickle charge larger batteries.

6 Amp Charge Rate (PS-620 Only)

Use the 6 Amp charge rate for faster charging of larger 12 volt batteries.

10 Amp Charge Rate (PS-1025 Only)

Use the 10 amp charge rate for faster charging of larger 12 volt batteries.

PS-620

CHARGE RATE SELECTOR

2 AMP 6 AMPOFF

FIGURE 3: BATTERY CHARGE RATE SELECTORS

50 Amp Engine Start (PS-1025 Only)

Select “50 Amp Start” to assist in engine cranking of 12 volt systems. DO NOT use on 6 volt systems. Use the 50 amp engine start position for cranking automobiles or light trucks. Do not crank engine if battery is not in the vehicle. This will reduce the chance of damaging sensitive electronic equipment in the vehicle.

IMPORTANT: Very low/depleted batteries may need to be charged at 10 Amps for 15–20 minutes before switching to Engine Start.

CHARGE RATE SELECTOR

PS-1025

2 AMP 10 AMP 50 AMP

START

F. READING AMMETER

02 4 6 8

PS-620

FIGURE 4: METERS

AMMETER (See FIGURE 4) The ammeter gives a reading of the current drawn by the battery

from the charger. When a fully discharged battery is connected to the charger, the ammeter will read the maximum output rating of the charger, 2, 6, or 10 Amps, depending on the charge rate selected. The charge current will gradually taper down as the battery approaches full charge. As the charge current tapers down, the ammeter needle will move left.

PERCENT OF CHARGE The percent of charge scale is intended as a visual aid to help

simplify reading the state of charge. It is scaled for use with the 6 or 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 the size and

battery type. Typically a 28 ampere hour gel cell battery will draw less current at the end of charge then a 140 ampere hour wet cell battery. This means that the indication for a fully charged large battery may be slightly less than 100%.

For the 2 amp charge rate, a red triangle has been provided within the green area of the meter scale. It's accuracy has been calibrated for use with small batteries. As a battery takes on a charge, it draws less current from the charger. Correspondingly less of the red area will fall under the meter needle.

024681050

PS-1025

G. 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. After a short cooling off period, it will reset automatically. This process is known as cycling and can be recognized by an audible

clicking sound.

NOTE: cally resets itself.

CAUTION: Persistent clicking (more than 30 minutes) may indicate reverse connection or shorted battery cells. (See TROUBLE SHOOTING.)

Clicking sound is normal. Wait until charger automati-

H. 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.

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.

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, the battery manufacturer/distributor recommends periodic check-

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.

I. OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS: CHARGING BATTERY IN VEHICLE

When charging battery in the vehicle, take care to determine the battery type and which post is grounded. To reduce risk of a spark near battery, follow these steps when battery is installed in vehicle. WARNING: A spark near battery may cause battery explosion.

With the PS-620 charger in the OFF position or the PS-1025 charger in 2 Amp position:

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.

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 ground (connected to chassis).

NOTE: The negative post is normally grounded.

NEGATIVE GROUNDED POST

5A. For 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. Connect to a heavy gauge unpainted metal part of the frame or engine block.

WARNING: Do not connect clamp to carburetor, fuel lines, or sheet-metal body parts. NOTE: Attach clamps to battery post and twist or rock back and forth several times to make a good connection. This tends to keep clamps from slipping off terminals and helps to reduce risk of sparking. FIGURE 6 shows connections for a negative-grounded battery.

FIGURE 6: CONNECTION TO NEGATIVE

GROUNDED BATTERY

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