Schumacher SF-51A-PE User Manual
Battery
Charger
SF-51A-PE, 10 Amp 12 Volts
Battery Charger
Model:
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.
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 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
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
not use battery charger for charging dry-cell
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
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.
19. NEVER crank engine with charger attached to battery.
WARNING: Battery chargers get hot during operation and must
have proper ventilation. Air needs to flow around entire charger.
Do not set on flammable items like carpeting, upholstery, paper, cardboard, etc. Will damage leather and melt plastic and
rubber.
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
00-00000565/0103
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.
PREPARING TO CHARGE
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!
1. Make sure you have a 12 volt lead-acid battery. Check
car owner manual to make sure.
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 nonmetallic 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.
BATTERY SIZE/RATING
CAR / LIGHT CCA RES. RECHARGE
TRUCKS CAP TIME-HOURS
200-315 40-60 3-5
315-550 60-85 5-9
550-850 85-150 9-13
MARINE / OR MCA AMP HR
DEEP CYCLE 220-350 24-40 3-5
350-600 40-70 5-9
600-935 70-104 9-13
CCA: COLD CRANKING AMPS RES. CAP.: RESERVE CAPACITY
MCA: MARINE CRANKING AMPS AMP HR: AMPERE HOUR
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BATTERY CHARGER CONTROLS
2 4 6 8 10 12
FIGURE 3 CHARGER CONTROLS
MANUAL-AUTO SWITCH
Charging may be either Manual or Automatic.
MANUAL
When the Manual position is selected the charger will continue to
charge and will not shut off. You must keep a visual check on the
ammeter or the green LED to determine when the battery is
charged. When the ammeter reads around 5 Amps and the green
LED is on the battery is charged.
WARNING: In the 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.
MANUAL VS AUTOMATIC CHARGING
For your safety, in the AUTOMATIC position this charger will only
turn on when properly connected to a 12 volt battery with a voltage
over .7 volts. In the MANUAL position the charger will turn on for
any condition. If a battery is so depleted of charge that it's voltage
is less than .7 volts, switch to MANUAL until the ammeter begins
to move up scale, than switch back to the desired AUTOMATIC
position.
NOTE: Some batteries, especially those with a built in state of
charge indicator and have been deeply discharged, may require
the use of the MANUAL position in order to obtain full charge. The
AUTOMATIC position may be used to maintain the full charge state.
METER/LED INDICATOR
The meter gives a reading of the AMP draw on the charger. When
a fully discharged battery is connected to the charger, the meter
will read the maximum output rating of the charger. The charge
current will gradually taper down as the battery approaches full
charge. As the charge current tapers, the meter needle will also
move down.
When full charged, the meter needle will suddenly drop to 0 and a
green LED will turn on. The 0 is not printed on the meter scale, the
LED is located in its place. As a visual aid, the meter scale has
been divided into 2 zones, CHARGED and CHARGING.
NOTE: As the battery approaches the full charge state the meter
needle and LED will fluctuate back and forth between CHARGING
and CHARGED. For the average size automotive battery, allow 5
to 10 minutes for the battery to stabilize.
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READING METER
D C AMPS
CHARGED CHARGING
24681012
CHARGE COMPLETE
FIGURE 4 FULLY DISCHARGED
BATTERY Initial charge current to
the battery is typically 10 Amps.
CHARGED CHARGING
24681012
CHARGE COMPLETE
FIGURE 6 APPROACHING FULL
CHARGE Charge current to the bat-
tery is typically 6 Amps.
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.
D C AMPS
D C AMPS
CHARGED CHARGING
24681012
CHARGE COMPLETE
FIGURE 5 FULLY CHARGED
BATTERY Charge current to the
battery is 0 Amps and the green
LED is one.
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 TROUBLE-
SHOOTING)
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, the
battery manufacturer/distributor recommends periodic checking 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.
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
by each post: POSITIVE (POS, P, +) and NEGATIVE (NEG, N,
-). NOTE: The positive battery post usually has a larger diam-
eter than the negative post.
2. Attach a 24-inch long (or longer) 6-gauge (AWG) insulated
battery cable to NEGATIVE (NEG, N, -) battery post.
3. Connect POSITIVE (RED) charger clip to POSITIVE (POS, 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 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 source.
OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS: CHARGING BATTERY IN VEHICLE
POSITIVE
BATTERY
+-
24", 6 GUAGE
CABLE
FIGURE 7 CONNECT NEGATIVE BATTERY CLIP
TO 24 INCH CABLE END
NEGATIVE
BATTERY CHARGER
POWER
CORD
TO GROUNDED
POWER OUTLET
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.
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 diam-
eter 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 block.
FIGURE 6 CONNECTION TO NEGATIVE
WARNING: Do not connect clip to carburetor, fuel lines, or sheet-
GROUNDED BATTERY
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.
POSITIVE GROUNDED POST
5B. For positive-grounded vehicle, connect NEGATIVE (BLACK)
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.
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.
10. Clean and store battery charger.
NOTE: Charger will hum when clamps are removed from bat-
tery and power cord is still plugged into electrical outlet.
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