Vector A062003, VEC093 User Manual

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AUTOMATIC

BATTERY CHARGER

OWNER’S MANUAL & WARRANTY INFORMATION

12 VOLT 2/10/20/40 AMPERE CHARGE RATES WITH 100 AMP ENGINE START,

ALTERNATOR VOLTAGE CHECK AND BATTERY RECONDITON FUNCTIONS

• IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS •

WARNING – RISK OF EXPLOSIVE GASES

1. 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.

2. To reduce risk of battery explosion, follow these instructions and those published by the battery

manufacturer and manufacturer of any equipment you intend to use in vicinity of battery. Review
cautionary markings on these products and on engine.

GENERAL BATTERY SAFETY

1. Use charger for charging a LEAD-ACID battery only. It is not intended to supply power to a low volt­age electrical system other than in automotive applications. Do not use battery charger for other types
of batteries, these may burst and cause injury to persons and damage to property.

2. Use of an attachment not recommended or sold by the battery charger manufacturer may result in a
risk of fire, electric shock, or injury to persons.

3. To reduce risk of damage to electric plug and cord, pull by plug rather than cord when
disconnecting charger.

4. An extension cord should not be used unless absolutely necessary. Use of an improper extension cord
could result in a risk of fire and electric shock. If extension cord must be used, make sure:

a. That pins on plug of extension cord are the same number, size, and shape as those of

plug on charger.
b. That extension cord is properly wired and in good electrical condition; and
c. That wire size is AWG #10 (10 gauge) to 100 feet and AWG #8 for distances over 100 feet.

5. Do not operate charger with damaged cord or plug - replace the cord or plug immediately.

6. Do not operate charger if it has received a sharp blow, been dropped, or otherwise damaged in any
way; take it to a qualified service technician.

7. Do not disassemble charger; take it to a qualified service technician when service or repair is
required. Incorrect reassembly may result in a risk of electric shock or fire.

8. To reduce risk of electric shock, unplug charger from outlet before attempting any maintenance or
cleaning. Turning off controls will not reduce this risk.

9. Do not expose charger to rain or snow.

10 . Never charge a frozen battery.

SAVE THESE INSTRUCTIONS:

This manual contains important safety and operating instructions for battery charger Model VEC093

4140 SW 28TH WAY, FT. LAUDERDALE, FL 33312 • TEL: [phone] • FAX: [phone] • TOLL-FREE 866-584-5504

VEC093

A062003

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PERSONAL PRECAUTIONS AND SAFETY

1. Someone should be within range of your voice or close enough to come to your aid when you work near a
lead-acid battery.

2. Have plenty of fresh water and soap nearby in case battery acid contacts skin, clothing, or eyes.

3. Wear complete eye protection and clothing protection. Avoid touching eyes while working with a battery.
Acid, acid particles or corrosion may get into eyes. Immediately flood eye with running cold water for at
least 10 minutes and get medical attention immediately.

4. If battery acid contacts skin or clothing, wash immediately with soap and water.

5. NEVER smoke or allow a spark or flame in vicinity of battery or engine.

6. Be extra cautious to reduce risk of dropping a metal tool onto battery. It might spark or short-circuit battery
or other electrical part that may cause explosion.

7. Remove 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.

GROUND AND AC POWER CORD CONNECTION

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 all local codes and ordinances. (See Figure 1.)

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 the risk of an electric shock.

This battery charger is for use on a nominal 120 volt circuit, has a grounding plug that looks like the plug
illustrated in Figure 1A. A temporary adapter, which looks like the adapter illustrated in Figures 1B, may be
used to connect this plug to a two-pole receptacle as shown in Figure 1 B, if a properly grounded outlet is not
available. The temporary adapter should be used only until a properly grounded outlet can be installed by a
qualified electrician.

DANGER! Before using adapter as illustrated, be certain that center screw of outlet plate is grounded.

The green-colored rigid ear or tab 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 tab to outlet cover plate and make ground connection to grounded outlet.

FIGURE 1A FIGURE 1B

GROUNDING PIN (A)

ADAPTER (B)

GROUNDING
MEANS

METAL SCREW

USE OF AN ADAPTER IS NOT ALLOWED IN CANADA. IF A GROUNDING TYPE RECEPTACLE IS
NOT AVAILABLE, DO NOT USE THIS APPLIANCE UNTIL THE PROPER OUTLET IS INSTALLED BY A
QUALIFIED ELECTRICIAN.

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PREPARING TO CHARGE

1. Determine voltage of battery by referring to car owner's manual.

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

3. Clean battery terminals. Be careful to keep corrosion from coming in contact with eyes.

4. Add distilled water in each cell until battery acid reaches level 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.

5. Study all battery manufacturers' specific precautions such as removing or not removing cell caps while
charging and recommended rates of charge.

6. 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 such as a fan.

7. Make sure the initial charging rate is not over battery manufacturer's suggestion.

CHARGER LOCATION

1. Locate charger as far away from battery as cables permit.

2. Never place charger directly above a battery being charged; gases from the battery will corrode and
damage charger.

3. Never allow battery acid to drip on charger when reading gravity or filling battery.

4. Do not operate charger in a closed-in area or restrict ventilation in any way. Marine batteries must be
removed and charged on shore.

5. Do not set a battery on top of charger.

DC CONNECTION PRECAUTIONS

1. Connect and disconnect DC output clips only after removing AC cord from electric outlet.

2. Never allow clips to touch each other.

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

FOLLOW THESE STEPS WHEN BATTERY IS INSTALLED IN VEHICLE. A SPARK NEAR BATTERY MAY CAUSE BATTERY
EXPLOSION.TO REDUCE RISK OF A SPARK NEAR BATTERY:

a. Position AC and DC cords to reduce risk of damage by hood, door, or moving engine part.
b. Stay clear of fan blades, belts, pulleys, and other parts that can cause injury to persons.
c. Check polarity of battery posts. POSITIVE (POS, P, +) battery post usually has larger diameter than

NEGATIVE (NEG, N,-) post.

d. Determine which post of battery is grounded (connected) to the chassis. If negative post is grounded

to chassis (as in most vehicles), see (e). If positive post is grounded to the chassis, see (f).

e. 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. Do not connect clip to carburetor, fuel lines, or sheet-metal body parts. Connect
to heavy gauge metal part of the frame or engine block.

f. 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. Do not connect clip to carburetor, fuel lines, or sheet-metal body parts.
Connect to a heavy gauge metal part of the frame or engine block.

g. When disconnecting charger, disconnect AC cord, remove clip from vehicle chassis, and then remove

clip from battery terminal.
h. See operating instructions for length of charge information.
i. Do not change the battery while the engine is operating.

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INTRODUCTION AND FEATURES

Thank you for selecting the Vector(r) Model VEC093 2/10/20/40 Amp 12 volt Smart Battery Charger with Engine
Start, Alternator Voltge Check and Battery Restore modes. With proper care and use, it will give you years of depend­able service. This model battery charger has a high charge rate of up to 40 amps, and low charge rate of up to 2
amps. It is intended for charging only 12 volt lead-acid batteries - maintenance free, conventional automotive, marine
deep cycle and gel - that are usually used in cars, trucks, farm equipment, boats, RVs and SUVs, lawn mowers and
garden tractors, motorcycles, personal watercraft, snowmobiles, ATVs, trucks and various commercial applications.

Vector Smart Chargers are microprocessor-based and have a charge curve that has three stages. See Figure 2. Stage
One is essentially a constant current charge. This continues until the connected battery is about 85
percent charged. When Stage One ends, the charger briefly sounds a tone (beep) to indicate a change to
Stage Two, the Absorption Phase. This Stage is essentially a constant voltage phase and supplies approximately 10
percent of the charge. At the end of Stage Two, the charger changes output to Stage Three. Stage Three continues and
turns OFF when the battery reaches full charge. The CHARGING COMPLETE LED lights to indicate charging operation
is complete.

FIGURE 2 - CHARGE CURVE

FEATURES

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The unit has four charge rate settings, with a 2/10/20/40 pushbutton charge rate switch:

a) 2 amps: smaller batteries as in lawn mowers, snowmobiles, motorcycles, etc.
b) 10 amps: middle sized batteries such as in small cars
c) 20 amps: automobile batteries.
d) 40 amps: large truck batteries, banks of RV batteries

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Microprocessor controlled for proper operation and for fault detection.

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Large Lighted Digital Display, shows charging current, and codes that indicate faults, and modes of operation
and timeout of functions.

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High Frequency operation for pure DC output.

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Rapid charging three stage output.

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Heavy-duty cables and clamps are corrosion-resistant for better connections.

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Connect to side- or top-mount battery terminals.

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Rugged case with baked on finish, plus sturdy carry handle.

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Self storage of cables and clamps.

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Ideal for charging during winter season when the starting performance of vehicle batteries is lowered by cold
or extreme weather conditions.

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Single beep tone indicates a button is pressed or a mode change occurs.

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Engine Start provides up to 100 amps of current to assist cranking the engine.

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Battery Restore mode provides desulfation of battery plates to improve battery performance.

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Alternator Voltage Check can confirm proper operation of the alternator and indicate less than full output.

Stage One

BEEP

BEEP

OFF

Stage Two

Stage Three

(CHARGING COMPLETE LED LIT)

VEC093

A062003