Product Manual

Operation
900-0198-01-00 Rev A 21
To skip this step:
Setting
Absorb Voltage
equal to
Float Voltage
causes the charger to proceed through
the normal three-stage cycle, but at a single voltage. Setting
Absorb Time
to 0 causes the charger to skip
both the Bulk and Absorption stages and proceed directly to the constant-current Refloat stage. This may
not be desired if the intent is to include the Bulk stage but skip Absorption.
Absorption Stage
This is the second stage of charging. It is a constant-voltage stage. Current varies as needed to maintain
the voltage, but will typically decrease to a very low number over time. This leaves the batteries at
essentially 100% of capacity.
Voltage Used:
Absorb Voltage
setting. For the three-stage cycle to proceed normally, this setting
should be kept higher than the
Float Voltage
and
Re-Bulk Voltage
settings.
Time limit:
Absorb Time
setting. The charger does not necessarily run through its full duration if it
retained time from a previous charge cycle. The timer counts down from the inception of the Absorption
stage until it reaches zero. The time remaining can be viewed in the system display.
The Absorption timer resets to its maximum amount when AC power is disconnected and reconnected. It
only goes to zero if the timer runs out during the Absorption stage, or if an external STOP BULK command
is sent. In all other cases it retains any remaining time.
To skip this step:
Setting
Absorb Time
to a very short duration causes the charger to spend minimal
time in Absorption once the Bulk stage is complete. Setting
Absorb Time
to zero will cause the charger to
skip both the Bulk and Absorption stages and proceed directly to the constant-current Refloat stage. This
may not be desired if the intent is to skip Absorption but retain the Bulk stage.
Silent
This is not a charging stage, but a quiescent period between stages. The inverter remains on the AC
source, but the charger is inactive. When the charger is set to <
Auto
> in the system display, it enters this
condition upon completing a timed stage such as Absorption, Float, or Equalize.
In Silent, the batteries are not in significant use by the inverter, but they are also not being charged. The
voltage will naturally decrease when not maintained by another means such as a charger or alternator.
The term “Silent” is also used in an unrelated context regarding Power Save levels. See page 28.
Voltage Used:
Re-Float Voltage
setting. When the battery voltage decreases to this point, the charger
becomes active again.
Default Set Point
(nominal voltage): 12.5 Vdc (12-volt). This is multiplied accordingly for inverters of
other voltages.
To skip this step:
Setting the charger to <
On
> in the system display makes the charger remain in Float
continuously so that it does not proceed through the Silent, Bulk, Absorption, or Float timer steps.
Float Stage
This is the third stage of charging. It is sometimes known as maintenance charging. Float stage balances
the batteries’ tendency to self-discharge (as well as balancing the draw of any other DC loads). It
maintains the batteries at 100% of capacity.
Voltage Used:
Float Voltage
setting. For the charger to work normally, this setting needs to be higher
than the
Re-Float Voltage
setting.
Default Set Point
(nominal voltage): 13.6 Vdc (12-volt). This is multiplied accordingly for inverters of
other voltages.