Chris_tA_4

I'm looking to tweak some airmatic settings with my SDS but don't have an external battery charger. I was hoping some of you can give me recommandations on a good battery charger under $100 that I should purchase. I was looking into this one, what do you guys think?

http://www.napaonline.com/Catalog/Ca...435_0006389653

starbrite

This is the way to go :

thefisch

+1 for Ctek. The 4.3 model (newest one) is just $4 more than the 3300 on Amazon right now.

Chris_tA_4

Is this the one your talking about?



You mean to tell me that these little ctek devices are sufficient enough to keep the car charged?! I've never used an external charger so please feel free to school me on them...

KEY08

The Ctek is a trickle charger that will bring the battery to 100% charge and maintain it. Not sure I understand your question. If you are putting a load on the battery system while trying to work on the car while it is not running the trickle charger may not be able to maintain the batteries condition if it is severely stressed. I only use Ctek charger/maintainers and have brought dead batteries to life with them.

Chris_tA_4

You pretty much answered my question. I know that while using SDS on the car, you need to maintain a steady source of 12v power to the car. So with the ctek charger it will keep enough charge in the battery while I adjust my airmatic settings, correct?

noka

CTEK models 3300 (older) and 4.3 (newer) are not 12V power sources unlike model 7002. Read the spec on their web site for further details: http://smartercharger.com/

thefisch

Charging mode is really only meant for charging a battery when not under load with either car off or battery disconnected. The charger will still work if you turn on some electronics, but the amps supplied are low and meant for a safe slow charge. I am no expert by any means, but if the systems you are running are drawing more amps than the charger can provide, then you probably are draining from the battery. Good news is that the charger will replace that given the time it needs.

The supply mode on the 7002 is meant for when you are removing the battery so you don't lose power. It would be similar to hooking another battery to your car, but I am not sure how many amps it provides since it may also be designed for when the car is off.

Whatever charger you get, be sure it does not go over 14.8 volts or whatever your manual states. The chargers all say 12v (even the one you linked from napa), but if you read the manual they give the peak voltage they reach while charging. My car's manual said not to exceed 14.8v so I ended up returning another charger I had bought that went up to 15.3v or so. That puts your electronics at risk. Also, I would not run a charger using an amp output higher than 10 as it will put undue stress on your battery. That should only be done if fast charging is absolutely necessary.

noka

Just checked CTEK site for charge voltages:
CTEK 4.3: Charge voltage 14.4 / 14.7 / 15.8 V (it has recondition mode)
CTEK 3300: Charging voltage 14.4V /14.7V (no recondition mode)

The 3300 is most similar to the one MB sells, which has fewer status lights than the 3300.

My 2015 manual says the same as yours:
! Only use battery chargers with a maximum
charging voltage of 14.8 V.

It could be safer to get the 3300 for use on the MB. Otherwise, don't ever use the recondition mode (without first disconnecting the battery, assuming the battery can take that higher voltage as well).

thefisch

with the modes on the Ctek, you have to select recondition so you should be safe for normal charging. You're correct that you should remove the battery for recondition mode. Also, the dephulsation(sp?) stage also outputs 15.8v on the ctek 4.3 charger - not sure about the other manuals as their manuals don't state the voltage for each stage. So it you're working with a severely depleted battery or see the chargers go into that mode, you might want remove the battery from the car first or at least check the voltage.

For the supply mode on the 7002, here is what the manual says about power generation.
Chosen mode: ”SUPPLY”
MULTIUS7002 has a Supply mode setting which has a constant voltage of 13.6V and current up to 7A. This mode can also be used for maintenance charging of an already fully charged battery, called Float maintenance. This type of charging keeps the battery at 100% charge. The constant small overcharge can also increase water loss. A battery does not have to be connected for the charger to deliver voltage. This means that the spark protection is not active in this mode. It is not appropriate to charge a completely discharged battery in Supply mode, since this will not result in a completely charged battery. In this mode, MULTIUS7002 can also be used as a power generation unit for operating equipment that requires13.6V and a maximum of 7A. If the selected current exceeds 7A, the output voltage will drop as the load increases. The charger has electronic overload protection in this mode, which is activated if the charge is so great that the output voltage from the charger falls below around 9V and the current ís around 7A. In the event of an overload, the charger goes into error mode (lamp 0). Supply mode is indicated with lamp D and lamp 5.