The work of a modern car that runs on gasoline or diesel fuel is impossible without a quality battery. The degree of its charge depends on starting the motor and maintaining the electrical system with a poorly functioning generator.

To charge the battery in the car, generators are used, and charging is performed using external devices. Let's figure out how to choose a charger for a car battery so that the battery is always in order.

Content

• 1 When using a pre-charger
• 2 Types of chargers
• 3 Selection of the charger
• 4 Selection of pre-charger
• 5 Selection by technical criteria
• 6 Sufficient equipment

When using a starter charger

The mandatory set of competent motorist should include a device to restore the battery charge. It is especially important to have it in the winter, when there is a fairly old battery and when there are problems with the wiring. The need for this device also arises when the generator is unable to independently service all electrical consumers in a car.

Especially noticeable is the fast discharge of the battery in the winter, when you often need to turn on lights. Lubricating fluids for external storage of a car have a greater viscosity compared with summer time, due to this, increased power is required for engine start. All these factors contribute to the rapid discharge of the battery.

Before you choose a pre-charger for the car, it is worth testing the battery for performance. Also it is necessary to check the level and quality of electrolyte in all banks. If necessary, you will need to add it to the required level or replace the liquid completely.

You need to know that acid batteries older than three years are at risk for their performance.

Not only a weak generator, but also the driver himself can arrange problems with a fast or full discharge of the battery when he forgets to turn off the parking lights or other electrical consumers for the night. After such a situation, you will need to either call an assistant to push the car at the start, or use, for example, an automatic charger for a car battery.

It is necessary to use charging for batteries regularly in those cars that make short journeys during operation, since at this time there is no time to fully charge from the built-in generator. If there is no nearby multimeter, then in many cars there is a special peephole-indicator, indicating the degree of charge.

After measuring the voltage with a multimeter, it should not be less than 10.5 V for a 12-volt battery. Otherwise, it is necessary to connect an external electrical feed.

You can control the charge even with a simple incandescent lamp at 12 V. Its too dim light is a sign of a weak charge.

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Varieties of chargers

Devices that charge the battery, differ in the type of work. Existing devices in most cases can be divided into the following types:

• Using constant current for charging. In this case, a constant current is applied to the consumer, the output data is monitored using the built-in indicator. A negative feature of this method is a fairly rapid "aging" of the battery. Positive quality is a higher charging rate.
• Applying constant voltage for charging. The device gives the consumer the same voltage, and the current gradually decreases during charging. The most popular method is due to simpler design features of the device. However, the active process at the beginning of charging gradually fades out by the time of full charge.
• Combined charging method. The best car battery charger works with this technology. During the start, a stable supply of current occurs, and the second stage is accompanied by a constant (constant) voltage supply. A significant disadvantage of the design is its bulkiness and complexity in execution.

Professional battery charger

A newer type of apparatus is a pulsed charger for a car battery. The basis of his work is the supply of voltage using pulses of a certain frequency. This method allows manufacturers to completely abandon the use of transformers in their design, which significantly reduces the size of the appliance.

You need to know that the amperage affects the speed of charging the battery, but exceeding it in the process ensures fast battery wear.

It is necessary to use a sufficient current parameter to ensure long-term operation of the device. Its approximate level is 5-10% of the digital value of the capacitance. This means that the battery at 70 Ah must be charged with a current of no higher than 7 A.

Charger selection

The domestic market for auxiliary automotive devices is not always filled with quality products from Asia. Their design often does not even have indicators, but instead a signal LED is installed.

Virtually all products manufactured in our country have the necessary warranty documents and are of high quality accordingly. Analog or electronic displays are used as indicators.

The correct choice would be to buy an automatic charger, which is able to independently select the operating mode and turn off after a full charge of the battery.

Selection of start-up charger

There are cars in which manufacturers do not recommend throwing away the battery without the need of a common electrical system. For such cars, it is desirable to use a starting-charging device that feeds the battery directly under the hood. With the help of these units, the automobile owner has the opportunity not only to charge, but also to immediately start the motor from an external power source.

Automatic charger

There are several types of starting and charging devices:

• household;
• professional;
• mixed type.

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For domestic needs, it is enough to purchase a device with not the highest power. They will be able to easily maintain both 12-volt car batteries and 6-volt motorcycle batteries.

Professional devices are in demand for batteries with output voltage. 12 or 24 B. In some devices, the range is extended to 6-36 V.

You need to know that for cars at home there will be enough household charge.

It is necessary to distinguish the starting-charging devices used in garage conditions and used offline. The second type is equipped with a built-in battery and can even be used for a car parked in the parking lot. However, such units need regular maintenance and self-charging of the built-in power supplies.

Selection by technical criteria

Due to the fact that produced a considerable number of varieties of batteries, there is a need for different devices for their charging. When choosing start-chargers, it is necessary to check whether its type is suitable for this battery (acid, alkaline, etc.). This can be found in the instructions for use.

Be sure to select the output voltage of the device. If the battery works at 12 V, then it is quite possible to do with the same charger. The characteristic should also include the capacity of rechargeable batteries. In this case, it would not hurt to buy a device with a margin for this characteristic.

A weak current leads to the disintegration of the working plates, which means that the device must produce sufficient amperage for the battery. It is calculated by capacity.

Sufficient equipment

Having defined the technical characteristics, we select on the basis of the maximum equipment. A digital or dial indicator should be installed in the device. The case of a high-quality product does not have mounting backlashes, and in the presence of a sufficient number of adjusting switches.

It is imperative to inquire about the quality certificate and availability of the product warranty. For safe operation, protective boards or fuses are installed.

A prerequisite for picking are the crocodile clips, which provide a secure fit during charging. The cross-section of the connecting wires in a quality kit needs a large, at least 3 mm in order to pass a stable current.

Pre-chargers equipped with smooth or step voltage / current switches are commercially available. If the step in the settings is small, then this is not a significant obstacle.