Schumacher SC-6500A - Manual (Page 11)

10
USING THE BUILT-IN BATTERY TESTER
OVERVIEW
This battery charger has a built-in battery
tester that displays either an accurate
battery voltage or an estimate of the
battery’s relative charge based on the
battery voltage and the Battery Council
International scale.
TESTING SEQUENCE
There are four basic steps required to
use the SC-6500A as a battery tester.
1. Connect the charger battery clamps to
the battery. Be sure to follow all of the
precautions listed under “OPERATING
INSTRUCTIONS”.
2. Connect the charger power cord to a 120V
AC 2-prong wall outlet. Again, be sure to
follow all of the precautions listed under
“OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS”.
3. If necessary, press the BATTERY
TYPE button until the correct type is
indicated.
4. Read the voltage on the digital display
or press the DIGITAL DISPLAY button
to set the tester to BATTERY % and
read the battery percent.
TESTER AND CHARGER
When first turned on, the SC-6500A oper-
ates only as a tester, not as a charger. To
continue to use it as only a tester, avoid
pressing the CHARGE START switch
button. Selecting a charge rate activates
the battery charger and deactivates the
tester. Pressing the CHARGE START but-
ton when the ENGINE START LED is lit
(except during the 180 second cool down)
will shut off the charger and activate the
tester.
POWER-UP IDLE TIME LIMIT
If no switch button is pressed within
15 minutes after the SC-6500A is first
powered up, it will automatically switch
from tester to charger, if a battery is
connected. In that case, the charger will
be set for the small battery rate and 12V
REGULAR battery type.
TESTER WITHOUT TIME LIMIT
If either the DIGITAL DISPLAY or BAT-
TERY TYPE button is pressed within the
first 15 minutes after the SC-6500A is
powered up, it will remain a tester (not
a charger) indefinitely, unless a charge
rate is selected.
TESTING AFTER CHARGING
After the SC-6500A has been changed
from tester to charger (by selecting a
charge rate), it remains a charger. To
change the SC-6500A back to a tester,
press the CHARGE START button until
all charge rate LEDs are off.
TESTER STATUS LEDs
When the SC-6500A is operating as
a battery tester, the status LEDs light
under the following conditions:
• The CHARGED (green) LED will light if
a charged battery is tested.
• The CHARGING (yellow) LED does not
light in the battery test mode.
• The CONNECTED LED lights when a
properly connected battery is detected.
• When the tester digital display is set to
VOLTAGE, the CHARGED and CHARG-
ING LEDs won't light (it could be testing
a battery or an alternator).
INITIAL PERCENT CALCULATION
When a battery % is calculated for the
first time after connecting a battery, the
digital display will show three dashes
(“---”) for a period as long as several
seconds while the tester analyzes the
battery.
NOTES FOR TESTING BATTERY %
A recently charged battery could have a
temporarily high voltage due to what is
known as “surface charge”. The volt-
age of such a battery will gradually drop
during the period immediately after
the charging system is disengaged.
Consequently, the tester could display
inconsistent values for such a battery.
For a more accurate reading, the surface