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10
USING THE BUILT-IN BATTERY TESTER
OVERVIEW
The SpeedCharge 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 6000A as a battery tester.
1. Connect the SpeedCharge battery
clamps to the battery. Be sure to follow
all of the precautions listed under
“OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS”.
2. Connect the SpeedCharge power cord
to a 120 VAC 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 indi-
cated.
4. Read the voltage on the digital LED or
press the display mode button to set
the tester to “Battery %” and read the
battery percent.
TESTER AND CHARGER
When first turned on, the 6000A oper-
ates only as a tester, not as a charger.
To continue to use it as only a tester,
avoid pressing the CHARGE RATE
switch button. Selecting a charge rate
activates the battery charger and
deactivates the tester.
POWER-UP IDLE TIME LIMIT
If no switch button is pressed within ten
minutes after the unit is first powered
up, the unit will automatically switch
from tester to charger, if a battery is
connected. In that case, the unit will be
set for the 2A charge rate and REGU-
LAR battery type.
TESTER WITHOUT TIME LIMIT
If either the DISPLAY MODE or BAT-
TERY TYPE button is pressed within the
first ten minutes after the unit is
powered up, the unit will remain a tester
(not a charger) indefinitely, unless a
charge rate is selected.
TESTING AFTER CHARGING
After the unit has been changed from
tester to charger (by selecting a charge
rate), it remains a charger as long as it
has power. Disconnect and reconnect
the power to change the unit back to a
tester.
TESTER STATUS LEDs
When the 6000A 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 CHECK (red) LED lights unless a
properly connected battery is de-
tected.
• When the tester display mode is set
to voltage, none of the Status LEDs
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 LED will show two 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 voltage
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 charge should be removed by
temporarily creating a load on the
battery, such as by turning on lights or
other accessories.
The battery % ranges from 0 to 100.
The battery tester is only designed to
test batteries. Testing a device with a
rapidly changing voltage could yield
unexpected or inaccurate results.