Battery Equaliser D C Line C harger

DC Line Charger
Instructions for
installation and use
© 2003
Battery Equaliser
APPLICATION
FM 37786
ISO 9002
Antares (Europe) Limited
Chiltern Hill . Chalfont St Peter
Gerrards Cross . Bucks . SL9 9UQ . UK
Tel: +44 (0) 1753 890888
Fax: +44 (0) 1753 891260email:support@antares.co.uk
web site: http://www.antares.co.uk
TYPE APPROVAL – INFORMATION
IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION
INSTALLATION
OPERATION
DC Line Charger User Manual, Part No. 13328 Issue 5
APPLICATION
The DC Line Charger is intended for the charging of auxiliary batteries on-board road-going
vehicles. It is particularly suited to charging trailer batteries, where power is supplied through
the 12S or 24S “suzi” socket, & current needs to be constrained to avoid overloading the
socket & its supply cables. The model range provides for 12volt, 24 volt & mixed voltage
systems.
The unit is activated automatically by the presence of a charging source on the input supply,
switching off again when the charging source is removed. Charging output is temperature
compensated, with raised voltage during recharge, automatically switching to float voltage
once the battery has recovered. The presence of a load on the battery whilst charging does
not pose a problem, although any load should be capable of withstanding the raised charging
voltage, which could be as high as 15 or 30 volts (12 or 24 volt systems) under some
circumstances.
TYPE APPROVAL – INFORMATION (APPROVAL PENDING)
Concerning directive 72/245/EEC as last amended by directive 95/54/EC;
Conditions of use for which the type approval (E mark) applies:
This equipment is designated as an electronic sub-assembly;
It is intended for use on-board road-going vehicles;
This equipment is intended to be connected directly to a vehicle 12 or 24 volt DC supply and
used to charge a separate 12 or 24 volt lead acid battery.
Note that non-vehicular & marine applications are specifically excluded, as the DC line
charger has not been verified against the particular EMC standards that apply.
Non approved conditions of use:
This unit may be suitable for use in other applications, but it can only be supplied as a
component in this respect, in which case the type approval does not apply. If the unit is
used in this way, then it is supplied solely on the condition that it is the responsibility of
the manufacturer of the apparatus to ensure that the apparatus complies with the
requirements of the relevant legislation, and apply the CE marking should it be required.
In this case, this user manual does not apply, and reference should be made to Antares
(Europe) Limited for any information required for compliance with the legislation.
IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION
Please read and observe the installation instructions.
WARNING: Explosive gasses may be generated by a battery on charge. To prevent
ignition, allow time for gasses to disperse before attempting to connect this unit.
INSTALLATION
Choosing a location
The DC charger is suitable for use in a sheltered location only, and must not be exposed to
the outside environment, water spray or areas where condensation is likely. Areas subject to
high temperature or vibration must also be avoided if performance and reliability are not to
be impaired.
DC Charger User Manual, Part No. 13328 Issue 5
The best performance will be achieved with the line charger located as close as possible to
the batteries to be charged, and connected with cables giving minimal voltage drop. If this
cannot be achieved, then the remote battery voltage & temperature sensor should be used.
Further guidance is given at the end of this manual.
Mounting
The unit may be mounted in any orientation, but allow sufficient clearance around the unit for
cooling. Mounting hole locations are shown below:
25
50
25
25
9
50
50
25
9
OVERALL HEIGHT 98mm
205
205
9
9
Mounting holes, diameter 6.5mm
100mm enclosure:
130100-1
Mounting holes, diameter 6.5mm
150mm enclosure:
ELECTRICAL CONNECTIONS
INCORRECT CONNECTION MAY CAUSE DAMAGE
PLEASE FOLLOW THESE INSTRUCTIONS CAREFULLY
WARNING: Explosive gasses may be generated by a battery on charge. To prevent
ignition, allow time for gasses to disperse before attempting to connect this unit.
Before beginning the electrical installation, be aware that this unit automatically switches on
when a charging voltage is present on the input supply. It also switches on for approximately
30 seconds when first connected to the input supply. When on, the output is live and
capable of delivering high current, so care must be exercised when making the output
connection (yellow wire). Ideally, when installing the unit on a vehicle, the engine should be
off, and have been off for sufficient time to allow the main battery voltage to fall back to
nominal. The vehicle lights could be switched on to speed this process.
Four power leads are provided which should be connected in the order detailed below:
DC Charger User Manual, Part No. 13328 Issue 5
The first connection to be made is the battery negative connection; one of the black wires
(either will do) emerging from the DC charger should be connected directly to the negative
terminal of the battery to be charged.
The second connection is the other black wire; which should be connected to the input
supply negative. Note that both input & output negatives are connected together inside the
unit.
The third connection is the yellow wire, which connects directly to the positive terminal of the
battery to be charged. A small spark may be seen as this connection is made, which is
normal and may be ignored.
The fourth connection is the red wire, which connects directly to the positive terminal of the
charging power supply. A small spark may be seen as this connection is made, which is
normal and may be ignored.
The remote battery sensor (if used) should be attached to the battery to be charged & then
plugged into the line charger (see separate information supplied with sensor).
Typical application circuit:
(24 volt source, 24 volt auxiliary battery)
123456
OUTPUT SUPPLY
INPUT SUPPLY
YELLOW
+24V
RED
BLACK
0V
Antares (Europe) Limited . Gerrards Cross . UK
BATTERY
BATTERY
DC Power Charger
BATTERY
BATTERY
130117-2
DC Charger User Manual, Part No. 13328 Issue 5
OPERATION
The DC charger is fully automatic in operation. Once installed, no further user action is
required. The unit automatically switches on when a charging voltage is detected on the
input supply. When a charging source is not present, it switches to a low power sleep mode.
SPECIFICATIONS
Model range:
Input voltage
Input current
Output voltage
Model number,
with remote sense
Model number,
no remote sense
12V
12V
12V
12V
24V
24V
24V
24V
24V
12A
15A
12A
15A
12A
15A
12A
15A
15A
12V
12V
24V
24V
12V
12V
24V
24V
24V
91136
91141
91135
91140
91138
91143
91137
91142
91126
91131
91125
91130
91128
91133
91127
91132
90131
The line charger operates in a way which controls the input current, such that the maximum
possible power is always drawn from the power source, without overloading the input supply
cables & connectors. The output charging current is constrained by the ability of the source
to supply power. The maximum battery charging current is therefore determined by each
particular installation. The curves below show this dependency:
Line charger - output current vs output voltage
input voltage held constant
input current 15 amps
Output current - amps
35
30
25
Input
Input
Input
Input
20
15
10
5
0
0
5
10
15
20
25
Output v oltage
DC Charger User Manual, Part No. 13328 Issue 5
30
=
=
=
=
25 volts
20 volts
15 volts
10 volts
INSTALLATION CABLE SIZING
Cables & any connectors should be selected to carry the following maximum current:
Model
All models
Input current (maximum)
15 amps
12 amps
Output current (maximum)
33 amps
30 amps
Input cables
The line charger will operate successfully with the input voltage as low as 12 volts, however,
this will reduce the output power available for battery charging. The higher the input voltage,
the greater the available charging current. The table below lists the approximate input
voltage drop for various cable sizes (at full output):
Cable size
2.5mm2
4mm2
6mm2
10mm2
Volts drop per 10 metre length
1.1 volts
0.7 volts
0.4 volts
0.25 volts
Each volt lost in the input connection will reduce the available output charging current by
approximately 0.5 amps.
Output cables
Any voltage drop in the output cables will also reduce charging effectiveness, however, the
remote battery sensing option (if used) will overcome any volt drop by raising the output
voltage to compensate. The amount of compensation is limited to 0.7 volts.
If remote sense is not used, output cables should be sized to keep the voltage drop below
0.1 to 0.2 volts at 10 amps.
The table below lists the maximum total output cable length (positive plus negative) for
various cable sizes when remote sense is not used:
Cable size
2.5mm2
4mm2
6mm2
10mm2
Maximum length
(0.1volt drop)
1.4 metres
2.3 metres
3.4 metres
5.9 metres
Suzi connector
The line charger may be used through the 12N/S or 24N/S trailer sockets, to charge a trailer
battery (The line charger is mounted on the trailer, near the battery). You should check that
both the tractor & trailer wiring to the connector pair is adequately sized for the current and
suitably fused. Typical “7 core trailer cable” will have one 2mm2 conductor rated at 17 amps
& six 1mm2 conductors rated at 8½ amps each. In this case, two conductors & two pins on
the connector will have to be used for the input positive supply. Check your vehicle’s wiring
arrangement to determine which, if any, of the socket pins have power available and that the
wiring is adequate to support the load.
If the 15 amp input line charger is used, then there is only one or two amps spare capacity on
the 12N/S/24N/S connector earth for other trailer loads. To allow for the possibility that other
loads are required, the alternative 12 amp input line charger allows 5 amps spare.
Note that “heavy duty” 12S/24S connector sets are available, rated 70 amps, & able to take
up to 6mm2 sized cables.
DC Charger User Manual, Part No. 13328 Issue 5