To activate the "repair mode" you charge the battery on automatic, and when it shows the battery is done, switch it over to manual, and it will pump 16v into the battery with pulse... But you need to check it after 30min, never set it on manual mode and leave it.. I also use manual mode to let it fast charge, since it won't limit the current until it reaches 16.2V
So if I need to put my battery in manual mode, how long is the recommended time to charge in this mode or do I have to alternate between automatic and manual every so often?
Wow! Mine's not quite THAT old but it is definitely not like anything you see for sale in stores now. Either of you guys try a desulfater before? Apparently they sell little stand alone ones now.
Noco Genius line is pretty good for the money. I usually just use a benchtop power supply like www.amazon.com/LW-K3010D-Adjustable-Switching-Regulated-Spectrophotometer/dp/B07512KQDW/
You answered my main questions about this unit: For a 12V DC lead acid car battery-type battery, 1. The LED readout on the battery I initially hooked up, is 13.3 V, which is within the tolerance you mentioned. 2. The charging amperage reads 7.7A, also within the tolerance you mentioned. 3. The charging Indicator is flashing, with yellow/ green/ red/ blue colors. 4. I have the charging mode on: Manual and 5. Battery Type is set to: "Ordinary Battery." So this seems to be charging my battery as you described. I too, was able to purchase this for $25, which seems inexpensive for the quality of materials which compose this unit. And I agree with you about the markings on the outer metal case. They seem vague, inconclusive and without a convincing authoritative quality to them at all. " RoHS, CE AND FCC," seem to me to be incomplete markings, making them impossible to definitively interpret. My guess, is that the Chinese Mfr. just tacked on some markings that they saw on similar devices, trying not to mimic them exactly and possibly be plagiarizing ( falsely indicating) a marking that may be internationally understood as meeting a n internationala recognized ssafety, and standardtherefore opening themselves up to being sued. Having said that, it MAY BE acceptable by the regulatory agencies they indicate, to mark products with these minimal markings. For example: 1. The " CE" does not stand for " Chinese Export. But rather, ( per January 21, 2020 Barbara Bagwell, for Sunco: The 7 Lighting Certifications You Need to Know Become an informed consumer so you can shop confidently for certified lighting products. Knowing the types of light certifications you will run across when purchasing light bulbs or lighting fixtures will help you have confidence in your purchases. Many certifications have to do with safety, but others indicate energy efficiency or compliance with government regulations, like the FCC. This blog reviews who is involved in certifications, what they certify, which ones are common in our industry, and where to review the certifications on each Sunco product. Most Sunco products are proudly backed by several of these industry standard certifications: CE Marketing DLC Approved EnergyStar® ETL Certification FCC Certification RoHS Certification UL Listed Who Performs Product Certifications? Sunco products are independently tested and approved by various certification organizations. This means you can trust our certified lighting products will perform within industry standards. Testing is mostly done by the agency that provides certification or at approved independent testing facilities. Some certifications can be performed with our own testing data for estimation purposes. ENERGY STAR® allows LED device manufacturers to perform our own LM-80 testing. This approved method estimates the lifetime hours of qualified SSL luminaries. It shows the relative light output - over time - at various set conditions. In other words, it reflects how quickly the light output of a component level LED will depreciate. Which Product Certifications Are Obtained By Sunco? Many products will have multiple certifications applied to them. Here is a list of the type of certifications you might see on Sunco Lighting product packaging and technical specifications:  ENERGY STAR is a United States government backed system for energy efficiency. Like the other certifications reviewed here, they provide simple and unbiased, credible information that businesses and customers can rely on to help make informed purchase decisions. You will see the ENERGY STAR mark on select Sunco products. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ensures that each product that earns the logo was independently certified to deliver the quality, performance, and savings that consumers have come to expect.  UL stands for Underwriters Laboratories. They are a non-profit organization who refer to themselves as an independent global, safety science company. They test and approve products for consumer safety and standards. Typically, UL certified products include or process electricity. When something is labeled as UL Listed that means the tested product met pertinent requirements under the Underwriters Laboratories’ Standards of Safety. This organization has been in existence for more than a century and do not have a financial interest in the products they evaluate. That is quite a pedigree. Underwriters Laboratories provides various marks (like the logo shown here) that manufacturers like Sunco can use to indicate a product is UL Listed.  Electrical Testing Laboratories or ETL was begun by Thomas Edison under the title Lamp Testing Bureau in 1896 to test the safety of light bulbs. ETL now tests against Standards of Safety by using published standards from companies like UL, American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), and American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM), among others. Intertek ETL provides a certification mark to indicate proof of product compliance in the U.S., Canada, and in other parts of the world with set safety standards.  DesignLight Consortium is a non-profit with a mission to define quality, facilitate thought leadership, and to deliver both tools and resources to the lighting market through open dialogue and collaboration. In addition, utilities nationwide participate in rebate programs regarding DLC standards for select products. Accredited laboratories perform the testing, according to DLC LED lighting requirements, to comply with performance standards in: distribution, color, and longevity/stress.  The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regulates and enforces products that can emit radio frequency energy or other electromagnetic interference that might cause harm to the public or broadcast in radio frequency range, plus other telecommunications requirements. The FCC enforces this per Title 47 of CFR Section 2.907. Certification for RF devices is the most stringent offered by the FCC due to the potential interference with radio services. Test data provided to the FCC is sourced from testing performed by an FCC recognized and accredited testing laboratory. Sunco LED bulbs and devices with remote, Bluetooth, or WiFi functionality all include FCC certification, since they are Radio Frequency (RF) devices and fall under FCC rules.  CE Marking indicates that the product may be legally placed on the EFTA & European Union (EU) market. This attests that a particular product contains the essential requirements and/or performance levels, and Harmonized Standards to which products must conform in Europe. Harmonized Standards are the technical specifications established by several European standards agencies (CEN, CENELEC, etc.). The letters “CE” stand for the French phrase “Conformité Européene,” which is translated as European Conformity. Source: www.sunco.com/blogs/sunco-blog/the-7-lighting-certifications-you-need-to-know
Good info, some will stamp CE and if called on it will say it's not the 'CE' but just something silly like "Chinese export". I was trying to imply skepticism but it didn't come across that way.
To activate the "repair mode" you charge the battery on automatic, and when it shows the battery is done, switch it over to manual, and it will pump 16v into the battery with pulse... But you need to check it after 30min, never set it on manual mode and leave it.. I also use manual mode to let it fast charge, since it won't limit the current until it reaches 16.2V
So if I need to put my battery in manual mode, how long is the recommended time to charge in this mode or do I have to alternate between automatic and manual every so often?
In theory is 10amp but mine goes to 11.9amp
I got an old Craftsman transformer type charger at a flea market last summer for $15 and it works great!
Is it one of the ones that look like a toaster?
My dad has one of those toaster types- it's 6v.
similar to this www.picclickimg.com/d/l400/pict/392093938053_/Vintage-Sun-Electric-Corporation-6v-12v-Volt-Battery.jpg
@@Jaspel Yes, that's the one I had. Mine was 12v only
Wow! Mine's not quite THAT old but it is definitely not like anything you see for sale in stores now. Either of you guys try a desulfater before? Apparently they sell little stand alone ones now.
mine only has a 2 pin plug, no ground, but since it isn't connected anyway
How do you just check the voltage of a battery with it without charging? Thanks
Buy a multimeter
I was looking for a 6v and 12v since I work on small engines but I couldn’t find any going through your link. Do you know of any 6v?
Fast charge or trickle? I can think of a few that are more in the 1-2amp range.
Noco Genius line is pretty good for the money.
I usually just use a benchtop power supply like www.amazon.com/LW-K3010D-Adjustable-Switching-Regulated-Spectrophotometer/dp/B07512KQDW/
Good~
You answered my main questions about this unit:
For a 12V DC lead acid car battery-type battery,
1. The LED readout on the battery I initially hooked up, is
13.3 V, which is within the tolerance you mentioned.
2. The charging amperage reads 7.7A, also within the tolerance you mentioned.
3. The charging Indicator is flashing, with yellow/ green/ red/ blue colors.
4. I have the charging mode on: Manual and
5. Battery Type is set to:
"Ordinary Battery."
So this seems to be charging my battery as you described.
I too, was able to purchase this for $25, which seems inexpensive for the quality of materials which compose this unit.
And I agree with you about the markings on the outer metal case. They seem vague, inconclusive and without a convincing authoritative quality to them at all. " RoHS, CE AND FCC," seem to me to be incomplete markings, making them impossible to definitively interpret.
My guess, is that the Chinese Mfr. just tacked on some markings that they saw on similar devices, trying not to mimic them exactly and possibly be plagiarizing ( falsely indicating) a marking that may be internationally understood as meeting a n internationala recognized
ssafety, and standardtherefore opening themselves up to being sued.
Having said that, it MAY BE acceptable by the regulatory agencies they indicate, to mark products with these minimal markings. For example:
1. The " CE" does not stand for " Chinese Export. But rather, ( per
January 21, 2020 Barbara Bagwell, for Sunco:
The 7 Lighting Certifications You Need to Know
Become an informed consumer so you can shop confidently for certified lighting products. Knowing the types of light certifications you will run across when purchasing light bulbs or lighting fixtures will help you have confidence in your purchases. Many certifications have to do with safety, but others indicate energy efficiency or compliance with government regulations, like the FCC.
This blog reviews who is involved in certifications, what they certify, which ones are common in our industry, and where to review the certifications on each Sunco product.
Most Sunco products are proudly backed by several of these industry standard certifications:
CE Marketing
DLC Approved
EnergyStar®
ETL Certification
FCC Certification
RoHS Certification
UL Listed
Who Performs Product Certifications?
Sunco products are independently tested and approved by various certification organizations. This means you can trust our certified lighting products will perform within industry standards. Testing is mostly done by the agency that provides certification or at approved independent testing facilities.
Some certifications can be performed with our own testing data for estimation purposes. ENERGY STAR® allows LED device manufacturers to perform our own LM-80 testing. This approved method estimates the lifetime hours of qualified SSL luminaries. It shows the relative light output - over time - at various set conditions. In other words, it reflects how quickly the light output of a component level LED will depreciate.
Which Product Certifications Are Obtained By Sunco?
Many products will have multiple certifications applied to them. Here is a list of the type of certifications you might see on Sunco Lighting product packaging and technical specifications:

ENERGY STAR is a United States government backed system for energy efficiency. Like the other certifications reviewed here, they provide simple and unbiased, credible information that businesses and customers can rely on to help make informed purchase decisions.
You will see the ENERGY STAR mark on select Sunco products. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ensures that each product that earns the logo was independently certified to deliver the quality, performance, and savings that consumers have come to expect.

UL stands for Underwriters Laboratories. They are a non-profit organization who refer to themselves as an independent global, safety science company. They test and approve products for consumer safety and standards. Typically, UL certified products include or process electricity. When something is labeled as UL Listed that means the tested product met pertinent requirements under the Underwriters Laboratories’ Standards of Safety.
This organization has been in existence for more than a century and do not have a financial interest in the products they evaluate. That is quite a pedigree.
Underwriters Laboratories provides various marks (like the logo shown here) that manufacturers like Sunco can use to indicate a product is UL Listed.

Electrical Testing Laboratories or ETL was begun by Thomas Edison under the title Lamp Testing Bureau in 1896 to test the safety of light bulbs. ETL now tests against Standards of Safety by using published standards from companies like UL, American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), and American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM), among others.
Intertek ETL provides a certification mark to indicate proof of product compliance in the U.S., Canada, and in other parts of the world with set safety standards.

DesignLight Consortium is a non-profit with a mission to define quality, facilitate thought leadership, and to deliver both tools and resources to the lighting market through open dialogue and collaboration. In addition, utilities nationwide participate in rebate programs regarding DLC standards for select products.
Accredited laboratories perform the testing, according to DLC LED lighting requirements, to comply with performance standards in: distribution, color, and longevity/stress.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regulates and enforces products that can emit radio frequency energy or other electromagnetic interference that might cause harm to the public or broadcast in radio frequency range, plus other telecommunications requirements. The FCC enforces this per Title 47 of CFR Section 2.907.
Certification for RF devices is the most stringent offered by the FCC due to the potential interference with radio services. Test data provided to the FCC is sourced from testing performed by an FCC recognized and accredited testing laboratory.
Sunco LED bulbs and devices with remote, Bluetooth, or WiFi functionality all include FCC certification, since they are Radio Frequency (RF) devices and fall under FCC rules.

CE Marking indicates that the product may be legally placed on the EFTA & European Union (EU) market. This attests that a particular product contains the essential requirements and/or performance levels, and Harmonized Standards to which products must conform in Europe. Harmonized Standards are the technical specifications established by several European standards agencies (CEN, CENELEC, etc.).
The letters “CE” stand for the French phrase “Conformité Européene,” which is translated as European Conformity.
Source:
www.sunco.com/blogs/sunco-blog/the-7-lighting-certifications-you-need-to-know
Good info, some will stamp CE and if called on it will say it's not the 'CE' but just something silly like "Chinese export". I was trying to imply skepticism but it didn't come across that way.