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Tib 0036
Tib 0036
Technical Information
Bulletin
TIB 0036
16 July 2008
PROBLEM:
Battery chargers can fail under certain conditions, or can be diagnosed as having failed when
they are actually in good working order.
SOLUTION:
24 Volt Open-Type Chargers Can Overheat
Open-type charges that are contained within a small, enclosed control panel may overheat. This
is especially true for 24 volt chargers. Overheating can cause the potentiometer within the
charger to fail. Open-type chargers that are Non-UL approved and that are date stamped from
13 September 2007 and later have improved components. Open-type chargers that are Non-UL
approved and that have a serial number break from 0709-1531 and larger are fitted with the
printed circuit board version 6.3. The new circuit boards allow the temperature compensation to
be disabled by moving the jumper that is on the printed circuit board from internal (INT) to
(NON). The new circuit boards can be placed in either vertical orientation regardless of the
direction that is shown on the label.
• The charger will not operate normally if a battery that is not in good condition is connected or if
no battery is connected. The output will only be up to half of the rated output voltage.
• If the battery(s) is/are not charged, the output voltage will be lower than the voltage that is
specified in Table 1. Charge the battery and re-test. The battery should then output the full float
voltage.
• The internal temperature compensation on the chargers adjusts the output voltage in order to
provide the correct charging voltage to the battery for the ambient temperature. Check the
ambient temperature and allow the nominal output voltage to change from the nominal value
that is shown in Table 1 to change to the value that is shown in Table 2.
Table 2
Temperature 12V 12V 24V 24V
(degrees C) Float Boost Float Boost
-20 14.3V 14.8V 28.6V 29.6V
-10 14.1V 14.6V 28.3V 29.3V
0 14.0V 14.5V 27.9V 28.9V
10 13.8V 14.3V 27.6V 28.6V
20 13.6V 14.1V 27.2V 28.2V
30 13.4V 13.9V 26.8V 27.8V
40 13.2V 13.7V 26.5V 27.5V
50 13.1V 13.6V 26.1V 27.1V
Other Factors
Other factors can lead to battery chargers that are diagnosed incorrectly. The following reasons
can lead to a faulty diagnosis:
• The main auxiliary supply is disconnected. The battery charger will stop operating when the
main supply is disconnected. The battery will drain. No battery voltage will be present when the
main supply is reconnected. The charger will not produce the rated output that is expected. This
event may be incorrectly interpreted as a failure of the charger.
• A loss of voltage can be the result of an internal failure of a battery. This event may be
incorrectly interpreted as a failure of the charger.
See also:
TIB 0004 Improved Battery Chargers
TIB 0027 Power Wizard charge-fail alarm at high and/or low temperatures.
TIB 0031 AC & DC connector placement on PowerWizard control panel