When you’re in the market for a battery charger, it’s important to understand the various specifications and features listed on the packaging. These specifications can provide important information about the charger’s capabilities, and more importantly, whether it is compatible with the battery you plan to charge. After all, you wouldn’t want to buy a battery charger, only to realize that you can’t actually use it!
To keep things simple, here’s a guide for interpreting battery charger specifications, using Panther’s PBC 6A and PBA 1012 battery chargers as examples.
Output Voltage
The voltage rating of a battery charger describes the maximum amount of pressure from a power source the charger can supply to the battery.
Example using Panther products:
- PBC 6A: 6V DC, 12V DC
- PBA 1012: 12V DC
Note, if the voltage specification of the battery charger is too low, it may not provide enough power to fully charge the battery, resulting in a partially charged battery that will have reduced run time. On the other hand, if the voltage specification is too high, it can overcharge the battery, which can lead to reduced battery life, overheating, and potentially even a fire hazard.
There are common voltage rating depending on the vehicle types. For example, motorcycle batteries would typically be rated 6 volts, while larger vehicles would be rated 12 volts or 24 volts. So make sure you’re clear on the voltage rating of the battery you plan to charge, prior to purchasing a battery charger.
Output Current
The overall strength of an electric current, which is denoted in Amperage, is another important specification to consider when choosing a battery charger.
Example using Panther products:
- PBC 6A: 6 Ampere
- PBA 1012: 10 Ampere
The amperage rating of a charger indicates how quickly the charger can recharge the battery. The higher the amperage rating, the faster it can charge your battery. However, do make sure to check compatibility with the supplier.
Charging Time
Charging time is a specification that can be helpful in determining how long it will take to fully charge your battery. The charging time will depend on both the output current rating of the charger and the capacity of the battery being charged.
To make it easy for you, you can use our handy Panther Battery Charger chart below to determine the charging time needed given your battery type and which Panther Battery Charger you purchase given varying charger ratings
Note: Amp Hours refers to the approximate number of hours it will take to fully charge a fully depleted battery
Charging Stages
As technology advance, we now have smart chargers like Panther’s Automatic Battery Chargers which boasts of 7 stages of automatic charging: desulphation, soft start, bulk charge (constant current), absorption (constant voltage), battery test, recondition, float
Each stage is designed to optimize the charging process based on the battery’s condition, which will ensure your battery remains in tiptop condition.
Safety Features
It’s also important to consider the safety features of a battery charger. Protection features to look out for include:
- Over current protection: typically through built-in fuse
- Over temperature protection
- Over voltage protection
- Polarity protection: prevents output leads from sparking due to accidental reverse connection or short circuit
- Output short protection: ensures clips are correctly connected to the battery before charging commences
Battery Compatibility
Finally, it’s important to ensure that the battery charger is compatible with your specific type of battery. For example, Panther Manual Battery Chargers (PBC series) are compatible with most types of lead-acid batteries, dry and wet cell batteries. On the other hand, the Panther Automatic Battery Chargers (PBA series) are compatible with most types of dry charge, lead acid/calcium and gel batteries.
Having said that, we highly recommend you check the manufacturer’s specifications to ensure compatibility before purchasing a battery charger.
By understanding the various specifications and features of battery chargers, you can make an informed decision when selecting the appropriate battery charger for your needs. And with the right charger on hand, you can ensure that your battery is always charged and ready when you need it.
Interested in purchasing Panther Battery Chargers?
Panther is proud to be known as a trusted battery charger manufacturer and supplier in the Philippines for decades. You can check out our available battery charger models through this link
To make it even easier for you to find the Battery Charger you’re looking for, we’ve subdivided our battery charger models even further for you:
Still Have Questions?
Reading this article should help you better understand the battery charger specifications most crucial to check:
- Output Voltage
- Output Current
- Charging Time
- Charging Stages
- Safety Features
- Battery Compatibility
If you still have questions, feel free to drop a comment below or email us at pantherproduct@gmail.com
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