Ctek Multi XS-3600 (MXS 3.6) smart battery charger

[bill888]

Does anyone have any experience of these new so-called 'smart' car battery chargers like this one from Ctek ?

Ctek CTE-XS3600 Car Battery Charger
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ctek-CTE-XS3600-Battery-Charger-Functional/dp/B000RHWCNY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1310740936&sr=8-1

Claims you can hook it up to car battery without having to first disconnect the battery from the car.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHSI_qHOI4U

[Geoffers]

I've never ever felt the need to have a battery charger of any type!
If you need one, you need a new battery!

[guest869]

I seem to remember the Ctek charger getting very good reviews.

But as has been said if you need to charge your battery you really require a new battery.

Unless all you do is very short journeys with all electrics on.

[DV]

Does anyone have any experience of these new so-called 'smart' car battery chargers like this one from Ctek ?

Ctek CTE-XS3600 Car Battery Charger
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ctek-CTE-XS3600-Battery-Charger-Functional/dp/B000RHWCNY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1310740936&sr=8-1

Claims you can hook it up to car battery without having to first disconnect the battery from the car.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHSI_qHOI4U

If you have a meter get someone to start the car whilst the meter is on the battery. If the voltage drops below 9V you definitely need a new battery, otherwise when the engine is running you should see 14.4V - 14.7V charging voltage.
When the engine is off the nominal voltage should be around 12.7V - around 13.2V.

[bill888]

Thanks for the replies so far. 

I should have added the Ctek charger is being considered for another car (not Honda) which doesn't get much use (yes, it does have a new battery fitted). 


On a similar note, I checked the battery voltage on my 57 Jazz this morning and it was reading a low 12.2 volts (engine off) - no doubt caused by my very low 2k annual mileage.    I was planning to replace the original battery before the winter.

I like the idea of perhaps using a smart charger to top up the charge in the Jazz's car battery without having to disconnect it.   I'm wary if the battery is disconnected from the Jazz for any extended period of time, I may perhaps have to retrain the CVT ?

[Pine]

My mother who drives her Vauxhall Meriva infrequently uses a Ctek charger to keep her battery charged. She has been using it for a couple of years and does not disconnect the battery. It works very well and can be left connected for long periods without harm.

[bill888]

My mother who drives her Vauxhall Meriva infrequently uses a Ctek charger to keep her battery charged. She has been using it for a couple of years and does not disconnect the battery. It works very well and can be left connected for long periods without harm.

Thanks for the reply.


I understand Ctek have refreshed their product line up this year.  The 'Multi XS3600' has been replaced by the 'MXS 3.6'.  The press release advises the only difference is the MXS 3.6 is supplied with a 'bigger soft carry bag'.
 
Here are pics of the 'Multi XS3600' which I bought from Battery Megastore on eBay UK and delivered the next working day. (£5 cheaper than Amazon)
 
You need to be logged in to view the attached jpeg pics posted here.
 
The pics show:
 
1. Retail boxed XS-3600 smart charger
2. XS-3600 charger  (UK plug version)
3. Crocodile clip charge cables.
4. M6 Eyelet Comfort lead for permanently attaching to battery terminals
5. Polyester carry bag and instructions.

Comes with 5 year warranty but I am not sure how Ctek will honour it.  It says return to point of purchase with proof of purchase.... Ctek don't have a UK office.    (How many UK retailers do you know who would be happy to help deal with a warranty claim after the 1st year? )

 

Product manuals for MXS 3.6 can be downloaded from Ctek.com website.
http://www.ctek.com/en/page/support/manuals
 
 
The 'Multi XS-3600' and 'MXS 3.6' are 4 stage smart chargers rated at 3.6 Amps:
stage 1: Desulphation.
stage 2: Bulk charging - constant current. Voltage not exceeding 14.4v (or 14.7v)
stage 3: Absorption charging - constant voltage 14.4v (or 14.7v) with diminishing current.
stage 4: Pulse maintenance charging to keep the battery topped up.
 
The Accumate Optimate 4 is often compared to the XS-3600 but it is worth pointing out it is only rated at 0.8 Amps.  The Ctek XS-800 (MXS 0.8 ) would be a comparable model to the Optimate 4 imho.
 
I found this AA advice about car batteries:
http://www.theaa.com/motoring_advice/news/car-battery-life-and-breakdowns.html
Interesting quote in above AA article "It takes a lot longer to fully charge a modern car battery than many people realise – typically 240 miles of driving with no load or eight hours of continuous driving" presumably to restore charge from 0% to 100%.

Review by AutoExpress
http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/products/products/263632/battery_chargers_tested.html

[attachment deleted by admin]

[bill888]

More pics of the Ctek Multi XS-3600 smart charger.
 
 
No problems attaching the eyelet Comfort Cable to the battery terminals.  The eyelet had to be fitted in such a way to allow the plastic (red) terminal cover to close properly.
 
Prior to connecting the charger, the voltage at the terminals had been 12.2v (About 45% charge) when the 3.5 years old Yuasa 38Ah battery had been rested overnight.
 
A few minutes after starting the charger, the voltage read 13.83v.
 
After an hour, it had risen to about 14.17v.



The Multi XS-3600 is a 4-stage smart charger and the above voltage measurements suggest it skipped stage 1 (Desulphation mode) and went straight to stage 2 bulk charging mode.


I estimated if the battery was in good shape (highly unlikely TBH), it would need at least 6 hour charge to raise the charge from 45% to 100% under ideal circumstances.

After only 3 hours, I was surprised the 'Fully charged/maintenance charging' LED had lit up when I came to check progress. The voltage at the terminals was 12.96v.   I was about to disconnect the charger when when the 'Charging' status LED lit up.  Monitoring for a further 10 minutes revealed the charger appeared to be alternating between the two modes, spending around 2 minutes in each mode.

After 5 hours, the charger was still alternating between 'Fully charged' and 'Charging'.  It spends about 1.5 minutes 'Fully charged', then switches momentarily to 'Charging' for 10-20 seconds.
 
After 10 hours, situation similar to previous paragraph.  1 min 50 sec and 10-15 seconds respectively.

Started to rain, so suspended further charging for the day.

Given how quickly the charger reported the battery was supposedly fully charged after only 3 hours, I speculate the charger could not have returned more than 10Ah to the battery in that duration if I was being Very optimistic. 

The user instructions does 'vaguely' mention that alternating frequently between maintenance and absorption charging modes is a sign that the battery 'may' need to be replaced because of high self-discharge rate and/or sulphation.   However, I also have a suspicion that when the Ctek decides to perform a 'pulse maintenance charge', I think the 'Full Charge' LED will go off and the 'Charging' LED will come on.  ie. the LEDs will alternate BUT not as frequently as I am observing.



After the battery had been rested overnight, the terminal voltage this morning measured 12.35v but climbed and stabilised at 12.50v after a few minutes.  (Unlocking the doors using central locking and the courtesy light probably caused the voltage to dip)

I connected up the charger and the charging voltage started at 14.2v and was rising (stage 2 bulk charging mode).  When I checked an hour later, it had returned to alternating between 'Fully charged' and 'Charging' status LEDs.   I disconnected the charger as the situation was unlikely to improve.

Using the table in this wikipedia page, it suggests the charge level is around 75%.  (Outdoor temperature was 12C overnight)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Car_battery
It seems evident the battery won't return to 100% charge health and this is no fault of the charger.

As I originally suspected, the conclusion is the battery in my car is not in great shape (sulphated) but as it is not giving me any problems, I will continue to use it but I will consider replacing it in due course.
 

(I understand that to keep a battery in good condition, it must be at 75% charge level or higher to minimise the detrimental effects of sulphation in a battery)

Ctek charger summary
As for the Ctek charger itself, it seems well made, small & light to carry.  The user instructions could do with a troubleshooting section.   
If like myself you only do short journeys or infrequently use your car, then this convenience charger is great for topping up a 'good' battery every now and then, and should hopefully prolong its life too.  The key feature for me is there is no need to disconnect the battery from the car which might otherwise reset various electronic systems (ECU, CVT, radio presets, powered windows etc etc)
 
 
ps. You need to be logged in to be able to view the attached photos posted here.
Pictures:

1. Technical specs printed on side of XS-3600 charger.
2. XS-3600 attached to battery in engine bay with Eyelet comfort cable and operating in bulk charging mode.
3. The eyelet cable fitted to the positive battery terminal.
4. Positive (Red) battery terminal cover now closes properly.
5. One of two Ctek troubleshooting guides I found on a Google Search.
 


[attachment deleted by admin]

[bill888]

A friend also took delivery of a Multi XS-3600 smart charger to revive a 6 month old Bosch battery which had gone flat in an old Merc.  There wasn't enough power to operate the lights or central locking.
 
As soon as the XS-3600 was hooked up to the 100Ah battery in the boot and switched it on, the courtesy light came on and so did the car alarm!
 
The only way to stop the alarm was to unplug the charger from the battery.
 
The charger was connected again, and this time, the alarm didn't sound.
 
But the Charging LED was blinking.  There was nothing in the instructions about a flashing LED.   (In hindsight, a flashing Charging LED may perhaps indicate stage 1 desulphation mode in progress)
 
Several hours later, the charger was not apparently charging the battery.  The unit was 'on' as the 'Car' mode LED was still lit up, but neither the 'Charging' or 'Fully Charged' LEDs were lit.  He tried restarting the charger to no avail.
 
The instructions supplied with the XS-3600 are pretty poor and does not go into any detail with regards to troubleshooting.
 
It transpires the standard Ctek chargers will not charge a 'totally flat' battery.  In the case of the XS-3600, there has to be at least 2 volts at the battery terminals otherwise the charger will not initiate.   I think this is a safety feature, as the Ctek chargers are spark and short circuit proof.
 
The terminal voltage on the Bosch battery was 0.1 volts when checked with a multimeter, hence the lack of charging activity from the Ctek.
 

To raise the voltage, the car was jump (boost) started, and the engine was run for over half an hour at idle.  After turning off the engine, the terminal voltage was 12.1v.  The Ctek charger was reconnected and it started charging the battery.   The 'Charging' LED was continuously lit up this time.
 
Given the size of the battery, it was still stage 2 or stage 3 charging after 24 hours.
 

 
The Ctek still had not switched to stage 4 Pulse charging mode after two whole days.  However, the engine started just fine after the charger was disconnected.  The voltage at the terminals immediately after the engine was switched off, was over 13 volts.  When the Ctek charger was reconnected, the charger's status LEDs immediately reported it was 'Fully charged'.  (Apparently if the voltage is above 12.7v, the charger will not resume charging from where it left off)
 
The voltage was checked a few days later and it was reading a very healthy 12.65v - this equates to 100% charge.
 
The following weekend, the smart charger was attached to the car and left charging overnight.  The next morning, charger indicated it was fully charged.


The instructions say it is safe to leave the battery connected to the car while it is being charged.  However, I'm a bit dubious of this claim if you have a severely flat battery and the charger tries to engage stage 1 (Desulphation mode).  The pulsating voltage may have an unpredictable effect on systems like the car alarm.  I should add this is just speculation on my part and will depend on the vehicle in question.
 
 
 
 
 
 

[DV]

I prefer to disconnect everything from the battery when charging (to shorten the process) because there are devices which are draining current from the battery continuously, so no wasted current goes to devices.

[culzean]

The car alarm probably went off because after the charger was connected there was some voltage on the system (as opposed to no volts before) but the charger couldn't supply enough amps to get the voltage up to anything useful.

By the way, when you check the battery voltage under starting load, make sure that the probes of the voltmeter are pressed onto the center of the battery terminal posts and not the clamps or anywhere else - this means that you will actually be measuring the battery 'terminal' voltage and not the 'voltage drop' across the battery clamp to terminal face. When the car has started (or not as the case may be) put your hand onto the battery terminals and feel if there is any heat in the clamp - this is a sure sign of a bad connection causes by a loose clamp or terminal post corrosion (much more common on positive terminal).

I would rather leave the battery connected while the smart charger is working because disconnecting the battery on modern cars can cause all sorts of problems.

Having said that, the best way to keep the battery in top shape is to do a journey of about 20 miles at least once a week and replace the battery every 4 years because unless it is a calcium or silver battery (which may last 5 or 6 years) - after 4 years a standard battery is living on borrowed time.  And unlike older cars, you are not supposed to bump start a car fitted with a CAT, if you get un-burnt fuel in there it can destroy the CAT and may even explode.

[bill888]

 
 

And unlike older cars, you are not supposed to bump start a car fitted with a CAT, if you get un-burnt fuel in there it can destroy the CAT and may even explode.

Perhaps worth making it clear that bump starting (ie. 'push' start) is not the same as a jump start (boost start) for those readers who don't know the difference.   Also worth adding that you can't 'push start' an automatic car 
 
 
On the subject of battery types, I could well be wrong, but I thought all 'maintenance free' car batteries sold today contain calcium as it is the ingredient which is used to reduce water loss.  But for some bizarre reason, I have noticed many car lead acid battery makers go to extreme measures not to mention 'calcium' in their product descriptions (eg. Varta/Bosch to name just one).
 
 
 
 
 

[bill888]

 
 
+3 weeks Update (12 Aug 2011)

It's been 3 weeks since I first used the Ctek charger on my 3.5 year old Yuasa battery fitted to the Jazz.  The battery suffers from sulphation and I was intending to replace it before the winter.

As a reminder, 3 weeks ago, the voltage at the terminals measured 12.5v (about 75% charge) after the battery had been charged and rested over night.  Attempts to increase the charge level by leaving the charger connected seemed to have little effect.


This morning, the terminal voltage was a low 12.35v (about 63% charge).  The car has covered less than 25 miles comprising of short journeys every few days in the past 3 weeks.

Hooked up the Ctek charger and it commenced charging.  After 4 hours, I was surprised to see it was still charging.  Charging voltage had crept up to 14.30v and the unit itself was luke warm to touch, which suggested it wasn't deliveirng maximum 3.6A charging current.

When I checked progress after 9 hours, the charger reported the battery was 'Fully charged'.

On further observation, I noticed the charger remained in 'Fully charged/maintenance mode' for 10 minutes until the terminal voltage dropped below around 12.8v, before switching back to 'Charging' mode for 1min 10 sec (14.38v).  It was alternating between the two modes.  This is an improvement to 3 weeks ago when it was cycling every 3 minutes.

I quit charging the battery.


The following morning, the terminal voltage was 12.45v soon after unlocking and opening/closing the doors, but after a further 6 minutes, the voltage had climbed slowly up to 12.62v, just slightly short of the ideal figure 12.65v.

A reading of 12.62v is a better result than the 12.50v I recorded 3 weeks ago when I first used the charger.


+5 weeks Update (26 Aug 2011)

This morning, the voltage at terminals was reading 12.37 volts (about 65%) after unlocking the doors.  The voltage did rise to 12.43v (about 73%) after a further 4.5 minutes.   I'd probably only driven 25 miles in the past fortnight.

I connected up the charger and within 20 minutes, the charging voltage had climbed rapidly to almost 14.4 volts and the Ctek reported the battery was fully charged.   This didn't seem right to me.....


EuroCarParts was offering 25% off parts this bank holiday weekend for online orders, so I phoned my local EuroCarParts branch and reserved a Bosch S4018 40Ah battery for £37.14, undercutting their own discounted online price by 60 pence.  The RRP is £50.34.

The first battery they handed to me over the counter didn't look 'new'.   I had my multimeter with me and it measured 12.56 volts.   They swapped it for a brand new clean looking battery which measured 12.65 volts.


I just simply removed the old battery the car.  Fitted new one.  Reset the driver's electric windows and radio presets.    Took car out for a 8 mile drive.  Engine revs and MPG readout seem to look okay.   Circa 2700rpm at 70mph with light throttle from CVT.   ie. I have not bothered with trying to retrain the CVT.


New Bosch battery update 7pm

Later on, I connected the charger to the new battery.

The car had been rested for 3 hours and the terminal voltage was reading 12.82v prior to charging.

After 2 hours, the charging voltage had risen to 14.30v which suggested it was still in stage 2 - bulk charging mode.

When I checked progress after 3 hours, the Ctek was reporting stage 4 - fully charged/maintenance mode.  The terminal voltage was constant at 13.05v and I noticed it also did not appear to be falling.   After 7 minutes, I disconnected the charger.  The voltage was still reading 13.04/13.05v when I checked 2 minutes later.


With the old Yuasa battery, I had observed the terminal voltage would slowly fall when the charger had switched to stage 4 - 'Fully charged/pulse maintenance charging' mode.  When the voltage dropped below 12.7/12.8v, it would revert back to 'Charging' mode until the voltage reached 14.4v.


The overnight temperature was around 13C, the terminal voltage the following morning after unlocking the car to pop the bonnet:   12.72v.    After 6 minutes, it had slowly crept up to 12.87v.

(The original Yuasa battery is a calcium maintenance-free battery. The new Bosch is a 'calcium-silver' battery)

I will use the Ctek charger in a couple of weeks time to top up the new battery.  I'm hoping I will only need to use it once a month for a few hours to keep the new battery in better condition for years to come than its predecessor.


New Bosch Battery +19 days Update (14 Sep 11)

Covered 40 miles comprising of numerous very short journeys.

Terminal voltage was 12.48v immediately after unlocking the doors, rising to 12.58v after 2 minutes.

Best estimate is the battery had around 90% charge so I guessed it would need an hour or two at full charging current to top it up.

Connected up the Ctek charger.  After 1 hour, the charging voltage had risen to 14.23v.  After 2 hours, it had slowly crept up to 14.29v.    At 2.5 hours, it was up to 14.31v at which point I halted the charging.  Best estimate was it may have taken further 3+ hours to reach 14.40v.  I am not sure what charging current it was delivering to the battery but I wasn't convinced it was applying the full 3.6 Amps throughout the entire 2.5 hours.  I now suspect a reduced current was being applied before I switched off the charger.

I noted the charger was luke warm to touch before I switched off the Ctek, it seemed cooler than usual.  I had also previously noticed when recharging the heavily depleted Yuasa battery (see later posting in this thread), the charger usually becomes Extremely hot during the first few hours at full charging current.

I reconnected the charger a minute later, and the Ctek immediately reported the Bosch battery was fully charged.  This is normal behaviour for the Ctek as the terminal voltage of 13.1v is above 12.7/12.8v value which the Ctek uses to determine the battery is supposedly fully charged.

The following morning, the rested terminal voltage measured 12.66v immediately after unlocking the doors.  2 minutes later, the voltage had risen to 12.76v.



13 Oct 2011

Covered about 140 miles in the past few weeks including a 90 mile run on the motorway about 3 weeks ago where trip meter was returning an unbelievable 52mpg.  Normally it is as low as 40mpg.

Terminal voltage was 12.47v immediately after unlocking the doors, rising to 12.53v after 2 minutes.

Connected up the charger today.  Charging voltage had reached 14.30v after 3 hours.  When I checked again at 6 hours, it looked like the Ctek had finished charging for quite some time.


Update 21 Nov 2011

Covered about 150 miles including a 90 mile run on the motorway 4 week ago.  Peaked at 49mpg on outward journey, but dropped back to 45mpg on return driving at night with headlights switched on.

Terminal voltage prior to charging was 12.48v two minutes after unlocking the doors.  Outdoor temperature 12C.

Charging completed in about 5 hours.  Charger was barely warm to touch from start to finish so it was probably applying a low charging current.



Update 12 Dec 2011

Covered less than 40 miles around town in the previous 3 weeks.

Terminal voltage prior to charging was 12.43v two minutes after unlocking the doors.  Outdoor temperature 4C rising to 9C.  Fully charged when I checked the progress at 4 hours.


Update 11 Jan 2012

Covered about 120 miles including a 90 mile (41-45mpg) run on the motorway at Xmas.

Terminal voltage prior to charging, 12.42v.  Fully charged after 6 hours.  Outdoor temp 7C rising to 11C.



Snowflake mode (winter charging programme) 14 Jan 2012

This charging mode is used if the outdoor temperature is less than +5C.  It is also used for charging AGM batteries.

A relative bought a new MXS 3.6 and used it for the first time last weekend to top up the charge in a 18 month old Vauxhall battery overnight.  The night temperature was as low as -5C.   Twelve hours later, he checked the charger in the morning and observed over a 10 minute period, the CTEK was cycling between 'Charging' and 'Fully charged' status.

Using a multimeter, he observed while it was 'charging', it took about half a minute for the voltage would climb to 14.70v before stopping.  The voltage across the battery then started to drop slowly.  Two and a half minutes later, the voltage had dropped to around 13.0v at which point the CTEK started charging again.  The whole cycle would repeat itself.

He disconnected the charger and measured the voltage.  It was holding steady around 13.0v after six minutes.


After topping up the charge in my Bosch battery today, I briefly switched to 'snowflake' mode to observe what would happen.   It reported the battery was 'fully charged'.  25 minutes later, the voltage had finally fallen to 13.0v, but my XS-3600 did not restart charging in snowflake mode.   I got fed up waiting any longer outside in the cold (5-7C) so disconnected the charger....

Update 12 Mar 2012

6-7 hour to top up charge.  Longer than typical 4-5 hours perhaps because I cut short the charging last month. 8C ambient temperature.

Update July 2012

Warm UK summer weather has arrived with day time temperatures above 20C and overnight temperatures above 14C.   I've noticed the battery reaches full charge in less than 3 hours when I top it up each month.

[olduser1]

Really useful reports/progress updates, thanks bill888

[DV]

Hi bill888!

Thanks for the detailed info about the charger!
Have you checked with your previous battery, if you start your car is the nominal voltage drops below 9V?
Cheers!