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_batteryIt 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 summaryAs 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)
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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.
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