Race Energy BCM21 Installation & User Manual - page 9
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Programming the charger can be accomplished directly on the front panel of the
charger OR through the downloadable ‘PowerWizard’ software.
To program the charger from the front panel
press the Power button on the front panel to
turn the charger ON. The Power button will
illuminate once the charger has turned on.
Enter the programming mode by pressing and holding the PRG button for 3 seconds
until you hear a one second beep and the Charge LED starts blinking.
BATTERY TYPE
PROGRAMMING
Each press of the Select (SEL) button will advance the battery selection. The three
LED’s on the top will indicate Flooded, AGM and Gel when lit. The fourth press will
light all three LED’s if there is a valid custom configuration.
Flooded –
*The lead–acid battery was invented in 1859 by French physicist Gaston
Planté and is the oldest type of rechargeable battery. Despite having a very low
energy-to-weight ratio and a low energy-to-volume ratio, its ability to supply high
surge currents means that the cells have a relatively large power-to-weight ratio.
These features, along with their low cost, make them attractive for use in motor
vehicles to provide the high current required by motors. This is the Default setting.
AGM –
**AGM (Absorbed Glass Mat) batteries differ from flooded lead acid
batteries in that the electrolyte is held in the glass mats, as opposed to freely
flooding the plates. Very thin glass fibers are woven into a mat to increase surface
area enough to hold sufficient electrolyte on the cells for their lifetime. The fibers
that compose the fine glass mat do not absorb nor are they affected by the acidic
electrolyte.
Gel –
**A modern gel battery (also known as a “gel cell”) is a VRLA (Valve Regulated
Lead Acid) battery with a gelified electrolyte; the sulfuric acid is mixed with fumed
silica, which makes the resulting mass gel-like and immobile. Unlike a flooded
wet-cell lead-acid battery, these batteries do not need to be kept upright. Gel
batteries reduce the electrolyte evaporation, spillage (and subsequent corrosion
problems) common to the wet-cell battery, and boast greater resistance to extreme
temperatures, shock and vibration. Chemically they are almost the same as wet
(non-sealed) batteries except that the antimony in the lead plates is replaced by
calcium, and gas recombination can take place.
Custom –
This is the mode that can be custom programmed via the USB port using
the PowerWizard software on a laptop for almost any type of battery including
Lithium Ion. From the factory, this is profile is not programmed, and is not available
until it is programmed using the PowerWizard software.
* Wikipedia contributors. “Lead–acid battery.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 5 Jul. 2014. Web. 10 Jul. 2014.
** Wikipedia contributors. “VRLA battery.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 27 Jun. 2014. Web. 10 Jul. 2014