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Digital Duo Charge Operation
When the four required wires are connected to the Digital Duo Charge, a start-up sequence will initiate on the Duo Charge’s six
color-coded LED display. When powered up, the LEDs will:
1. Illuminate from right to left (amber to green) four times, indicating that the Digital Duo Charge is set for 12-volt operation.
2. Illuminate the #1 and #2 amber LEDs, followed by a green LED, indicating battery program type. The #3 green indicates
Standard Flooded; the #4 green indicates Deep Cycle Flooded; the #5 green indicates gel; and the #6 green indicates
AGM.
3. Illuminate the #1 amber, followed by a combination of green LEDs, indicating low voltage activation. See the Balmar Digital
Duo Charge web page for detailed values for low and high voltage settings.
4. Illuminate the #2 amber, followed by a combination of green LEDs, indicating maximum voltage ouput.
5. Illuminate the #3 green LED, indicating that the Digital Duo Charge is in operation.
If, upon start up, the Digital Duo Charge display deviates from the sequence above, or if the #3 LED begins to blink, proceed to
the troubleshooting instructions.
The Digital Duo Charge performs like a DC to DC battery charger. When the Digital Duo Charge recognizes 13 volt or greater on
the input terminal the Digital Duo Charge will turn on and start passing current to the start battery.
The maximum output amperage of the Digital Duo Charge is 30 amps. When used
as a stand alone charge source, the Digital Duo Charge is designed to discontinue
charging when demands exceed its capabilities. At that point, the Digital Duo
Charge will wait for a short period and query if the demand has diminished to below
its 30-amp capacity. If so, the Digital Duo Charge will continue charging. If demand
continues to exceed capacity, the Digital Duo Charge will continue to shut down,
while checking periodically to see if demand has diminished. So, if you decided to
install the Digital Duo Charge to charge a bow thruster battery, windlass battery or
a battery that can be highly discharged the Digital Duo Charge may go into the over
current condition because the demand is greater than 30 amps. If you intend to use
the Digital Duo Charge to support charging at a larger battery with demands greater
than a typical starting battery, please contact Balmar Customer Service at 360-435-
6100 for technical support.
If your application requires frequent charging levels in excess of 30 amps, it may
be necessary to add a solenoid as a method to manually bypass the Digital Duo
Charge’s internal circuitry. Keep in mind, the Digital Duo Charge will not automatically
activate the solenoid if the demand exceeds its capacity. As such, it is important to
monitor charging voltage closely at the battery being charged by the Digital Duo
Charge.
To utilize the Digital Duo Charge’s solenoid drive function, it will be necessary for
the user to supply an appropriate-capacity solenoid and a toggle or other ON/OFF
switching mechanism to control the bypass function.
Programming The Digital Duo Charge
The Digital Duo Charge features four selectable program types for the following battery types: standard flooded, deep cycle
flooded, gel and absorbed glass mat (AGM). Program changes are made by activating a magnetic reed switch located on the
Digital Duo Charge circuit board with the magnetic tipped programming tool provided. In addition to battery type, the Digital Duo
Charge can be programmed to support 12-volt or 24-volt charging systems.
Programming For System Voltage - 12 to 24 Volt
The Digital Duo Charge is preset at the factory for 12-volt operation. To adjust the Duo Charge for 24-volt charging:
1. Remove the wire supplying the ON/OFF terminal from the ON/OFF pin.
2. Place the magnetic end of the programming screwdriver on the RED dot (or against one or the other end of the reed
switch).
3. Reconnect the wire to the ON/OFF terminal while continuing to hold the magnet against the RED dot. After a couple of
seconds, the #3 green LED will illuminate. Continue to hold the magnet to the switch.
