Reconditioning must only be used now and then on flat-plate VRLA (gel and AGM) batteries, as the gases formed during
reconditioning dry out the electrolyte.
VRLA batteries with cylindrical cells build up more internal pressure before the gases are formed and therefore lose less water
during reconditioning. Some manufacturers of batteries with cylindrical cells therefore recommend reconditioning in case of
cyclical application.
Reconditioning can be applied to wet-cell batteries to ‘balance’ the cells and to prevent acid stratification.
Some manufacturers of battery chargers recommend impulse charging to reverse the sulphation. However, most battery experts
agree there is no conclusive evidence that impulse charging is better than charging with a low current / high voltage. This is
confirmed by our own tests.
4.10. Lithium-ion (LiFePO
₄
) batteries
Li-ion batteries are not subject to sulphation and do not have to be fully charged on a regular basis.
However, Li-ion batteries are highly sensitive to high or low voltages. This is why Li-ion batteries are often equipped with an
integrated system for cell balancing and to protect against low voltages (UVP: Under Voltage Protection).
Important note:
NEVER attempt to charge a lithium-ion battery if the temperature of the battery is below 0°C.
2
Low battery temperature cut-off: This will stop charging lithium batteries below 5°C (default). May require VE.Smart networking
temperature sensor, e.g. Smart Battery Sense or SmartShunt.
4.11. Remote on/off
There are three ways to switch on the device:
1. Short the L and H pins (factory default)
2. Pull the H pin to a high level (e.g. the battery plus)
3. Pull the L pin to a low level (e.g. the battery minus)
4.12. Alarm LED
If an error occurs, the ALARM LED will light up red. The status LEDs indicate the type of error with a blink code. See the following
table for the possible error codes.
Error
LOW
BULK
ABS
FLOAT
STORAGE
ALARM
Bulk time protection
Internal Error
Charger over-voltage
Off
Blinking
On
4.13. Automatic voltage compensation
The charger compensates for the voltage drop over the DC cables by gradually increasing the output voltage if the charging
current rises.
The fixed voltage offset is 100mV. The voltage offset is scaled with the charge current and added to the output voltage. The
voltage offset is based on 2x 1- meter cable, contact resistance and fuse resistance.
Example calculation for the 12/50 (1+1):
The cable resistance R can be calculated with the following formula:
Phoenix Smart IP43 Charger
Page 5
Key properties and features