Versa Electronics
www.marcumtech.com
Charging the Battery in your Showdown
Your Marcum system comes with a 3-stage battery charger. This style of
charger has proven to be the most effective and easiest to use of all charging
systems available. Because this is a 3-stage charger, there is no danger of
overcharging your battery. When properly cared for, a sealed lead acid battery
will last for at least a couple of years. Batteries are made to be used, and they
need to be used to make the most of them. The most important thing you can
do is to promptly recharge your battery after each use. Not charging your
battery immediately after use is the number one thing that leads to battery
failure.
For safety reasons, it is recommended that you place your system on
a flat, hard surface like cement or tile when charging it, away from any
flammable materials. Be sure to disconnect the charger from the wall
when
not in use, and avoid leaving your battery hooked up to the charger for
extended periods of time.
When you get home from a trip, put your battery on charge right away, and
leave it there overnight, or for around 8-12 hours. Likewise, on the night
before you go ice fishing, put it on the charger again, just to make sure. Again,
there is no danger of overcharging your battery. We often talk to people who
hesitate to charge their battery after each use for fear that the battery will de-
velop a “memory” and this will lead to a shortened run time—THIS IS FALSE!!!
ALWAYS CHARGE YOUR BATTERY AFTER EVERY USE!!! Be sure to use the
charger
that came with your system, or a similar one that is between .5 amp and 1
amp. Using a larger charger, like you would use on a car, truck, RV, or boat is
likely to cause damage to the battery. There is really very little danger of
overcharging your battery with a low amp charger, and most chargers auto-
matically go into “maintenance mode” once a full charge has been achieved.
To charge your battery:
Your battery has a wiring harness attached to it; this is what you plug the
charger into. To charge, simply couple the end of the charger with the end of
the wiring harness. It is normal for a green light to appear on the charger at
this time. It is also normal for the light on the charger to be green if it is just
plugged into the wall. When it is plugged into the wall and battery, you will see
a red LED light appear on the charger. If the light is red, the battery is being
charged. When your battery is fully charged, this red light should change to
green. If it is time to go fishing and the light has not turned green, go fish and
try to allow a longer charging period next time.
If you need to remove the battery, unplug the two battery terminals from the
battery. Remove the strap that is holding the battery in place and lift the battery
out. To replace the battery, place a new battery of similar specifica- tions into the
battery compartment and secure it with the Velcro strap and re-connect the
positive and negative terminals.
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