SENS MicroGenius S2/S4 Technical Manual
34
Table 19 – Factory Boost Voltage Settings
Configuration
Code*
Battery Type
Boost Voltage
12V
24V
GEN
AGM
14.32
28.63
FLA
14.18
28.36
NICD
15.20
30.40
HCB
14.40
28.80
Ultracapacitor
Disabled
Disabled
FHP
FLA
15.70
31.40
MAR
VRLA
Disabled
Disabled
AGM
13.80
27.60
NCD
15.20
30.40
NGN
VRLA
Disabled
Disabled
AGM
13.80
27.60
NCD
15.20
30.40
PSP
N/A
Disabled
Disabled
*Configuration Code displayed on charger label.
9.4.
HELIX Mode
HELIX (High Efficiency, LIfe-eXtending) mode significantly increases the life of flooded lead-acid starting
batteries. Battery engineers confirm that continuous flooded SLI (starting batteries) are all designed for
vehicle use where they are NOT continuously float charged. Continuous float charging flooded SLI
batteries causes these batteries’ polyethylene battery separators to oxidize much sooner than would
occur in vehicles, where charging is intermittent. Premature separator failure in turn causes earlier
failure of the battery than would occur in a vehicle application. Because HELIX allows battery separators
to last their entire design life, HELIX also substantially reduces the risk of catastrophic failure of flooded
lead-acid batteries.
HELIX is active when the charger is set at the factory for flooded lead-acid battery type with
configuration code “GEN” (see inside cover label for configuration code). HELIX operates automatically
and no configuration is required by the operator. HELIX mode can be enabled/disabled using the keypad,
the SENS Setup Utility, or by selecting a different battery type.
HELIX mode adds two DC output voltage settings to the traditional Boost and Float voltages. These are
called Eco-Float and Refresh. The Eco-Float voltage is just above battery open circuit voltage, below
traditional float. Refresh voltage is approximately halfway between Float and Boost voltage.
When HELIX is operating, the charger spends more than 90% of its operating hours in the Eco-Float
mode. In this mode the charger uses less energy and substantially reduces the rate at which water is lost
from the battery. If there are no power outages or other battery discharge events the charger
periodically transitions from Eco-Float mode to Refresh mode to ensure that the battery remains fully
charged. After operating in Refresh mode the charger reverts to Eco-Float mode.
9.5.
Ultracapacitor Mode
Ultracapacitor mode is used to charge ultracapacitors rather than batteries. The AC LED will flash green
to indicate ultracapacitor mode. The charger output voltage in ultracapacitor mode is 15V for 12V
ultracapacitors and 25.4V for 24V ultracapacitors. Dynamic Boost mode is disabled for operation with
ultracapacitors.
9.6.
Charging Low or Zero-volt Batteries
The charger will initially charge/commission zero-volt or fully discharged batteries without special user
intervention. The charger will charge for approximately 5 minutes to determine if the battery voltage will
begin to rise. If the voltage rises properly the charger will continue to charge the battery normally using
