AQ-Tron AQHF36-20 User manual

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MANUAL
AQHF36-20
- 1 –
User’s Manual
Supplement to AQ-TRON Manual(s)
Automatic Switch-Mode Battery Charger
Part Number AQHF36-20
IMPORTANT
Read, understand, and follow these safety rules and operating instructions before
using this battery charger. Only authorized and trained service personnel shall be
permitted to operate or perform any maintenance or service. This manual should
be considered a permanent part of your machine and should remain with the
machine at all times. This manual is a supplement to the manuals and information
provided by AQ-TRON If you have any questions call 00-32-56-617977
AQ-TRON to provide phone number.
CONTENTS
Page
Safety------------------------------------------- 2
Operation-------------------------------------- 6
Maintenance---------------------------------- 8
Troubleshooting---------------------------- 9
Replacing the Charger--------------------- 11
Specifications-------------------------------- 12

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MANUAL
AQHF36-20
- 2 –
Safety

Danger
Failure to obey the safety rules and instructions in this manual will result in death
or serious injury.
Label and Safety Rules Legend

DANGER Indicates the presence of a hazard that will cause death or
serious injury

WARNING Indicates the presence of a hazard that may cause death
or serious injury.

CAUTION Indicates the presence of a hazard that will or may cause
serious injury or property damage.

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MANUAL
AQHF36-20
- 4 –
Safety: Power
•To reduce the risk of an electric shock, connect only to a properly grounded
single-phase (3wire) outlet.
•Ensure that the AC voltage supplied to the charger is within the ranges in
the specification table. Voltages outside this range, particularly high
voltages, can result in an electric shock and fire hazard.
•If you use an extension power cable with your charger, ensure the total
current draw of the items plugged into the extension power cable do no
exceed the current rating of the extension cable and meet all national and
local electrical code requirements. See Specifications page for current
draw of charger. Overloaded extension cords can catch fire and cause
property damage, serious injury or death.
•Do not operate charger if wiring is damaged including cut insulation or
pinched wires. An electric shock could cause serious injury, or death.
•The charger includes an interlock relay to prevent the machine from
operating while charging. Please see the machine manufacturer’s
documentation for correct wiring and test to ensure correct operation.
Safety: Batteries
•See battery suppliers guide for proper care of batteries and follow directions
carefully. Failure to follow battery care instructions can result in battery
explosion and property damage, severe injury, or death during charging.
•When attaching charger leads to battery terminals be careful that tools do
not short between battery terminals. Shorting between battery terminals
may cause extreme arcing resulting in explosion or extreme heat that can
cause burns.
•Do not disconnect charger terminals while batteries are charging. Sparking
can occur which could ignite flammable battery gases and cause an
explosion. Always turn the charger off first (unplug from AC).
•Do not touch battery terminals or any exposed electrical parts. Contact

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MANUAL
AQHF36-20
- 3 –
Safety: General
•Do not operate a charger that is not working correctly. An electric shock
hazard or battery explosion hazard from overcharging may exist.
•Do not attempt to service the charger yourself unless you are a trained
service technician. The warranty is void if the charger case has been
opened. Always follow installation instructions closely. The high voltages
inside the charger are a shock hazard and can cause serious injury or
death.
•Though the charger is resistant to water and spray washing do not fully
immerse or spray wash for an extended (more the 5 seconds in one
position) time. Liquid can get inside charger and may cause serious injury
or death.
•The charger is designed for use in industrial areas. It is not designed to be
used in medical (hospital) environments where interference with life critical
equipment could cause death or serious injury.
•There could be a spark during charging. Be careful when using fuels,
solvents or other flammables near the charger or batteries. An explosion
could result causing death or serious injury.
•The charger contains chemicals known to the State of California to cause
birth defects or other reproductive harm. Wash hands thoroughly after
handling.
•The charger surface can get hot while operating and contact with the skin
or surrounding materials should be avoided.

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MANUAL
AQHF36-20
- 5 –
with battery terminals or other exposed electrical parts may cause an
electric shock. Remove all watches, rings, and jewelry to avoid arcing and
electric shock.
Initial Installation
Only trained technicians with knowledge of the equipment and batteries the charger will be
used with should install the charger.
Ensure that the charger is the correct type and voltage for the battery pack to be charged. This
charger is only to be used with lead acid type flooded or GEL type batteries only.
The charger profile is selectable by means of a yellow wire loop inside the charger. Before
power on, keep the yellow wire loop intact for wet gassing or flooded lead acid batteries. For
sealed GEL type lead acid batteries, cut the yellow wire loop and ensure the ends do not short
to any part.
Wire the output (separate red and black wires) of the charger to the battery. For on-board or
other installations the charger can remain permanently connected to the battery. Connect the
white wire to the POSITIVE (POS, P, +) terminal of the battery. Connect the black wire to the
NEGATIVE (NEG, N, -) terminal. Ensure that any terminals used are capable of carrying 20
amperes, that all crimp connections are good, and that the connections are clean and tight.
If the equipment requires use of an interlock connect the black and white wires as necessary.
The wires connect to relay contacts inside the charger that are open when the charger is on and
closed when the charger is off. The wires are not polarity (+ or -) sensitive.

CAUTION: Use of an incorrect charger for the type of battery or battery voltage
can result in battery explosion and serious injury and property damage.

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MANUAL
AQHF36-20
- 6 –
Operation
1) Connect the DC output wires to the battery.
2) Connect the power supply cord to a properly grounded 100VAC/50 or 60 Hz, 115VAC/60
Hz, or 230 or 240VAC/50 or 60 Hz. socket. This charger automatically senses and
adjusts to the AC input voltage.
3) The charger will start automatically within a few seconds. Once the charging starts, the
LED’s indicate the charging progress as described in the following Operating and Fault
Codes table. The charger will start even with severely discharged batteries (down to 4V
or lower terminal voltage).
4) The charger goes into maintenance mode after the batteries are fully charged, and the
CHARGE LED is steady “on” In this mode, the charger no longer supplies power to the
batteries, but it continues to monitor battery voltage. If the voltage drops below 37.5V
due to self-discharge during storage, the charger will re-start and complete a charge
cycle.
5) Turn off the charger by disconnecting AC cord.

WARNING:There could be a spark during charging. Be careful when using
fuels, solvents or other flammables near the charger or batteries. An explosion may
result causing serious injury or death.

WARNING: To reduce the risk of an electric shock, connect only to a properly
grounded single phase (3wire) outlet. Electric shock hazard may cause serious
injury or death.

CAUTION: To reduce the risk of fire, use this charger only on AC circuits and
extension cords capable of handling the AC Input currents (Max. Amps) defined in
the electrical specifications. Use must be in accordance with all National and Local
Electrical Codes for the location of use. Overloaded cords or circuits present a fire
and shock hazard and may result in property damage, serious injury, or death.

CAUTION: The charger surface may get hot while charging. Avoid skin contact
with the charger surface. Keep surrounding materials away from charger surface to
avoid heat damage and to allow cooling.

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MANUAL
AQHF36-20
- 7 –
6) If the DC connection to the battery is unplugged and plugged back in the charging cycle
will be restarted.
7) If the charger is left plugged into AC and the DC is unplugged after charging is
completed, the FAULT LED will two flash once every 4 seconds with no buzzer
sounding. This indicates the charger is in standby mode and ready to start charging at
any time the DC is again plugged-in.
8) If the charger is left plugged into AC and the DC is unplugged before charging is
completed, for 10 seconds the FAULT LED will flash together and the buzzer will sound.
After 10 seconds the charger reverts to the standby mode described in 7) where the
LEDs flash once every 4 seconds but there is no buzzer and the charger is ready to
charge again.
Technical Operation Summary –The charger is an advanced, microprocessor controlled, high
frequency switching type charger. From 0% to 75% a constant current is provided to the battery
(bulk charging) until a pre-set battery voltage is reached. From 75% to 100% a constant
voltage is maintained and the charging current decreases (absorption charging). When the
charging current falls below 2 to 3A charging is complete.
The charge curve is temperature compensated to ensure correct charging in cold or hot
conditions. If the charger temperature is above the ambient temperature before charging starts,
the charger will adjust the charge cycle and somewhat undercharge the batteries. Normally the
charger will be at ambient temperature at the start of charge and the charger will adjust and
correctly charge the batteries for that temperature.
The Charger starts to reduce the output current gradually when the internal temperature gets
too high. The charger stops at excessive temperature, and restarts automatically when the
internal temperature decreases to a normal range.
As long as the battery voltage is at least 4V the charger will start. Deeply discharged batteries
take a longer time to charge then normal batteries and may require two charge cycles.
The charger has an 20 hour timer in case charging can not be completed due to battery
problems –see troubleshooting section. The charger senses and flashes error codes for
problems –see troubleshooting section.

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MANUAL
AQHF36-20
- 8 –
Maintenance
1) All electrical connections must be kept clean and tight. Sometimes connections can look
good outside but be corroded inside causing an output connection error (one flash failure,
see troubleshooting).
2) The charger cools through the case fins. If the fins become covered with debris the
charger’s over-temperature protection system may reduce charging power. Clean-off
fins to improve cooling.
3) Replace the charger if case damage breaks the water-tight seal.
4) Inspect wiring weekly, including AC plug, AC cord, DC wires to battery, and interlock
wires for cut insulation, pinching, or other damage. Repair to avoid electric shock.
AC Ground –green with yellow stripe
AC Neutral –light blue
AC Line (Hot) –brown
DC Battery Negative (-) - black
DC Battery Positive (+) –white
Interlock wires –small black and white
5) Follow battery supplier recommendations for battery care and maintenance.
Note –most battery charging problems relate to battery care and not charger
problems.

WARNING: Disconnect from AC voltage before doing any service. When
plugged-in the AC wiring is an electric shock hazard. Disconnecting the DC output
wires near the batteries when the charger is ON may cause the batteries to explode
resulting in serious injury or death.

WARNING: Risk of an electric shock causing serious injury or death. Do not
touch un-insulated parts of the charger wires, battery connector or battery terminals.
Be careful with tools as shock or arcing from shorting of electrical parts may cause
serious injury or death. Remove rings, watches, and jewelry to avoid arcing and
electric shock.

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MANUAL
AQHF36-20
- 9 –
Troubleshooting
Identify the problem from the following list and refer to the appropriate section for detailed
instructions.
PROBLEM
CHECK GUIDE
C
harger does not turn
on.
Double check the outlet to ensure it is working by trying out
another known good piece of equipment on the outlet.
Check the AC plug and wire to ensure both are in good
condition. Replace charger if everything else is correct.
The AC supply circuit
breaker or fuse is blown.
An overloaded AC circuit, defective circuit breaker, defective
fuse, or a charger problem can cause this condition. First, check
the total load on the AC circuit to avoid overload. If total AC load
is OK connect the charger to a different AC outlet (on a different
circuit) in the building. If the charger operates properly on other
AC outlets, a qualified person should correct the AC circuit
problem. If the AC supply checks good, the charger should be
replaced.
Batteries do not fully
charge.
If the batteries are charged overnight, make sure the AC supply
is not being switched-off at night with other building items.
If batteries are new they sometimes need 20 to 30
charge/discharge cycles before they charge normally. With new
batteries the charger green
LED may only show flashing after
overnight charging. The batteries and charger are fine –the
machine should be used and charged overnight. Within a few
weeks green LED will go steady on at the end of charge.
If batteries are old check the battery condition following the
battery supplier’s instructions. Check for dead cells or reduced

CAUTION: If the AC plug or receptacle is broken, twisted, bent or loose, it cannot
make a good electrical connection and an electric shock hazard may exist. Have it
repaired or replaced by a qualified person immediately. DO NOT USE THE CHARGER
UNDER THIS CONDITION. Fire, injury, or death may result if not corrected.

WARNING: Do not disassemble the charger. High voltages inside the charger are
an electric shock hazard and may result in serious injury or death.

WARNING: Do not operate the charger if it is malfunctioning. Personal injury or
property damage could result. Electric shock hazard may cause serious injury or death.

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MANUAL
AQHF36-20
- 10 –
capacity. Replace charger only if other problems are not found.
If the charger LEDs are showing charging progress and charger
case gets warm after several hours the charger is probably good
and the batteries bad.
If the green LED is “off” and the red LED is steady “on” after a
long charge time, the batteries have not fully charged after 20
hours of charging time.
If this occurs with new batteries the
machine should be used normally and the problem should go
away after several weeks of use. If t
he batteries are old they
may be bad and should be checked.
Operating and Fault Codes
POWER
YLW
LED
CHRGE
GRN
LED
Fault
RED
LED
CONDITION / CHECK GUIDE
Off
Off
Off
No AC power to charger or inside auxiliary power supply
failure.
On
Off
Off
AC power on but charger is not operating,
On
SLOW
BLINK
Off
Normal, battery is under 80% charged
On
FAST
BLINK
Off
Normal, battery is over 80% charged
On
On
Off
Normal, battery is 100% charged
On
Off
On
Charger has timed-out at 20 hrs
Batteries are extremely discharged. Unplug and than
plug-in charger to re-
start charge cycle to complete
charging.
Batteries are weak, old, or have one or more bad cells.
Batteries will still charge but capacity will be reduced.
Replace batteries.
On
Off
Two flash
Output open circuit or short circuit or reverse polarity
connection of charger to battery
This indicates the charger is in standby mode and ready
to start charging at any time the DC is again plugged-in.
The output may not be connected to the batteries or the
c
onnections to the batteries may have corroded or
loosened. The output may be shorted due to improper
connection to the batteries or pinched wires. The output
may be connected in reverse polarity to the batteries.
The charger is not damaged by any of these problems.
On
Off
Three flash
Battery voltage is too high (may be connected to wrong
voltage battery)
On
Off
or
BLINK
Four flash
Charger is OK but output has been reduced due to
overheating. No operator action required except to
make sure charger fins are clean. A Four
flash may
occur anywhere in charge cycle with overheat.