The Hotstart Battery Charger
The Hotstart Battery Charger System is designed for Locomotive and Industrial engines
that require battery startup. The Hotstart Battery Charger System is designed and
constructed for ease of operation and requires minimal maintenance. It is a permanently
installed system with no battery disconnecting required. It uses solid state circuitry
assuring high reliability.
NOTICE
The Hotstart Battery Charger is designed to maintain a DC voltage. It is
not designed for restoring batteries that are completely drained, damaged,
or corrupted. Drawing more than 50 Amps for an extended length of time
will cause the circuit breaker to trip.
The Charger
The Hotstart battery charger is designed to convert
single phase AC power from a line source to a
controlled DC voltage output. Battery voltage and
charge current are monitored continuously by solid
state circuitry to provide high charge current when the
battery is drained, and trickle charge current when it is
full.
As the battery charges, its need for charge current
diminishes. The control module senses the battery
voltage and tapers the charge current. The digital panel
meter displays the amperage delivered to the battery.
Additionally, there is a CHARGE light and a FULL
light that indicate relative charge levels (refer to the
Startup Section for details on these lights). The charger
will continue to taper the charge current and maintain a
trickle charge of 2-5 Amps. The level of trickle charge
will change based on the battery’s needs and will
automatically revert to higher charge levels if the
battery’s voltage drops.
This 50 Amp variable controlled automatic charging
system is overload protected. The circuit breaker box houses two circuit breakers,
which independently protect the charger transformer’s primary and secondary
windings. The DC output is controlled and protected by an internal current
limiting system. No switches, timers, or adjustments are required.
The Hotstart Battery Charger measures 37” x 13.5” x 8.5” and weighs 130 lbs.
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