B AT T E RY C H A R G E R S Yuasa SmartShot Automatic 12V 1.5 Amp 5 Stage Battery Charger UPGR COMI ADE N SOON G Part No. YUA1201501 Yuasa’s Automatic 12V 1.5 Amp battery charger incorporates superior 5 stage charging technology.
TABLE OF CONTENTS PREFACE: A Practical Understanding of Lead Acid Batteries. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 SECTION ONE: Battery Basics and Safety About this book . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 About YUASA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
PREFACE A Practical Understanding of Lead Acid Batteries Lead acid batteries are relatively simple in design. Dissimilar metal plates are immersed in an electrolyte solution consisting of sulfuric acid and water. These are then insulated from each other with a permeable, non-conductive material, which allows the transfer of ions. The transfer of ions occurs during the discharge and recharge of the battery. Also occurring is the change in specific gravity or density of the electrolyte.
SECTION 1 Battery Basics and Safety About this book If you’re looking for more than everyday information about batteries, read on. Maybe you’re a retailer, the expert whose battery knowledge and recommendations guide customers every day. Perhaps you are a service technician or dealer – the person vehicle owners turn to with questions. Or maybe you’re an enthusiast set on “knowing everything” about your bike and how to keep it running.
SECTION 1 Battery Basics and Safety Features and Benefits Component Features Benefits Cast Grid Special Grid Design Severe vibration resistance & improved conductivity Active Material Proprietary Formulation Reduced shedding, maximum utilization, & long service life Pasted Plates Specified Thickness & Weight Ensures vibration resistance through precise compression & proper service life through specified active material balance Dried-Charged Plates Tank Formed & Dried Plates Properly dried p
SECTION 1 Battery Basics and Safety The Lead Acid Battery Let’s look first at battery basics: what a battery is and how it works. Starting your vehicle depends on a battery. Technically speaking, the battery is an electrochemical device that converts chemical energy to electrical energy. The first thing you notice inside a battery is the cells. Each cell has about two volts (actually, 2.12 to 2.2 volts, measured on a DC scale). A 6volt battery will have three cells. A 12-volt battery, six cells.
SECTION 1 Battery Basics and Safety The cells consist of lead plates that are positive and negative charged. Inside the cell they’re stacked alternately – negative, positive, negative. Insulators or separators – usually fiberglass or treated paper – are placed between the plates to prevent contact. Cranking current increases as the plate surface area in the battery increases – the more plates in a cell, or the larger the plates, the greater the current capacity (or flow of electricity).
SECTION 1 Battery Basics and Safety The YUASA battery line... The right battery for the right job – that’s where it all starts. YUASA’s comprehensive line has the right small engine starting battery... whatever the vehicle, however tough the application. YUASA’s Conventional Battery The industry standard for motorcycles, snowmobiles and riding mowers, our Conventional Battery is anything but conventional. This workhorse is engineered to protect against seepage and corrosion... withstand vibration...
SECTION 1 Battery Basics and Safety YuMicron CX For top power, less maintenance and longer life, YuMicron CX is the battery of choice. The first motorcycle battery built on lead-calcium technology, YuMicron CX is specially designed for today’s big, complex machines, where higher cranking power is a must. It delivers all the features of the standard YuMicron – plus...
SECTION 1 Battery Basics and Safety Battery Safety As with anything, with batteries you have to know what you’re doing. Batteries can be dangerous. But they don’t have to be if some simple safety precautions are followed. 5. Properly connect charger to battery: positive to positive, negative to negative. Unplug the charger or turn it off before you disconnect the leads; that cuts down on the chance of sparks.
SECTION 2 Selecting and Installing a New Battery Selecting the Proper Battery cranking power. And if the added benefit of never adding water again appeals to you, go with the High Performance Maintenance Free or the Maintenance Free VRLA style batteries. Selecting the right battery is an important decision. You’d be amazed how often the “problem” with a battery is that it’s the wrong one for the application.
SECTION 2 Selecting and Installing a New Battery About Sensors Many of today’s motorcycles use batteries equipped with sensors. They’re either built in the battery, or packed with it. one is this: replace both battery and sensor at the same time. “But the sensor’s original equipment,” you say. Doesn’t matter. Being OE doesn’t mean it ‘s OK in another manufacturer’s battery. In fact, OE sensor plugs vary considerably in length, size and diameter.
SECTION 2 Selecting and Installing a New Battery Battery Activation for Conventional and YuMicron Types Sealed at the factory, a new YUASA battery has an indefinite shelf life as long as it remains sealed, with the red cap in place, and is stored at room temperature. Once it’s unsealed, a battery should be activated, charged and installed. The plates of an unsealed, uncharged battery begin to oxidize. That makes it more difficult to charge later. (We talk more about sulfation later in this book.
SECTION 3 Inspecting, Testing and Charging The Discharge – Charge Cycle and the chemical and electrical activity inside the battery would come to a standstill. It’s bad for a battery. So is allowing a battery to remain discharged for a prolonged period. Recharging becomes hard or impossible. As we mentioned earlier, an electrochemical action within the battery produces electricity. To understand it, let’s look inside a battery again: you’ll see cells made up of lead plates.
SECTION 3 Inspecting, Testing and Charging Reasons for Self-discharge Batteries have a natural tendency to discharge. There are a number of reasons why: self-discharge, high temperatures, drain from electrical accessories on a vehicle, and short trips that aren’t enough to recharge the battery. of 130°F are battery-killing. Been in a closed-up garage or storage building on a hot summer day recently? In many parts of the country, it’s no trick for inside temperatures to reach that.
SECTION 3 Inspecting, Testing and Charging turned off, you can do one of two things: disconnect the battery when the vehicle is in storage, or charge the battery every two weeks to a full charge. However, cycling – or continually recharging the battery – will shorten its life. Check the battery’s condition with either a hydrometer or voltmeter (or a multimeter). The section on Testing a Battery has details. Current Drain 12 Days x 0.030 Amps x 24 Hours = 8.64 AH 8.64 AH ÷ 20 AH (Y50-N18L-A) = 43.
SECTION 3 Inspecting, Testing and Charging Ampere-Hour and Cold Cranking Amps There are two batter y ratings you need to know: capacity, or ampere-hour rating, and cold cranking amps, or cold start rating. Cold start rating – the high rate or the cold cranking amps, abbreviated C.C.A. in the YUASA applications book – tells how well a battery can be expected to stand up to low temperatures. This rating depends on the number of plates and their surface area.
SECTION 3 Inspecting, Testing and Charging 4. Check electrolyte level and add distilled water if necessary. Don’t add acid – only water. Before any tests, charge the battery so the water and electrolyte mix. 5. Check the vent tube. Make sure it’s not kinked, pinched or otherwise obstructed. On a motorcycle, it should exit away from the drive chain and from below the swing arm. Small cuts in the tube near the battery vent are OK; they’re an “emergency escape” for gas in case the tube becomes obstructed.
SECTION 3 Inspecting, Testing and Charging Battery Testing There are two types of battery tests: unloaded and loaded. An unloaded test is made on a battery without discharging current. It’s simplest and most commonly used. If you need a precise reading, loaded testing is the answer. It’s more accurate. that’s uncomfortably hot or cold, it’s time to use the old conversion factors: add .001 to the specific gravity reading for each 3°F above 77°F or subtract .
SECTION 3 Inspecting, Testing and Charging Chargers and Charging There’s a simple rule of thumb about batteries, and if you’re a dealer or a mechanic, you know that people ignore it all the time: for a battery to operate the way it’s supposed to, it has to be fully charged before it’s used... and kept fully charged throughout its life. The chart on page 32 shows the approximate time needed to fully charge sealed VRLA batteries.
SECTION 3 Inspecting, Testing and Charging TAPER CHARGER: Similar to the trickle charger, the automatic taper charger charges at a fixed voltage. As the battery’s voltage increases with the amount of charge, the current drops accordingly. standby modes. When battery voltage reaches a specified low level, the charger/maintainer then delivers a full charge. Then when the battery gets to the specified voltage, it automatically drops to a float charge.
SECTION 3 Inspecting, Testing and Charging The rule of thumb is to charge a new battery for three to five hours at a rate equal to 1/10 of its rated capacity. But there are a lot of exceptions to that rule, as this table shows: d o n ’t . We d o n ’t r e c o m m e n d i t , a n d h e r e ’s why: only the surface area of the batter y plates can be quick charged. A lower current charges the batter y more uniformly. That means better performance.
SECTION 4 Maintenance and Storage Monthly Maintenance for Conventional and YuMicron Types Batteries don’t demand a lot of attention. But not giving your batter y the attention it needs can leave you stranded... or poorer by the cost of a new battery. For extended storage, remove the battery from the vehicle and charge to 100%. Charge the battery every month if stored at temperatures below 60°F. Charge every two weeks if stored in a warm area (above 60°F).
SECTION 4 Maintenance and Storage At temperatures such as these, incidentally, the selfdischarge rate of a battery is so low that a recharge usually isn’t needed for months. But to stay on the safe side, test. Freezing: It shouldn’t bother you – unless a battery is inadequately charged. Looking one more time at the discharge process, remember that electrolyte acid becomes water as discharge occurs. Now, it takes Arctic temperatures to freeze acid. But water... as we all know, freezing starts at 32°F.
SECTION 5 Sealed VRLA Batteries New Generation Battery Technology Yuasa’s innovative sealed VRLA (Valve Regulated Lead Acid) batteries are a new generation made possible by advanced gas recombinant technology. These include the YT and YI series batteries. We refer to them as “sealed VRLA batteries” here. VRLA batteries… and what makes them special.
SECTION 5 Sealed VRLA Batteries Compact design – High efficiency in a small package, with no vulnerable exhaust tubes or other protrusions to break or kink. The basic discharge-charge cycle is still going on… that’s what makes any battery tick. But to understand what’s different, let’s do a little review: How a Sealed VRLA Battery Differs from Conventional Types A battery is basically a box containing lead plates. Some plates have a positive (+) charge, some negative (-).
SECTION 5 Sealed VRLA Batteries Activation and Installation Activating sealed VRLA batteries is easy, although a little different from conventional activation. For problem-free start-up and operation, follow the procedure outlined here. A few things to keep in mind before you get rolling: ● 1. Place the battery on a level surface. Battery must be out of the vehicle. Store the battery in a cool, dry place out of direct sunlight. ● Do not remove the foil sheet covering the filler port until activation.
SECTION 5 Sealed VRLA Batteries After charging is completed, press down firmly with both hands to seat the caps (don’t pound or hammer). ✘ The battery is sealed. There is no need to remove the strip of caps or add electrolyte for the life of the battery. 7. The graph below shows an open circuit voltage characteristic of a sealed VRLA battery just after the electrolyte is filled.
SECTION 5 Sealed VRLA Batteries Measuring Voltage How healthy is your sealed VRLA battery? Since a sealed VRLA battery is sealed – and the sealing caps are never removed – you won’t be able to check the state of the charge by the old hydrometer-and-specific-gravity test. Rather, use a voltmeter or multimeter to measure DC voltage. It should be of class 1 accuracy or better. Some basics to keep in mind: ● Terminal Voltage (v) Charge Check voltage using a voltmeter.
SECTION 5 Sealed VRLA Batteries Discharge Characteristics Think about what types of vehicles a sealed VRLA battery goes into: most aren’t like the family car, driven day-in, day-out. They’re probably used once in a while, or maybe even stored for weeks or months at a time. High Rate Discharge Characteristics of a Sealed VRLA 4 AH Battery 20A Discharge Characteristics 12 Terminal Voltage (v) That demands a special kind of battery – one with extra power to reliably start that engine, every time.
SECTION 5 Sealed VRLA Batteries Self-discharge Lead-calcium technology definitely slows self-discharge, but a combination of heat and idleness will still drain a sealed VRLA battery, like the conventional one. You’ll find step-by-step charging instructions later in this section. Constant self-discharge is a fact of life for all batteries. They lose strength as they sit there doing nothing.
SECTION 5 Sealed VRLA Batteries Charging a Newly Activated Sealed VRLA Battery Sealed VRLA batteries require an initial charge. If you are using a constant current charger, refer to the standard (STD.) charging method printed on the battery. If you are using an automatic type taper charger, check to make sure that the charger current (amps) is equal to or greater than the standard (STD.) charging method listed on the battery.
SECTION 5 Sealed VRLA Batteries Routine Charging The single most important thing to maintaining a sealed VRLA batter y is don’t let it sit dischar ged: keep it fully charged. A sealed VRLA motorcycle battery should be kept to near fully charged for peak performance. In fact, it can need charging more often than a car battery because it’s probably not used routinely and, therefore, not “automatically” charged. OVERCHARGING CAN HARM YOUR BATTERY BEYOND RECOVERY. A word on overcharging: don’t.
SECTION 5 Sealed VRLA Batteries Charging Instructions for Sealed VRLA Batteries with Voltage of 11.5 or Less Batteries with voltage below 11.5v may require special equipment and procedures to recharge. for approximately 5 minutes. If the ammeter shows no change in current after 5 minutes, you need a new battery. In charging an overdischarged battery having a terminal voltage of 11.5v or lower, its internal resistance may be too high to charge at a normal charge voltage.
GLOSSARY Acid Sulfuric acid, used to describe the electrolyte or liquid in a cell. Active Materials Materials battery that react chemically to duce electrical energy: they are peroxide (positive) and sponge (negative). in a prolead lead Activation Making a dry cell functional by adding electrolyte. AGM Absorbed glass mat. Air Oxidized A charged negative plate that has been removed from electrolyte and permitted to discharge in an air atmosphere.
GLOSSARY Cast-On Strap A multiple connector that had been cast onto the plates directly in a combination mold/burning jig; contrasts with burning of plates and prefabricated straps. Cathode An electrode through which current leaves any non-metallic conductor. Specifically, an electrolytic cathode is an electrode at which positive ions are discharged, or negative ions are formed, or at which other reducing actions occur.
GLOSSARY Dry Charged Battery plates that have been subjected to the dry charging process. Dry Charging Manufacturing process in which tank-formed battery plates are washed free of acid and then dried. Efficiency The ratio of the output of a cell or battery to the input required to restore the initial state of charge under specified conditions of temperature, current rate and final voltage. Electrode A conductor through which current passes in or out of a cell.
GLOSSARY Hydrometer A device used to measure density or specific gravity of electrolyte solutions. Hydroset Curing process for plates that oxidizes the lead paste, reducing free lead to a few percent of total. Initial Voltage The closed circuit voltage at the beginning of a discharge. It is usually measured after current has flowed for a period sufficient for the voltage rate of change to become practically constant.
GLOSSARY Negative Terminal The terminal from which current flows through the external circuit to the positive terminal when the cell discharges. OHM A unit of electrical resistance. Oil of Vitriol Concentrated commercial sulfuric acid, abbreviated OV or O.V. Open Circuit The state of a battery when not connected to either a charging source or a load circuit. Open Circuit Voltage The voltage at a battery terminal when no appreciable current is flowing.
GLOSSARY Short Circuit Current The current that flows when the two terminals of a cell or battery are inadvertently connected to each other. Side Terminal SLI battery design with two through-the-container current connections on one side instead of two posts on top. SLI Battery A battery for automotive use in starting, lighting and ignition. Sliver, Slyver Extremely fine parallel glass fibers used in retainers next to positive plates to retard shedding.
GLOSSARY Volt Efficiency The ratio of the average voltage of a cell or battery during discharge to the average voltage during subsequent recharge. Voltage The difference in electrical potential that exists between the terminals of a cell or battery or any two points of an electrical circuit. Voltage Range The difference between maximum and minimum cell voltages within a battery or string of cells when all cells are charging and discharging. Voltmeter An instrument for measuring voltage.
B AT T E RY A C C E S S O R I E S Jumper Cables Battery Tester Digital Multimeter Part No. YUA00ACC07 Part No. YUA00BTY01 Part No. YUA00ACC05 • Easy to use, easy to store • Convenient storage bag • Heavy duty, 8 ft.
TM P.O. Box 14715 Reading, PA 19612-4715 Tank Sports Inc. 10925 Schmidt Rd El Monte, CA 91733 FORM NO. YUA-069 (Rev. 4/04) PG – 10,000 Telephone: 1-866-431-4784 • Fax: 610-929-1295 yuasabatteries.com www.tank-sports.com 1-866-969-8265 Orders 1-626-350-4039 Info 1-626-602-8410 FAX PRINTED IN U.S.A.
