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I'm trying to add a backup/UPS to a system I have outside with the following battery charger - https://www.meanwell.com/Upload/PDF/ENC-180/ENC-180-SPEC.PDF . The DIP switches are set for AGM mode.

My load is ~72W or 6A @ 12V and I have a SLA 12V 75Ah battery attached in parallel with my load and the charger.

I've noticed with the load attached, the voltage drops about ~0.1V. I've metered the battery and the charger keeps the battery at about 14.43V indefinitely in Boost, while the manual says in the AGM mode it needs to reach 14.5V for boost before it switches over to float. If I disconnect the load, the battery reaches float instantly. I'm assuming this isn't sustainable for the health of the battery, so I would want to make sure the battery is reaching all 3 phases correctly.

I'm not sure what the next logical step should be to get this set up working? Should I program the charger myself?

fullyjosh
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1 Answers1

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It isn't the voltage that triggers the charger to switch to "float" mode — it's the current. The current needs to drop to less than 10% of the CC mode current in order to trigger the mode change. Since your load is drawing 50% all of the time, this can never occur.

Bottom line, this charger is not intended to both charge the battery and drive a significant load at the same time.

Dave Tweed
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