Projecta or ctek

If you are after a very good charger that does everything, go for this...

12V 16A Car Battery Charger

This fully automatic switch mode car battery charger utilises a four stage rapid charge design to optimize the life and performance of lead acid/GEL batteries. The pulsed current charging system allows batteries to accept up to 15% more energy than typical charging methods. Once the battery is charged, the unit switches to maintenance mode to keep the battery in peak condition. The charger has a number of other advanced safety features including automatic short circuit protection, anti spark circuitry, and reverse polarity detection. The charger also has a series of LEDs to indicate charging status and battery fault conditions. The ergonomic design includes a top mounted carry handle and cable storage for the battery leads and clamps. Size270(W) x 220(H) x 120(D)
Specifications:
* Spark free
* Output short circuit and reverse polarity
* Automatic thermal protection/shutdown
* Convectional cooling system
* Weather proof design
* Mains cable length 1.8M
* Battery lead length 1.9M


It can bulk charge at 6amp or 16amps, check for sulphation damage and trickle maintain any battery.

Jaycar MB3620 and at $170 cheap as chips :D
SHOW PHOTO

I have one of these Jaycar chargers above and it is very good

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Originally Posted by isuzu110

I have one of these Jaycar chargers above and it is very good

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I have one as well. I hope I did the right thing. I've had it a few months.

just resurrecting this thread seeking opinions on current models - Ctek vs Projecta:

Ctek XS4003 - new 4-amp 8-stage charger - $120 on EBay inc P&H

Projecta 8-amp 7-stage charger - on sale for $135 from Repco

Obviously the Projecta has the capacity to charge faster (and is switchable for different size batteries, although presumably this isn't a big issue for fully auto chargers like the Ctek), but presumably the Ctek is better quality?

I just pulled the pin on an Ozcharge 21A ... 2A/10A/21A switchable. $198 off ebay. Well see how it goes but by the spec' it covers all the bases for a good general purpose do it all unit.

OzCharge - 12V - Selectable 2/10/21 Amp Battery Charger & Maintainer

Kev..

One of my Projecta chargers is bin material, about 2 years old, am now trying the c-tek unit from ebay. So far so good.:)

Jaycar have this 15A intelligent charger on special at the moment for $129
15A Intelligent 5 Stage Battery Charger - Jaycar Electronics
Haven't used one of this model myself, but we use the smaller 12A 3-stage one at work in the warehouse for mobile equipment on trolleys. Never had one fail.
Batteries on the trolleys are now around 6 years old and not having any issues with them.

We actually got the 12A Jaycar chargers to replace the original chargers that came with the equipment. Dont recall the brand, but replacement cost was about $400, and these Jaycar ones seem much better for around $100.

Steve

the Ozcharge jobbies look ok - very similar to the Ctek in design but much cheaper (about $80 on EBay for 2/4/6 amp one)...and unlike the Ctek they have selectable amperage, although according to Drivesafe this probably doesn't mean much - a set amperage unit like the Ctek XS4003 can be used on an extremely wide range of batteries but will just take longer on larger batteries.

The Projecta is also switchable amperage, has heavy duty clamps (possibly doesn't make much difference for trickle chargers though as I note that the cables on these auto chargers are all quite thin), has amp and volts readout (unlike Ozcharge and Ctek which just tell you what stage of the charge cycle they're up to). One thing I found interesting was that on the Projecta you select what kind of battery you're charging - e.g. if charging calcium, it's critical that you select that. What does this mean for the fully auto chargers like Ctek and Ozcharge - I don't think you can select battery type and I doubt that they can detect battery type, or doesn't this really matter?

On other battery charger threads, a couple of posts suggested issues with the Jaycar units getting their batteries up to full charge; regardless, I don't see that they have much advantage over Ozcharge or Ctek as they're not really cheaper if you buy the latter ones on Ebay...

And finally, 5yr warranty on Ctek; 2 years on Ozcharge and Projecta.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by feral

If you are after a very good charger that does everything, go for this...

12V 16A Car Battery Charger

It can bulk charge at 6amp or 16amps, check for sulphation damage and trickle maintain any battery.

Jaycar MB3620 and at $170 cheap as chips :D
SHOW PHOTO

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by isuzu110

I have one of these Jaycar chargers above and it is very good

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by p38arover

I have one as well. I hope I did the right thing. I've had it a few months.

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My Jaycar battery charger is still going strong but you will have to ask Ron for his opinion as he always buys the faulty goods :p

But seriously there is some talk around the caravaner's scene that Ctek's are becoming a little over-rated. As for Projecta they do the job but are still big $$ for what you get.

The Jaycar charger is brilliant. For example I had to remove my auxiliary battery and had it on the charger just short of two weeks. I let it go through all the stages and left it on trickle. After disconnecting and letting the battery rest for 4 - 5 days the battery was still showing 13.1 volts.

For value for money and the occasional use I believe it is exceptional.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by feraldisco

One thing I found interesting was that on the Projecta you select what kind of battery you're charging - e.g. if charging calcium, it's critical that you select that. What does this mean for the fully auto chargers like Ctek and Ozcharge - I don't think you can select battery type and I doubt that they can detect battery type, or doesn't this really matter?

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Hey feral ... the Ozcharge allows you to select battery type as well (the one I got does at least) ... was a main reason for the choice and I need to do calcium, wet/sealed, and wet deep cycle batteries ... plus some small ride-on/motorcycle batteries occaisionally.

Edit - The 2/4/6 and up have selectable battery type ... check the site for details http://www.ozcharge.com.au/store/12-...-chargers.html

For a volt meter I normally keep a small cheapo multimeter across the terminals while charging just so I can see what's doing.

Kev..