Dakota Lithium has optimized this charger for use with our lithium iron phosphate batteries (LiFePO4). All 12 volt Dakota Lithium batteries should be charged using a LiFePO4 compatible charger like this one. SLA chargers will reduce the performance and lifespan of the battery. This charger charges at a speed of 3 amps an hour and is optimal for batteries < 25Ah. For batteries greater than 25Ah like the 54Ah or 100Ah battery we recommend the 10 amp charger available here.
SPECIFICATIONS
We highly reccomend you use a LiFePO4 compatible charger. 12v chargers for lead acid batteries may work, but will decrease performance and lifespan of the battery.
INPUT 100-240 volts, 50/60HZ. OUTPUT: 14.4 volts, 3.0 amps
Alligator clips for ease of use. Clip black to your black terminal. Red to your red terminal. Do not short circuit. Red light on the charger will turn on when charging. Light turns green when the battery is full.
Charger will restart or "wake up" a Dakota Lithium BMS that has turned off a battery due to short circuit or excessive amp draw. Simply connect the charger to the battery to initiate a restart.
Choose a 3 amps. To determine your charging speed take the amp hour rating of your battery and divide by the amp rating of your charger. For example, a 3 amp charger would fully charge a 7 amp hour battery (Ah) in 2.3 hours.
For most applications a charging time of 3 - 10 hours provides the longest lifespan for your battery. But if you have an application where you need rapid charging Dakota Lithium batteries can be safely charged in up to 1 hour (at a rate of 1C). For example, you could use a 10 amp charger with a 10 Ah battery for a 1 hour charge time. Charging at a 1 hour rate does reduce the lifespan over time. In our laboratory testing we found that the longest lifespan for Dakota Lithium batteries was at a charging speed of 0.3C or less (we recommend that the charger amp rating is 1/3 or less of the battery amp hour rating for longest lifespan).
14.4 volts is recommended for Dakota Lithium (LiFePO4) batteries. This charger charges at 14.4 volts.
The amp rating is how much energy goes into your battery in 1 hr. For example, a 10 amp charger will charge a 54 amp hour battery in 5.4 hours. An appropriate sized charger should be 1/3 of less the amp rating of your battery. For example, a 3 amp charger is perfect for a 10 amp hour (Ah) battery.