The Kinetik KCIB12-35 is a sturdily built "intelligent" 12V battery charger with 2/10/20/35 Amp charge rates, alternator voltage check and battery recondition/desulfation functions.
It features an easy to read 3-character display, four clearly marked push buttons for on/off and accessing the functions, and 4 LED indicators. It also features a heatsink that covers the majority of the front section, a built in cooling fan and the rear of the unit also functions as a storage compartment for the wires.
Recondition
According to the literature, as lead acid batteries discharge sulfate can build up on the plates, causing them to not fully accept a charge. Reconditioning (Desulfation) of the battery is accomplished by sending electrical impulses to the battery over a given period of time to break down this build up and allows the battery to better accept a charge and release energy more quickly. This seems to be a useful feature for not only under-hood batteries but also auxiliary batteries that may repeatedly be discharged.
Very simple process. Just connect the charger to the battery and press the button! The large teeth and strong springs keep a tight clamp on the terminals. The downside is that this is a long procedure, however there's no way around this as it's simply a long process. The manual states it takes up to 24 hours. When using this mode on an HC1800 I had in the garage it seemed to take around 20 hours.....which while a long time, was shorter than anticipated.
Charging
The 2/10/20/35 amp charging allows you to select charging rate based on the size of the battery. The 2/10 are of course for smaller batteries, 20 for normal auto batteries, and the 35A rate is for large truck batteries or banks of batteries.
It charges in three stages;
Rapid Start Charge delivers maximum charging amperage (also allows for quick engine starting in as little as 2 minutes)
Absorption Charge maintains the maximum possible charge at a constant voltage
Top-off Charge voltage is automatically maintained and reduced to a predetermined level while current is adjusted to a safe battery charge level
This process as well as the actual battery charge rate are monitored and adjusted automatically by the microprocessor.
After desulfating the battery, I topped it off with a charge using the 20A setting. Again a very simple and surprisingly quick operation. Press the rate selector button until the desired rate of charge is displayed and let it do it's thing. The display will read "FUL" when the battery is fully charged. While I didn't watch it like a hawk, the process took less than a 4 hour interval. The charger appeared to stay nice and cool throughout the entire process.
Alternator Check
With the car running and charger connected, the manual asks you leave all accessories off and press the Alternator Check button, and then turn all accessories on a perform the same test. If the charger determines that the alternator is okay, the Alternator Good LED lights. Checked it on my car with the stock alt, and both times it indicated my alt was A-OK :thumbup:
Overall, I would say this is a great charger. Useful features for the car audio crowd in the desulfator and higher 35A charge for battery banks, convenient storage and carrying handle, all built into a fairly compact case. It's extremely easy to use, stays cool while in use and quick charging times.
It features an easy to read 3-character display, four clearly marked push buttons for on/off and accessing the functions, and 4 LED indicators. It also features a heatsink that covers the majority of the front section, a built in cooling fan and the rear of the unit also functions as a storage compartment for the wires.
Recondition
According to the literature, as lead acid batteries discharge sulfate can build up on the plates, causing them to not fully accept a charge. Reconditioning (Desulfation) of the battery is accomplished by sending electrical impulses to the battery over a given period of time to break down this build up and allows the battery to better accept a charge and release energy more quickly. This seems to be a useful feature for not only under-hood batteries but also auxiliary batteries that may repeatedly be discharged.
Very simple process. Just connect the charger to the battery and press the button! The large teeth and strong springs keep a tight clamp on the terminals. The downside is that this is a long procedure, however there's no way around this as it's simply a long process. The manual states it takes up to 24 hours. When using this mode on an HC1800 I had in the garage it seemed to take around 20 hours.....which while a long time, was shorter than anticipated.
Charging
The 2/10/20/35 amp charging allows you to select charging rate based on the size of the battery. The 2/10 are of course for smaller batteries, 20 for normal auto batteries, and the 35A rate is for large truck batteries or banks of batteries.
It charges in three stages;
Rapid Start Charge delivers maximum charging amperage (also allows for quick engine starting in as little as 2 minutes)
Absorption Charge maintains the maximum possible charge at a constant voltage
Top-off Charge voltage is automatically maintained and reduced to a predetermined level while current is adjusted to a safe battery charge level
This process as well as the actual battery charge rate are monitored and adjusted automatically by the microprocessor.
After desulfating the battery, I topped it off with a charge using the 20A setting. Again a very simple and surprisingly quick operation. Press the rate selector button until the desired rate of charge is displayed and let it do it's thing. The display will read "FUL" when the battery is fully charged. While I didn't watch it like a hawk, the process took less than a 4 hour interval. The charger appeared to stay nice and cool throughout the entire process.
Alternator Check
With the car running and charger connected, the manual asks you leave all accessories off and press the Alternator Check button, and then turn all accessories on a perform the same test. If the charger determines that the alternator is okay, the Alternator Good LED lights. Checked it on my car with the stock alt, and both times it indicated my alt was A-OK :thumbup:
Overall, I would say this is a great charger. Useful features for the car audio crowd in the desulfator and higher 35A charge for battery banks, convenient storage and carrying handle, all built into a fairly compact case. It's extremely easy to use, stays cool while in use and quick charging times.
