QUAD-CYCLE Battery Conditioner

Forum:

Looking for manuals and/or advice on interpreting battery meters labeled QUAD-CYCLE (see attached photos). The labeling indicates they were made by Cruiser Electric (Seattle), but an Internet search did not reveal any matches for this device.

The boat is a Hershine Trawler built in Taiwan by Cheerman around 1985, but I do not know when the Quad-Cycles were installed. There are 3 battery banks (cranking, house, and generater-cranking) and all are sealed batteries. There are also 3 multi-step battery chargers.

The Quad-Cycle units have a keyed switch that can turn the voltage regulator into a "Condition" mode. The display indicates each bank's voltage, amperage, and amp-hours used since last charge.

I am not familiar with this equipment and no one locally seems to know when to activate the battery conditioning mode (if ever). Any help would be appreciated, especially any manuals that can be found. Many thanks...


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Here's a link that may help you get things sorted out...not 100% but I think it will get your much further ahead from where you are now:

http://www.evdl.org/docs/ce-ah.pdf

Thanks for your response. The link you provided is for the Amp-Hour meter docs, also made (in the same era) by Cruising Electric, Seattle.

Lo and behold, just after posting my question on the Quad-Cycle unit, I stumbled across the manuals tucked away in the back of a 3 ring binder kept by the original owner. I scanned the Quad-Cycle manuals and loaded them onto Google Docs (the file size is too large to attach to this posting).


https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B3QL...pyZFhQd1U/edit

Hopefully, anyone using a search engine in the future with the keywords Quad-Cycle or "Quad Cycle" will find this posting and the attached manuals.

Reading the docs (circa 1989), the Quad-Cycle unit is a 4-stage adjustable voltage regulator for the main engine alternator(s). The units display battery voltage, alternator current, and control the alternators output so that the battery banks are charged correctly over the 4 different charging phases (Bulk, Acceptance, Float, and Conditioning). Alternator output during each phase is set by the factor but also adjustable to individual needs using trim pots.

So, in answer to my own question, the Quad-Cycle is a performance tool for the alternators and an analysis tool for the state of battery charge. In combination with the Amp-Hour meter, it is possible to determine current battery state (% capacity) and to control recharging from the alternator to avoid gassing or undercharging, improving overall battery performance and ultimately, their lifespan.

I hope this information is useful to others. I realize that the Quad-Cycle units are older technology, but if you buy a boat with them installed, you will need the manuals to understand how to use them, especially during the Conditioning portion of the charge cycle. As the manuals explain, any voltage sensitive equipment must be isolated during Conditioning which drives the charging voltage to 16 V for 3 to 4 hours. That is why there is a keyed switch on the Conditioning phase ("are you really sure you want to do this?" type of choice). Under heavy battery cycling, it is recommended that Conditioning take place every 30 days.

Nothing beats the original manuals.

Thanks