I needed a new battery charger for my deep cycle AGM battery pack I showed in a previous post. I thought about building one out of parts from some old computer power supplies, but I ran into a good deal on this smart charger from Schumacher. The model number is SC1358. It’s designed for all kinds of Sealed Led Acid batteries, regular and AGM, both starter batteries and deep cycle, both 12v and 6v.
This charger has a built-in microcontroller which allows it to do some helpful things. It detects the battery type when you connect it. If you mixed up the cables, it will go into protection mode and light up an error indicator. It also determines the ideal voltage and rate of charge for the battery. It has a maximum 10a charge rate and 3a maintenance rate.
I’ve been using this charger for a full year now and it continues to impress me every time I use it. Its super convenient, reliable, idiot-proof, and seems to be durable.
At some point in the future I will probably replace all of my lead acid batteries for modern chemistry alternatives, but as long as I still have any SLA’s I will be holding on to this charger. Its a keeper.
