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THE BCDC1212T

The BCDC1212T In-vehicle Battery Charger features technology designed to charge your auxiliary 
batteries to 100%, regardless of their type or size.

The In-vehicle Battery Charger is suitable for all common types of automotive lead acid batteries and 
LiFePO

4

 lithium type batteries.

WARNING AND SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS

SAVE THESE INSTRUCTIONS - THIS MANUAL CONTAINS 

IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE BCDC1212T 

BATTERY CHARGER.
DO NOT OPERATE THE BATTERY CHARGER UNLESS YOU HAVE 

READ AND UNDERSTOOD THIS MANUAL AND THE CHARGER 

IS INSTALLED AS PER THESE INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS. 

REDARC RECOMMENDS THAT THE CHARGER BE INSTALLED 

BY A SUITABLY QUALIFIED PERSON.

WARNING

RISK OF EXPLOSIVE GASES: 
WORKING IN VICINITY OF A LEAD-ACID BATTERY IS 

DANGEROUS. BATTERIES GENERATE EXPLOSIVE GASES 

DURING NORMAL OPERATION. FOR THIS REASON, IT IS OF 

UTMOST IMPORTANCE THAT YOU FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS 

WHEN INSTALLING AND USING THE CHARGER.

CAUTION

1.  The Battery Charger should not be used by persons 

(including children) with reduced physical, sensory or mental 

capabilities, or lack of experience and knowledge, unless 

they are supervised or have been instructed on how to 

use the appliance by a person responsible for their safety. 

Children should be supervised to ensure that they do not 

play with the Battery Charger.

2.  Do NOT alter or disassemble the Battery Charger under 

any circumstances. All faulty units must be returned to 

REDARC for repair. Incorrect handling or reassembly may 

result in a risk of electric shock or fire and may void the unit 

warranty.

3.  Only use the Battery Charger for charging Standard 

Automotive Lead Acid, Calcium Content, Gel, AGM, SLI 

(Starting Lighting Ignition), Deep Cycle or Lithium Iron 

Phosphate (LiFePO

4

) type 12 V batteries.

4.  Check the manufacturer’s data for your battery and ensure 

that the ‘Maximum’ voltage of the profile you select does  

not exceed the manufacturer’s recommended maximum 

charging voltage. If the ‘Maximum’ voltage is too high for 

your battery type, please select another charging profile.

5.  Check the manufacturer’s data for your battery and ensure 

that the ‘Continuous Current Rating’ of the charger does 

not exceed the manufacturer’s recommended maximum 

charging current.

6.  When using the Battery Charger to charge a Lithium Iron 

Phosphate (LiFePO

4

) battery, only batteries that feature an 

inbuilt battery management system featuring inbuilt under 

and over voltage protection and cell balancing are suitable.

7.  The Battery Charger is not intended to supply power to a low 

voltage electrical system other than to charge a battery.

8.  Cable and fuse sizes are specified by various codes and 

standards which depend on the type of vehicle the Battery 

Charger is installed into. Selecting the wrong cable or fuse 

size could result in harm to the installer or user and/or 

damage to the Battery Charger or other equipment installed 

in the system. The installer is responsible for ensuring that 

the correct cable and fuse sizes are used when installing 

this Battery Charger.

9.  NEVER smoke or allow a spark or flame in the vicinity of 

battery or engine. This may cause the battery to explode.

10. In applications where the BCDC1212T draws power through 

the vehicle’s and trailer’s towing harnesses and connectors, 

the harnesses wiring gauge, connectors and fuse current 

ratings and fuse type should be checked by a suitably 

qualified person to ensure that it is adequately rated for 

safe and reliable operation and that the vehicle’s fuse is 

appropriately rated and located to protect the wiring in the 

event of a fault, including short circuits.

PERSONAL SAFETY PRECAUTIONS

11. To assist with the safe operation and use of the Battery 

Charger when connected to the battery:

•  Wear complete eye protection and clothing protection. 

Avoid touching eyes while working near a battery.

•  If battery acid contacts your skin or clothing, remove the 

affected clothing and wash the affected area of your skin 

immediately with soap and water. If battery acid enters 

your eye, immediately flood the eye with running cold 

water for at least 10 minutes and seek medical assistance 

immediately.

Design and specifications are subject to change without notice   |  Copyright © 2020 REDARC Electronics Pty Ltd. All rights reserved.  |  REDARC®, THE POWER OF REDARC®, 
and BCDC™ are trademarks of Redarc Electronics Pty Ltd.

Summary of Contents for BCDC1212T

Page 1: ...Multi stage 12 V Input Current Limited In vehicle Battery Charger BCDC1212T ...

Page 2: ...er s data for your battery and ensure that the Continuous Current Rating of the charger does not exceed the manufacturer s recommended maximum charging current 6 When using the Battery Charger to charge a Lithium Iron Phosphate LiFePO4 battery only batteries that feature an inbuilt battery management system featuring inbuilt under and over voltage protection and cell balancing are suitable 7 The B...

Page 3: ...10 5 V 32 F to 176 F 0 C to 80 C LiFePO4 Batteries 32 F to 176 F 0 C to 80 C Weight 30 oz 850 g Dimensions 6 5 4 7 1 5 165 120 37 mm Warranty 2 years EMC Compliance RCM FCC ICES Voltages Specified are 100 mV CONTENTS THE BCDC1212T 2 WARNING AND SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS 2 SPECIFICATIONS 3 1 PRODUCT FUNCTION 4 1 1 Display Panel 4 1 2 Charge Profile LEDs 4 1 3 Charge Status LEDs 5 1 3 1 Vehicle LED 5 1 3 ...

Page 4: ... 20 A when connected to a 24 V alternator the peak boost current however also depends on alternator voltage and input cable voltage drop The BCDC1212T isolates the start battery from the auxiliary battery to avoid over discharging the start battery 1 1 Display Panel The front panel features 7 LEDs to display the charge profile and charge status Figure 1 1 1 The BCDC1212T Front Panel 1 2 Charge Pro...

Page 5: ...he Vehicle LED will be ON when the input is available and in use and OFF when the input is not available or not in use 1 3 2 Stage LED The Stage LED indicates the charge profile stage With any profile selected the charger will output a 3 Stage charging profile consisting of Boost Absorption and Float Stages Figure 1 3 2 1 outlines the LED sequences which indicate these stages and figure 1 3 4 1 ex...

Page 6: ...nt until the battery voltage reaches its Absorption Voltage The current in Boost stage may vary during operation in order to maintain safe operating temperature or to limit the difference between input and output voltages The Charger will then move to Absorption stage which maintains a constant voltage level for a predetermined period of time or until the current being drawn by the output battery ...

Page 7: ...is a maximum 20 second delay before the charger will produce an output any time a source is introduced into the system this allows the unit to provide optimum input sharing and effective battery isolation 1 5 Error Codes In the event of a fault with the unit installation or either battery ALL the LEDs on the unit will flash to indicate the fault type Flashing sequences are described in the table b...

Page 8: ...eas for maximum performance Choose locations such as on the inner guard behind a headlight or behind the grille to one side of the radiator The unit will operate optimally below 130 F 55 C with good airflow At higher temperatures the unit will de rate output current up to 176 F 80 C at which point the unit will turn OFF It is important to ensure the charger is mounted as close as possible to the b...

Page 9: ... Input source positive This will set the Maximum voltage to 15 3 V To select the Li Profile connect the ORANGE wire to the GREEN wire LED output This will set the charger to Lithium mode CAUTION Check the manufacturer s data for your battery and ensure that the Maximum voltage of the profile you select does not exceed the manufacturer s recommended maximum charging voltage If the Maximum voltage i...

Page 10: ...n some applications the BCDC could deplete the start battery to 11 9 V 100 mV or 23 8 V 100 mV for 12 V and 24 V vehicles respectively 2 4 Cable sizing Below is a table outlining the required cable size for a given cable install length Please refer to this table for Vehicle Input Ground and Battery Output cable thickness requirements Always choose a wire cross sectional area equal to or greater th...

Page 11: ...e red input wire can be connected directly to the trailer plug s 12 V Auxiliary Power pin provided that towing harnesses and connectors are suitably rated see CAUTION in section 2 6 2 6 Fusing Fuses must be connected close to the start battery and the Auxiliary battery in order to protect the wiring and connectors between the batteries and the BCDC REDARC recommends using MIDI style bolt down fuse...

Page 12: ...ttings Leave unconnected 12V or 24V Start Battery Bank Fuse Ratings as per table on Page 3 12V or 24V Start Battery Bank Fuse 24V INPUT Fuse Optional LED All ground points must be connected to chassis earth Auxiliary Battery Charging Profile Select Refer to section 2 2 Red Blue Orange Black Brown Green 12V INPUT OR INPUT Standard Trigger Settings Low Voltage Trigger Settings Load Fuse Loads to Veh...

Page 13: ...iary battery is above 0 1V 4 Check all wiring to the Auxiliary battery particularly the Ground BLACK wire 5 Check fuses are intact and properly connected If the problem is still evident please see the relevant points below THE BCDC IS CONNECTED TO THE VEHICLE BUT THE VEHICLE LED IS OFF This indicates that the required turn ON conditions for this source have not been met With the BLUE wire left unc...

Page 14: ...can operate from a voltage of above equal to or below the desired output voltage The unit is also microprocessor controlled allowing it to output a REDARC proprietary charging algorithm independent of the input This allows the unit to charge specific to the battery type even if the input voltage is low due to voltage drop Q Where should I mount the BCDC Unit A The BCDC should be mounted as close a...

Page 15: ...to reject any Warranty claim made by a Purchaser pursuant to this Warranty where 11 1 the Purchaser does not notify REDARC in writing of a Warranty claim within the Warranty Period 11 2 the Purchaser does not notify REDARC in writing of a Warranty claim within 1 month of becoming aware of the relevant circumstances giving rise to the claim so that any further problems with the Product are minimize...

Page 16: ... to Friday or send us an e mail INST55 5 EN Australia and other Global regions power redarc com au www redarc com au 61 8 8322 4848 New Zealand power redarcelectronics co nz www redarcelectronics co nz 64 9 222 1024 North America power redarcelectronics com www redarcelectronics com United States 1 704 247 5150 Canada 1 604 260 5512 Mexico 52 558 526 2898 UK Europe power redarcelectronics eu www r...

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