Projecta IC7 Intelli-Charge Battery Charger FAQ & Troubleshooting Guide

Projecta IC7 Intelli-Charge Battery Charger FAQ & Troubleshooting Guide

Projecta IC7 Intelli-Charge Battery Charger FAQ & Troubleshooting Guide


Applies To

Projecta IC7
Intelli-Charge Battery Charger
12V 7A 7 Stage Switchmode Battery Charger
Lead Acid and Lithium Battery Charging


Overview

The Projecta IC7 is a 12V 7A Intelli-Charge automatic battery charger designed for charging and maintaining 12V lead acid and lithium batteries.

It supports selectable battery chemistry modes including Lithium, GEL, AGM, WET and Calcium. For lead acid batteries, the charger uses a 7-stage charging process. For lithium LiFePO4 batteries, it uses a dedicated 5-stage lithium charging algorithm.

The IC7 also includes Power Supply mode and a vehicle wiring harness for convenient connection to batteries that are difficult to access.


Key Features

The IC7 includes:

7-stage charging for lead acid batteries
5-stage charging for lithium batteries
Selectable battery chemistry
Adjustable charge rate
Power Supply mode
Desulphation mode
Soft Start charging
Recondition function
Float maintenance charging
Polarity protection
Over temperature protection
Switchmode technology
Thermostatically controlled cooling fan
Vehicle wiring harness with 15A inline blade fuse
LED charge status display


Battery Compatibility

What batteries can the IC7 charge?

The IC7 can charge 12V rechargeable lead acid and lithium batteries.

Supported battery chemistry types:

Lithium
GEL
AGM
WET
Calcium

What battery size is suitable for the IC7?

Recommended battery range:

Automotive: 40–800CCA
Marine: 55–900MCA
Deep cycle: 7–140Ah
Lithium: 2–70Ah

Can the IC7 charge 6V or 24V batteries?

No.
The IC7 is a 12V battery charger only.

Do not use it on 6V or 24V batteries.


Charging Operation

How does the IC7 charge lead acid batteries?

For GEL, AGM, WET and Calcium batteries, the IC7 uses a 7-stage charging process:

Desulphation — Breaks down sulphation in batteries that have been left flat.
Soft Start — Gently introduces power to the battery.
Bulk — Charges at maximum current up to the selected battery voltage.
Absorption — Charges the battery to full capacity using controlled voltage.
Analysis — Tests whether the battery has accepted charge.
Recondition — Attempts to restore batteries that cannot hold charge.
Float — Maintains the battery at 100% charge.

For Calcium mode, an Equalisation stage is also used.

How does the IC7 charge lithium batteries?

When Lithium mode is selected, the IC7 uses a 5-stage lithium charging profile:

Soft Start 1 — Charges at 5% of selected current until the battery reaches 8.0V.
Soft Start 2 — Charges at 25% of selected current until the battery reaches 10.0V.
Bulk Charge — Charges at the selected current up to 14.2V.
Absorption — Completes charging at reduced current.
Float — Maintains the battery at 13.5V.

Can the IC7 be left connected?

Yes.
Once the battery is fully charged, the charger moves into float mode and can remain connected to maintain the battery.


Battery Chemistry Selection

How do I select the battery chemistry?

  1. Press the Mode button.
  2. Wait for the lights to turn off.
  3. Press the Mode button repeatedly until the correct battery type is selected.

The selected battery chemistry should match the battery manufacturer’s recommendation.

What voltage does each mode use?

Lithium: Maximum 14.2V
GEL: Maximum 14.1V
AGM: Maximum 14.4V
WET: 14.7V during bulk and absorption, up to 16V during recondition
Calcium: 14.7V during bulk and absorption, up to 16V during equalisation and recondition


Charge Rate Selection

What charge rates are available on the IC7?

The IC7 supports:

1A
2A
4A
7A

Recommended guide:

1A: 7–20Ah deep cycle / 40–120CCA automotive / 55–170MCA marine / 2–10Ah lithium
2A: 14–40Ah deep cycle / 80–240CCA automotive / 110–330MCA marine / 4–20Ah lithium
4A: 30–80Ah deep cycle / 180–480CCA automotive / 250–650MCA marine / 8–40Ah lithium
7A: 50–140Ah deep cycle / 300–800CCA automotive / 350–900MCA marine / 14–70Ah lithium


Power Supply Mode

Can the IC7 be used as a power supply?

Yes.
When Power Supply mode is selected, the IC7 provides a constant 13.8V DC output.

Power Supply mode can be used to run a load from the battery or to help maintain vehicle memory settings during battery replacement.

The connected appliance must not exceed the charger’s output current.

Why does the charger reset in Power Supply mode?

The charger may reset if the load exceeds the charger’s capacity or if the appliance has a high start-up current.

Reduce the load or connect the charger to a battery first, then run the appliance from the battery where possible.


How to Use

Before charging

Before using the IC7:

Read the instruction manual.
Use indoors only.
Do not expose the charger to rain.
Charge in a well-ventilated area.
Keep flames and sparks away from the battery.
Do not charge a frozen battery.
Do not charge a damaged or non-rechargeable battery.
Turn off vehicle accessories before charging where possible.
Disconnect the 240V mains supply before making or breaking battery connections.
Confirm the battery is a compatible 12V battery.


Battery out of vehicle

  1. Connect the red lead to the positive + battery post.
  2. Connect the black lead to the negative – battery post.
  3. Connect the charger to 240V mains power.
  4. Select the correct charge rate.
  5. Select the correct battery chemistry.
  6. Allow the charger to complete the automatic charge cycle.

Battery in vehicle — negative earth

Most vehicles are negative earth.

  1. Connect the red lead to the positive + battery terminal.
  2. Connect the black lead to the vehicle chassis away from fuel lines or moving parts.
  3. Connect the charger to 240V mains power.
  4. Select the correct charge rate and battery chemistry.
  5. Allow the charger to complete the charge cycle.

Battery in vehicle — positive earth

  1. Connect the black lead to the negative – battery terminal.
  2. Connect the red lead to the vehicle chassis away from fuel lines or moving parts.
  3. Connect the charger to 240V mains power.
  4. Select the correct charge rate and battery chemistry.
  5. Allow the charger to complete the charge cycle.

Vehicle Harness

How do I use the IC7 vehicle harness?

The IC7 includes a wiring harness for easier connection to batteries that are difficult to access.

  1. Connect the red ring terminal to the positive + battery terminal.
  2. Connect the black ring terminal to the negative – battery terminal.
  3. Connect the harness plug to the charger output lead socket.

When disconnecting, unplug the harness from the charger output lead.


Permanent Wiring

Can the IC7 be permanently wired to the battery?

Yes.
The IC7 can be permanently wired using the supplied wiring harness.

Fuse requirement:

IC7: use supplied wiring harness with 15A fuse

The charger should be mounted indoors, out of weather, with at least 10cm clearance from the end plates for ventilation.


LED Indicators

How do I know what stage the charger is in?

The IC7 uses LED indicators to show charge status.

Power LED — Red
Charging LED — Blue
Fully Charged LED — Green

Typical operation:

Blue Charging LED flashes or illuminates during charging stages.
Green Fully Charged LED solid means the battery is fully charged and the charger is in float mode.
Power LED flashing indicates a fault condition.


Common Troubleshooting

The IC7 will not start charging. What should I check?

Check the following:

Battery voltage is above the minimum start voltage.
Battery clamps are connected correctly.
Red clamp is connected to positive +.
Black clamp is connected to negative – or correct chassis earth.
240V mains power is ON.
Correct battery chemistry is selected.
Correct charge rate is selected.
Battery is not frozen, damaged or faulty.

The specifications list a 2V minimum start voltage, while the FAQ section refers to charging from as little as 2.5V. If the battery is below this range, the charger may not start.


The battery is very flat and the charger will not start. What can be done?

If the battery voltage is too low, the charger may not detect it.

The manual advises that booster cables can be used between two batteries to provide more than 2.5V to the battery being charged. Once the charger starts charging, the booster cables can be removed.

This should only be done by a competent person and only if the battery is safe to charge.


The charger is in Desulphation or Soft Start but I want bulk charging. What can I do?

Desulphation mode is time limited to 6 hours and Soft Start is limited to 1 hour.

If required, Power Supply mode can be used for around 1 hour to raise the battery voltage. After that, select the correct battery chemistry to continue normal charging.


Can I charge while an appliance is connected to the battery?

The charger can charge while an appliance is connected, but the load can affect the charger’s ability to accurately measure the battery.

For best charging, disconnect or turn off appliance loads.

If an appliance must remain connected, Power Supply mode is recommended.


Can I select a different battery chemistry?

Only select a different chemistry if the charge voltages match the battery manufacturer’s recommendation.

Do not select a higher voltage mode unless the battery manufacturer confirms it is suitable.


Why does Calcium mode take so long?

Calcium mode includes an Equalisation stage.

This can feed current into the battery until 16V is reached and may take up to 12 hours.


Fault Codes

Power LED slow flashing, Charging LED off, Full LED off

Fault:

Short circuit or reverse connection of the clips.

Recommended action:

Check the clips are not touching each other.
Check the clips are correctly connected to the battery.

Power LED fast flashing, Charging LED off, Full LED off

Fault:

Bulk charging has timed out and stopped after 22 hours.

Recommended action:

Battery may be faulty.

Power LED slow flashing, Charging LED off, Full LED on

Fault:

The charger has entered recondition mode 3 times and has timed out.

Recommended action:

Battery may be faulty and may need replacing.
There may be a load on the battery causing the battery to fail analysis.


Locking the Charger Settings

Can the IC7 settings be locked?

Yes.
Press and hold the Charge Rate and Mode buttons together for 3 seconds until all LEDs illuminate.

This locks the Charge Rate and Mode keys.

To unlock, press and hold the Charge Rate and Mode buttons together again for 3 seconds until all LEDs illuminate.


Specifications

Part number: IC7
Type: 7-stage lead acid / 5-stage lithium
Input: 230–240VAC, 50Hz
Input power: 110W
Output voltage: 12V
Output current: 7A / 4A / 2A / 1A
Minimum start voltage: 2V
Back drain: 1mA
Power supply voltage: 13.8V DC
Power supply maximum current: 7A
Lead acid float voltage: 13.7V
Lithium float voltage: 13.5V
Battery types: Lithium, GEL, AGM, WET, Calcium
Automotive range: 40–800CCA
Marine range: 55–900MCA
Deep cycle range: 7–140Ah
Lithium range: 2–70Ah
Size: 182 x 61 x 108mm
Weight: 1.02kg


Safety Warnings

Use indoors only.
Do not expose the charger to rain.
Do not attempt to charge non-rechargeable batteries.
Never charge a frozen battery.
Use in a well-ventilated area.
Keep sparks and flames away from the battery.
Disconnect mains power before connecting or disconnecting battery leads.
Do not use the charger if the AC cord is damaged.
Do not allow children to use or play with the charger.
The charger must be plugged into an earthed socket-outlet.


When to Escalate

Escalate the case if:

The charger repeatedly shows fault after polarity and battery condition are confirmed.
The battery is swollen, leaking, frozen or physically damaged.
The charger case, AC cord or output leads are damaged.
The customer reports overheating, smoke, burning smell or sparking.
The charger trips mains power.
The fan is not operating when required.
The unit behaviour does not match the manual.
Warranty assessment is required.