EverStart 3A Smart Vehicle Battery Charger & Maintainer $13.99

Walmart is dumping these because of a design / firmware fault. Read the reviews before you buy.

Walmart is dumping these because of a design / firmware fault. Read the reviews before you buy.

I'm also seeing reviews that say that the manual explains how to overcome these supposed issues.
...
Considering that the harbor freight battery maintainer costs $10 and is a total piece of shit that'll last a year at best, this is still a good deal on a microprocessor controlled charger/maintainer that also appears to support AGM batteries. Worst case, take it home, try it and if it's a POS just take it back. Walmart's return policy is pretty bulletproof.

No offense, but where on earth do you get that info/conclusion??
I read the full text of every review on the wallyworld product page and saw nothing that seriously suggested that.

I'm also seeing reviews that say that the manual explains how to overcome these supposed issues. It looks like people may be having problems with very dead batteries since the S01 error everybody keeps complaining about appears to indicate a bad battery. If the battery is toast, no amount of charging is going to bring it back. One of the older style "dumb" chargers would probably still throw voltage into it, but it'll just discharge back down again in a day or two.

Considering that the harbor freight battery maintainer costs $10 and is a total piece of shit that'll last a year at best, this is still a good deal on a microprocessor controlled charger/maintainer that also appears to support AGM batteries. Worst case, take it home, try it and if it's a POS just take it back. Walmart's return policy is pretty bulletproof.

• Read the manual! (BTW, if you don't know to not clamp the negative post, then you are a person who needs to read it!)
• Clean your battery posts (Even if they look clean. Some terminal-protector sprays are clear... including the one Walmart sells)
• 2.5V is the minimum voltage your battery must have for the charger to begin charging (This is on the OEM page but I thought I saw it in the manual somewhere too)
• Some batteries are just not salvageable, so keep that in mind
• You can approximate your charging time by finding the "Reserve capacity" (in mins) of your battery, and doing some math on it

Ummm, for us having to learn basic "mechanics" for the first time in adult life, could you please help me understand why it's not red-on-red and black-on-black on the battery terminals? I've found my feminine senior self in the unfortunate position of catching up on all the previously masculine duties. Car, lawn tractor, generator, weedeater, chainsaw, etc. were never in my repertoire until now so are a bit overwhelming. (BTW, I need one of these and read your pdf's) TIA

No offense, but where on earth do you get that info/conclusion??
I read the full text of every review on the wallyworld product page and saw nothing that seriously suggested that.


Exactly, and exactly!

Here's some important points I can offer after using this charger successfully, and reading the manual:

• Read the manual! (BTW, if you don't know to not clamp the negative post, then you are a person who needs to read it!)
• Clean your battery posts (Even if they look clean. Some terminal-protector sprays are clear... including the one Walmart sells)
• 2.5V is the minimum voltage your battery must have for the charger to begin charging (This is on the OEM page but I thought I saw it in the manual somewhere too)
• Some batteries are just not salvageable, so keep that in mind
• You can approximate your charging time by finding the "Reserve capacity" (in mins) of your battery, and doing some math on it

I bought this yesterday and charged my Elantra's battery overnight from under 60% to full.
You know the first thing I did? I clipped it on, plugged it in, and saw the F01 fault code... BUT... because I'm not an idiot, I ALSO noticed the green battery-size-indicator light on the unit defaults to 6V... and the only button the unit has functions as the 6V/12V toggle. And I toggled it. And I did this without checking the manual since... duh.

But unlike "internet commenters", I did eventually read the manual.
My battery was apparently under 60% when I started, so the readout initially displayed "Lo" just as described in the manual.
For the curious, this took about 12 hours for my RC=120min Elantra battery.

User Manual:

• OEM manufacturer product "series" page: http://www.newfocusauto.com/EN/PR...18/45.html [newfocusauto.com] (no manual there unfortunately, I don't think, but there are some tech specs)
• Scans of my manual, uploaded as imgur album: https://imgur.com/a/tn7in50
• I'm also attaching the scans to this post
• I OCR'd the fault codes specifically...

Fault Codes (error codes) from the manual:F01Dead batteryAsk technician's help to check the batteryF01...An appliance is drawing power from the battery being chargedDisconnect the appliance and try to charge againF01...Charging rate is too small relative to size of the batteryChoose a higher charger rate or use a higher current chargerF02...Charger voltage is too high relative to batteryVerify the battery voltage and select the correct charging voltage.F03...Charger error, charge current is higher than selectedAsk technician's help to check the chargerF04...The charger is overheatingMake sure the vents are clear. The charger will resume charging when cooledF05...Does not enter the float stage after 24 hours or the battery is defectiveDisconnect the charger with battery and recharge again. Do not use the battery for other purposes when it is charging. Check the battery conditions.​F06...Reverse polarity occursReconnect the battery clips correctly
Approximating Charge Time:

• (ref: https://sciencing.com/how-8681870...hours.html [sciencing.com])
• Vehicle batteries typically aren't rated in amp-hours like small consumer batteries, and are instead spec'd by a number of minutes of *usable* capacity, referred to as "reserve capacity", which can sorta be defined by a rule-of-thumb minimum-useful-voltage of 10.5V.
• This is a reasonable point you can expect your starter to fail to turn over.
• Doing some time/energy unit conversions and juggling some algebra, you can arrive at a simple relationship: (reserve capacity in mins) x (0.42) = (usable amp hours).
• Approximate the number of hours of charging by dividing by your charger's rated amperage: (usable amp hours) / (charging amps) = (charging hours)
• (I say approximate because you're only using the full rated amperage (3A for this) for the first while, and it goes down as you approach full charge)

You didnt read the reviews because there are several 1 star reports from several others that have the same problems.
I have owned and returned 4 of this same model charger. All have suffered the same multitude of problems described in all the negative reviews posted by others, which CAN NOT BE OVERCOME BY READING THE INSTRUCTIONS. I spoke with a tech that told me there was a firmware problem (as I already stated) that causes this charger to choke... thus, all the returns.

For those considering buying this piece of garbage, please read the reviews by others first before throwing your money away. (Sort the reviews from lowest to highest rating and take note). If you already own one, I hope it works well for you and you dont become one of the others that threw out their money.

I now use Deltran Battery Tenders on all my vehicles stored for extended periods of time with ZERO problems. If I have a discharged battery that needs to be recharged, I use a large industrial 5-50 amp charger to desulfate the plates and get the job done correctly.