Battery Charger

[doca]

I acquired a Bosch battery charger which has a rocker(?) switch reading "high" on one side and "low" on the other. The needle goes to the far right when on "high" and half way to the right when on "low". Could someone tell me what this switch is for?

 

[nordic_ranger]

It sounds as though the 'High' setting is for a quick or boost charge and the 'Low' for normal charge.

 

[catalac08]

the high (boost charge) is often not regulated to drop the charge rate when the battery becomes fully charged but the low charge rate will usually be regulated to a trickle charge when the battery is fully charged.
So the high setting can be used to quickly get the battery charged and the low setting to fully charge the battery without risk of overcharging and thus damaging the battery

 

[William_H]

The high reading at max meter deflection is a concern. Hopefully the meter reading will become less after just a few minutes of charging. ie as the battery volts rise. If the meter stays pinned to the right then you should monitor the temperature of the charger as it may overheat. If you are not in a hurry run it on low for an hour or so then try in high position and see if it still pins the needle.

the excessive current can also mean a shorted cell in the battery so it would be good to check the battery volts. if they are always around 10 or 11 and won't rise to 14 on charge then you have a dud battery.
don't leave the charger unattended until you are really confident it won't overheat and even then not 24/7 as you can do with automatic chargers.
olewill