NDS SMARTCHARGER User Manual
Models: SCS2, SCS4, SCS8
1. Introduction
The NDS SMARTCHARGER is an easy-to-use, automatic, professional battery charger featuring an advanced microcontroller and the OPTICHARGE firmware algorithm. It is ideal for daily battery charging, maintenance, and works with various battery technologies across applications including Cars, Motorcycles, Nautical, Campers, and Work vehicles.
Safety Instructions
- ? Child Safety: Keep the device out of reach.
- ✅ Carefully check the integrity of the device and connectors.
- ? To avoid overheating and possible fires, do not install the device in a sealed environment. Always choose a well-ventilated area.
- ⚠️ Do not place the device on highly flammable surfaces or environments (e.g., paper, cloth).
- ?️ Do not cover the cooling slits on the side and the fan on the top.
- ? Do not install the device near wet batteries, as they produce flammable, corrosive, and explosive gas while working, which can damage the product.
- ☀️ Protect the device from sunlight or direct sources of heat.
- ?️ To avoid malfunctions, DO NOT install and use the device in very humid environments, in contact with water splashes, various liquids, or exposed to rain.
- ⚡ To avoid risk of electric shock and/or fire, the vehicle's fuel system must be in good condition.
- ? In case of damaged connecting cables or inadequate section, immediately replace them with suitable cables as specified by this manual or by a qualified electrician.
- ? In case of anomalies in the conformity of the product, do not use it! It is strictly forbidden to open the device. Repairs may only be carried out by qualified technical personnel using original spare parts.
- ? Keep the instruction manual near the device for easy access to essential safety, use, and maintenance information.
- The information contained in this manual may be changed without notice. NDS Energy s.r.l. reserves the right to make changes and improvements to the product at any time without notice and without obligation to apply these changes to devices previously distributed.
- The images of the products are purely indicative and may not be fully representative of the characteristics of the product, differing in color, size, or accessories.
2. Contents of the Pack
Check the package contents:
- N°1 SMARTCHARGER
- N°1 Power cable with ring connector terminals
- N°1 Power cable with clamp connectors
3. Main Features
- Plug and play.
- OPTICHARGE: The new firmware algorithm checks battery status and optimizes the charge.
- Specific Charging Curve: Ideal for every battery technology, including lithium batteries (SCS4, SCS8).
- Up to 9 charging steps (SCS4, SCS8).
- IP65 protection.
4. Preliminary Process
- Remove battery from vehicle (if necessary).
- Clean the terminals.
- For lead-acid Wet batteries: Add distilled water in each cell until battery acid reaches the level specified by the battery manufacturer. Do not overfill!
- Before starting, always remove the grounded connection from the battery and ensure all vehicle appliances are off.
- Ensure the area around the battery is well-ventilated while the battery is charging.
CAUTION
To charge an engine battery directly inside the vehicle, connect the negative clamp to the vehicle chassis (usually connected to the battery negative pole), then the positive clamp to the battery positive pole.
Connection Points:
- Negative Clamp: On the Chassis
- Positive Clamp: On the Battery Positive Pole
Diagram Description: A simple illustration shows a car battery with positive (+) and negative (-) terminals. The negative clamp is shown connected to the car's chassis, and the positive clamp is connected to the positive battery terminal.
5. Installation
Diagram Description: An illustration shows the SMARTCHARGER unit with its cables. One cable has clamp connectors, and the other has a standard AC plug. Arrows indicate connection to a car battery and an AC power socket.
- Connect the device clamp connectors (or ring connectors) to the battery terminals. The red terminal connects to the positive battery pole, and the black terminal connects to the negative battery pole. Switching the connection polarity on the battery poles will stop the charge, and the SMARTCHARGER will light up the error LED.
- Connect SMARTCHARGER to AC power socket.
- If the Power Indicator LED is on, SMARTCHARGER is ready to charge.
- Set the correct charging curve by pressing the MODE button (SCS4, SCS8). The charging curve depends on the battery technology and specifications. See the curve description at Page 9.
6. Start the Charge
The SMARTCHARGER LED menu allows immediate understanding of the selected charging parameter and the running charge step.
SCS2
Diagram Description: An illustration of the SMARTCHARGER SCS2 unit shows LED indicators. The display indicates "FULL" and "CHARGING" status. It also shows "12V / 2A".
SCS4
Diagram Description: An illustration of the SMARTCHARGER SCS4 unit shows LED indicators. A "MODE" button is visible. The display shows "12V / 4A". Icons for motorcycle, car, AGM, and LITHIUM LiFePO4 are present, indicating selectable charging modes.
SCS8
Diagram Description: An illustration of the SMARTCHARGER SCS8 unit shows LED indicators. A "MODE" button is visible. The display shows "12V / 8A". Icons for motorcycle, car, AGM, and LITHIUM LiFePO4 are present, indicating selectable charging modes.
Icon Status of Charge
| ICON | STATE OF CHARGE |
|---|---|
| MODE | Selection Button - Curve selection and reset during charge |
| ? | Power status Led |
| ❗ | Error Led - short circuit, reverse polarity, bad battery |
| ⚙️ | Rescue mode |
| ? | Battery is Charging |
| ✅ | Full charge / maintenance mode on |
| ?️ | Bike battery charging curve |
| ? | Car battery charging curve |
| ❄️ AGM | AGM batteries / Cold temperature charging curve |
| ⚡ LITHIUM LiFePO4 | Lithium (LiFePO4) battery charging curve |
See the charging curve full description (Page 9).
Follow these steps to start the charge:
- Connect the SMARTCHARGER to the battery (see Section 5), then plug in the AC power socket. The power status LED will turn on.
NOTE: If the AC power socket is connected before connecting the clamps to the battery, the error LED will be turned on (❗). Connect the clamps to the battery, then push the MODE selection button to restart the process.
- If everything is ok, SMARTCHARGER SCS2 will start charging directly.
Detailed Charging Process
For SMARTCHARGER SCS4 and SCS8, use the "MODE" selection button to switch between auto, motorcycle, AGM, and Lithium charging curves.
When a charging curve is selected, the process will start.
- SMARTCHARGER will check battery status before starting. If the battery is okay, the charge will start normally (step 5). If not, the device will try to recover the battery (step 4).
- If there's something wrong with the battery, SMARTCHARGER will try to recover it, and the rescue LED (⚙️) will light up. Rescue can take 30 to 120 minutes. The charge will turn to normal charge (step 5) when the battery is recovered. If the battery cannot be recovered, the error LED (❗) will light up.
- If everything is okay, the charge will start, and the charging LED (?) will light up.
- The full charge / maintenance LED (✅) will light up when the battery is fully charged and is now in trickle charge. If the voltage drops down, SMARTCHARGER sends current to the battery. SMARTCHARGER can be connected for months without any trouble.
NOTE
If the Lithium battery (LiFePO4) is deeply discharged and the UVP (Under Voltage Protection) function disconnects the battery to prevent damages, the SMARTCHARGER will be unable to charge. This protection interrupts the connection between the battery and chargers/appliances, and the SMARTCHARGER will detect no battery. To solve this problem, press the "MODE" button for 5 seconds and release until the "LITHIUM LiFePO4" LED lights up; after that, the charge will start normally.
7. Charging Curves
The new "OPTICHARGE" firmware, engineered by NDS software, optimizes battery charging according to battery technology using optimal charging parameters and constantly checking current and voltage levels to ensure batteries are always ready and healthy. With OPTICHARGE, you will have the best charging experience created by NDS; the easiest way: just plug the device into the power socket, and SMARTCHARGER will do the rest!
SMARTCHARGER SCS2
Automatic charger up to 14.4V, suitable for auto and motor vehicles.
SMARTCHARGER SCS4
4 different charging programs: auto, moto, AGM batteries, lithium batteries. Suitable for auto and motor vehicles.
| Auto/Motorcycle | AGM | Lithium LiFePO4 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| SCS4 | 14.4V / 1A | 14.7V / 4A | 14.4V / 4A |
SMARTCHARGER SCS8
4 different charging programs: auto, moto, AGM, lithium. Suitable for auto and motor vehicles, RV, marine, truck.
| Auto/Motorcycle | AGM | Lithium LiFePO4 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| SCS8 | 14.4V / 2A | 14.7V / 8A | 14.4V / 8A |
SCS2 - Charging Curve
Graph Description: A line graph showing Battery Voltage on the Y-axis and Charging Current on the X-axis. The curve starts at approximately 6V, goes through "PRELIMINARY CHECK", "BULK CHARGE", and ends at "ABSORPTION CHARGE" reaching a peak voltage.
SCS2 - Phases Discussion
| Phase | Description |
|---|---|
| Preliminary Check | Battery status check. Charge will not start with voltage under 6.0V. |
| Bulk Charge | Charge at max current (2A). |
| Absorption Charge | Charge until the voltage reaches 14.4V. Smartcharger will turn on the Full charge icon LED when current is <0.8A. |
SCS4, SCS8 - Charging Curve
Graph Description: A line graph showing Battery Voltage on the Y-axis and Charging Current on the X-axis. The curve starts at approximately 2V and progresses through multiple stages: "PRELIMINARY CHECK", "RESCUE", "SOFT START", "PULSE CHARGE", "RECONDITIONING", "BULK CHARGE", "ABSORPTION CHARGE", "FINAL CHECK", and "MAINTENANCE".
SCS4, SCS8 - Phases Discussion (Lead-Acid/Wet/AGM)
| Phase | Description |
|---|---|
| Preliminary Check | Battery status Check. Charge will not start with voltage under 2.0V and more than 15.5V. |
| Rescue | For deeply discharged battery: current will be 200-400mA at 16V for 5 seconds until voltage reduces to 14V (2 hours max timeout). |
| Soft Start | If battery voltage is between 2.0V-6.0V, a limited current is delivered (0.8A) to re-activate the battery elements, until voltage rises above 6V (2-hours max timeout). |
| Pulse Charge | If battery voltage is between 6.0V-10.5V, current will be at 0.8A and 2A for 5 seconds alternately (4 hours max timeout). |
| Reconditioning | After Pulse charge, if battery voltage reaches 10.5V-12.0V, smartcharger will constantly deliver 2A current to charge the battery until it has risen over 12.0V. This stage will not be carrying over 8 hours, otherwise the battery is classified as defected. |
| Bulk Charge | If battery level has reached 12.0V-13.6V. A constant current will charge the battery until it has reached 80% of the capacity. SCS4: 1A (motorcycle mode), 4A (car mode), 4A (AGM mode). SCS8: 2A (motorcycle mode), 8A (car mode), 8A (AGM mode). |
| Absorption Charge | If battery level is between 13.6V-14.4V (14.7V for agm), Smartcharger will switch to Constant voltage mode: output current will automatically adjust according to the raise of battery voltage. The charge will stop at 14.4/14.7V. Smartcharger will turn on the Full charge icon LED if the current reduces to: current <0.5A (motorcycle mode), current <0.8A (car mode), current <0.8A (AGM mode). |
| Final Check | Battery voltage is monitored for 1 minute. If voltage has a dramatic drop down under 12.2V, the battery will be classified as exhausted and the error LED will turn on. If voltage can be retained at 1 minute, then the Maintenance mode will start. |
| Maintenance | Battery maintained at 13.8V, a proper work level to be kept always ready to go. If voltage drops below 12V, smartcharger will restart from bulk charge. |
SCS4, SCS8 - Lithium Phases Discussion
| Phase | Description |
|---|---|
| Preliminary Check | Battery status Check. Charge will not start with voltage under 2.0V and more than 14V. |
| Rescue | For deeply discharged battery: current will be 200-400mA at 13.8V until voltage will be >11.5V (2 hours max timeout). |
| Check | If battery voltage > 10.8V, smartcharger move to next step. |
| Bulk Charge | If battery level has reached 13.8V. A constant current (SCS4: 4A, SCS8: 8A) will charge the battery when the current reduces to 0.8A. |
| Absorption Charge | If battery level is between 13.8V-14.4V, Smartcharger will switch to Constant voltage mode: output current will automatically adjust according to the raise of battery voltage. The charge will stop at 14.4V. Smartcharger will turn on the Full charge icon LED if the current reduces to 0.8A. |
| Final Check | Battery voltage is monitored for 1 minute. If voltage has a dramatic drop down under 12.2V, the battery will be classified as exhausted and the error LED will turn on. If voltage can be retained at 1 minute, then the Maintenance mode will start. |
| Maintenance | Battery maintained at 13.8V to be kept always ready to go. Routine is: 2 minutes charge and 2 minutes pause for 12 hours, then stop. If voltage drops below 13.3V, the maintenance mode routine will restart. If voltage drops below 12V, the smartcharger will restart from bulk charge. |
NOTE
The red DOTTED box underlines the whole rescue mode section that is activated only in case of battery low performances.
8. Technical Features
SMARTCHARGER SCS2
| Feature | Specification |
|---|---|
| Input rated voltage | 220-240V |
| Input rated current | 0,32A |
| Output rated voltage | 12V |
| Output charging current | 2A |
| Charging curves | Universal charging curve (14,4V) |
| Charging method | 3 steps |
| Activation voltage | 6V |
| Battery charge capacity | 3 - 40Ah |
| Battery maintenance | Up to 80Ah |
| Protection | IP65 |
SMARTCHARGER SCS4
| Feature | Specification |
|---|---|
| Input rated voltage | 220-240V |
| Input rated current | 0,45A |
| Output rated voltage | 12V |
| Output charging current | 1 - 4A |
| ?️ 14,4V / 1A | |
| ? 14,4V / 4A | |
| ❄️ AGM 14,7V / 4A | |
| ⚡ LITHIUM LiFePO4 14,4V / 4A | |
| Charging curves | AGM, Wet, Lithium |
| Charging method | 9 steps |
| Activation voltage | 2V |
| Battery charge capacity | 5 - 80Ah |
| Battery maintenance | Up to 100Ah |
| Protection | IP65 |
SMARTCHARGER SCS8
| Feature | Specification |
|---|---|
| Input rated voltage | 220-240V |
| Input rated current | 0,6A |
| Output rated voltage | 12V |
| Output charging current | 2 - 8A |
| ?️ 14,4V / 2A | |
| ? 14,4V / 8A | |
| ❄️ AGM 14,7V / 8A | |
| ⚡ LITHIUM LiFePO4 14,4V / 8A | |
| Charging curves | AGM, Wet, Lithium |
| Charging method | 9 steps |
| Activation voltage | 2V |
| Battery charge capacity | 10 - 160Ah |
| Battery maintenance | Up to 250Ah |
| Protection | IP65 |
9. Warranty
Warranty Coupon
First Name: ________________________________________________________
Surname: __________________________________________________________
Postcode: _________________________________________________________
E-MAIL: ____________________________________________________________
Model: _____________________________________ Serial Number: _____________________________ Purchase Date: _____________________________
Stamp and Signature of the Seller
I consent to the activity described in point 3.C of the information notice on www.ndsenergy.it/privacy-policy/
NDS ENERGY S.r.l.
Via G. Pascoli, 96/98
65010 Cappelle sul Tavo (PE) Italy
Email: customer@ndsenergy.it
Tel: +39 085 4470396
Fax: +39 085 9112263
Italy
Instructions for Proper Disposal
This electronic device is subject to the European Directive 2012/19/EU. According to local waste disposal rules, do not dispose of old products with normal household waste. Proper disposal of products that can no longer be used prevents potential negative consequences for the environment and the population.
♻️ CE
Contact Information
NDS ENERGY S.r.l.
Via Pascoli, 96/98
65010 Cappelle sul Tavo (Pe) Italy
Tel.: +39 085 4470396
Fax: +39 085 9112263
Web: www.ndsenergy.it
Email: customer@ndsenergy.it
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mailto:customer@ndsenergy.it
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