Thanks for that test I was sceptical of the ctek as a desulfator. You have shown it doesn't really desulfate long and goes to auto charge you saved me getting one, I'm after a stand alone strong pulsing desulfator. Ctek here is a battery charger not much else cheers
The 8A charger I reviewed last week as strong desulphation pulses and is a good strong charger to get the charge in quickly but use it for maintenance as the voltage cut off points are inaccurate..
I would like the charger to pulse all the way during the charge cycle. If the battery is sulphated, it will take significant time to desulphate it properly. I wonder if it can be made to do that, over several weeks.
Longer would be better. It does dissolve the lead from the plates as it is effectively overcharging battery. Could lead to electrolyte loss if less too long.
can you tell the difference between stage 1 (desulphation), 4 (absorption), 6 (recondition) and stage 8 (pulse) ? am under the impression that pulse desulphates. thanks
Great review and test of Ctek battery chargers. I'd like to see you test PulseTech Battery Charger's and PowerPulse battery desulfators. I use a PulseTech Power Pulse battery desulfator that you leave on your battery at all times, PulseTech claims that it will extend the battery life up to three times, and uses a patented frequency rather then voltage spikes.
i cant see the difference between regular and AGM figures at the chart: www.manualsdir.com/manuals/334727/ctek-mxs-50.html?page=3 could you please explain? thanks.
Compared to wet lead acid, the specified charge profile on an AGM requires the maintain bulk charge to a higher terminal voltage and the charge terminates at a slightly higher voltage. Harder for longer and terminate the charge at a higher voltage. In practice the CTEK's A to D doesn't have the resolution or repeatable accuracy to do it correctly. It is an expensive piece of very cheap design.
It depends on the internal resistance of the battery. There is no background charge happening only current caused by the pulse. Have a look at the latest NOCO genius 5 video.
Recently purchased the MXS5.0 several months ago to maintain grp24 deep cycle boat batteries. Do you feel the NOCCO 5 amp is a better overall charger? My Optimate 3 has been used for over 7 years with great results on motorcycle and quad batteries. Thanks for the very informative videos👍
@@colinsvoboda7925 Personally, for a healthy battery I would not leave the CTEK not permanently connected. Also it does not have any temperature compensation. The CTEKs I have tested have the termination voltage set too high to prevent plate erosion. The MXS5.0 does not deal well with mains transients so leaving i connected 24/7 seems to be an issue.
@@razenby The model I have MXS 5.0 (1090) North American model which claims to have charge voltage compensation according to ambient temperature although designed with a temp pickup within the case not sure the point unless it starts stone cold but even then the rise in internal temp would remove much benefit. It sounds like the NOCO handles maintenance and topping up better not to mention better build quality. Would you leave the Genuis connected to maintain or end up with the same result? Would be nice if NOCO included a lower amp setting but we can't have it all! Thanks again
What I don't understand is that CTEK charger goes in 1 second from step 1 to step 2, in 4 seconds to step 3, in another 5 seconds to step 4, but the pulses are shown in the oscilloscope for another 30 seconds. I would expect the charger to be in step 1 for that time (only the first LED on).
My CTEK is hopeless on the Desulphation mode, it always just stay in the mode for a few seconds and it moves on to the next. The greatest success of this charger is the Swedish who can manage to convince people paying big money for a cheap and incapable charger.
I have a CTEK MXS5.0 on stage 1 (desulph) for 3 full days now. For the first two days, it was a solid yellow, the third day is blinking every 2/3 seconds....it is working to desulphate? Its for a 2016 GX460 that was sitting unused for 4 months...
If the battery is too far gone it will never recover and the cycle wont ever end and all the lights wont come on. Unused for four months isn't a problem unless a vehicle has drained it below 11 volts at the terminals and it has been there for w while. In which case the battery is gone. say goodbye. For a disconnected battery most manufactures recommend a maintenance charge every six months and they also state that if the battery voltage measures below 11.5 volts the battery must not be sold but scrapped as it is 'irreversibly damaged'.
@@razenby Got it boosted successfully on day 4. The CTEK now is able to work on it - sitting at stage 3 currently. Remains to be seen if the battery can hold charge. Will update soon.
The CTEK desulphation mode overcharges the battery to erode the plates and hopefully remove sulfates by undermining their attachment to the plate. Hopefully without ruining the battery, On some chargers the repair mode includes a charge cycle and with others you are required to fully charge the battery before attempting a desulphation. On modem VRLA starting batteries it is a myth anyway,
desulfation shows 8 hrs: why that time? and what was the voltage at start of stage 1 and at the end? this way we could learn what improvement we get with desulfation and in what time. and tried the manufacturer but no response. they just want to sell...perhaps you know a better way to reach the right ones that could answer all my questions ?
Thanks for the comments. Refer to the NOCO Genius 5 playlist. The CTEK got sucked in by viewers and the detailed testing of CTEK VS NOCO recond modes on an ailing battery. Working OK on a daily basis but capacity was dropping. A series of 5 videos so far...
My MXS 5.0 spends about three seconds on step 1 before going through 2 again, a couple of seconds and then onto 3. The battery is about five and a half years old. I did, out of curiousity, disconnect the -ve terminal and run the RECOND programme. It made no difference to anything but the car was behaving anyway. I think the desulf and RECOND modes are smokey mirror things. If the battery is that shot that this is necessary then it's time for a new one anyway. These programmes might get you a week or two's grace whilst organising getting a new battery fitted. That's all. It's a marketing thing.
It is overpriced and overrated. The only + point over Climate Speed ULGD 5.0 is that the CTEK will recover a very flat battery because it doesn't have the 6V mode. In particular the termination of charge voltage was a long way out and the analyse stage is a scam on a timer. If you only need a 12v charger then DON'T buy an intelligent universal one that claims to do both 5 and 12V. They wont get you out f trouble if the 12V battery voltage goes too low.
CTEK does not use pulse repairing - they use battery plate eroding constant current. When you say works - have you noticed any improvement in your battery over and above that which is given by a standard complete 3-stage charge?
@@razenby of course battery revivded to crank. But other charger which can operate in Pulse repairing mode constantly, it gives better result than CTEK. I would CTEK also have a dedicated option for pulse repairing without automatic mode change to normal charging.
Didn't say it was however it is supposed to be intelligent and detect if reconditioning is needed. (See the patents). It spent quite a while in step 6 reconditioning (see chart). It made no difference to the Ah of the battery. I also tried a week in reconditioning mode and it made no difference to this battery. Smoke and mirrors and a row of LEDs works well for sales.
Nicely put together video. Thanks for that. 👍🏻✌🏻🇬🇧
No problem 👍 Thanks for watching.
Thanks for that test I was sceptical of the ctek as a desulfator. You have shown it doesn't really desulfate long and goes to auto charge you saved me getting one, I'm after a stand alone strong pulsing desulfator. Ctek here is a battery charger not much else cheers
You are welcome
The 8A charger I reviewed last week as strong desulphation pulses and is a good strong charger to get the charge in quickly but use it for maintenance as the voltage cut off points are inaccurate..
Please help me i cannot find your review with cteck 8 .u say is a good desulphator and i wanna see video and bay this one.thank u
@@dacomaniac Antonio, I have tested the CTEK MXS 5. I wouldn't call any of them a good desuplhator just yet.
@@razenby u say 8a charger is good....in yor coment..maybe is not a ctek ..just tell me where i find the vid with this 8 a charger please.ty
hi, thanks for the video. did you compared with the cheaper models sold @ LIDL and ALDI? thanks
Yes I did. The videos for the other models are here on the channel. The Aldi and Lidl battery chargers I have seen to date do not have a repair mode.
I would like the charger to pulse all the way during the charge cycle. If the battery is sulphated, it will take significant time to desulphate it properly. I wonder if it can be made to do that, over several weeks.
Longer would be better. It does dissolve the lead from the plates as it is effectively overcharging battery. Could lead to electrolyte loss if less too long.
can you tell the difference between stage 1 (desulphation), 4 (absorption), 6 (recondition) and stage 8 (pulse) ? am under the impression that pulse desulphates. thanks
No. The fancy diagram in the user manual is at best marketing gumpff.
Great review and test of Ctek battery chargers. I'd like to see you test PulseTech Battery Charger's and PowerPulse battery desulfators. I use a PulseTech Power Pulse battery desulfator that you leave on your battery at all times, PulseTech claims that it will extend the battery life up to three times, and uses a patented frequency rather then voltage spikes.
Great suggestion! Cant get Pulsetech in the UK market.
i cant see the difference between regular and AGM figures at the chart: www.manualsdir.com/manuals/334727/ctek-mxs-50.html?page=3
could you please explain? thanks.
Compared to wet lead acid, the specified charge profile on an AGM requires the maintain bulk charge to a higher terminal voltage and the charge terminates at a slightly higher voltage. Harder for longer and terminate the charge at a higher voltage. In practice the CTEK's A to D doesn't have the resolution or repeatable accuracy to do it correctly. It is an expensive piece of very cheap design.
Is 30ms higher voltage pulsing present also at RECON mode (6) or in there it is just a constant 15.8V with limited current flow to 1.5A?
It depends on the internal resistance of the battery. There is no background charge happening only current caused by the pulse. Have a look at the latest NOCO genius 5 video.
Recently purchased the MXS5.0 several months ago to maintain grp24 deep cycle boat batteries. Do you feel the NOCCO 5 amp is a better overall charger? My Optimate 3 has been used for over 7 years with great results on motorcycle and quad batteries. Thanks for the very informative videos👍
I have the Optimate here but haven't tested it yet so I cant really say. I am comfortable with the NOCO but cant say if the Optimate is better,
So for keeping a healthy12v deep cycle battery topped up and maintained could you recommend this CTEK?
@@colinsvoboda7925 Personally, for a healthy battery I would not leave the CTEK not permanently connected. Also it does not have any temperature compensation. The CTEKs I have tested have the termination voltage set too high to prevent plate erosion. The MXS5.0 does not deal well with mains transients so leaving i connected 24/7 seems to be an issue.
@@razenby The model I have MXS 5.0 (1090) North American model which claims to have charge voltage compensation according to ambient temperature although designed with a temp pickup within the case not sure the point unless it starts stone cold but even then the rise in internal temp would remove much benefit. It sounds like the NOCO handles maintenance and topping up better not to mention better build quality. Would you leave the Genuis connected to maintain or end up with the same result? Would be nice if NOCO included a lower amp setting but we can't have it all!
Thanks again
What I don't understand is that CTEK charger goes in 1 second from step 1 to step 2, in 4 seconds to step 3, in another 5 seconds to step 4, but the pulses are shown in the oscilloscope for another 30 seconds. I would expect the charger to be in step 1 for that time (only the first LED on).
Smoke and mirrors. It really isn't that sophisticated and does not do what the is claimed on the instructions.
My CTEK is hopeless on the Desulphation mode, it always just stay in the mode for a few seconds and it moves on to the next. The greatest success of this charger is the Swedish who can manage to convince people paying big money for a cheap and incapable charger.
Very frustrating
I have a CTEK MXS5.0 on stage 1 (desulph) for 3 full days now. For the first two days, it was a solid yellow, the third day is blinking every 2/3 seconds....it is working to desulphate? Its for a 2016 GX460 that was sitting unused for 4 months...
If the battery is too far gone it will never recover and the cycle wont ever end and all the lights wont come on. Unused for four months isn't a problem unless a vehicle has drained it below 11 volts at the terminals and it has been there for w while. In which case the battery is gone. say goodbye. For a disconnected battery most manufactures recommend a maintenance charge every six months and they also state that if the battery voltage measures below 11.5 volts the battery must not be sold but scrapped as it is 'irreversibly damaged'.
@@razenby Got it boosted successfully on day 4. The CTEK now is able to work on it - sitting at stage 3 currently. Remains to be seen if the battery can hold charge. Will update soon.
@@jasper1580 Great news. I am am looking forward to the result.
@@jasper1580 And what?
@@jasper1580 any update? Please
The desulfation programme is there to remove Harmful sulphites from lead in the battery not charge it.
The CTEK desulphation mode overcharges the battery to erode the plates and hopefully remove sulfates by undermining their attachment to the plate. Hopefully without ruining the battery, On some chargers the repair mode includes a charge cycle and with others you are required to fully charge the battery before attempting a desulphation. On modem VRLA starting batteries it is a myth anyway,
desulfation shows 8 hrs: why that time? and what was the voltage at start of stage 1 and at the end? this way we could learn what improvement we get with desulfation and in what time. and tried the manufacturer but no response. they just want to sell...perhaps you know a better way to reach the right ones that could answer all my questions ?
Thanks for the comments. Refer to the NOCO Genius 5 playlist. The CTEK got sucked in by viewers and the detailed testing of CTEK VS NOCO recond modes on an ailing battery. Working OK on a daily basis but capacity was dropping. A series of 5 videos so far...
My MXS 5.0 spends about three seconds on step 1 before going through 2 again, a couple of seconds and then onto 3. The battery is about five and a half years old. I did, out of curiousity, disconnect the -ve terminal and run the RECOND programme. It made no difference to anything but the car was behaving anyway.
I think the desulf and RECOND modes are smokey mirror things. If the battery is that shot that this is necessary then it's time for a new one anyway. These programmes might get you a week or two's grace whilst organising getting a new battery fitted. That's all. It's a marketing thing.
Can you run the Recond mode every week ?
Some swear by the effectiveness but I agree with Paul io this one. By the time you need it it is already too late...
How does this ctek charger compare to the ultimate speed ulgd 5.0?
It is overpriced and overrated. The only + point over Climate Speed ULGD 5.0 is that the CTEK will recover a very flat battery because it doesn't have the 6V mode. In particular the termination of charge voltage was a long way out and the analyse stage is a scam on a timer. If you only need a 12v charger then DON'T buy an intelligent universal one that claims to do both 5 and 12V. They wont get you out f trouble if the 12V battery voltage goes too low.
@@razenby If I understand well, the Ultimate Speed ULGD 50o is a valid battery charger. Right?
waw that so nice si good ..i have 3 cteks but just tell me pls where i found the programs u use it for testing and others? thank u so much
Thanks. I wrote the programs for testing myself using Microsoft Studio Software
You are a smart gay...ty
@@dacomaniac Thanks. That's what a lifetime of development does for you.. Somebody stop me!!
@@razenby like freddy mercury say dont stop me now
CTEK's pulse repairing does not work for long time. If you need continues pulse repairing, cheap Chinese charger has the function and it works well.
CTEK does not use pulse repairing - they use battery plate eroding constant current. When you say works - have you noticed any improvement in your battery over and above that which is given by a standard complete 3-stage charge?
@@razenby of course battery revivded to crank. But other charger which can operate in Pulse repairing mode constantly, it gives better result than CTEK. I would CTEK also have a dedicated option for pulse repairing without automatic mode change to normal charging.
You dont have it in Reconditioning mode. Click mode until both the car and the recond icons are on.
Didn't say it was however it is supposed to be intelligent and detect if reconditioning is needed. (See the patents). It spent quite a while in step 6 reconditioning (see chart). It made no difference to the Ah of the battery. I also tried a week in reconditioning mode and it made no difference to this battery. Smoke and mirrors and a row of LEDs works well for sales.
@@razenby Ok, thanks
@@razenby you didn't read the instructions properly