A major switch for La Marche: company develops new switchmode battery chargers/rectifiers, converter systems and testers

Diesel Progress North American Edition, May, 2004 by Mike Brezonick

A63 converter systems are factory configured with one to four modules in a single cage. Distribution modules consisting of either GMT fuses or breakers can share a cage with the converters to form a complete power system, the company said. The design allows the de output to be wired as a single connection for all converters or for each pair of converters per cage. This enables custom field installations and gives greater system flexibility to suit customer requirements, the company said.

Also new is the La Marche Battery Informer (BI) series, which is designed to be installed into any battery system and can, within seconds, determine the condition of batteries under load without disrupting system operation. The battery and charger are never disconnected from the load, even during the test. The intelligent tester control circuit will not allow testing to take place when the batteries are being used in an emergency situation or if they are recharging from a recent discharge. It will also signal if the tester has failed and/or the charging system is inoperative.

The BI system performs a momentary discharge test, signaling whether the batteries are good, have open cell(s), are sulfated, whether failure is imminent or even if batteries are missing. If the tester detects suspected sulfation, an automatic equalize cycle can be initiated on a charger equipped with a remote equalize input. The tests can be initiated manually or the controller can be programmed to automatically perform the test periodically in any interval between one and 120 days.

The patent pending system is available in a range of configurations to cover battery strings of 24, 48 and 130 Vdc, with capacities ranging from 25 to 1000 amp-hours. Other custom ratings are also available, the company said.

All of La Marche's products are built at its 75,000 sq.ft. headquarters facility in Des Plaines.

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