People panic whenever they notice flashing lights on their Noco genius battery chargers. This guide will tell you whether or not that panic is justified.
Why Is My Noco Genius Battery Charger Flashing Lights?
Like every other electronic device, the lights on a Noco genius battery charger will flash for good and bad reasons. That includes the following:
1). Trickle Charge
The charger uses LEDs to keep consumers abreast of the charging process. A solid green color shows that the battery has a full charge. You can disconnect it from the charger. A pulsing green LED means something else.
NOCO blamed the pulsing green light on a trickle charge that tops off the battery. This is basically a very low current.
2). Charging Status
Blinking lights reveal the charging status. For instance, a flashing red LED shows that the battery’s charge is less than 75 percent. The device will pulse a different color once the charge is higher than 75 percent but below 100 percent.
Expect similar pulses when the battery is less than 25 percent and between 25 and 50 percent.
3). Temperature Too High/Low
Noco charger lights flash when the internal and ambient temperatures are too high or too low. The flashing will persist until the temperature either rises or falls.
4). No Charge
The charger will flash when it fails to charge a battery. The battery is defective, or the charger has malfunctioned. Batteries are susceptible to internal shorts that elevate the temperature to unhealthy levels. Stop the charging process until you fix the charger or battery. You don’t want to force a defective battery to charge.
5). High Voltage
A Noco charger’s LEDs will flash because the voltage is too high. This error can occur because of a fault in the battery or because you selected the wrong charge setting. The charge settings should match the battery’s specs.
6). Low Voltage
Tech Battery Solutions have identified situations where the charger fails to detect the battery because the battery’s voltage is too low. This happens when you allow the battery to drain completely, especially when the battery goes unused in storage for several months or even years.
7). Power Source Has A Problem
Do you only notice the flashing when you connect the charger to a power source? Do all the lights flash? This behavior is normal. You should only worry when the flashing continues. In that case, the power source has a problem.
Check the outlet for signs of a fault or malfunction. Extension cords and power strips are unreliable. If the flashing occurs whenever you use an extension cord or power strip, connect the charger to a wall outlet.
8). Loose Connections
Loose connections can create an error condition, triggering flashing lights to let you know that something has gone wrong. You can confirm your suspicions by finding and tightening all the loose connections. The flashing should stop. Otherwise, the fault lies elsewhere.
9). Damaged Battery
The battery is either weak or damaged. Look for swelling, leaking, and corrosion. A damaged battery is dangerous. Don’t force the Noco genius charger to charge a swollen, leaking, or corroded battery.
10). Defective Charger
Flashing lights can signify a damaged charger. Defects in chargers can originate from factory errors, poor handling, and poor storage habits.
Noco Battery Charger Lights And Troubleshooting Tips
Noco battery chargers have various kinds of lights. Each light plays a different role, as the guide below will soon reveal:
1). Noco Genius Battery Charger Flashing Red Meaning
- The battery charge is less than 25 percent. The LED will turn a solid red once the charge hits 25 percent.
- The battery charge is less than 50 percent. The LED will turn solid red when the battery is at 50 percent.
- The charger has failed to send a charge to the battery. The battery is not drawing a charge.
- You have a defective battery.
- You allowed the battery to discharge completely.
How To Fix It?
- You can ignore red LEDs that flash because the battery is charging. The flashing will stop once the battery is fully charged. The LED will either become a solid red light or green depending on the amount of charge it has accumulated.
- Make sure the battery is correctly connected to the charger.
- Replace a defective battery. Faulty batteries are not worth fixing. It is safer and more cost-effective to get a new one. Use your warranty to reduce the repair and replacement costs.
2). Noco Genius Battery Charger Flashing Green Meaning
- The battery’s charge is between 75 and 100 percent. It will only turn solid green when the battery attains a full charge.
- Battery optimization charging. At this stage of maintenance and optimization, you can leave the battery alone. It can remain in the Noco genius charger indefinitely.
You don’t fix a flashing green LED. It shows that the charger is doing its work. It is charging the battery as expected. You can only take action when the light becomes a solid green. At that point, feel free to disconnect the battery. If the green LED is pulsing slowly, you can leave the battery alone.
A slow pulsing green LED signifies a maintenance charge. You can leave the battery in the charger for as long as you want.
3). Noco Genius Battery Charger Flashing Red And Green Meaning
Sometimes, the charger fails to detect the battery because the battery’s voltage is too low (lower than 2V). The charger cannot initiate the charging cycle. This can happen when you leave the battery in storage for too long or if it goes unused for an extended duration.
How To Fix It?
People respond to a battery with a voltage below 2V by activating force mode. You do this by holding the mode button for several seconds. Once you find and choose the correct battery type, the red and green lights will alternate.
The mode, which persists for five minutes, allows the charger to charge batteries with a low voltage. That includes batteries whose voltage is less than 1V. After five minutes, the charger will enter standby mode.
Even though Noco believes that their device can resolve low voltage and even lost capacity by applying a high voltage pulse, you can use other methods to jumpstart the battery before making another attempt to charge it.
4). Noco Genius No Light – Why?
- The charger is not connected to a power source.
- You have a faulty power source.
- Your power source has a low voltage.
- The LEDs are simply too dim for you to see the light.
How To Fix It?
- Connect the charger to a second outlet. If the lights come on, the first outlet has a fault. Open it and look for burn marks, loose wiring, damaged wiring, etc. You can either fix or replace the damaged outlet.
- Check the extension cord or power strip for damage. Switch to a wall outlet.
- Fix or replace a damaged power cord.