the Evolution

bullet.gif (924 bytes) Trickle Chargers
Trickle chargers are today's standard OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) battery chargers. Trickle chargers operate by delivering a steady, low-level, positive current for as long as they are connected to a power supply. Though inexpensive to purchase, these chargers dramatically reduce the performance and life of a battery. The trickle charger increases ion concentration which can lead to an overheated battery and reduce charging capacity. The low charge rate also allows the internal chemical reactions to be localized on the electrode surface, leading to dendrite growth. With these chargers, users experience a greater likelihood of overcharging and "memory effect".

bullet.gif (924 bytes) Fast Chargers
Fast chargers utilize the same general technology as trickle chargers with one primary difference. These OEM-upgrade fast chargers operate by increasing the constant positive current. These chargers are more expensive than traditional trickle chargers and generally decrease charging times from approximately ten hours to two or three hours. The fast charger is slightly more complex, offering circuitry that terminates the charge when battery has reached capacity or decreasing current when the battery has reached a certain voltage. Although this charger offers some improvement from the traditional trickle charger, it still does not address the electrochemical process within the battery. In fact, the increased level of constant current causes significant deterioration, similar or worse than the trickle charger.

bullet.gif (924 bytes) Pulse Chargers
Pulse-chargers, first introduced in 1960, were the first improvement to the constant-current trickle charge. Pulse-chargers operate on the principle of surging power into the battery in pulses of electrical current. One-second pulses of power are interspersed with rest periods lasting a fraction of a second. These interruptions give the ions a chance to diffuse and distribute more evenly throughout the battery, thus reducing some of the negative effects of trickle charging. Further advances in pulse-charging resulted in the development of second generation pulse-chargers to address the problem of recharging batteries that aren’t fully discharged. These chargers augment the rest period by adding a short negative discharge pulse (depole pulse) interspersed with the positive charge pulses. Though pulse-charging offers some improvement to trickle charging, neither pulse charging method works with the chemical reaction and physical phenomenon taking place in the battery.

bullet.gif (924 bytes) ACT's Revolutionary DEW™ Technology
ACT's patented process has surpassed industry standards and redefined battery charging and conditioning. The ACTivator uses patented Dynamic Electrochemical Waveform™ technology to analyze the batteries condition, then deploys intelligent software to continuously adjust the Waveform for an optimum charge.  The ACTivator monitors the internal condition of the battery, altering the electrochemical structure when necessary to keep the chemical reaction in a constant "charge receptive" state.  The process is universally effective on every battery chemistry in use today.

ACTivated™ batteries have no memory effect, and the charging process literally brings many old batteries back to life.  The DEW™ technology's sophisticated algorithm can more than triple battery life and dramatically reduce the problem of used-battery disposal.

"When you definitely want to get a battery charged up to 100% without a question, the ACTivators are what you want to use.  With other chargers, you throw a (partially-used) battery in and leave it for 3 hours - you don't know how much charge time you have.  With the ACTivator, put it in 15 or 20 minutes - when the 'Charged' light turns green you KNOW it's 100% - sometimes more."
Chris Thornton, Racing Radios