Plasma cutting power sources and welding machines

A battery charger is a device used to put energy into a secondary cell or rechargeable battery by forcing an electric current through it.
The charging protocol depends on the size and type of the battery being charged, on its discharge level and on the current we want to deliver to it. Slow charges are made with low currents that usually do not exceed approximately 1/10th of the capacity of the battery and may take several hours to complete a charge. Slow charges are preferable for a longer battery life, preventing the battery from overheating. Fast charges are made with higher currents, approximately 1/5th of the capacity of the capacity of the battery and can restore most capacity within minutes or less than an hour, but generally require monitoring of the battery to protect it from overcharge and the charging time is controlled by a timer.
The battery charging time can also vary according to ambient conditions and state of the battery. Battery chargers may be manual, or may include controls for time and charging voltage.
A starter, in addition to the function of charging the batteries, enables direct start-up of vehicles. Usually has a protection system to prevent overcharging and reverse polarity.
Using a starter to start a vehicle is required when its battery does not have enough energy to power the starter motor.
In this case the energy needed can be taken by connecting the starter to the mains power and setting it to start-up mode.
Sometimes it is useful to charge the battery for some minutes (fast charge) before to carry out the start –up.
Starters are professional devices intended for use only by skilled personnel such as car electricians and so on.