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Some of the newer chargers are more sophisticated. They are made to handle different voltages. There are control boards which regulate charging. Most important is that they are suppose to be safer. Old fashion chargers, from what I remember, turned on and that was about it. In addition to possibly overcharging, the charger and battery both got really hot. Sometimes the batteries got to a boiling point, with fluid and fumes spilling out. You couldn't plug it in and leave it overnight. You had to monitor it, or risk a fire. Newer style battery chargers are advertised as being able to repair sulfation and stratification. I don't know if that actually works. Newer style battery chargers sometimes have a setting for lithium batteries. Which could be beneficial for people who use lithium batteries on their motorcycles. The charger I use has a bunch of different features and settings. I may have bought more features and settings than I need.
All these "smart chargers" will not charge a battery if the voltage is too low.
If there is another good battery available, a simple trick to literally trick some chargers to work is to put the bad battery in parallel with a good battery when on the charger. This will trick the charger into thinking that the voltage is adequate to accept a charge. After a while, disconnect the good battery and leave the bad battery charging. Then, recharge the good battery again separately.
If there is another good battery available, a simple trick to literally trick some chargers to work is to put the bad battery in parallel with a good battery when on the charger. This will trick the charger into thinking that the voltage is adequate to accept a charge. After a while, disconnect the good battery and leave the bad battery charging. Then, recharge the good battery again separately.
That's the same method recommended by Optima.
With an AGM battery, it's best to use a modern charger, with an AGM setting.