My charger on my LX 7 from day one never worked correctly.plug it in and light never turned green not even after days. I was wondering if I could cut the cord and hook up positive. To positive and negative to negative that hooks up to the back of my unit and put it on a vexilar sportsman charger ????
Sure, will work with any 12V output charger. but a simple solution would be to cut the plug off of your marcum charger and wire it to your vexilar charger. Then you can just plug it in to charge and you won’t have to mess with your unit! By plug I mean the part that plugs into your harness and not the wall plug.
I would guess its just a misunderstanding, but it reads that you want to hook up your head unit wires to the vexilar charger. Do not do that!
Mine never has turned green either in the 2 years I have had it…..
But it still works and charges just fine…
As long as it still works I ignore it…easier that way… 
I got an LX6 about a month ago and the charger wouldnt turn green either. I emailed Marcum and they said that it may not turn green. I know the LED is green when its plugged into the wall when the LX6 isnt connected, it turns red when I connect the LX6 and it charges so I’m not worried
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Sure, will work with any 12V output charger. but a simple solution would be to cut the plug off of your marcum charger and wire it to your vexilar charger. Then you can just plug it in to charge and you won’t have to mess with your unit! By plug I mean the part that plugs into your harness and not the wall plug.
I took my LX7 plug off my Marcum charger and wired it into my Vex charger. What I also did was jump into the Vex charger wiring and wired in two alligator clips. Now I can either charge my LX7 or extra batteries I use for lights etc. from one charger.
I would guess its just a misunderstanding, but it reads that you want to hook up your head unit wires to the vexilar charger. Do not do that!
Kevin 23 what you said is what I want to do, I want to cut the alligator clips off vex charger and cut end that plugs into back of marcum and splice wires together so I don’t have to take unit out of bag to charge. Vex battery charger you can leave on all the time when not using. I left my Marcum charger on for two days and battery was still hot. Vex chargers charge battery until full then go into maintance mood the battery is not hot when in maintance mood. the vexilar charger I’m talking about is the V Automatic charger used it on my vex units for 10 years works every time.
Does your marcum having a wiring harness? Should have a section with two spade connectors that go to the battery, then a female plug on the end of that. Then there should be a plug coming off the back of your head with a male end that goes into the female end of the harness. The same male plug should be on your charger. You disconnect the head unit from the battery harness and plug in the charger to charge. Is that not the case? If that is what you have, then you need to leave everything alone and just clip off the male end from your marcum CHARGER, then splice those wires into the end of your vexilar chargers after removing the alligator clips. Do not touch the plug that plugs into the back of your unit, that has nothing to do with charging.
My marcum charger lasted 2 or 3 charges before I threw it in the AC/DC adapter box to be forgotten. I bought a battery tender jr to replace it, but it sounds like the vexilar charger will do the same thing. Marcum chargers SUCK!
If you do not have a harness, make one. But again, do not touch that plug that goes into your head unit!
You can go to radioshack or a similar store and purchase these 3 things.
1. A pack of spade connectors
2. A female CCTV plug with pigtails
3. TWO male CCTV pugs with pigtails.
And you’ll need a small section of wire, I’m sure you have some laying around somewhere.
Take two sections of wire, about 6″ long (1 for pos 1 for neg) and put a spade connector on the end of each one. On the other end wire up your female CCTV plug.
Then take the plug that goes into your head unit and cut the spade connectors off the end (again, don’t touch the actual plug that goes into your unit!). Wire in a male CCTV to the end where the spade connectors are. Then take your vex charger and put the other male CCTV plug on the end of that.
Now its as simple as hooking the spade connectors to the battery, and plugging in the charger to charge and the head unit to use. Should take about 10 minutes to wire up and about $10 at the most.
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I left my Marcum charger on for two days and battery was still hot.
Now that’s a horse of a different color….:)
I have never had the battery get hot… definitely get a different charger,a new Marcum or rewire yours…
My charger goes green sometimes or stays red others… I just unplug and turn the unit on, look at the dashboard display and see if the voltage is at full or near full. I’ve also been able to put a good 30 hours of use in a weekend without a new charge needed, in fact my LX6 has never actually had the battery run out of juice on me, so as long as you aren’t experiencing issues with getting a charge to the battery or running out of juice, I wouldn’t change a thing. Don’t fix what isn’t actually broken.
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My charger goes green sometimes or stays red others… I just unplug and turn the unit on, look at the dashboard display and see if the voltage is at full or near full. I’ve also been able to put a good 30 hours of use in a weekend without a new charge needed, in fact my LX6 has never actually had the battery run out of juice on me, so as long as you aren’t experiencing issues with getting a charge to the battery or running out of juice, I wouldn’t change a thing. Don’t fix what isn’t actually broken.
Actually isn’t something that is not working how designed a definition of broken? Wouldn’t that be coping with something that is broken?
Myself… I looked at it is “if they can’t make one with a working LED then what else is of lesser quality inside?”. I don’t trust marcum chargers at all. I’d rather have a $10 walmart charger than the marcum one.
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I don’t trust marcum chargers at all. I’d rather have a $10 walmart charger than the marcum one.
I guess I’ll have to replace mine then….
After all, my LX6 one has only lasted 2 years…and the one on my X1 has only made it 6 years….
Must be junk
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I don’t trust marcum chargers at all. I’d rather have a $10 walmart charger than the marcum one.
I guess I’ll have to replace mine then….
After all, my LX6 one has only lasted 2 years…and the one on my X1 has only made it 6 years….
Must be junk
Wow, how did you manage to have a lx6 charger for 2 years? (Lx6 hasn’t been out for 2 years yet).
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I don’t trust marcum chargers at all. I’d rather have a $10 walmart charger than the marcum one.
I guess I’ll have to replace mine then….
After all, my LX6 one has only lasted 2 years…and the one on my X1 has only made it 6 years….
Must be junk
Wow, how did you manage to have a lx6 charger for 2 years? (Lx6 hasn’t been out for 2 years yet).
Kevin, you need to get your panties out of a bunch and not being so concerned over such minor technicalities. It was released in July or Aug of 2012. I personally know that Jeff bought his as soon as they hit the market. So if he used it the 2012-2013 season and the 2013/2014 season to date…including the periodical charging in the off-season…close enough for 2 seasons/years for most people top comprehend his point.
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Actually isn’t something that is not working how designed a definition of broken? Wouldn’t that be coping with something that is broken?
I guess it depends on how you look at it bud, if your charger serves the purpose of showing different colored lights then indeed it would be broken. However if the purpose of the charger is to bring the battery to full, and it doesn’t fail to do so, then I wouldn’t consider that broken. When I am done fishing, I simply plug the charger in, wake up in the morning and check the voltage on the dashboard, if it’s full I power off the unit, if it isn’t I plug it back in and check it later that afternoon. The voltage tool on the dashboard is an awesome tool and will always be more accurate than any charger’s full charge indicator lights.
However if the battery is not getting charged to full, or the charge makes the battery hot, that’s when one should look into either getting a new battery or a new charger. *There is also a very good chance that if the light doesn’t go green on the Marcum charger, it is actually because the battery is going bad and not the charger, one should rule this out before wasting time and money monkeying with the charger.
Was just hitting back in retaliation for a post earlier today. We’ll go back and forth a couple more times and then cool it for a week or so. 
Kevin 23 does this look correct I was going to cut aligator clips off of vex charger and cut end off of marcum charger and hook up positive to positive neg to neg.
Perfect! 
Thanks Kevin 23 I just wanted to check before cutting wires I was doing everything correctly!!,,What I like about vex chargers for one thing is they work and the other you can leave them plugged in for as long as you want without battery getting hot when they are fully charged and in maintance mode
Those types of chargers ROCK! Like I said, it took 2.. maybe 3 charges before I tossed the marcum charger and bought a battery tender jr (same set-up as the vex).
Exactly what I did with mine. Light work every time and you know for sure you are charged and ready to go.
Not having to check voltage and worry about overcharging is a huge help during the hectic ice season. I just plug mine in when I get home, cold usually, and then unplug it when I go fishing again. I’ve never had it not take a full charge and I’ve never had to worry about it. Those smart chargers are well worth the money! (about $25 for a battery tender jr)
Wow…A guy gets back from a weekend of hard fishing and this is what happens…
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Wow, how did you manage to have a lx6 charger for 2 years? (Lx6 hasn’t been out for 2 years yet).
And then this…
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Was just hitting back in retaliation for a post earlier today. We’ll go back and forth a couple more times and then cool it for a week or so.
Retaliation is for just for me I see Kevin….
That’s OK…I’m a big boy now…I can handle it…to a point…
Retaliation in the form of telling me I am being untruthful about my experience with said chargers is just another hidden low blow that you’re getting famous for…
Grow up dude….that’s a playground thing..
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Not having to check voltage and worry about overcharging is a huge help during the hectic ice season. I just plug mine in when I get home, cold usually, and then unplug it when I go fishing again. I’ve never had it not take a full charge and I’ve never had to worry about it. Those smart chargers are well worth the money! (about $25 for a battery tender jr)
Ummm….
This is the EXACT same way I use my Marcum charger Kevin….
But to me checking the actual voltage occasionally is no big deal…it’s like checking the oil on a car every week….if you do that you don’t worry about it because you KNOW that it’s good…rather than just drive it hoping it’s good just because it was last time…ask my kid how well THAT works
You give your personal advice..I’ll give mine…But don’t call me dishonest.
So you honestly DO have a lx6 pre-april 2012? If you do, then I am sorry I called you dishonest. It was just my belief that the marcum lx6 was introduced somewhere around 8/8/12 and available around the first of sept 2012. If I am wrong then tell me, I can handle it.
ps did you catch any fish?
Whew…absolutely no comment on the meat of my post….Just this….
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So you honestly DO have a lx6 pre-april 2012? If you do, then I am sorry I called you dishonest. It was just my belief that the marcum lx6 was introduced somewhere around 8/8/12 and available around the first of sept 2012. If I am wrong then tell me,
Good lord…what don’t you understand???
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So if he used it the 2012-2013 season and the 2013/2014 season to date…including the periodical charging in the off-season…close enough for 2 seasons/years for most people to comprehend his point.
You’re getting real picky to tell me I’m wrong and and you’re right…the whole exact date thing is just BS and you know it…
Can you handle THAT?…….
So you still haven’t admitted that you were wrong and that you have used it for two ice seasons and not two years. Is that true? You can say that I was correct.. it won’t kill you. I just want to grab a screenshot of you saying I was correct. “No, it was not two years it was two ice seasons” Would have been sufficient. You are trying to insinuate that you were wrong (or misspoke), but won’t say it aloud.
You said you use your charger like mine… if you are plugging in your marcum charger for more than 20 hours you are risking frying your battery. That is a heads-up for anyone reading this.. not a jab at you, mud. My marcum charger has a tag on it that says “remove after 20 hours maximum” (nice English, huh?). My flasher has been on the charger since march 9th I believe, and it will stay there until next December unless I take it out in the boat. My battery will be kept topped off and has a very good chance of being in tip-top shape as soon as we get safe ice, without me even having to look at it until then.
You can keep trying if you want, but the plain and simple fact is that marcum’s basic chargers are sub-par. They may charge your battery, but they are not in the same category with vexilar’s smart charger or any smart charger on the market. Seems quite a few of them do not even have working LEDs in them (mine has a LED that won’t even turn RED, let alone green!), at least the ones at radioshak for $12.99 have working LED’s to tell you when the battery is charged. I love my marcum, but I have nothing good to say about the charger.
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So you still haven’t admitted that you were wrong and that you have used it for two ice seasons and not two years. Is that true? You can say that I was correct.. it won’t kill you. I just want to grab a screenshot of you saying I was correct. “No, it was not two years it was two ice seasons” Would have been sufficient. You are trying to insinuate that you were wrong (or misspoke), but won’t say it aloud.
It all boils down to this…
You HAVE to be right all the time and will go to any extreme to try to prove that…even down to being ultra picky…a real sign of immaturity..
As far as the charger goes you must have an older model..
This is a quote from my LX6 manual..page 15…
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Your Marcum system comes with a 3-stage battery charger. This style of
charger has proven to be the most effective and easiest to use of all charging
systems available. While the rate of charge is low, a completely discharged
battery can be brought back to a full charge in as little as 12 hours. Because
this is a 3-stage charger, there is no danger of overcharging your battery.
When properly cared for, a sealed lead acid battery will last for at least a
couple of years. Batteries are made to be used, and they need to be used to
make the most of them. The most important thing you can do is to promptly
recharge your battery after each use. Not charging your battery immediately
after use is the number one thing that leads to battery failure. When you get
home from a trip, put your battery on charge right away, and leave it there
overnight, or for around 8-12 hours. We often talk to people who hesitate
to charge their battery after each use for fear that the battery will develop
a “memory” and this will lead to a shortened run time—THIS IS FALSE!!!
ALWAYS CHARGE YOUR BATTERY AFTER EVERY USE!!! Be sure to use the
charger that came with your system, or a similar one that is between .5 amp
and 1 amp. Using a larger charger, like you would use on a car, truck, RV, or
boat is likely to cause damage to the battery. There is really very little danger
of overcharging your battery with a low amp charger, and most chargers automatically
go into “maintenance mode” once a full charge has been achieved.
A 3-Stage charger works like this—
Stage 1 (Bulk Stage): Constant current charging at a high voltage level at
maximum amperage to minimize charge time.
Stage 2 (Absorption Stage): Current tapers off for final 10% of charge.
Stage 3 (Maintenance Stage): Lower voltage mode to prevent electrolyte loss,
keeping your battery at full charge indefinitely.
I’m done with this now…you believe and do what you want.
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You said you use your charger like mine… if you are plugging in your marcum charger for more than 20 hours you are risking frying your battery. That is a heads-up for anyone reading this.. My marcum charger has a tag on it that says “remove after 20 hours maximum”
Just to repeat.
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LX6 manual..page 15…
Because this is a 3-stage charger, there is no danger of overcharging your battery.
There is really very little danger of overcharging your battery
Stage 3 (Maintenance Stage): Lower voltage mode to prevent electrolyte loss,
keeping your battery at full charge indefinitely.
Where did you go Kevin?
Right here. Soon as you man up enough to admit that I was right, I will return the favor. You’ve had 4 chances and you kept beating around the bush until you said you were done so I would quit asking.
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