Aquameter
™
Series Instruction Manual
10401-00188 Rev M
3. Battery Installation and Care
The Aquameter requires five AA size batteries. To install the batteries, loosen the two
screws on the centreline of the rear of the meter and remove the battery compartment lid.
Following the battery polarity markings inside the battery compartment, insert five AA cells
then replace the compartment lid and tighten the screws.
3.1. Choice of Battery Type
Alkaline or rechargeable batteries may be used, but never mix battery types in the meter. If
you choose to use rechargeable batteries, we recommend
Energizer
2500mAh (or greater)
Nickel-Metal Hydride cells, which are widely available.
If the Meter is to be out of use for a long period, remove the batteries to prevent damage
due to possible leakage.
3.2. Battery Life
A set of fresh alkaline cells will give over 20 hours use in the AM-200 GPS Aquameter and
up to 40 hours use in the AM-100 Aquameter. A fully charged set of 2500mAh NiMH cells
will give up to 40 hours use in the AM-200 GPS Aquameter and up to 60 hours use in the
AM-100 Aquameter.
3.3. Battery Charging
During the charging process, batteries generate heat and vent gasses, and must never be
charged inside a sealed unit. Because the Aquameter is a sealed unit, we do not allow
charging in-situ. Batteries must be removed and charged with a suitable battery charger
outside the Meter. We recommend the use of one of the
Energizer
range of NiMH chargers.
3.4. Battery Condition Icon
On all the main Aquameter screens, a battery condition icon is displayed in the top left
corner. The icon shows full when the batteries are fresh, and gradually empties as the
batteries are used. When the batteries need replacing, the empty battery icon will flash on
and off. If you ignore this, the Meter will automatically switch itself off when the battery
voltage becomes too low for reliable operation.
When using rechargeable batteries, the battery icon will not show completely full, even with
freshly charged cells. This is due to the fact that rechargeable batteries are only rated at
1.2V per cell compared to 1.5V per cell for alkaline batteries. This indication does not affect
battery life. The icon will simply sit at the ¾ full mark for a longer period of time.
3.5. Battery Saver Functions
The Aquameter is designed to switch off automatically if you do not touch any of the keys
for 30 minutes. The only exception to this is if you have activated the
feature. In this case, the Meter will continue to operate until either the memory is
full or the batteries go flat.
The display on the Aquameter incorporates a white backlight to improve visibility in low-light
conditions. As on a mobile phone, the backlight switches on each time a key is pressed,
and stays on at full brightness for 15 seconds. After 15 seconds, the backlight will fade to
half brightness. After a further 15 seconds the backlight will switch off.
During normal operation, if you want to activate the backlight without changing the Meter
function, simply press the
OK
key.
© 2011 Aquaread Ltd.
www.aquaread.co.uk
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