1. To discharge a NiCd battery, press BATT TYPE to find the “NiCd
CHARGE” screen, then rotate the dial to find the “NiCd DISCHARGE”
screen, and skip to step 3.
2. To discharge a NiMH battery, press BATT TYPE to find the “NiMH
CHARGE” screen, then rotate the dial to find the “NiMH
DISCHARGE” screen.
3. Discharge current and cutoff voltage can be adjusted in the
discharge screens. Press the dial, then rotate to adjust the discharge
current value as desired (0.1 – 3.0 amps). See the included NiCd
AND NiMH CHARGE AND DISCHARGE CURRENTS chart for
recommended discharge current settings. Note: Rotating the dial
fully to either direction will cause “auto” to show. See the “Notes”
section below for details on this auto function.
4. Press the dial to cause the discharge cutoff voltage to flash. This
will be the voltage of the entire pack (not per cell) when discharge
will end. Rotate the dial to find the desired value, then re-press the
dial to confirm. See the DISCHARGE CUTOFF SETTINGS –
NiCd & NiMH chart at right for recommended cutoff voltage
settings. To measure how much TIME a battery can realistically,
safely power a transmitter or receiver, it’s recommended to use
the “1.1V per cell” settings. Otherwise, to measure a battery’s
ability to hold its manufacturer’s rated capacity, or to measure how
much time a battery can realistically power an electric motor, use
the “0.9V per cell” settings. Note: Rotating the dial fully to either
direction will cause “auto” to show.
See the “Notes” section below for
details on this auto function.
5. To START DISCHARGE, press and
hold the dial for 2 seconds. “BATTERY
CHECK” will show briefly as T2 checks
the condition of the battery. Discharge
will start automatically if the battery is
in suitable condition, at which time
you’ll see a screen like shown at right.
6. When discharge is finished, the screen will show “END” and tones will sound for 10 seconds
.
The battery can now be re-
charged, or disconnected from Triton2. To see details about input, output, or average discharge voltages, press BATT TYPE
and MENU CHANGE buttons simultaneously to see the DATA VIEW screens (see page 12).
DISCHARGING NiCd OR NiMH BATTERIES
7
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
1.2V
2.4V
3.6V
4.8V
6.0V
7.2V
8.4V
9.6V
10.8V
12.0V
13.2V
14.4V
15.6V
16.8V
18.0V
19.2V
20.4V
21.6V
22.8V
24.0V
25.2V
26.4V
27.6V
28.8V
-
-
-
4.4V
5.5V
-
-
8.8V
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
0.9V
1.8V
2.7V
3.6V
4.5V
5.4V
6.3V
7.2V
8.1V
9.0V
9.9V
10.8V
11.7V
12.6V
13.5V
14.4V
15.3V
16.2V
17.1V
18.0V
18.9V
19.8V
20.7V
21.6V
# cells
in the
pack
Rated
pack
voltage
Normal Cutoff
Voltage
(0.9V per cell)
Cutoff Voltage
Tx and Rx batts
(1.1V per cell)
DISCHARGE CUTOFF SETTINGS - NiCd & NiMH
Notes about discharging NiCd and NiMH batteries:
• Some transmitters might contain a diode in their charge circuit which could prevent the Tx battery from being discharged through the radio’s charge jack,
causing a “No battery” error to show. It’s best to remove the battery from the Tx and connect it directly to Triton2 for discharging (see page 4 for a list of
adapters).
• For more accurate discharge readings, it’s better to use a current which can discharge the pack in 1 or 2 hours.
• The maximum discharge current is 3 amps. For packs having more than 6 volts, the actual amount of discharge current might automatically be limited so
to not exceed the charger’s maximum rated discharge
power of 20 watts. See the included MAXIMUM POWER CHART for details.
• For batteries which are used in high current applications such as driving electric motors (not for Tx or Rx batteries), it’s best to discharge down to 0.9V
per cell in the pack as shown in the DISCHARGE CUTOFF SETTINGS – NiCd & NiMH table. When discharged at high current, a battery’s voltage will
drop more rapidly and this 0.9V discharge cutoff will allow Triton2 to more realistically simulate how long the battery will last during real use. Do NOT
attempt to discharge cells to voltages lower than recommended.
• For transmitter and receiver batteries, it’s best to discharge down to 1.1V per cell in the pack as shown in the DISCHARGE CUTOFF SETTINGS – NiCd & NiMH
table. This will allow Triton2 to more accurately measure how many minutes a battery might SAFELY power a transmitter or receiver during actual use.
• After discharge, compare the final capacity measurement displayed to the capacity rating listed on the battery’s label. If a battery provides less than 70%
of its rated capacity it may need to be replaced. Additional cycles can be attempted to try and revive the battery, but if capacity measurements fail to
improve the battery should be replaced.
• Discharge can be stopped manually by pressing MENU CHANGE
,
or disconnecting the pack.
• In the “auto” current setting, T2 will automatically set the appropriate discharge current based on the condition of the battery. It is NOT recommended to
use the “auto” function if charging smaller electric flight type NiCd / NiMH batteries (smaller than “AA” cells).
• There are two main reasons why someone would want to discharge a battery. First, to see if the battery is holding its rated capacity (see the CYCLING
NiCd AND NIMH BATTERIES section). Or, to see how much capacity remains in the battery after a flying session. This can help you gauge how much
energy your flight system is requiring from your battery.
• In the “auto” voltage setting T2 will automatically detect the number of cells in the battery, and then discharge the battery to 0.9V per cell in the pack.
Discharge current may vary when in auto mode, which is normal.
Output
Voltage
NiCd dsch 00760
8.14V 0.5A 091m
Discharge
Current
Battery
Type
DSCH =
discharging
Discharge capacity: This is how much energy (capacity, in
"mAh") the battery delivered during discharge. When
discharge ends, this number could be low if the battery
previously had little charge. For a battery which
previously had been fully charged, this number should
ideally be within 10% of the battery's own mAh rating.
Elapsed discharge time: This is the number of minutes the
battery has been on discharge. When discharge is
finished, if the battery previously had little charge, this
number should be low. For batteries which previously had
been fully charged this number should be larger.