Connect Braille
Battery Management
Page 41
9
Battery Management
Your Connect Braille features four rechargeable NiMH round cell batteries. The Connect
Braille will operate for about 20 hours with new, fully charged batteries. This maximum run
time decreases as the batteries get older. The average useful life of a battery is
approximately 2 years with constant recharging and discharging.
Batteries are subject to aging, which can be aggravated under adverse conditions. This
situation prevails if seemingly fully charged batteries operate for only a short time period
before they need to be recharged. You can do a few things to reduce this effect:
•
Try to always let your batteries discharge completely before recharging them again.
•
Always use the recharging device integrated into the Connect Braille.
9.1 Types of Batteries
The Connect Braille utilizes four batteries with the following technical specifications:
Type
NiMH (nickel-metal-hydride)
Size
round cell (AA)
Rated Voltage
1.2 V
Rated Capacity
2700 mAh
These batteries are regular, commercial rechargeable batteries, which can be purchased
at any appliance store or from Help Tech. However, please make sure that you are
purchasing batteries with this exact designation. The only permissible deviation from the
above specifications is in the rated capacity. It is best to always replace all four batteries at
once. The rated capacity of the four batteries must be the same.
It is possible to install non-rechargeable batteries of the same ratings in the Connect
Braille instead of the rechargeable batteries. However, it is very important that there be no
attempt to charge these batteries, i.e. the power supply or USB cable must not be
connected. This could cause the batteries to burst and destroy the recharging circuitry.
9.2 Battery Charging
The Connect Braille contains integrated, intelligent recharging circuitry for charging the
batteries. Recharging starts automatically when the power supply delivered with your
Connect Braille is connected to a wall outlet.
Recharging lasts approximately three hours if the batteries were empty. The Connect
Braille features electronic recognition and interpretation of the end of recharging, as well
as of the permissible discharge. This way, the batteries can neither be overcharged nor
excessively discharged. The power supply may therefore remain connected for longer
periods of time.
