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ACTIVATOR 50 CHARGER USER’S GUIDE
lITHIUm bATTERy pROGRAmmInG
The Lithium Battery Programming menu is suitable for charging and discharging
Lithium batteries with a nominal voltage of 3.3V (Li-Fe), 3.6V (Li-Io) and 3.7V (Li-Po)
per cell. The charge technique, constant voltage (CV) and constant current (CC)
methods, will differ based on the type of Lithium battery you’re charging. The charge
current varies according to the battery capacity and performance. The final voltage
of the charging process is also very important; it should be precisely matched with
the specific maximum voltage of the battery type being charged. They are 4.2V
for Li-Po, 4.1V for Li-Io, and 3.6V for Li-Fe. The charge current and nominal voltage
programmed must always be correct for the battery to be charged.
lITHIUm InTERnAl RESISTAnCE TESTInG
1) Balance charge your Lithium battery following the steps in the
Lithium Battery
Balance Mode Charging section on pages 20 through 21. After balance charging,
leave the battery connected to the charger.
4) When the test is complete, the current internal
resistance of each cell in the Lithium battery
will be displayed in milli-ohms. The values
displayed for each cell will not be exactly the same, but they should be close.
The following can be determined by the test results:
Individual Cell Deterioration
- If the value of one cell is more than 15% or more
greater than the average of the other cells, then that one cell is probably starting
to fail. If you see this, cycle the battery one to two times at 0.5C or lower, then
balance charge the battery at 0.5C and re-test.
Overall Battery Deterioration
- When the Lithium battery is new, run the test
after the battery has been cycled 5 times (and balance charged). Record that
data. After many uses, re-test and see how much the number has increased.
When it increases significantly, the battery is probably starting to deteriorate.
You can cycle the battery at 0.5C (or less) and test to see if capacity is starting
to deteriorate too. In this case, the battery may need to be replaced.
Because this test is comparative and not absolute, it may vary from battery
to battery and charge to charge, and it will be different when compared to
other charger brands. These variations are not an indication of a faulty battery
or charger.
If desired, press the INC button to switch between viewing the current
internal resistance of the individual cells and a total of all cells.
2) Press the STOP or DEC buttons to scroll to the
TEST LIXX INTERNAL RESISTANCE menu.
3) Press the START/ENTER button to begin the internal resistance test.
