5. Power
Supply
The wall power adapter included is the main power supply for
this charger. Only approved power supplies may be used to
power the BT-C2400 charger. The included power supply
pr12Vdc at 1.0A. It has a coaxial DC power plug,
which inserts into the power jack on the rear of the charger
main unit, of 5mm OD, 2.1mm ID with center positive. The
charger may be operated from approved portable power
adapters that supply the correct voltage and minimum current
requirements.
6. Operation
Upon initial power application the firmware revision level is
displayed in the left most digits of the display. After
approximately one second all display segments are displayed
for approximately two seconds. The “null” icon will then be
shown for all channels until batteries are inserted. This
indicates that all internal self-tests passed and the charger is
ready for use.
Once a rechargeable battery is inserted, its instantaneous
voltage will be displayed for 3 seconds. Mode CHARGE and
current value 400 mA will be displayed for another 3
seconds. If no button is pressed during these 6 seconds, the
charging process will start at the default value of 400 mA. Any
button press during this 6 second time will cause the charger
to wait for another 10 seconds before entering the working
mode.
If no particular slot is selected by pressing the SLOT button,
the MODE, DISPLAY and CURRENT buttons refers to all 4
slots simultaneously. Flashing channel display indicates
selection of that channel. All four channel displays flashing
indicates that MODE, DISPLAY and CURRENT buttons refer
to all four channels simultaneously. The charger display
backlight turns on after each key press and remains on for 30
seconds after the last key press.
6.1 MODE Selection
At least one rechargeable battery must be inserted in a
channel in order to program the charger.
Press and hold the “MODE” button for 2 seconds to start
working mode selection for selected slots.
Press the MODE button subsequently at least one time to
toggle among the working modes. Press the MODE button
until the desired working mode is shown in the selected
channels.
The working mode may be changed any time while a battery
is in the charger by pressing and holding the MODE button for
2 seconds.
Working Modes:
CHARGE
DISCHARGE
DISCHARGE - REFRESH
CHARGE - TEST
QUICK TEST
CHARGE Mode:
In the CHARGE mode the rechargeable battery is charged
up to its maximum capacity at the selected current. Charge
termination or full charge is determined with a modified -dV
(minus delta voltage) algorithm. The proprietary modified
algorithm ensures that full charge termination is detected
by the charger, even at low charge currents. Once full
charge is detected the charger enters a maintenance
charge process supplying minimum charge to the cell so
that it remains at full capacity until ready to use.
Note: When attempting to charge cells with high
impedance, the charger will not reject the cells as with
some other chargers. Instead the cell will be charged at
a reduced current from the programmed setting.
This
will allow charging of high resistance cells so that they may
be cycled to improve their capacity and internal resistance.
Example: Insert battery into a slot. CHARGE will flash
in that channel display. Press CURRENT button to
select 200, 400, 600, 800, 1000, (1200 or 1400) mA for
the charge rate. If CURRENT button is not pressed the
current will automatically default to 400 mA.
DISCHARGE Mode:
In the DISCHARGE mode the rechargeable battery is
discharged to a preset battery voltage (0.9V) then
discharged is terminated. At discharge termination 0 mA
current is displayed in that channel display. Press the
DISPLAY button to view discharged capacity.
Example: Insert battery into a slot. Press MODE button
until DISCHARGE is displayed in that channel. Press
CURRENT button to select 100, 200, 300, 400, or 500,
(600 or 700) mA discharge rate. If CURRENT button is
not pressed the discharge current will automatically
default to 200 mA.
DISCHARGE - REFRESH Mode:
In the DISCHARGE-REFRESH mode the rechargeable
battery is discharged then charged repeatedly to optimize
to its maximum capacity. Old rechargeable batteries or
rechargeable batteries that have not been used for a long
period of time can be restored with this mode. Depending
on the selected discharge and charge current, it can take
tens of hours for completion. Refresh mode will make 3
complete discharge-charge working cycles. When the
discharge-charge cycles are complete FULL will be
displayed in the channel display. Discharged capacity is
stored after each discharge cycle and is available by
pressing the display button.
Example: Insert battery into a slot. Press the MODE
button until DISCHARGE - REFRESH is displayed in
that channel. Press the current button for 100, 200, 300,
400, 500, (600 or 700) mA discharge rate. If the
CURRENT button is not pressed the discharge current
will automatically default to 200 mA.
