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Macro 900 Operation Manual
V3
© 2013 Palintest Ltd.
www.palintest.com
Page 12 of 147
3.
Battery Installation and Care
The Macro 900 Meter 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 Macro 900 Meter.
A fully charged set of 2500mAh NiMH cells will give up to 40 hours use in the
Macro 900 Meter.
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 Macro 900 Meter 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 Macro 900 Meter 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 Macro 900 Meter 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 Macro 900 Meter incorporates a white backlight to improve