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Battery Capacity
For added safety and ease of use, the TP820CD features a function that allows you to set the battery
capacity. This function allows you to enter the capacity of the battery you’ll be charging so the
charger can automatically set a 1C (1 x Capacity) charge rate. In general most supported battery
chemistries/types can be charged safely and successfully at a 1C rate so this feature makes for the
easiest possible setting and use especially if you are not confident in taking advantage of and/or
aware of the max charge rate capability of the battery you’ll be charging.
This function also adds an additional level of safety as it helps to ensure, in conjunction with the CHG
(Charge) Capacity Limit function found in the Setting Data (Settings) menu, that even if the charger
does not terminate/end charging correctly per the battery chemistry/type, that it will still end the
charge when the set capacity has been reached.
These details in mind you should ALWAYS set the battery capacity correctly.
To set the correct
battery capacity, while on the Charge Mode screen simply press the ENTER button four times. The
battery capacity will begin to flash and you can use the +/– buttons to increase/decrease the capacity
accordingly. After setting the correct capacity you can press the ENTER button to select the other
adjustable values, or wait approximately 5 seconds until the cell count stops flashing to begin the
charge process or to scroll through the other modes.
Charge Current Rate
After setting the battery capacity limit correctly, the charger will automatically set the charge current
rate to 1C. In the case of a 5000mAh battery, it will set the charge current to 5.00A. And again, in
general most supported battery chemistries/types can be charged safely and successfully at a 1C rate
so we suggest charging at the 1C rate especially if you are not confident in taking advantage of and/or
aware of the max charge rate capability of the battery you’ll be charging.
Or, if you are interested in charging at a rate higher (or lower) than 1C you can adjust the charge
current rate accordingly
. However, it is important to note that if you charge at a current rate that
is too high it can result in damage to the battery or even fire causing damage and/or personal
injury. If you are unsure of the maximum safe charge rate of the battery DO NOT charge at a
rate higher than 1C or please contact the manufacturer of the battery for more information.
And to set the charge current rate, while on the Charge Mode screen simply press the ENTER button
five times. The charge current rate will begin to flash and you can use the +/– buttons to
increase/decrease the current rate accordingly. After setting the charge current rate per your
preference you can press the ENTER button to select the other adjustable values, or wait
approximately 5 seconds until the current rate stops flashing to begin the charge process or to scroll
through the other modes.
Also, before starting the charge process the maximum charge current that can be set (if it is
less than 20.0A, which is the max charge current rate for each port) is automatically calculated
by the charger based on the voltage of the input power source and the estimated voltage of
the battery being charged based on the cell count you have selected.
This is calculated using
the discharged voltage of the battery (i.e. ~3.3V per cell for LiPo batteries) so it is possible to set the
charge current rate to the maximum rate possible.
And if you have set the charge current rate to the maximum rate possible, after starting the
charge process the charger will automatically adjust the current rate, per the actual voltage of
the battery at any given time, to maintain (and not exceed) the maximum output power level
(wattage).
For example, in the case of charging a 6S 22.2V 5000mAh LiPo battery and when using a