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©2000 Xantrex Technology Inc.
Sealed Batteries
Another type of battery construction is the sealed gel cell. They do not
use battery caps. The electrolyte is in the form of a gel rather than a liquid,
which allows the batteries to be mounted in any position. The advantages are
no maintenance, long life (800 cycles claimed) and low self-discharge.
Absorbed glass mat (AGM) electrolyte batteries are also acceptable. Their
electrolyte is contained in mats between the battery plates.
Sealed batteries reduce the maintenance requirements for the system and
are good for remote applications. They are much more sensitive to the
charging process and can be ruined in as little as a day of overcharging.
NiCad and NiFe Batteries
The Trace C-Series is compatible with NiCad (nickel-cadmium) NiFe
(nickel-iron) and alkaline type batteries, which must be charged to a higher
voltage level to achieve a full charge. To use the C-Series with NiCad batteries,
remove the resistor labeled R46 in the middle of the C-Series circuit board by
cutting it. Avoid damage to neighboring components. This adds 2 volts to the
printed scale on the circuit board around the BULK and FLOAT potentiometers.
When NiCad mode is selected, the equalization process is disabled.
Adjust the BULK charge voltage to the setting recommended by the battery
manufacturer. Add 2 volts to the scale shown when making the adjustment.
Float voltage settings for NiCad/NiFe batteries should also be set to the battery
manufacturers recommendations.
NOTE: In all applications the BULK voltage setting should be adjusted to a level
below the maximum operating voltage of the DC loads. This may be as low as
15 volts for some types of electronic loads. Undercharging may occur in this
instance, but DC equipment will be protected. Check with the manufacturers of
the DC equipment being powered for its maximum DC input voltage tolerance. If
equalization is expected to occur, then the DC equipment being used must
tolerate the voltages which will occur during the equalization process.
Battery Sizing
Batteries are the fuel tank of the system. The larger the batteries, the
longer the system can operate before recharging is necessary. An undersized
battery bank results in short battery life and disappointing system performance.
To determine the proper battery bank size, compute the number of amp-hours
that will be used between charging cycles. Once the required amp-hours are
known, size the batteries at approximately twice this amount. Doubling the
expected amp-hour usage ensures that the batteries will not be overly
discharged and will extend battery life.
The critical formula is Watts = Volts X Amps.
Divide the wattage of the load by the battery voltage to determine the
amperage the load will draw from the batteries. Multiply the amperage times the
hours of operation and the result is sufficient amp-hours.
6.0 BATTERIES
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Summary of Contents for Trace C35
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