©CORE Lighting Limited 2012
5
3.3.
Battery Charging & Discharging
CHARGING
Simply plug the unit into the mains supply, the unit does not have to be turned on to charge. The
unit manages its own charging so it may be left connected to mains permanently. However, the
battery specification provides that 95% of charge is maintained over 3 months when power is
removed.
Note – if you connect the unit to the mains when the unit is switched off the head LEDs will show
the charging operation. The head will flash amber while charging and show a steady green when
fully charged. Normal operation can be resumed by pressing the “ON” button which will continue
operation when power is removed as long as there is sufficient capacity in the battery.
The charging LED on the keypad (lower right) and LEDs in the head will flash amber whilst initial
charging takes place up to around 60% capacity and a “^” symbol will appear in the BATT menu
option. Between 60 & 95% capacity the display will turn to solid amber. When the battery is full the
charging LED will turn green. If the display LED and head show red, this means the battery is
disconnected or over-temperature. Allow to cool down and retry. If the problem persists contact
CORE Lighting.
Voltage of the battery can be seen in one of the menu options, achieving full charge at
approximately 13.8V (at 20°C). This will fall approximately to 12.5-12.8V once the charger has been
removed. The charging current can also be monitored (see DIAGnostics menu ‘AN1’) and should be
around 5 Amps on full-charge, falling when the battery is near capacity.
Normal charging achieves >95% of battery level in around 3.5 hours from empty when “BATT FULL”
is displayed in that menu option and the head shows green. The unit continues trickle charging after
this point indefinitely. Trickle-charge mode is useful for maintaining charge whilst units are in hire
stock. “BATT FULL” is seen when charge current drops below 0.1A (see DIAGnostics menu ‘AN1’).
The power supply can charge the battery and operate the unit simultaneously, although this takes
longer to charge as less current can be drawn by the charger from the PSU.
Charge LED
Green = fully charged
Red = Over-temperature
Flashing Amber = Charging (<60% full)
Solid Amber = Charging (60-90% full)
