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To be sure that your battery is adequately charged reference the
following considerations:
1. Plug in the charger and verify that it is receiving power. Verify that
the green power light is on when you connect the charger to the bat-
tery pack on SLA packs and the Yellow light is on for NiMH battery
packs.
2. Allow the batteries to charge until the red "charging" indicator light
extinguishes on SLA packs and the green "Charge Complete" light
activates on NiMH battery chargers. You may verify the charge by
using a voltmeter to gauge the battery voltage. However, this reading
is only reliable if the battery is under a load, such as when the light
is activated. To ensure that your charger is operating properly, place
the light head in a pot of water and connect the batteries to the lid,
leaving the battery pack out of the canister. Do not let the light burn
for more than a minute out of the water. While the light is discharging
the batteries, use a voltmeter to gauge the voltage drop. If the pack
is not properly charged, the voltage should drop rapidly (within one
minute). A properly charged pack will slowly drop voltage from a high
of around 13 to roughly 12 volts, and should hold 12 volts for about an
hour.
5. The charger will enter a "maintenance stage" when a full charge is
reached, so it is possible to leave the battery connected to the charger
for extended periods of time. If the battery is going to be left unused
for several weeks, charge the battery, disconnect the battery and char-
ger for the length of storage, and then top off the battery with a new
charge prior to the next use. If the battery is to be stored without use
for a long period it should be topped off with a recovery charge every
six months.
Burn Testing
You should burn test your battery pack at least yearly in order to
establish the actual burn time of your light. Frequent divers, or those
who often rely on longer burn times, may choose to test their light
more frequently. In order to conduct an effective test you will need the
following equipment:
•Battery pack
•Discharge method: either the light head itself or a discharge array
•Volt meter
•Timer, preferably with an alarm
•Reservoir of water
•Paper to record time and voltage
The following steps will allow you to accurately determine your battery's
burn time: