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ACTIVATOR 80 CHARGER USER’S GUIDE
lITHIUm bATTERy pROGRAmmInG
The Lithium Battery Programming menu is suitable for charging and discharging
Lithium batteries with a nominal voltage per cell of 3.3V (LiFe), 3.6V (LiIon) and
3.7V (LiPo). Lithium batteries are charged using the “Constant Current/Constant
Voltage” method (CC/CV). Constant Current is delivered during the first part of
the charging process and once the battery reaches a pre-set voltage, Constant
Voltage is applied to the battery. As the battery’s voltage becomes equalized to the
voltage on the charger’s output, the charge current will steadily drop. When the
current reaches an approximate value of 1/10C, the charging process will end.
The charge current varies according to the battery capacity and performance.
The final voltage of the charging process is also very important; it should be
precisely matched with the specific maximum voltage of the battery type being
charged. They are 3.6V (LiFe), 4.1V (LiIon) and 4.2V (LiPo).
The charge current and nominal voltage you program must always be
correct for the battery to be charged or damage can result.
2) Press the START/ENTER button to open the Individual Cell Voltage screen. The
current voltage of each cell that comprises
your Lithium battery will be displayed.
3) Press the DEC or INC buttons to view the
total current voltage of your battery (MAIN),
the current voltage of the highest voltage
cell (H) and the current voltage of the
lowest voltage cell (L). The values displayed
for each cell will not be exactly the same, but they should be close. The
following can be determined by the results:
Individual Cell Deterioration
- If the value of the lowest voltage cell is 15%
or more less than the value of the highest voltage cell, then that cell may be
starting to fail. If you see this, cycle the battery one to two times at 0.5C or
lower, then balance charge the battery at 0.5C and check again.
Overall Battery Deterioration
- When the Lithium battery is new, check the
voltages after the battery has been cycled 5 times (and balance charged).
Record that data. After many uses, balance charge the battery and check the
voltages again. If the voltages are significantly lower, the battery is probably
starting to deteriorate. You can cycle the battery at 0.5C (or less) and check
the voltages again. If the voltages don’t increase after this, the battery may
need to be replaced.
4) Press the DEC or INC buttons to return to the Individual Cell Voltage screen,
or press the STOP button to return to the top PROGRAM SELECT menu.
lITHIUm CEll VOlTAGE mETER
