
Using the StarBright Display Unit
StarBright User Manual
18
3.3.6
Charger Input
The StarBright can be operated either by the internal battery or from an AC source with the
charger plugged in all the time. Plug the charger into the jack labeled "12VDC" on the rear panel
(see
). The battery will be charged at the same rate whether the StarBright is
switched on or off, and whatever the backlight level. The battery will fully recharge in around 4-5
hours.
Figure
3-7 StarBright Rear Panel View
Note: The charger circuit of the StarBright is designed to allow the charger to be plugged in for an
extended period without causing damage to the battery.
The approximate time between charges is given in
Table
3-1 Sensor Charging Times
Sensor Type
Backlight Level
Time Between Charges
Thermopile and Photodiode
Low
19 hours
Thermopile and Photodiode
Half
17 hours
Thermopile and Photodiode
Full
15 hours
Pyroelectric and BeamTrack
Low
16 hours
Pyroelectric and BeamTrack
Half
15 hours
Pyroelectric and BeamTrack
Full
13 hours
Note:
Battery charge will be depleted faster if a USB Flash Drive (Disk on Key) is left plugged into
the StarBright meter
.
The battery charge is indicated by the icon. The battery charge is shown approximately by each
segment of the icon, for example, when 2 segments are shown, the battery is ½ full. When the
battery is charging, the segments turn on in sequence. When the battery is low, the charger should
be plugged in. While the unit will charge even while on and even with the backlight on, it will
charge fastest if the charger is left in while the unit is off.
3.3.7
Analog Output
The StarBright provides an analog voltage output via the 2.5mm mono jack socket on the rear
panel marked “AN OUT” (see
). The StarBright is supplied with the mating adapter
plug that connects to this socket. The analog output is useful for driving chart recorders and other
analog devices. The voltage is proportional to the reading on the display and scaled such that full
scale equals 1, 2, 5, or 10 volts as selected during setup.