7
STEP 4
SAVE
LED #3 : RED
24V
2.5A
5A
12V
24V
12V
Select
°t
TEST
2
1a
8
7
6
5
4
3
1b
IMPORTANT: If this mode engages read the section
VERY FLAT NEGLECTED
BATTERIES
on the preceding page.
NOTE: 16V voltage values in brackets.
This mode engages
if the battery was more than 90% discharged / voltage is below
12.8V (16V).
safeTº
:
Charge current is automatically adjusted according to voltage
and ambient temperature measured during the test.
VERY LOW VOLTAGE SAVE for batteries between 0.6V (0.75V) and 8.8V (11V)
:
Current starts at 125mA and will increase to 325mA depending on charge progress. If
the voltage did not rise above 8.8V (11V) within 2 hours, charging will be suspended
and the TEST LED #8 (red) will flash, indicating the battery may have suffered
permanent damage or a professional assessment is required.
LOW VOLTAGE SAVE for batteries between 8.9V (11.1V) and 12.8V (16V):
Maximum
current is set to 1.25A. The battery's charge acceptance is monitored for unusual
behaviour. A healthy LiFePO
4
battery will progress to CHARGE mode within 4 hours,
otherwise charging will be suspended and TEST LED #8 (red) will flash, indicating the
battery may have suffered permanent damage or a professional assessment is
required.
STEP 5
CHARGE
LED #4 : YELLOW
24V
2.5A
5A
12V
24V
12V
Select
°t
TEST
2
1a
8
7
6
4
1b
The
safeTº
program limits charge current if the temperature measured at the
OptiMate Lithium is below 0ºC / 32ºF or above 45ºC / 113ºF. If the temperature was
initially below 0ºC / 32ºF charge current is limited to 325mA only for the first hour after
which the battery is expected to have increased it's internal temperature within the
normal temperature zone.
Within the normal temperature zone the
ampmatic
™ LiFePO
4
specific program
automatically determines the most efficient rate of charge current for the connected
battery, according to its state of charge, state of health, and electrical storage (Ah)
capacity. The delivered current may be anywhere from 1.25A to 9.5A (7.5A for 16V
batteries).
For batteries with an electrical storage (Ah) capacity less than 10Ah (8Ah) charge
current is automatically adjusted lower to an average equal to battery Ah capacity, e.g.
a 2.5Ah / 2500mAh battery receive an average of 2.5 Amps.
NOTE:
For safety reasons there is an overall charge time limit of 24 hours for SAVE and
CHARGE modes.
STEP 6
OPTIMIZE
LED #5 : YELLOW
DC POWER SUPPLY
Select
-
TOUCH
for 5 seconds when
battery is connected.
Select
°t
1a
8
7
6
5
1b 2
The OPTIMIZE mode starts when the voltage has reached 14.4V (18V) for the first time
during bulk CHARGE mode.
The
ampmatic
™ current control program now delivers pulses of current to equalise
the individual cells within the battery and optimizes charge level.
Charging should complete within the minimum charge time set during STEP 3, but if
the battery requires further charging the program will extend OPTIMIZE mode up to a
maximum of 2 hours.
STEP 7
TEST after
charge
LED #6
FLASHING
24V
2.5A
5A
12V
24V
12V
Select
°t
TEST
2
1a
6
5
1b
TEST after charge : Delivery of current to the battery is interrupted for
30 minutes*
to allow the program to determine the battery’s ability
to retain charge.
*
IF charging started in SAVE mode (LED #3, indicating a deep discharged battery) or
the the voltage retention test is extended to 12 hours to confirm battery health.
The TEST result (indicated on LED # 6, 7, 8) is adjusted in real time according to the
measured battery voltage. Consult the “EARLY WARNING OF BATTERY PROBLEMS” table
on page 2 to match TEST LED indication to an estimated state of charge percentage
(SOC%).
More information is provided in the section “NOTES ON TEST RESULTS”.
STEP 8
OptiMATE
smart
MAINTAIN
LED #6 / 7 / 8
ON
24V
2.5A
5A
12V
24V
12V
Select
°t
TEST
2
1a
8
7
6
5
1b
For batteries with a good
state of health LED #6
(green) will remain on.
MAINTENANCE CHARGE:
LED #6 / 7 / 8 steady on
according to final voltage measured at termination of STEP 7.
The
MAINTENANCE CHARGE CYCLE
consists of 30 minute charge periods followed by
and alternating with a 30 minute ‘rest’ periods, during which there is no charge current.
During the 30 minute charge cycles current is delivered only if the battery has lost
charge.
The
BATTERY REFRESH CYCLE
is performed if the charger detects the battery has lost
significant charge. The program returns to OPTIMIZE mode (LED #5) and then proceeds
to the voltage retention test and maintenance charge cycle.
Read section MAINTAINING A LITHIUM BATTERY FOR EXTENDED PERIODS.
NOTES ON TEST RESULTS:
