20
GN Otometrics A/S
User Manual
CAPELLA Cochlear Emissions Analyzer
2.6.2
Battery operation
When connected to an AC power source, the battery version of
Capella
will automatically recharge the battery pack, whether
Capella
is powered on or off. When powered on, the Power LED (see Figure
3) will light continuously green, and the AC/Charge LED will light
as follows:
Yellow = charging
Green = fully charged
If the battery is allowed to become exhausted, the AC/Charge LED
will not indicate charging until about five minutes after AC power
has been applied. When not connected to an AC power source, the
Power LED will light green when
Capella
is powered on, and the
AC/Charge LED will not light.
Capella
cannot be operated if the bat-
tery pack is dead, not even when connected to the mains (line).
Note:
In order to disengage the battery pack of
Capella
completely from an
AC power source, it is not sufficient to power the instrument off. The
power cable must be detached from the power source.
2.6.3
Battery life
When fully charged,
Capella
can operate for approximately 5 to 7
hours of constant use, up to 22 to 24 hours´ "typical" usage, and up
to 38 hours´ stand-by, i.e. powered on, but not in use.
The life of the rechargeable battery pack depends on too many vari-
ables to be estimated, but you are advised to follow the normal rules
for maximizing battery life:
avoid constant recharging
when not in use,
and
completely exhaust
the batteries periodically (once every 6
months).
A memory effect
will occur when a user repeatedly recharges the bat-
tery before it is fully drained. For example, if you use the battery for
20 minutes at a time and then recharge it, the battery will tend to "re-
member" that it needs to operate only 20 minutes per charge. As a
result, during the charging process, the declining battery will receive
only a portion of its charge capacity. The declining battery will also
exhibit some characteristics of a fully charged battery. For example,
during charging, the battery temperature will rise, prompting the
system to stop charging.
The memory effect also has a direct impact on the battery's life span.
Ni-MH batteries have a typical life (charge/drain cycles) of up to 800
cycles. If the battery is used an average of 30 minutes per cycle, you
can expect a total life of 400 hours. If you use the battery 6 hours per
