QRPworks
SolMate
Manual rev 1.1 Page 5 of 11
BMS have built-in balanced charging and protection. Batteries
that do not have a BMS require an external balanced charger
that charge each cell separately. Typically, these can be found
in hobby shops.
Output
Use the appropriate
SolMate
output cable for the battery type to be
charged. The cables have programming resistors that select the output
voltage as marked on the label. Never use the 14 volt cable to charge a
3 cell Li-Ion 11.1 battery pack or fire will be a likely result.
The cables are polarized to avoid accidental misuse. Female 2.1mm
charging connectors are used for batteries such as the Bioenno Power
LiFePo batteries (or equivalent packs).
The 11.1v charging cable is for use with 3 cell Li-Ion packs as supplied
by Elecraft and Tenergy (and others) which have a MALE connector on
the battery pack. These batteries have a built in charging and protection
circuits, which are required, as SolMate is not a balanced charger (does
not charge each cell) as you might see with some hobby battery
systems.
One cable type of your choosing is supplied with SolMate.
The
SolMate
charging cable is a
Y
configuration for 4 cell LiFePo
batteries that will simultaneously connect to the female barrel connector
(2.1mm) on most Bioenno Power and similar battery packs as well as to
any radio using a 2.1mm female power connector.
The battery connector on the cable can be used to charge a 12 volt SLA
battery. Do not connect the charge controller to the
rig’s 2.1mm female
power input connector without the battery also being connected.
The Li-Ion 11.1v
SolMate
Y
charging cable will charge the Elecraft KX2
battery (or equivalent) and connect to the rig at the same time. The
