Lamar Technologies CA 1550 - Manual (Page 3)

1. SYSTEM OVERVIEW
1 SYSTEM OVERVIEW
1.1 SYSTEM OVERVIEW
The CA-1550 Charger/Analyzer is a self-contained unit for charging and discharge
capacity testing of rechargeable batteries. It has been designed to accurately test,
charge and indicate the emergency capacity of sealed or vented lead-acid or nickel-
cadmium batteries. Emergency capacity is especially important for aircraft batteries.
The unit comes in a convenient protective carrying case. It is very easy to move
around to accommodate flexibility in the work environment, whether used portable or
in the hangar or battery shop. The flexibility of charge and discharge parameters of
the CA-1550 makes it usable for a wide variety of batteries and voltages. The unit
accurately charges and tests lead-acid batteries of 12 or 24 volts, as well as nickel-
cadmium batteries of a single cell to 24 volts.
The charge unit of the CA-1550 allows charging at both constant potential and
constant current to give maximum flexibility in selection of charge method. The
charger has an adjustable charge current from 0 to 25 amperes, and an automatic
timer for charge time selection.
The discharge unit of the CA-1550 enables battery capacity testing with a constant
current of 0 to 50 amperes (usually set to 80-100% of the battery's capacity rating) for
a preset time. The unit automatically analyzes the discharge characteristics and
passes or fails the battery depending on the battery’s ability to maintain the
specified minimum voltage for the duration of the test.
1.2 DISPLAYS AND CONTROLS
The CA-1550 has been designed to have very simple and easy to understand
controls and displays.
Two digital panel meters allow viewing of charge and discharge current and
voltage. A digital electronic timer displays elapsed time and can be set to any fixed
duration period. Light indicators display if the unit is in charge or discharge mode and
also indicate battery pass or reject status after a discharge test (see Figure 1-
1).
CA-1550 CHARGER / ANALYZER - OPERATING MANUAL V1.2 Page 1