Great Planes Triton EQ Charger - GPMM3155 - Manual (Page 8)

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5. When discharge is fi nished, the screen above will show “END” and tones will sound for 10 seconds. The battery can
now be re-charged, or disconnected from TritonEQ. Other data measured during discharge can be viewed in the
DATA VIEW screens, as shown on page 14.
Notes about discharging NiCd and NiMH batteries:
•
Some transmitters might contain a diode in their charge circuit which could prevent the battery from being discharged through
the radio’s charge jack. Here, a “No battery” error will show. It’s best to remove the battery from the Tx and connect it directly to
TritonEQ for discharging. (see page 4 for a list of adapters).
• For more accurate discharge readings, it’s better to use a current which can discharge the pack in 1 or 2 hours.
• The maximum discharge current is 1 amp. Maximum power dissipation during discharge is 5 watts, which might cause discharge
currents to automatically be limited for packs having high voltage.
• Sub-C and some “A” size cells are often used for high current/power applications such as driving electric motors (not for radio
system uses). These applications typically result in cells being discharged to voltages below 1.1V per cell. To determine the
condition of these cells, it may be desirable to set the discharge cutoff voltage to 0.9V per cell (multiply number of cells in the pack
by 0.9). Do NOT attempt to discharge cells to voltages lower than recommended.
• To determine the condition of a battery, compare the fi nal capacity measurement the battery delivered during discharge to the
capacity rating listed on the battery’s label. If a battery provides less than 70% of its rated capacity it may need to be replaced.
Additional cycles can be attempted to try and revive the battery, but if capacity measurements fail to improve the battery should
be replaced.
• Discharge can be stopped manually by pressing ENTER, or disconnecting the pack.
CYCLING NiCd or NiMH BATTERIES
Battery “cycling” is the process of fully charging then discharging a battery to a pre-determined cutoff point (or vise-
versa). Cycling is only recommended for NiCd and NiMH batteries, and never for lithium or lead-acid batteries. TritonEQ
can perform anywhere from one to fi ve cycles consecutively.
1. First, determine if you want the battery to be discharged fi rst followed by a peak charge (this is sometimes preferred
if the battery is used on a regular basis). Or, do you prefer to peak charge the battery fi rst followed by a discharge
(sometimes preferred if the battery is new or has not been used for some time)?
2. To cycle a NiCd battery, fi nd the “NiCd CHARGE” screen. Press Ð to fi nd either the “NiCd CHG TO DSCH” or “NiCd
DSCH TO CHG” screen (depending if you want to charge or discharge fi rst) and skip to step 4.
3. To cycle a NiMH battery, fi nd the “NiMH CHARGE” screen. Press Ð to fi nd either the “NiMH CHG TO DSCH” or
“NiMH DSCH TO CHG” screen (depending if you want to charge or discharge fi rst).
4. To change the value of the charge or discharge current, press ENTER until the appropriate value fl ashes. It’s very
important to note whether this is the charge (CHG) or discharge (DSCH) current! Press INC or DEC to adjust
the current setting as desired. Press ENTER to select the next current value and adjust it as needed. See the table
on page 6 for recommended charge and discharge currents. Press ENTER, or wait 5 seconds and TritonEQ will
automatically confi rm both settings.
5. Press ENTER until the cycle number “1X” starts to fl ash. This setting determines how many cycles will be performed
consecutively. Press INC or DEC to adjust this setting as desired. Press ENTER, or wait 5 seconds and TritonEQ will
automatically confi rm this setting.
6. To START CYCLING, press and hold ENTER for 2 seconds. “BATTERY CHECK, PLEASE WAIT…” will show briefl y,
and TritonEQ will start cycling if the battery is in suitable condition, at which time you’ll see a screen like shown on the
next page.