Great Planes Triton Jr. Charger - GPMM3152 - Manual (Page 12)

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. Triton Jr. can perform anywhere from
one to five cycles consecutively.
1. First, determine if you want the battery to be discharged first
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 first followed by a discharge (sometimes preferred if the
battery is new or has not been used for some time).
2. At the default “NiCd CHARGE” screen, to cycle a NiMH battery
skip to step 3. To cycle a NiCd battery press the down arrow to
find either the “NiCd CHG TO DSCH” or “NiCd DSCH TO CHG”
screen (depending if you want to charge or discharge first) and
skip to step 4.
3. Press BATT TYPE twice to find the “NiMH CHARGE” screen.
Press the down arrow to find the “NiMH CHG TO DSCH” or
“NiMH DSCH TO CHG” screen (depending if you want to
charge or discharge first).
4. Press ENTER to cause the first current value to flash. It’s very important to note whether this is the charge (CHG) or
discharge (DSCH) current! Press INC+ or DEC- to adjust this current as desired. Press ENTER to select the next current
value, and adjust it with the INC+ or DEC- buttons if desired. See the table on page 9 for recommended charge and
discharge currents. Press ENTER, or wait 5 seconds and Triton Jr. will automatically confirm both settings.
5. Press ENTER until the cycle number “1X” starts to flash. This setting determines how many cycles will be performed
consecutively. Press INC+ or DEC- to adjust this current as desired. Press ENTER, or wait 5 seconds and Triton Jr. will
automatically confirm this setting.
CYCLING NiCd & NiMH BATTERIES
12
NOTES FOR CYCLING NiCd & NiMH BATTERIES
• Periodic cycling of NiCd batteries (once every month or two) can be
beneficial in keeping them in good operating condition. Excessive
cycling (more than once monthly) will unnecessarily shorten the
lifespan of the battery.
• A short time delay of 3 minutes will occur in-between the
charge/discharge functions to allow the battery to cool. This is normal,
and cannot be changed.
• During cycle mode, the discharge cutoff voltage for NiCd and NiMH
batteries is FIXED (not adjustable) at 0.8V per cell.
• Cell manufacturers note three main benefits of cycling NiCd and
NiMH batteries:
1. Battery maintenance: NiCd batteries benefit the most from regular
cycling to help keep them in good operating condition, and is
recommended once monthly. NiMH batteries do not require as
much cycling.
2. Determining battery condition: NiCd and NiMH batteries are rated
by how much charge energy or “capacity” they can store compared
to their rated capacity. A battery that can supply only a small
fraction of its rated capacity is likely reaching the end of its useful
life and may need to be replaced.
3. Breaking-in batteries: new NiCd and NiMH batteries may need to
be broken-in before they will perform to their specifications. Older
batteries which have been unused for an extended length of time
may require to be broken-in again to regain their usefulness.
Repeated cycling is the best way to revive such batteries.