Discharging pb batteries, Setup menu – Great Planes Triton2 EQ Charger - GPMM3156 User Manual

Page 14

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4.

When fi nished charging the screen will show “END” and tones will sound for 10 seconds. The battery should now be
ready for use. To see measurements taken during charge press BATT TYPE and MENU simultaneously to see the
DATA VIEW screens (see page 16).

Notes about charging Pb batteries:
*

Lead-acid (Pb) batteries are charged using the “constant current / constant voltage” process (cc/cv) as explained in the section for lithium
batteries. However, the charger will determine the battery is full when output current drops to approximately 90mA and will automatically stop
charging at that time. The cutoff voltage for Pb batteries is also different from lithium batteries.

*

Lead-acid batteries do not need trickle charge, and therefore no such feature exists.

*

Lead-acid batteries have a nominal voltage of 2.0V per cell. For most fi eld batteries, even though you cannot see any individual “cells”, there
are 6 cells internally. At 2.0V per cell, this makes a total fi eld battery voltage of 12V.

*

For lead-acid batteries rated at 12V or greater, the actual amount of current delivered to the battery might be limited due to the charger’s max.
power rating. This is normal.

DISCHARGING Pb BATTERIES

1. At the “Pb CHARGE” screen, turn the dial to fi nd the “Pb DISCHARGE” screen.

2. Two values can be adjusted on this discharge screen:

a.

Press the dial to cause the discharge current to fl ash, then turn the dial to fi nd the desired value. To determine
if the battery can deliver its rated capacity, set this value to the battery’s capacity (in mAh) divided by 20. For a
7Ah battery the current setting would be “0.4A” (7000mAh ÷ 20 = 350mA).

b.

Press the dial to cause the discharge cutoff voltage value to fl ash, then turn the dial to fi nd the desired voltage.
Lead-acid batteries are discharged to 1.8V per cell. For hobby batteries with a nominal voltage rating of 12V (6
cells at 2.0V each), discharge cutoff should be set to “10.8V” (1.8V x 6 cells). Press the dial to confi rm the value.

3.

To START DISCHARGE, press the dial for 2 seconds. “BATTERY CHECK” will show briefl y, and discharge will start
automatically if the battery is in suitable condition.

4.

When discharge is fi nished the screen will show “END” and tones will sound for 10 seconds. The battery can
now be re-charged or disconnected. To see measurements taken during discharge press BATT TYPE and MENU
simultaneously to see the DATA VIEW screens (see page 16).

Notes about discharging Pb batteries:
*

For more accurate discharge readings, it’s better to use a current which can discharge the battery in 2 or 4 hours.

*

The maximum discharge current is 3 amps. The actual amount of current drained from the battery might be limited for higher voltage Pb
batteries due to the chargers max. power rating. This is normal.

*

The proper discharge cutoff voltage for batteries with a nominal rated voltage of 6V is 5.4V, and 24V batteries should be discharged to 21.6V.

SETUP MENU

Features that support the charge, discharge, and cycle functions are found in the Setup Menu. It is not necessary to
change anything in the Setup Menu, as all factory default settings allow for safe operation. If you do not wish to customize
features in the Setup Menu, skip to the next section.

Refer to the Setup Menu fl owchart included. Note that this menu is divided into four sections for the different battery
types. From the Main Menu, press the MENU button to fi nd the “Buzzer” screen at the top of the Setup Menu for the
selected battery type. Turn the dial to move up/down through all screens. To adjust any function, press the dial then turn
to fi nd the desired setting, and then press the dial to confi rm the selection.

Buzzer: Tones can sound to indicate functions have started or ended. Select from “Melody 1” to “Melody 10”. “Buzzer
Off” will turn all tones off.

Safety Timer: If for some reason the charger does not recognize a battery has reached full charge, this backup safety
timer can automatically stop charge after a certain period of time. This protects the battery from accidental overcharge.
If fast charge IS shut down by this timer, do NOT assume the battery has reached full charge (especially if the battery is
not even slightly warm to the touch). It is strongly recommended to use this function for all battery types.

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