Great Planes Triton2 Charger - GPMM3153 - Manual (Page 11)

1. At the “Pb CHARGE” screen, rotate the dial to find the “Pb DISCHARGE” screen.
2. Two values can be adjusted on this discharge screen. Press the dial to cause the discharge current value to flash, then rotate the
dial to change this value (0.1 – 3.0 amps). To determine if the battery can deliver its rated capacity, set this value to the battery’s
capacity (in mAh) divided by 20. So, for a 7Ah battery, set this current to (7000mAh ÷ 20) = 350mA or “0.4A”.
3. Press the dial to cause the voltage value to flash. This is the battery’s minimum discharge cutoff voltage, based on 1.8V per
cell. Since most hobby batteries have a nominal voltage of 12.0V (6 cells), the proper discharge cutoff voltage would be (1.8V
x 6) 10.8V. Rotate the dial to adjust this value if necessary. Refer to the “notes” section below for a list of discharge cutoff
voltages for lead-acid batteries of other voltages. Press the dial to confirm both settings.
4. To START DISCHARGE, press the dial for 2 seconds. “BATTERY CHECK” will show briefly, and Triton2 will start discharging
if the battery is in suitable condition.
5. When discharge is finished, the screen will show “END” and
tones will sound for 10 seconds. The battery can now be re-
charged, or disconnected from Triton2. To see details about
input, output, and average discharge voltages, press BATT
TYPE and MENU CHANGE buttons simultaneously to see
the DATA VIEW screens (see page 12).
Several customizable features which support the charge, discharge, and cycle functions are found in the Setup Menu, such as safety
timers, time delays, thermal probe temperature settings, peak detection sensitivity, and others. IT IS NOT NECESSARY TO CHANGE
ANYTHING IN THE SETUP MENU. All factory default settings in the Setup Menu allow Triton2 to be safe to operate without making
any adjustments. If you do not wish to customize features in the Setup Menu, skip to the next section.
Refer to the Setup Menu flowchart included. Note that this menu is divided into four sections, for NiCd, NiMH, LiPo (or Li-Ion) and Pb
batteries. Press the MENU CHANGE button to find the “Buzzer” screen, which is the first screen at the top of the Setup Menu. Rotate
the dial to move up/down through all screens. To adjust any function, press the dial, rotate to the desired setting, and press the dial to
confirm the selection.
1. BUZZER: Tones can sound to indicate functions have started or ended. Ten different melodies can be selected, from “Melody 1” to
“Melody 10”. “Buzzer Off” will turn the tones off.
2. SAFETY TIMER: IF for some reason the charger does not
recognize a battery has reached full charge, a backup safety
timer is built-in to automatically stop charge after a certain time.
This protects a battery from reaching a dangerous overcharge
condition. Set a safety time in minutes, which ranges from “No
time limit” to “990 minutes”. See the “Safety Timer Calculations”
section at right for how to calculate a safety time limit. The
“Time limit over” error message will show if this timer activates
during charge. Do NOT assume the battery has reached full
charge if this occurs – especially if the battery is not even
slightly warm to the touch. If the battery is not reaching full
charge, in the future it may be necessary to increase the safety
timer minutes so the battery can reach full charge.
3. TEMPERATURE SCALE: When using the optional Thermal
Probe, temperatures can be measured and displayed in degrees
Fahrenheit (°F) or Celsius (°C). To change the setting, press the
dial, rotate, then press the dial again to confirm the setting.
4. TEMPERATURE CUT-OFF: This optional safety feature is highly recommended when using LiPo/Ion batteries and requires the
use of an optional Thermal Probe (GPMM3151). Set the maximum temperature the battery should be allowed to reach during charge
or discharge. The temperature range is 50-150o F (10-65o C). No battery should ever get HOT during charge. A maximum setting of
100oF (37oC) is recommended for LiPo/Ion batteries. Connect the probe to the charger (see page 4) and the battery. Start charge or
discharge. If the battery reaches the set temperature, charge or discharge will automatically stop and the “Batt.T too high” error will
show. Discharge will automatically resume when battery temperature reduces to a safe level. Do not connect a temperature sensor to
the charger if temperature monitoring will not be used.
SETUP MENU
DISCHARGING LEAD-ACID BATTERIES (Pb)
11
Notes about discharging Pb batteries:
• The maximum discharge current is 3 amps. Maximum power dissipation
during discharge is 20 watts which might cause discharge currents to
automatically be limited for packs having a voltage of over 6 volts. 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.
Safety Timer Calculations
For NiCd and NiMH batteries, divide the battery’s rated capacity (mAh) by the fast charge
current setting (A). Take that result, and DIVIDE BY 11.1. Set this number of minutes in
the safety timer screen. If the charger stops charge at this time limit, approximately 150%
of the battery’s rated capacity will have been delivered to the battery. For example:
NiCd battery’s Fast charge Safety timer
rated capacity current setting calculated setting
1500mAh 2.5A (1500 divided by 2.5) = 600, divided by 11.1 = 54 minutes
3800mAh 2.3A (3800 divided by 2.3) = 1652, divided by 11.1 = 149 minutes
1000mAh 0.9A (1000 divided by 0.9) = 1111, divided by 11.1 = 100 minutes
For LiPo, Li-Ion, and Pb batteries, divide the battery’s rated capacity (mAh) by the fast
charge current setting (A). Take that result, and DIVIDE BY 15.1. Set this number of
minutes in the safety timer screen. If the charger stops charge at this time limit,
approximately 110% of the battery’s rated capacity will have been delivered to the battery.
For example:
LiPo battery’s Fast charge Safety timer
rated capacity current setting calculated setting
2100mAh 1.8A (2100 divided by 1.8) = 1166.67, divided by 15.1 = 77 minutes
900mAh 0.6A (900 divided by 0.6) = 1500, divided by 15.1 = 99 minutes
3200mAh 3.0A (3200 divided by 3.0) = 1066.67, divided by 15.1 = 70 minutes