Vectronics VEC-412K - Manual (Page 28)

VEC-412K Owner's Manual Rapid Battery Charger/Conditioner Kit
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may develop a very high internal resistance (open condition). These are failures,
and can not be repaired by conditioning the battery. Battery packs that are
discharged in heavy service beyond the 1 volt-per-cell discharge limit may have
cells that became “reverse charged” and severely damaged in the process.
Again, this damage cannot be repaired.
NiCads have a maximum number of discharge and charge cycles for their
designed lifetime. Most NiCad damage occurs because NiCads are left charging
for long periods of time—resulting in overheated cells or severe memory
conditions. NiCads that do not respond to repeated cycling should be disposed
of properly, they are considered to be a hazardous waste material. Your local
landfill should have procedures in place to handle these materials.
Do not recharge primary cells (alkaline, etc.), or lead acid type batteries using
the VEC-412K charger.
Glossary of Terms:
Battery Capacity: Expressed as a fixed rate of current a battery can supply over a
specified time interval, usually one hour, resulting in full discharge.
Battery Pack: An assembly containing two or more cells in series.
Charge Current: The current applied to a battery being charged.
Charge Rate Current: Capacity of battery in mAh divided by charge time in hours.
Cycling: Repeated and controlled charge/discharge cycling of a NiCd battery to remove
a memory condition.
Memory: A condition where NiCd batteries lose capacity, mostly due to misuse.
Negative Increment of Voltage Detection: Sensing the voltage drop across a NiCd
battery pack that occurs when it is fully charged as a method for ending the charge cycle.
NiCad or NiCd: Nickel Cadmium
NiMH: Nickel Metal Hydroxide
Time Out: A fail-safe timer setting that concludes the fast charge cycle after a set time
interval lapses.
Top Off: A periodic charging cycle to keep a battery at its maximum charge capacity.
A Practical Example: Setting up the charger may appear to be a confusing task,
but it is really much easier than it first appears.
Our example is a 6-volt 600-mA cordless phone battery. Table 1 shows this
battery contains 5 individual cells. Since each cell requires 2-volts of supply