Pride Mobility Jazzy 1170XL - Manual (Page 29)

Jazzy 1170XL www.pridemobility.com 29
V I . B A T T E R I E S A N D C H A R G I N G
To charge the batteries using an off-board battery charger:
1. Position the front of your power chair next to a standard wall outlet.
2. Turn off the power to the controller and engage the manual freewheel lever(s) in the drive position. See
III. “Your Power Chair.”
3. Plug the 3-pin extension cable from the off-board battery charger into the off-board battery charger/
programming socket on the controller. See VII. “Operation.”
4. Plug the off-board battery charger into the wall outlet.
5. We recommend you charge the batteries for 8 to 14 hours.
6. When the batteries are fully charged, disconnect the charger from the wall outlet, then from the controller.
Battery Break-in
To break in new batteries for maximum efficiency:
1. Fully recharge any new battery prior to its initial use. This brings the battery up to about 90% of its peak
performance level.
2. Operate your power chair throughout the house and yard. Move slowly at first, and do not travel too far
until you become accustomed to the controls and break in the batteries.
3. Give the batteries another full charge of 8 to 14 hours and operate your power chair again. The batteries
will now perform at over 90% of their potential.
4. After four or five charging cycles, the batteries will top off at 100% charge and last for an extended
period.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
How does the charger work?
The battery charger takes the standard wall outlet voltage of 120 VAC (alternating current) and converts it
to 24 VDC (direct current). The power chair batteries use direct current to run your power chair. When the
battery voltage is low, the charger works harder to charge the battery. This is why the ammeter initially
reads five or more amps. As the battery voltage approaches full charge, the charger does not work as hard
to complete the charging cycle. This explains why the ammeter drops as it approaches a full charge. When
the battery is fully charged, the amperage from the charger is nearly at zero. This is how the charger main-
tains a charge but does not overcharge the battery.
Can I use a different battery charger?
You should use the charger supplied with your power chair. It is the safest, most efficient tool to charge the
batteries. We do not recommend using other types of chargers (e.g., an automotive battery charger). The
charger will not operate after the batteries have been discharged to nearly zero voltage. If this happens, call
your authorized Pride Provider for assistance.
How often must I charge the batteries?
Many factors come into play when deciding how often to charge the batteries. You may use your power
chair all day on a daily basis or you may not use it for weeks at a time.