Great Planes Triton EQ Charger - GPMM3155 - Manual (Page 12)

12
DISCHARGING LiPo, Li-Ion, or LiFe BATTERIES
1. At the “LiPo CHARGE” screen (or “Li-Ion CHARGE” or “LiFe CHARGE” screens respectively) press Ð to fi nd the
“LiPo DISCHARGE” screen or similar.
2. Two values can be adjusted in this discharge screen. Press ENTER to cause the discharge current value to fl ash.
Press INC or DEC to change this value.
3. Press ENTER again to cause the discharge cutoff voltage value to fl ash. Press INC or DEC to adjust this voltage to
the proper value. All discharging of the battery will stop when the voltage listed in this screen is reached. Settings for
LiPo and Li-Ion batteries are based on 3.0V per cell, so the cutoff settings should be determined as follows:
WARNING!! Do not attempt to discharge a LiPo battery below its recommended cutoff voltage. Doing
so may cause a failure later when attempting to re-charge the battery, and result in a FIRE!
4. To START DISCHARGE, press and hold ENTER for 2 seconds. “BATTERY CHECK, PLEASE WAIT…” will show
briefl y, and the charger will start discharging if the battery is in suitable condition.
5. 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 from the charger. TritonEQ will display details about the discharge data for your battery
including discharge capacity, discharge time, etc. A more complete set of data measured during discharge can be
viewed in the DATA VIEW screens shown on page 14.
Notes about discharging LiPo, Li-Ion, and LiFe batteries:
•
For more accurate discharge readings, it’s better to use a current which can discharge the pack in 1 or 2 hours.
• The maximum discharge current is 1 amp. Maximum power dissipation during discharge is 5 watts, which might cause discharge
currents to automatically be limited for packs having high voltage.
CARE AND HANDLING FOR LEAD-ACID (Pb) BATTERIES
Do not attempt to care for lead-acid (Pb) batteries in the same way as other battery types! Lead-acid batteries
commonly used in R/C hobby fi eld boxes require unique care and handling methods as they contain different characteristics
than other battery types.
• Do not attempt to use the NiCd, NiMH, or lithium functions on Pb batteries.
• Do not exceed 14.7V maximum charge voltage for batteries rated at 12V.
• Pb batteries have a self-discharge rate of 5-10%, meaning they hold charge very well. Thus, there is no need to trickle charge
Pb batteries. No cycling of Pb batteries is needed.
• Do not leave Pb batteries in the full discharge condition, which could cause the battery to lose its ability to regain
full charge.
CHARGING Pb (LEAD-ACID) BATTERIES
1. Press BATT TYPE until the “Pb CHARGE” screen is found.
2. Two values can be adjusted in this screen. Press ENTER to cause the charge current value to fl ash. Then press INC
or DEC to change this value. For common 12V 7Ah lead-acid R/C fi eld batteries, a charge current of 0.5A to 1.0A
should safely, fully charge a battery in 7 to 14 hours.
3. Most hobby fi eld batteries have a nominal rated voltage of 12V. Make sure the voltage marked on the battery matches
the voltage setting on-screen. To change the voltage, press ENTER until the voltage fl ashes. Then press INC or DEC
to fi nd the proper voltage. Press ENTER to confi rm the setting.
LiPo and Li-Ion Packs
pack size
1S
2S
3S
4S
5S
6S
cutoff voltage
3.0V
6.0V
9.0V
12.0V
15.0V
18.0V
LiFe Packs
pack size
1S
2S
3S
4S
5S
6S
cutoff voltage
2.5V
5.0V
7.5V
10.0V
12.5V
15.0V