General Battery Knowledge; Modes Of Operation; Charge; Discharge - HITEC X4 ADVANCED Instruction Manual

4. General Battery Knowledge

Battery Capacity (mAh)
Milliamp hours mAh is the capacity of the battery or the
amount of charge added to a battery.
What is 0.1 C, 0.2 C, etc?
"C" stands for the battery capacity and the number in front
of it is the fraction of the battery capacity. For example, 0.1 C
means 0.1 times the capacity for the battery. For a 2700 mAh
battery, 0.1C would be 0.1 times 2700 mAh which equals 270 mA.
Choosing the right charging & discharging rate
Charging at a rate below 0.33 C and above 1.0 C is not
recommended. Charging too slow may prevent the charger
from terminating correctly.
Charging too fast may damage the battery!
Typically speaking, slower charging rate will yield better
battery performance but requires longer time. Faster charging
rate may not charge as fully and battery temperature can
be higher.
Battery Matching
In most devices, usually two or more batteries are used
together. When batteries are used in a series, the performance
is limited by the worst one. In other words, one poorly performing
battery can signifi cantly reduce the device runtime. Battery
matching refers to grouping batteries with similar "actual"
capacity. To perform this, use the Refresh & Analyse mode

5. Modes of Operation

This section explains various modes and when to use them.
To enable each mode, refer to the "Operation" section.

5.1 Charge

Charge the battery at the selected rate. Suitable for batteries
used frequently.

5.2 Discharge

Discharges the batteries at the selected rate.
5.3 Refresh & Analyse
Suitable for batteries stored for more than two weeks but less
than 3 months or the batteries showing poor performance.
This mode can also determine the battery capacity for battery
matching. In most devices, usually two or more batteries
16
to determine the battery capacity. Group batteries with
capacity within about +/-5 % of the rated capacity.
Battery "Forming"
New batteries and those stored for extended period become
chemically deactivated. Battery forming is a charge-discharge-
charge cycle which forces a full charge into the battery at a
very slow rate. This process activates the battery. In certain
cases, it needs to be repeated two or three times. Battery
forming can be performed using the Break-In mode.
Trickle charging
After the rechargeable battery is fully charged in any of
the operating modes, the charger will give a small amount
of current to the rechargeable batteries to maintain the
fully charged level. This mode is automatically launched
after rechargeable batteries are fully charged and kept in
the charging unit. The signal „DONE" will be displayed on
the LCD.
Batteries are getting warm
It is common for batteries to get warm while charging. The
charger has a built in temperature sensor which will stop
the charging cycle if it has become too hot. Charging may
resume when the battery has cooled. Allow batteries to
cool before placing into a product to be used.
are used together. When batteries are used in a series, the
performance is limited by the worst one. In other words,
one poorly performing battery can signifi cantly reduce the
runtime. Battery matching refers to grouping batteries with
similar "actual" capacity. To perform this, use the Refresh
& Analyse mode to determine the battery capacity. Group
batteries with capacity within about +/-5 % of the rated
capacity. The charger will charge battery to full and rest for
one hour, discharge, rest one hour again then recharge. You
can select charging and discharging rate.

5.4 Break-In (Battery Forming)

New batteries and those stored for more than 3 months
extended period become chemically deactivated. Battery
forming is a charge-discharge-charge cycle which forces a