Battery Maintenance; Ac Power; Solar Power; External Battery - Geokon 8025 Instruction Manual

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5. BATTERY MAINTENANCE

5.1 AC Power

The MICRO-800 is supplied with an external AC to DC power supply for maintaining the charge
of the battery and providing power to the Datalogger and peripherals. It is imperative that the
power supply remain connected to the Datalogger as the battery installed in the Datalogger is
only provided as a temporary source of power should the power supply be disconnected or mains
power interrupted. Actual run time solely on battery power will vary for each datalogging
system, depending on the hardware configuration and sensor scan interval. If the battery voltage
drops below 9.6 volts operation of the Datalogger will become erratic as evidenced by
communication problems and possible improper measurements.

5.2 Solar Power

If AC mains power is not available, a properly sized solar panel can be used to provide power to
maintain the charge state of the battery and provide power to the Datalogger and peripherals. The
size of the solar panel is determined by geographic location of the Datalogger, hardware
configuration, and the sensor scan interval.

5.3 External Battery

Additionally, a large external battery, such as a deep cycle marine battery, may be connected to
the Datalogger via the supplied external power cable to provide power to the Datalogger and
peripherals. When this type of battery is connected to the Datalogger the internal Datalogger
battery is automatically disconnected from the system to prevent parasitic drain on the external
battery.

5.4 Battery Replacement

If the internal Lead Acid Battery has failed it is recommend that the unit be returned to the
factory for service by Geokon personnel. However, with skilled personnel and appropriate tools,
it is possible for the user to replace the battery. Consult the factory for information.

5.5 Fuses

There are five fuses on the dual mode charger board of the MICRO-800 (Figure 2). Once
removed and with the power switch off, a fuse can be checked visually and with an ohmmeter. A
gap may be evident (with some discoloration) if the fuse needs replacing. This can be verified by
a high resistance measurement (megaohms) with an ohmmeter. If fuse needs replacing, insert
one of the supplied replacement fuses. If there are no replacement fuses available, consult the
factory or they can be purchased from an electrical supply house. All five fuses are two amp
SLO-BLO 5x20 mm. Consult Appendix D.7 for fuse assignments.