GRAUPNER ULTRAMAT 12 Operating Manual page 16

Lithium type select program
This is actually the most important set-up program for
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
L i t h i u m t y p e
Lithium batteries. In the Select program you enter the
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ L i P o
battery type and battery capacity. It is vital to enter this
information with the greatest care. Check it very thoroughly,
+ -
as the charger derives all the other charge parameters from
DEC
INC
the settings you enter here.The battery type you select (Li-
Po or Li-Io) affects the charge termination voltage. If you find
that a Lithium battery has unexpectedly been charged only
to the 2/3 full mark, you have probably set the incorrect
battery type at this point.Caution: if you set an incorrect
value at this point, the battery may be damaged irreparably,
and could even explode!
Lithium cell count
When you have connected the battery to the charger, hold
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
* * * L i P o c e l l s * * *
the START button pressed in for about two seconds and
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ the screen will display the cell count of the Lithium pack. If
2 c e l l s ( 7 . 7 3 V )
the pack contains 1 or 2 cells, the charger detects and
+
-
sets the number of cells fully automatically. If the pack
INC DEC
contains more than two cells, you may have to adjust the
cell count manually using the INC / DEC buttons, as the
Caution ! Please take great care to
!
automatic circuit is unable to detect more than three cells
set the correct cell count. If you make
reliably. On the right-hand side you will see the voltage of
a mistake, the battery could explode
the pack connected to the charger. Pressing the START
and burst into flames !
button again initiates the charge process.
14. Pb (lead-acid) programs
Pb
MANUAL-
program
This program is designed for charging and discharging lead / sulphuric acid and lead / gel
batteries with nominal voltages of exactly 2, 6 and 12 V (1, 3 and 6 cells).
Caution: the charger will not recognize lead-acid batteries with other nominal voltages, and
such batteries must not be connected to it.
Lead-acid batteries behave entirely differently to Ni-Cd and Ni-MH batteries. Lead-acid batteries
can only deliver relatively low currents relative to their capacity, and similar restrictions very
definitely apply to charging. Manufacturers usually state 14 to 16 hours for achieving nominal
capacity when recharging at the normal charge current. The „normal" charge current is defined
as one tenth of the battery's nominal capacity. Example: battery capacity = 12 Ah —> normal
charge current = 1.2 A. In contrast to Ni-Cd and Ni-MH batteries, lead-acid chargers generally
monitor the battery's voltage in order to determine when it is fully charged.
Caution: lead-acid batteries cannot and must not be fast-charged! Always select the
charge current which the battery manufacturer recommends. Please also bear in mind that
the nominal capacity (i.e. useful life) of a lead-acid battery is very quickly compromised by
incorrect handling, including overcharging, repeated 100% discharges and, in particular, deep
discharging. The magnitude of the charge / discharge currents is also crucial to the actual
battery capacity which can be exploited, i.e. the higher the current, the lower the capacity which
the battery can deliver.
The values selected in the user settings for charge termination delay and safety timer have no
effect in the Pb charge programs.
28
Pb
MODE MODE
discharge
program
Pb manual program
In this program you can set the maximum permissible
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ P b m a n u a l
charge current using the INC / DEC buttons, but only
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
C : 2 . 5 A
before you connect the lead-acid battery for charging.
This setting only determines the top limit which the
+ -
charger is permitted to feed to the battery.
INC DEC
If the battery manufacturer states a low maximum charge current, then it is important to limit the
charge current to that value to avoid the charger setting a higher current if the battery appears
to be willing to accept charge.
The battery can then be connected to the charger and the charge process started: the unit
starts charging at 0.00 A and slowly raises the current until it reaches the set limit.
The charger constantly assesses the state of the battery during the charge process, and
adjusts the charge current to suit its condition.
The charge program automatically determines the number of cells (cell count) in the battery by
measuring its overall voltage.
Please do not be surprised if the charger does not deliver the charge current you have selected.
The charge program constantly monitors the battery's voltage, and limits the current in order to
prevent excessive gassing of the battery.
The ULTRAMAT 12 now charges the battery using the maximum possible current until its
voltage rises to around 2.3 to 2.35 Volts per cell. The charger then switches to a lower current to
bring the battery gently up to full charge; this process reliably fills the battery „to the brim".
The unit cuts off the charge process automatically when the battery reaches a voltage of
around 2.45 to 2.5 Volts per cell.
The effect of the automatic charge current adjustment system is to complete a full charge safely
in much less than the usual 14 to 16 hours.
When the charge process is terminated, the charger
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
C H G E N D 3 6 7 : 0 9 0 4 4 4 8
emits audible tones for a certain period. At the same time
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
P b 0 m A 2 . 1 4 7 V
the screen also displays the message „END".
Pb discharge program
The typical purpose of this program is to determine the
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
P b d i s c h a r g e
residual capacity of a drive battery.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
1 . 0 0 A 1 2 . 0 V In this program the charger discharges the pack using the
set discharge current (0.10 ... 1.00 A, left of screen) until
+ - + -
its voltage falls to the set final discharge voltage (1.7 ...
INC
DEC INC DEC
12.0 V, right of screen). To obtain a realistic capacity
reading, i.e. one which actually reflects the battery's
ENTER
condition, the discharge current should be set
substantially below 1C (capacity of the battery = 2 Ah —>
C = 2 A), and the final discharge voltage should be set to
around 1.7 V per cell.
29