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ACTIVATOR 50 CHARGER USER’S GUIDE
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nI-mH bATTERy pROGRAmmInG
When the charging process begins, the status
screen will be displayed. This screen shows
various data about the current charging process,
including the elapsed charge time, the current
voltage of the battery and the current charged
capacity in mAh.
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This mode is used for discharging 1 to 15 cell Ni-Cd or Ni-MH batteries in either AUTO
mode or MANUAL mode. Discharging is typically used to determine the residual
capacity of the battery or to lower the voltage of the battery to a pre-defined level.
Some rechargeable batteries are said to have a memory effect. If they are partly
used and recharged before the whole charge is used, they ‘remember’ this and
next time will only use that part of their capacity. This is referred to as ‘memory
effect’. Ni-Cd and Ni-MH batteries are said to suffer from memory effect. They prefer
complete cycles. Fully charge them, then use them until empty or discharge them.
Do not fully recharge before storage. If necessary, give them an occasional short
charge to keep them above the 0.85V or 1.0V per cell minimum. Ni-MH batteries
have less memory effect than Ni-Cd batteries, so it’s not as much of an issue with
Ni-MH batteries.
For maximum safety during the discharge process, the charger may throttle
the discharge current lower than you program. Whether the charger will
automatically lower the discharge current will vary based on the specific battery
and charge/discharge current you program.
1) Connect the charger to its power source, plug the output power adapter cord
into the power outputs of the charger, then plug your Ni-Cd or Ni-MH battery
into the output power adapter cord.
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2) Press the STOP or DEC buttons to scroll to the
PROGRAM SELECT NI-CD BATT or PROGRAM
SELECT NI-MH BATT menu depending on the
battery type you’re discharging, then press the ENTER button to open the menu.
Press the DEC or INC buttons to scroll to the DISCHARGE menu.
3) Press the ENTER button. The discharge current
value will flash. Press the DEC or INC buttons to
select the desired discharge current, then press
the ENTER button again to store that value.
• Discharge current values range from 0.1 to 1.0 amp.
