La Crosse Technology BC-1000U User Manual

Language

Page English 1

Contents

TABLE OF CONTENT

Topic

Page

Features

Inventory Of Contents

Function Keys

Operating Modes

Charge Mode

Discharge Mode

Refresh Mode

Test Mode

Trickle Charge

Display Mode Information

The Size C and D Battery Adapter

Care and Maintenance

Specification

Warranty Information

Troubleshooting

BATTERY CHARGER BC-1000U

INTRODUCTION:

Congratulations on purchasing this intelligent charging unit which enables quick and optimum

charging to ―AA‖ and ―AAA‖ rechargeable batteries. With charging, discharging, refreshing and

capacity test functions as well as individual LCD displays for charging compartments; this charging unit is reliable, user-friendly and ideal for use in the home, office or on a journey.

The Charging unit

Instruction Manual

CAUTIONS:

1. The charger is restricted to charging NiCd and NiMH rechargeable batteries only. Never use this charger for other types of batteries such as alkaline, lithium, carbon zinc or other types that are not specified.

2. The charging unit should only be used at normal indoor room conditions.

3. Place charger on a hard flat surface.

4. Always follow the charging instructions for the rechargeable battery. Observe the recommended charging current of the rechargeable batteries. Never use a charging current higher than recommended in the charging process.

5. Never use any power cable and transformer other than those originally supplied with the charging unit.

6. The rechargeable batteries may become hot during charging (especially when a high charging current is chosen). User should take extra care when taking out the batteries after charging.

7. Unplug the charging unit from the power source when not in use.

FEATURES: The Charging unit

 Charging rechargeable batteries in various currents (200, 500, 700 or 1000 mA). The

charging current can be set up to 1500 or 1800 mAh when two batteries are charged.

 Fast charging – 70 mins to charge up 2000 mAh batteries  Individual LCD display for all compartments  Charging both ―AA‖ and ―AAA‖ rechargeable batteries simultaneously  Overheat detection to protect rechargeable batteries from over-charging  Minus delta voltage (-dV) detection for charge termination  Damaged batteries detection  Discharge mode (first discharging and then charging) to remove memory effect of

rechargeable batteries

 Refreshing old rechargeable batteries by discharging/ charging cycles  Test function to check the capacities of rechargeable batteries  Charging/ Discharging functions can be launched independently and simultaneously to

each rechargeable battery in the compartments

 Various display modes during charging/ discharging – the charging current (in mA), time

elapsed (in hh:mm), the terminal voltage (in V) and accumulated capacities (in mAh or Ah)

INVENTORY OF CONTENTS

Compartment

DISPLAY

MODE key

CURRENT

key

1. Charging unit

2. Transformer

3. Size ―C‖ battery adapter & Size ―D‖ battery adapter (Total of 4 Adapters)

4. Holding Bag

5. ―AA‖ rechargeable battery (4) & ―AAA‖ rechargeable battery (4)

6. Instruction Manual

FUNCTION KEYS:

There are three easy-to-use function keys and four number keys on the charging unit:

Compartment Number key

Press and release the Number key to select a particular battery compartment for charge modes and/or display mode adjustment.

MODE key

Hold the MODE key for about 1 second to activate the mode change. Press and release the

MODE key to toggle between the ―Charge‖, ―Discharge‖, ―Test‖ and ―Refresh‖ mode. To change

the operating mode for an individual rechargeable battery, first press the corresponding NUMBER key then press the MODE key.

DISPLAY key

Press and release the DISPLAY key to view: Charging current (in mA), Time elapsed (in hh:mm), the Terminal voltage (in V) and Accumulated capacities (in mAh or Ah) during the charging or discharging process. To change the display content of an individual rechargeable battery, first press the corresponding NUMBER key then press the DISPLAY key.

CURRENT key

Press and release the CURRENT key to select the amount of current to be applied (within the

first 8 seconds after batteries are inserted) in different operating modes (also see ―Start

charging the rechargeable batteries‖ below). To change the charging current of an individual

rechargeable battery, first press the corresponding NUMBER key then press the CURRENT key (within the first 8 seconds after batteries are inserted).

OPERATING MODES OF THE CHARGING UNIT

This powerful charging unit provides the following operating modes: a. Charge the rechargeable battery (CHARGE) – to charge the rechargeable battery,

automatically switches to trickle charge after the rechargeable battery is full.

b. Discharge then charge the rechargeable battery (DISCHARGE) – to discharge the

rechargeable battery then charge it to minimize the memory effect.

c. Refresh the rechargeable battery (REFRESH) – to refresh the rechargeable battery to its

maximum capacity by charging and discharging the rechargeable battery repeatedly until no further increase in the capacity is estimated. For old rechargeable batteries or those have not been used for a long time, refreshing may bring the rechargeable battery back to the optimum condition.

d. Check the rechargeable battery capacity in mAh/ Ah (TEST)

CHARGE MODE

When charging two batteries at compartment 1 & 4 – max. charging current: 1800 mA

When charging two batteries at compartment 1 & 2 – max. charging current: 1000 mA

Charging at 200 mA is the default-operating mode of the charging unit. A charging current up to 1500 or 1800 mA may be set by the pressing the CURRENT key when only one or two rechargeable batteries are charged, using only compartment 1 and compartment 4. When charging three or four rechargeable batteries at the same time, user may select a charging current of 200, 500, 700 or 1000 mA. NOTE: The highest charging current will be in compartment 1. The other compartments cannot be higher.

When charging four batteries – max. charging current: 1000 mA

When charging two batteries at compartment 2 & 3 – max. charging current: 1000 mA

The estimated time of charging by various charging current is tabulated in Table 1. NOTE: It is acceptable to charge AA and AAA batteries at the same time.

Table 1. Charging Time with various charging current

Size of battery

Battery Capacity

Charging current selected

(mA)

Estimated charging time

2600 mAh

1800

~80 min

1500

~100 min

1000

~2 hr 30 min

700

~3 hr 30 min

500

~5 hr

200

~12 hr

2000 mAh

1800

~70 min

1500

~80 min

1000

~2 hr

700

~3 hr

500

~4 hr

200

~10 hr

AAA

1000 mAh

700

~70 min

500

~1 hr 40 min

200

~4 hr

NOTE:

“null” displayed - No battery or damaged battery is placed to the charging unit

 Always observe the recommended maximum charging current of the rechargeable

batteries. In general, 200 mA is a recommended charging current if rapid charging is not necessary. It is definitely safe and optimum to the life of the rechargeable batteries.

 It may be necessary to charge and discharge new rechargeable batteries several times in

the beginning before the optimum capacity of the rechargeable batteries can be obtained. Use the "Refresh" mode after new rechargeable batteries have been used under load and charged several times in order to achieve the optimum battery capacity.

 When the transformer has been plugged into the power source, the version number of

the charger (for example ―37‖) will be displayed first. Then all the segments will light up

momentarily and the ―null‖ sign will be shown before batteries are placed. If damaged batteries or batteries below 0.9V, are placed into the charging unit, the charger will also show ―null‖ on LCD.

START CHARGING THE RECHARGEABLE BATTERIES Once a rechargeable battery is inserted after the transformer has been plugged into the power

source, the battery voltage (for example, ―1.39V‖) will be displayed for 4 seconds. Then ―200 mA Charge‖ (default mode) will be shown on LCD for another 4 seconds, indicating that charging

with 200 mA is to be started if no alteration in setting is made.

Select the operating mode by the MODE key. “Charge”, “Discharge”, “Refresh” and “Test” mode may be chosen within this 8-second time after inserting the batteries.

Then within 8 seconds from pressing the last key, select the charging/discharging current by pressing the CURRENT key.

NOTE:

 Hold the MODE key for about 1 second to activate the mode change. Press and release

the MODE key to select between the ―Charge‖, ―Discharge‖, ―Test‖ and ―Refresh‖ mode.

 There is an 8-second time allowed for choosing further functions after each key pressing.

If no keys are pressed, the LCD will blink one time to indicate the end of setting. The current can no longer be changed during the process and the selected mode will begin.

Charging current: 200 mA

Charge Mode

After 8 seconds from the last key press, the LCD will blink once to indicate the setting is confirmed and the selected mode is activated

During charging, the different displays- Charging current (in mA), Time elapsed (in hh:mm), Terminal voltage (in V) and Accumulated capacities (in mAh or Ah) may be toggled and selected by pressing the DISPLAY key (refer Table 4).

After the rechargeable battery is fully charged, ―Full‖ will be shown on the display and the user

may take out them at this time. If the rechargeable batteries are left in place in the compartments, trickle charging will start. The trickle charging current is around 5% of the selected charging current to keep the rechargeable batteries full.

“Full” sign is shown -The battery is fully charged

NOTE:

 The current cannot be altered once the setting has been confirmed in the initial stage.

This prevents the user from changing the current setting accidentally while setting other rechargeable batteries. If one wants to change the applied current afterward, the rechargeable batteries must be taken out and inserted again.

 The current setting of the first charging compartment restricts the maximum charging

current of the other rechargeable batteries. For instance, if the first compartment rechargeable battery is set to charge at 700 mA, then the second, third and fourth rechargeable batteries can be only set to charging at a maximum current of 700 mA.

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