Powerex MH-C9000 User Manual

PRINTED IN TAIWAN A03-3713420-496

Thank you for purchasing the Powerex MH-C9000
Charger-Analyzer. Read these instructions carefully
and thoroughly before operating this unit. IMPORTANT
SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS. READ AND SAVE THESE
INSTRUCTIONS.

OPERATING THIS PRODUCT INCORRECTLY CAN

CAUSE DAMAGE TO THE BATTERIES.

READ MANUAL COMPLETELY BEFORE USE.

GENERAL PRECAUTIONS

• Do not charge battery cells other than NiMH or NiCD. Please check
with the battery manufacturer to ensure it can accept the
programmed charging and discharging rates. Do not expose the unit
to rain or moisture due to the risk of fire.

• Do not operate the charger if it appears damaged in any way.

• Always place the battery cells with positive tip facing the top.

Incorrect polarity may cause fire or explosion. Observe polarity
diagrams located on the charger.

• Do not allow the unit to be exposed to direct sunlight. Operate in
well-ventilated area. Do not place unit on the carpet.

• Do not allow the battery terminals to become shorted.

• To reduce the risk of damage to the power cord, always pull by

connector rather than the cord.

• Use only the supplied adapter or optional regional and car adapter
offered by Maha Energy. Using third party accessories voids the
product warranty.

FEATURES & SPECIFICATIONS

• Four independent slots for AA or AAA NiMH batteries.

• Backlit LCD display.

• Digitally displays capacity, voltage, time and current.

• Five modes of operation: Charge, Refresh & Analyze, Break-In,

Discharge and Cycle.

• 19 selectable charging current from 0.2A to 2.0A.

• 10 selectable discharging current from 0.1A to 1.0A.

• Worldwide power supply.

Charging Current:

Programmable from 0.2A to 2.0A in
increments of 0.1A

Topoff Charging Current:

100mA

Maintenance Charging
Current:

10mA

Discharge Termination:

Voltage 1.00V

Discharging Current:

Programmable from 0.1A to 1.0A in
increments of 0.1A

Capacity Storage Memory:

12 (Cycle mode only)

Supported Capacity*:

100 to 20,000mAh

Charger Input Power:

12V 2.0A

Adapter Input:

100-240V 50/60Hz

* Always ensure that the batteries can accept the programmed rates.

GENERAL BATTERY EDUCATION

What is 0.1C, 0.2C, etc?

“C” stands for the battery capacity and the number in front of it is the
fraction of the battery capacity. For example, 0.1C means 0.1 times the
capacity for the battery. For a 2700mAh battery, 0.1C would be 0.1 times
2700mAh which equals 270mA.

Choosing the right charging & discharging rate

Charging at a rate below 0.33C and above 1.0C 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 significantly
reduce the device runtime.

Battery matching refers to grouping batteries with similar “actual”
capacity. To perform this, use the Refresh & Analyze mode 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.

MH-C9000

WizardOne Charger-Analyzer

PRINTED IN TAIWAN A03-3713420-496

MODES OF OPERATION

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

Charge Mode

• Recharges the battery at the selected rate.

• Useful when battery needs to be recharged without determining the

capacity of the battery. It should be used on batteries known to be in
good condition and have been in continuous use.

• Requires the least amount of time.

Refresh & Analyze Mode

• First recharges the battery, rest for one hour, discharge, rest, then
recharges again. Charging and discharging rates are programmable.

• Reports the discharge capacity at the end of the cycle.

• Useful when the battery capacity needs to be determined. Also

useful for battery with degraded performance.

• Recommended once every ten cycles for NiMH batteries.

Break-In Mode (IEC capacity analysis)

• Applies a 16-hour 0.1C charge (0.1 times the capacity of the
battery), rest of one hour, followed by a 0.2C discharge, rest again,
and finally a 16-hour 0.1C recharge again.

• Recommended for brand-new batteries. This process is also known
as “Forming Charge.” Also recommended with batteries that cannot
be rescued by the Refresh & Analyze mode.

• Recommended once every 30 cycles for NiMH batteries.

• Requires 39 to 45 hours to complete.

• The process follows the IEC standard for determining battery

capacity.

Discharge Mode

• Discharges the battery at the selected rate.

• Useful for analyzing the amount of charge stored in the battery.

Battery not recharged at the end of the cycle.

Cycle Mode

• Performs a charge-discharge cycle for the programmable number of
times. Charging and discharging rates are also selectable. At the
end of the cycle, a final recharge is applied.

• Suitable for cycling the batteries multiple times.

The following table summarized the recommended mode for typical
battery conditions:

Battery Condition

Mode

Brand-new batteries

Break-In

NiMH batteries that have been used
frequently (at least once every two weeks)

Charge

Batteries in storage for more than two
weeks but less than 3 month

Refresh & Analyze

Batteries in storage for more than 3 month

Break-In

Batteries showing poor performance

Refresh & Analyze for
one to three times.

Battery Rescue Steps

For batteries that do not perform favorably after using the mode
recommended above, the following sequence can be applied.

1. Refresh & Analyze for one to three times.

2. If capacity is still low, use Break-In mode.

3. If the step 1 to step 2 shows some capacity improvement (> 10%),
repeat Break-In mode for one to three times. If no significant
improvement, battery probably at end of useful life.

OPERATIONS

1. Connect the power adapter DC connector to the charger.

Then, plug the power adapter into a compatible outlet (100-240VAC,
50/60Hz).

TIP: When operating the charger outside of its intended region of
use, simply use a plug-changer (Maha part number MHS-TC400
worldwide plug-changer kit). Transformer is not necessary.

2. Raise the lift rod located on the backside of the charger.

3. Insert AA or AAA battery.

Inserting AA batteries Inserting AAA batteries

TIP: If charging two batteries, inserting them in the first and fourth
slot offers better cooling and lowers battery temperature.

4. When a new battery is detected, the LCD will display an arrow below
the bank number and prompt for the mode by flashing “MODE”.

Use the UP and DOWN arrow keys to choose the desired mode.
Press ENTER to make the selection.

If no key is pressed within five seconds, the charger will proceed to
the default mode which is charging with 1000mA rate.

If more than one battery is inserted at a time (without key press), the
charger will prompt for programming in the order in which the
batteries were inserted.

5. If CHARGE mode is selected:

The charger will prompt for the charging rate by flashing “SET CHG
RATE.” Use the UP and DOWN key to choose the desired current.
Press ENTER to make the selection. Refer to the “General Battery
Education” section on choosing an appropriate rate.