Radio Shack Universal Battery Pack Conditioner/Charger, 23-250 Owner's Manual

23-250.fm Page 1 Friday, August 6, 1999 2:09 PM

Universal Battery Pack

Conditioner/Charger

Cat. No. 23-250

OWNER’S MANUAL

Please read before using this equipment.

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FEATURES

Your Radio Shack Universal B attery
Pack Conditioner/Charger uses ad­vanced technology to co ndit ion an d
recharge 6- to 12-volt rechargeable
battery packs from camcorders, cel­lular phones, radio-controlled vehi­cles, and more.

To prevent your rechargeable battery
pack fr om losing it s ability t o f ully re­charge, you must completely dis­charge it (condition it) about once
every 10 times you recharge it. Nor­mal battery chargers can only re­charge a battery pack. Your Radio
Shack universal battery pack condi­tioner/charger lets you both dis­charge and recharge it, increasing
your battery pack’s efficiency and du­rability.

Its features include:

Multiple Char

Contac ts

— let
you condition various types of re­chargeable battery packs.

Reversible Polarit

Switch

— lets
you quickly reverse the charging po­larity of an incorrectly positioned bat­tery pack.

Automatic Switchin

— automati­cally switches to the chargi ng mode
when discharging is complete.

Automatic Volta

e Sensor

— auto ­matically determines the maximum
voltage a connected battery pack will
be charged to.

LED Char

Lights

— show you
the battery pack’s charging condi­tion.

Temperature Sensor

— protects
battery packs from over-heatin g dur­ing charging.

Batter

Pack Versatilit

— lets you
recharge Nickel-Cadmium, Nickel­Metal Hydride, and Lead-Acid re­chargeable battery packs.

Built-In Dischar

— lets you con-

er

dition your rechargeable battery pack
for the longest life and best perfor­mance.

© 1996 Tandy Corporation.

Radio Shack is a registered trademark used by Tandy Cor poration.

All Rights Reserved.

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Two Op ti on al P owe r Sour c es

— let
you power the conditioner/charger
using either standard AC power or
your vehicle’s battery power.

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CONTENTS

Operation ........................................................................................................ 4

Mounting/Connecting a Rechargeable Battery Pack ................................. 4

Bottom Contact Battery Packs ............................................................ 4

End Contact Battery Packs ................................................................. 6

Connector Type Battery Packs ............................................................ 7

Connecting Power ..................................................................................... 7

Using Standard AC Power ....................................... ..... .. ..... ..... .. ..... .. . 7

Using Your Vehicle’s Battery Power .................................................... 8

Recharging/Conditioning A Rechargeable Battery Pack ........................... 9

Charging a Rechargeable Battery Pack ................................ . ............. 9

Conditionin g a Battery Pack .............................................................. 10

Care and Maintenance ................................................................................. 12

Specifications ............................................................................................... 13

Warnin

: To prevent fire or shock hazard, do n ot expos e t his produ ct to rain or

moisture.

CAUTION

RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK.

DO NOT OPEN.

CAUTION

ELECTRIC SHOCK, DO NOT REMOVE
COVER OR BACK. NO USER -SERVICE­ABLE PARTS INSIDE. REFER SERVIC­ING TO QUALIFIED PERSONNEL.

: TO REDUCE THE RISK OF

This symbol is intended to alert you to
the presence of uninsulated dangerous
voltage within the product’s enclosure

!

!

that migh t be of suf fici ent magn itud e to
constitute a risk of electric shock. Do
not op en the product ’s case.

This symbol is intended to inform you
that important operating and mainte­nance instruc tions are included in the
literature accompanying this product.

!

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OPERATION

To prevent your rechargeable battery
pack fr om losing it s ability t o f ully re­charge, you must condition it (by
completely discharging it) about
once every 10 times you recharge it.

To charge or condition a recharge­able battery pack, you must:

1. Properly mount or connect the
battery pack to the conditioner/
charger

2. Apply AC or DC power to the
conditioner/charger

3. Recharge or condition the bat­tery pack.

These steps are explai ned in the f ol­lowing sections.

MOUNTING/
CONNECTING A
RECHARGEABLE
BATTERY PACK

You can mount/connect battery
packs with bott om or end contact s, or
with connectors.

Warnin

•

s:

Non

-rechargeable battery packs
do not fit into the conditioner/
charger’s charging contacts. Do
not try to connect a non­rechargeable battery pack
because it might damage the
conditioner/charger.

• Do not try to charge non­rechargeable battery packs
because they could explode.

• Use only one set of the battery
contacts at one time or you
might short the conditioner/
charger or the battery pack.

Notes:

• A rechargeable battery pack can
be properly charged only when
its contacts correctly match the
conditioner/charger’s contacts.

• Not all battery packs look like
the ones shown here. Look for
the battery pack’s + and – con­tacts to make the connections.

• Your local Radio Shack store
sells replacement battery packs.

Bottom Contact Battery
Packs

Some rechargeable battery packs
have charging contacts located on
the bottom, such as:

Camcorder batteries: Sharp, Sony,
Panasonic, JVC, Canon, etc

Cellular phone batteries: Motorola,
Ericsson, Nokia, etc

.

.

Charging Contacts

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Follow these steps to mount this type
of battery pack on the conditioner/
charger.

1. Pull the battery stopper’s latch
on the right front of the condi­tioner/charger, then pull open
the stopper.

(illus)

2. To mount a wide battery pack on
the conditioner/charger, position
the attached battery guide so its
edge faces out.

To mount a narrow battery pack,
position the battery guide so its
edge faces in.

3. Place the battery pack on the
conditioner/charger so its con­tacts overhang, then move the
battery contacts (A and B) up or
down, left or right until they
touch the battery pack’s con­tacts.

(illus)

4. Push down on t he battery stop­per’s tab and slide it outward
until it stops (about

3

/4 inch) to

make room for the battery pack.

(illus)

(illus)

5. Close the battery stopper and
make sure the latch locks into
place.

(illus)

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