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Zebra ZQ500 and ZQ600 Series
Battery Eliminator Best Practices
Installation Instructions
Note • The following instructions are to be used with P1050667-142 Kit, Accessory, Power Adapter for Mobile
Battery Eliminator, 12~48V, open ended, New Resistor and P1063406-133 Kit, Accessory Power Adapter for
Mobile Battery Eliminator, 12~48V, Cigarette Lighter, New Resistor.
Note • In applications using USB, Zebra strongly recommends using open-ended kit P1050667-142.
Overview
The mobile battery eliminator options for the ZQ500 and ZQ600 Series printers provide power to the mobile
printer, eliminating the need to charge or swap batteries. Proper installation of the battery eliminator, as with any
automotive accessory, is vital to reliable operation. The recommendations below are intended to supplement the
Battery Eliminator User Guide (P1071365-002). These instructions are for vehicle installations only and the in-
staller is responsible for following all warnings and cautions highlighted in the original instructions. Specically,
the slow blow fuse provided with the battery eliminator should be installed and not bypassed.
Typical Installation
In a typical installation, as shown below, there will be at least two devices. The interface will likely be a laptop that contains the application for the user to send a print job to the printer. The laptop and the printer will each
have its own power supply to be connected to the vehicle. This installation guide covers using the mobile printer
along with a standalone battery eliminator or battery eliminator cradle (ZQ500 Series only).
The laptop will be connected to the printer using a USB cable, available from Zebra Technologies.
Figure 1: Typical Battery Eliminator Installation
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General Automotive Wiring
Typically, a vehicle will have a 12 or 24 volt system, which includes a battery and an alternator. The positive
terminal of the battery will be connected to the alternator and starter of the vehicle, while the negative terminal
is connected to the chassis.
When the vehicle’s engine is running, power will be supplied by the alternator. The primary use of the battery
is to supply power to some systems when the engine is not running, and to support the alternator when the engine is running.
Positive Connections
The positive terminal of the battery will be connected to the starter and the alternator. Other devices are
sometimes connected as well, however most functions of the vehicle will receive power through a fuse block,
circuit breaker, or another power distribution module (PDM).
• Any device that is connected directly to the battery should provide its own protection (fuse, circuit breaker,
etc.). See wiring section for recommended fuse rating.
Figure 2: Examples of Inline Fuse and Auto Resetting Circuit Breaker
• The connections on the positive terminal must be tight and free of dirt or corrosion.
Figure 3: Examples of Corroded Connection and a Clean Connection
Negative (Ground) Connections
In modern vehicles, the negative terminal is connected to the chassis of the vehicle and treated as “ground”
for the electrical system. The alternator and starter may be connected directly to the negative terminal of the
battery. The negative connection for all other devices should be attached to the chassis ground.
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• The connection of the negative terminal of the battery to the chassis must use a heavy gauge wire or
ground braid. A small wire will compromise the ground connection of all devices in the vehicle.
Figure 4: Heavy Wire Connecting to Chassis
• Connecting other devices directly to the negative terminal of the battery is a safety risk. Unless a device
provides its own isolation, it is not recommended to connect directly to the negative terminal of the battery. The
Battery Eliminator is not an isolated device and the ground wire should only be connected to the chassis, or to
a ground terminal that connects to the chassis.
Importance of Good Connections
In order for all devices to work properly, they must have good positive and negative connections. One of the
most common issues in automotive wiring is poor grounding. Generally, all connections must be clean and
tight. Loose or dirty connections can lead to noise on communication devices or complete failure.
Ground Loops
Ground Loop is a condition that exists in vehicle wiring when there are poor connections. Ground Loops exist
when two or more devices are connected to a common ground through dierent paths. Currents ow through
these multiple paths and develop voltages which can cause noise and communication errors through the USB
line.
To prevent ground loops, all signal grounds need to go to one common point and when two grounding
points cannot be avoided, one side must isolate the signal and grounds from the other.
Wiring Recommendations
The following recommendations will ensure the best possible installation for the Battery Eliminator.
• Separate Circuit
The Zebra printer must be attached to a separate circuit from the laptop. When combined on the same circuit, the printer and laptop may draw more than the circuit can allow. Additionally, changes in power usage
during printing may disrupt power for the laptop if they are on the same circuit.
• Circuit Capacity
For installations that include a fuse or a circuit breaker, in addition to the Zebra-provided inline fuse, a 25
Amp dedicated circuit is recommended for the printer. While the average current drawn on the circuit will be
much lower, a higher capacity circuit is required during printing.
Note • Please note that some older power supplies include an extra ground wire that must also be connected properly. Both ground
wires may be connected to the same chassis point, as long as that point provides a good electrical connection.
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• Good Ground Connection
• Every connection to the chassis must be a good electrical and mechanical connection.
Figure 5: Ground Connection
• Ensure that all mating surfaces are clean and free of paint or other coatings. It may be necessary to brush or
scrape the surface.
• The lug should be the appropriate size for the stud.
• Thread-lock in the threads of the stub may reduce the quality of the connection.
• Use of star and spring washers will ensure a good electrical and mechanical connection.
• Dielectric grease between all surfaces may be added to prevent corrosion.
Note • When choosing a chassis point to conect the ground, measure the resistance from that point back to the negative terminal of
the battery. The goal should be to achieve less than 1 ohm.
Figure 6: Measure Ground Path
• If the multimeter is not autoranging, choose a range of 200 ohms, or similar, to obtain an accurate reading.
• It is recommended to measure resistance when the vehicle is o.
• Both the laptop supply and the Battery Eliminator require good ground connections (see the next section).
• For verication when the vehicle is running, set the meter to measure voltage and test the same path. The
voltage should be close to 0 volts (less than 0.05V).
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• Common Ground
It is very important to ground the laptop and the printer to the same chassis point (as close to
the Negative/Ground Battery Terminal as possible) to eliminate any ground loops. If either
the Laptop Inverter/Charging cable or the Battery Eliminator cable is not long enough to reach the
chassis point, then ensure a heavy gauge ground wire (preferably 12AWG, with < 0.1ohm resistance)
is connected from the chassis point to the ground connection wires of the Laptop Inverter/Charging
module or the Battery Eliminator.
Figure 7: Connect Grounds to Common Chassis Point
• Short Length
• Long wires introduce additional resistance and reduce the power supplied to the device. To ensure
that devices receive full power, avoid unnecessary wire extensions and splices.
• All ground wires should be short and connected to the nearest accessible point on the chassis.
• Heavy Gauge
• When additional wiring is necessary, always use a heavy gauge, stranded wire to ensure that enough
power can be supplied to the device.
• Individual devices should have a minimum of a 12AWG or heavier supply wires. Use a separate wire
for each device. Do not splice multiple leads o one wire.
Figure 8: Heavy Gauge Wire from the Fuse Block to Devices
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Figure 9: Example of Individual Heavy Wires for Each Device
• Additional fuse blocks or PDM’s should be supplied with a minimum of 6 or 4AWG wire.
Figure 10: Example of Heavy Gauge to Power Block
• Proper Crimping
• Ensure that all lugs and butt splices are the correct size for the wire gauge.
• Crimp with the appropriate crimper for the lug.
• When splicing wires, use a butt splice instead of quick splices.
Figure 11: Splice Options
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• Wire Ties and Sharp Bends
• When organizing wires and cables, tighten the wire tie until it is snug, but not too tight. This is especially
important for the USB cable. Tight wire ties can reduce performance.
Figure 12: Snug Wire Ties
• Do not allow wires and cables to be bent sharply, as this may cause damage and reduce performance
and reliability.
Figure 13: Avoid Sharp Cable Bends
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USB Cable
Note • For the ZQ500 Series, Zebra recommends using only the approved Zebra USB Cable, P1063406-045, without any
extensions. For applications that require a longer USB cable, a 12 foot long version, P1063406-146, is available. For the ZQ600
Series, Zebra recommends a P1031365-055 USB cable.
Note • Third party USB cables are not supported for use with the battery eliminator.
Long USB cables can introduce noise and errors leading to decreased or intermittent printer perfor-
mance. Position the printer close to the laptop so that the USB cable can be as short as possible.
Caution About Printer Location
Zebra strongly recommends against installing the printer on the dash of the car or truck where the printer would be exposed to direct sunlight. The buildup of heat in that area, especially in warm weather, can
cause the temperature to exceed the printer’s operating specications and trigger an overtemperature protecting mode for safety purposes. This will prevent the printer from printing until it can cool down within
specication temperature.
Figure 14: Possible Locations for the Printer
Printer Firmware
Ensure that the printer is using the latest available Link-OS rmware. Specically, rmware prior to
Link-OS version 6.2 may cause problems.
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