BATTERY CHARGER BC-900
Instruction Manual
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
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 shall only be used at normal indoor room conditions.
3. 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.
4. Never use any power cable and transformer other than those originally supplied with the charging unit.
5. The rechargeable batteries may become hot during charging (especially when a high charging current is chosen). User shall take extra care when
taking out the batteries after charging.
6. Unplug the charging unit from the power source when not in use.
FEATURES:
The Charging unit
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Charging rechargeable battery in various current (200, 500, 700 or 1000 mA). The charging current can be set up to 1500 or 1800 mAh when two
batteries are charged.
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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
1. Charging unit
2. Transformer
3. Size “C” battery adapter (4) & Size “D” battery adapter (4)
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 keys
MODE key
CURRENT key
DISPLAY
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
The mode key shall first be pressed and held for 1 second to activate the mode change. The subsequent pressing of the mode key will 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 to select the displays of the 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 a particular rechargeable battery, first press the corresponding NUMBER key then press the DISPLAY key.
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START CHARGING THE RECHARGEABLE BATTERIES
Once a rechargeable battery is inserted after the transformer has been plugged to 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 alternation in setting is made.
Within this 8-second time from inserting the batteries the user may first select the operating mode by the MODE key. “Charge”, “Discharge”,
“Refresh” and “Test” mode may be chosen.
Then within 4 seconds from the last key pressing, user may select the charging/ discharging current by pressing the CURRENT key.
Note:
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The mode key shall first be pressed and held for 1 second to activate the mode change. The subsequent pressing of the mode key will toggle
between the “Charge”, “Discharge”, “Test” and “Refresh” mode.
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There is a 4-second time allowed for choosing further functions after each key pressing. If no more keys are pressed, the LCD will blink one time to
indicate the end of setting. Afterward, the current can no longer be changed during the process and the selected mode will begin.
Charging current: 200 mA
After 4 seconds from the last key
press, the LCD will blink once to
indicate the setting is confirmed and
the selected mode is activated
Charge Mode
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 :
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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 doing setting on other rechargeable batteries. If one wants to change the applied current afterward, the rechargeable batteries
must be taken out and inserted again.
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The maximum charging current of the other rechargeable batteries are restricted by the current setting of the first inserted rechargeable battery. For
instance, if the first inserted 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.
Therefore, the user is advised to place the battery with the highest expected charging current in Compartment 1 first. To release the restriction of
setting charging current, user must take out all four rechargeable batteries from the charging unit.
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To change the operating mode during charging, one can press the MODE key (for selecting all rechargeable batteries) or NUMBER key then
MODE key (for selecting individual rechargeable battery). Four (4) seconds after the last key press the LCD will blink one time to indicate the end of
changing.
When overheating conditions occur (over about 127°F (53°C), usually due to too high a charging current selected), the charging will be stopped
immediately and the display will shown “000 mA”, the charging process will only resume once the temperature of the rechargeable batteries drops
to a safe level. If overheat conditions continue to occur, the rechargeable batteries must be taken out to cool down and then charged at a lower
current.
When the battery is overheated the
charging will ceases automatically.
“000 mA” will be displayed.
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For a new rechargeable battery it is recommended to charge it with 200 mA current to re-condition it from the long storage status.
DISCHARGE MODE
Discharge mode will first discharge the rechargeable battery then charge it. It is for removing the memory effects of rechargeable batteries.
By pressing the MODE key within 8 seconds after inserting the rechargeable batteries, the Discharge mode can be selected. Then the user may also
select different discharging current (see Table 2) by pressing the CURRENT key, within 8 seconds after inserting the batteries. (The display will blink
once to indicate the setting has been confirmed and the current cannot be changed afterward.)
Discharging current: 250 mA
Discharge Mode
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Note:
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The discharging current is always set to be half of the coming charging current whose upper limit is 1000 mA (see Table 2). Therefore the user is
recommended to carefully select the discharging current so that the charging current afterward will not be too high.
The mode key shall first be pressed and held for 1 second to activate the mode change. The subsequent pressing of the mode key will toggle
between the “Charge”, “Discharge”, “Test” and “Refresh” mode.
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Table 2. DISCHARGE MODE Current
User-selected
100 mA
200 mA
250 mA
500 mA
350 mA
700 mA
500 mA
Discharging current
Thereafter Charging
current
1000
mA
Finally, batteries will be fully charged in discharge mode and “Full” will be displayed. If the user presses the DISPLAY key at this time, "charge" icon
instead of "discharge" icon will be displayed.
REFRESH MODE
Old rechargeable batteries and those that have not been used for a long time require refreshing. This process will recover the optimum capacity of the
rechargeable batteries. By pressing the MODE key within 8 seconds after inserting the rechargeable batteries, the Refresh mode can be selected.
Refresh mode will start with discharging the rechargeable battery, then charging it. The repeated discharging and charging cycles will be launched until
no further increase in the measured capacities is estimated.
Discharging current: 250 mA
Refresh mode (the battery is
being discharged)
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By pressing the MODE key within 8 seconds after inserting the rechargeable batteries, the Refresh mode can be selected. (The mode key shall first
be pressed and held for 1 second to activate the mode change. The subsequent pressing of the mode key will toggle between the “Charge”,
“Discharge”, “Test” and “Refresh” mode.)
Then the user may also select different discharging current by pressing the CURRENT key (see “Note” in Discharge mode and Table 2), within 8
seconds after inserting the batteries. (Or the display will blink once to indicate the end of setting and the current cannot be changed afterward.).
It may take up to several days to finish the refreshing process, depending on the selected discharging current.
The maximum refresh current is 1000 mA and is not affected by the number of rechargeable batteries inserted.
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TEST MODE
In the Test mode the rechargeable batteries will first be fully charged and then discharged to determine the capacities. Finally, the rechargeable batteries
are charged up again and the capacity in (mAh) of (Ah) will be estimated and shown after the discharging ends.
By pressing the MODE key within 8 seconds after inserting the rechargeable batteries, the Test mode can be selected. (The mode key shall first be
pressed and held for 1 second to activate the mode change. The subsequent pressing of the mode key will toggle between the “Charge”, “Discharge”,
“Test” and “Refresh” mode.)
The Charging
current in (mA)
Test mode
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After selecting the Test mode the user may select different charging currents in the Test mode by pressing the CURRENT key, within 8 seconds
after the batteries are inserted. The afterward-discharging current will be half of the selected charging current (see Table 3).
Table 3. TEST MODE Current
User-selected
Charging current
Thereafter
1000
mA
200 mA 500 mA 700 mA
Discharging
current
100 mA 250 mA 350 mA 500 mA
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The maximum charging current is 1000 mA and is not affected by the number of rechargeable batteries inserted.
After the test mode is finished, the display will shift between the “Full” sign and the battery capacity (in mAh or Ah) automatically in 3-second
intervals until the rechargeable batteries are removed. The user can switch to other displays by pressing the DISPLAY key.
Battery capacity displayed in
(mAh) as the checking is
finished in Test mode.
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TRICKLE CHARGING
After the rechargeable battery is fully charged in any of the operating modes, the charger will give a small amount of current to the rechargeable
batteries to maintain the fully charged level. This mode is automatically launched after rechargeable batteries are fully charged and kept in the charging
unit. The signal “Full” will be displayed on the LCD.
DISPLAY MODE INFORMATION
The user can use different display modes to monitor the rechargeable battery condition during the different operations (see below figure and Table 4 to
7).
Different display modes are
exhibited: Charging current, Time,
Voltage and Capacity
Different operating modes
Table 4. Various displays in Charge Mode
Various displays (toggled by pressing DISPLAY
Stage in
key)
Charge
mode
Current
(mA)
*Time
(hh:mm) (mAh/ Ah)
Capacity
Voltage (V)
During
Charging
charging Instantaneous current
Charging
Accumulated
time
Battery
voltage
Full stage
Trickle
charging
current
capacity
elapsed
Table 5. Various displays in Discharge Mode
Stage in
Discharge
mode
Various displays (toggled by pressing DISPLAY key)
Current
(mA)
*Time
(hh:mm)
Capacity
(mAh/ Ah)
Capacity
during
Voltage (V)
During
discharging
Discharging Discharging
current
time elapsed
discharging
Instantaneous
Battery
During
charging
Charging
current
Trickle
voltage
Charging
time elapsed
Accumulated
capacity
Full stage
charging
current
Table 6. Various displays in Refresh Mode
Stage in
Refresh
mode
During
discharging
processes
Various displays (toggled by pressing DISPLAY key)
Current
(mA)
*Time
(hh:mm)
Capacity
(mAh/ Ah)
Capacity
during
Voltage (V)
Instantaneous
Battery
Discharging Discharging
current
time elapsed
voltage
discharging
Capacity
Charging determined in
During
charging
processes
Instantaneous
Battery
Charging
current
time elapsed
last time
discharging
Maximum
battery
voltage
Instantaneous
Battery
Trickle
charging
current
Elapsed time
of last
Full stage
capacity
discharging determined in
discharging
voltage
Table 7. Various displays in Test Mode
Various displays (toggled by pressing DISPLAY key)
Stage in
Test mode
Current
(mA)
*Time
(hh:mm)
Capacity
(mAh/ Ah)
Voltage (V)
During
charging
During
Charging
Charging
“--- mAh”
current
time elapsed
Discharging Discharging
current
“--- mAh”
discharging
time elapsed
Capacity of
Instantaneous
Battery
During 2nd
charging
Charging
current
2nd charging the battery
time elapsed determined in
discharging
voltage
Capacity of
Trickle
charging
current
Discharging the battery
time elapsed determined in
discharging
Full stage
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*The timer will be resumed and counted from 00:00 again after the time elapsed is longer than 20 hours. (For example, 1:45 will be shown after the
battery has been refreshed for 21 hr and 45 min.)
THE SIZE C AND SIZE D BATTERY ADAPTERS (FREE ACCESSORY)
The battery adapters are used for connecting the AA battery to devices requiring Size C or D batteries. To apply the adapter:
1.
Install the AA battery into the Size C or Size D adapter as below.
The AA battery used with the
Size C adapter
The AA battery used with the Size D
adapter (it is required to place the
battery into the “C” adapter first
and then the “D” adapter)
2. Ensure the polarity is correct and the assembling condition is good.
Note:
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User shall stop using the adaptor when there are any cracks or damages observed in the adaptor, and in case undesired smell comes out while
applying the adapter in certain kinds of battery operated devices.
CARE AND MAINTENANCE:
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Extreme temperatures, vibration and shock should be avoided as these may cause damage to the unit
When cleaning the displays and casings, use a soft damp cloth only. Do not wet the exposed metal part of the charging unit. Do not use solvents or
scouring agents as they may mark the LCD and casing.
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Do not spill water to the charging unit.
Do not make any repair attempts to the units. Return it to its original point of purchase for repair by a qualified engineer. Opening and tampering
with the units may invalidate its guarantee.
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Do not expose the unit to extreme and sudden temperature changes, this may lead to damage to the electronic parts in the unit.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Input voltage for AC/DC adapter
Charging current range
:
:
100-240 VAC
200 mA - 1800 mA
Max charging capacity
(capacity of rechargeable batteries)
Dimensions (H x W x D)
:
3000 mAh
:
5 x 3 x 1.5”
(129 x 75 x 37.2 mm)
LIABILITY DISCLAIMER:
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The manufacturer and supplier cannot accept any responsibility for any improper or incorrect use and any consequences occur.
Any performance of repairs or alternations by someone other than the original supplier will invalidate the warranty.
This product is only designed to be used by people who have read and understood this instruction manual.
The specifications of this product may change without prior notice.
This product is not a toy. Keep out of the reach of children.
No part of this manual may be reproduced without written consent of the manufacturer.
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WARRANTY INFORMATION
La Crosse Technology, Ltd provides a 1-year limited warranty on this product against manufacturing defects in materials and workmanship.
This limited warranty begins on the original date of purchase, is valid only on products purchased and used in North America and only to the original
purchaser of this product. To receive warranty service, the purchaser must contact La Crosse Technology, Ltd for problem determination and service
procedures. Warranty service can only be performed by a La Crosse Technology, Ltd authorized service center. The original dated bill of sale must be
presented upon request as proof of purchase to La Crosse Technology, Ltd or La Crosse Technology, Ltd’s authorized service center.
La Crosse Technology, Ltd will repair or replace this product, at our option and at no charge as stipulated herein, with new or reconditioned parts or
products if found to be defective during the limited warranty period specified above. All replaced parts and products become the property of La Crosse
Technology, Ltd and must be returned to La Crosse Technology, Ltd. Replacement parts and products assume the remaining original warranty, or
ninety (90) days, whichever is longer. La Crosse Technology, Ltd will pay all expenses for labor and materials for all repairs covered by this warranty.
If necessary repairs are not covered by this warranty, or if a product is examined which is not in need or repair, you will be charged for the repairs or
examination. The owner must pay any shipping charges incurred in getting your La Crosse Technology, Ltd product to a La Crosse Technology, Ltd
authorized service center. La Crosse Technology, Ltd will pay reasonable return shipping charges to the owner of the product.
Your La Crosse Technology, Ltd warranty covers all defects in material and workmanship with the following specified exceptions: (1) damage caused by
accident, unreasonable use or neglect (including the lack of reasonable and necessary maintenance); (2) damage occurring during shipment (claims
must be presented to the carrier); (3) damage to, or deterioration of, any accessory or decorative surface; (4) damage resulting from failure to follow
instructions contained in your owner’s manual; (5) damage resulting from the performance of repairs or alterations by someone other than an authorized
La Crosse Technology, Ltd authorized service center; (6) units used for other than home use (7) applications and uses that this product was not intended
or (8) the products inability to receive a signal due to any source of interference.. This warranty covers only actual defects within the product itself, and
does not cover the cost of installation or removal from a fixed installation, normal set-up or adjustments, claims based on misrepresentation by the seller
or performance variations resulting from installation-related circumstances.
LA CROSSE TECHNOLOGY, LTD WILL NOT ASSUME LIABILITY FOR INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE, OR OTHER SIMILAR
DAMAGES ASSOCIATED WITH THE OPERATION OR MALFUNCTION OF THIS PRODUCT. THIS PRODUCT IS NOT TO BE USED FOR MEDICAL
PURPOSES OR FOR PUBLIC INFORMATION. THIS PRODUCT IS NOT A TOY. KEEP OUT OF CHILDREN’S REACH.
This warranty gives you specific legal rights. You may also have other rights specific to your State. Some States do no allow the exclusion of
consequential or incidental damages therefore the above exclusion of limitation may not apply to you.
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For warranty work, technical support, or information contact:
La Crosse Technology
2809 Losey Blvd. S.
La Crosse, WI 54601
Phone: 608.782.1610
Fax: 608.796.1020
e-mail:
(warranty work)
(information on other products)
web:
All rights reserved. This handbook must not be reproduced in any form, even in excerpts, or duplicated or processed using electronic, mechanical or
chemical procedures without written permission of the publisher.
This handbook may contain mistakes and printing errors. The information in this handbook is regularly checked and corrections made in the next issue.
We accept no liability for technical mistakes or printing errors, or their consequences.
All trademarks and patents are acknowledged.
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