User Manual

Page 2-26 Hardware Features
❏ External Battery Charger (optional): The battery pack is removed
from the Allegro to be charged using the external battery charger.
To charge the battery complete the following steps:
1) Place the NiMH battery adapter on the charger.
2) Slide the battery onto the charger and leave until fully charged,
which can take up to five hours. Refer to the instructions that
came with the charger for more details. (Details on how to
remove the battery pack are located later in this chapter .)
Using Vehicle Power
It is important to have the Allegro in Vehicle Mode when it is left
connected to vehicle power for periods of an hour or more, either
directly or via the vehicle power adapter. Vehicle Mode prevents
excessive charging of the NiMH battery pack.
Using Vehicle Mode is necessary because every time the power is
cycled (the key to the vehicle is turned on) the Allegro begins a new
battery charge cycle. The Allegro circuitry detects when a battery
pack is fully charged, however, it takes approximately 20 minutes for
this to occur. Repeatedly attempting to charge a fully charged battery
pack causes premature degradation in battery performance. In
Vehicle Mode, charging is inhibited if the gauging circuitry indicates
that battery pack is above 90% charged.
To put the Allegro in Vehicle Mode, complete the following steps (the
default is for Vehicle Mode to be off):
1) Tap on the Start menu and select the Settings|Control Panel options,
double-tap on Power icon. The Power Properties screen appears.
2) T ap on the box next to the Select the In-Vehicle Charge Mode option
so a check mark appears. (Refer to Chapter 4, Windows CE, Control
Panel for details).
3) Tap on OK.
Your Allegro is now set up fur use in vehicle power mode.