Owner`s manual

Power Supply Module and Backup Battery
3-7
Battery Charger
Power supply modules with a battery option support a 6.5 or 10 Ah Lead-Acid battery. The
power supply automatically switches to the backup battery as a 12V DC power source for the
RTU and communications when the main AC or DC power source fails.
Power supply modules with a 12 VDC smart battery charger option charge the backup battery
when not in use, and protect the battery from over-discharge. The charger performs battery
tests/diagnostics, including controlled battery discharge, when requested by the user. If the
battery is failed, the charger will not charge it and will send a failed status signal to the CPU.
If the battery is remotely located, long battery cables can be used.
Charging the Battery
The charging voltage of the Lead-Acid battery is controlled by the charger as a function of the
battery temperature. The charging profile is set to comply with the temperature-compensated
float-voltage of the ACE3600 battery.
Diagnostics
A battery test can be performed on the Lead-Acid battery, either from the ACE3600 STS
Hardware Test utility or from the user application program. The battery test includes disabling
the battery charger, discharging the battery and measuring the capacitance. For more
information, see the Hardware Test section or the Creating a User Application section of the
ACE3600 STS User Guide.
It is recommended to run a battery capacity test once per month (for more exact results
perform at 10˚ to-30˚C), and a charge level test once per day. The capacity test
discharges the battery for 20 seconds and then measures the output. If the capacity is
below the manufacturer recommended level, the battery should be replaced with a new
one. (See Replacing the Backup Battery below.) Note that the capacity test is only
available for the battery types supplied by Motorola.
The results of the battery capacity test can be:
• Battery OK
• Battery needs to be replaced
• Test blocked - bad environment
The battery capacity test will be blocked under the following conditions:
1. If the battery is discharging (battery is main power source of RTU),
2. If the battery or thermistor is disconnected,