User's Manual

BrailleNote Apex BT User Guide
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2.1.3 Battery Care.
Like all rechargeable batteries, as the BrailleNote BT battery ages, its capacity reduces. The battery
is designed to provide approximately 300 charge cycles before seeing a noticeable reduction in
capacity. To optimize battery life, it is recommended that you only recharge when the battery is
nearly depleted, followed by a full recharge. Note: to protect the battery and reduce the number of
charge cycles, the battery will not recharge if you start recharging a battery that is almost fully
charged (above 90%). Please contact HumanWare to obtain replacement batteries.
2.1.4 Battery Replacement.
The removable battery is accessible from the underside of the BrailleNote BT. While keeping the
thumb keys in front of you, flip the unit to the side. Near the center of the underside is the battery
latch. It has three raised ridges. To remove the battery, apply pressure to the latch and push to the
right. The battery, located just above the latch will raise. At this point you can remove the spent
battery.
The new battery can only be inserted the correct way. It is rectangular in shape. There are two tabs
along one of the long edges. We will call this the top edge. There is a protuberance on one of the
short edges. This protuberance only fits at one place in the battery opening. This is the right edge of
the battery.
To insert the battery, find the proper battery orientation. Insert battery's top edge first, then lower
the battery into the opening. The protuberance on the right side should fit into the corresponding
opening. The battery should snap into place. If there is any resistance, you likely have the battery
upside down.
2.2 Long Term Storage.
If you store a fully charged BrailleNote for more than two weeks, the battery will become
completely flat. If the battery was less than fully charged prior to storing the BrailleNote, the time
needed for the battery to become fully flat will be shorter. This is because the battery self discharges
internally and because the BrailleNote BT draws a very small amount of current, even when it is
switched off. When the battery becomes completely flat, the battery gauge may become inaccurate.
If you intend to leave the BrailleNote switched off for more than a few days, fully charge the
battery beforehand, or leave the AC adapter connected, if convenient. If you intend to store a
BrailleNote for more than two to three weeks without the AC adapter connected, ensure your work
is saved by returning to the Main Menu, and fully charging the battery before putting the
BrailleNote into storage.
When you take a BrailleNote out of long-term storage, first connect the AC adapter and recharge
the battery BEFORE switching the BrailleNote BT on. If it does not resume normally, press the
Reset switch with a pointed object. The BrailleNote will beep to confirm that it has been reset. Wait
a few seconds while the BrailleNote initializes itself. If the battery has gone quite flat, you will be
prompted to reset the time and date and so on. Press ENTER several times if you want to leave that
for later or refer to Appendix C, which describes the procedure for initializing the BrailleNote.