User manual
OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS
Version 03/10
Charger
Item No. 20 01 21 BC-300
Item No. 20 01 22 BC-500
INTENDED USE1.
The product is suitable only for charging up to four AA- and AAA-sized NiMH batteries.
This product fulls European and national requirements related to electromagnetic compatibility (EMC).
CE conformity has been veried and the relevant statements and documents have been deposited at
the manufacturer.
Unauthorised conversion and/or modication of the device are inadmissible because of safety and approval
reasons (CE). Any usage other than described above is not permitted and can damage the product and lead to
associated risks such as short-circuit, re, electric shock, etc. Please read the operating instructions thoroughly
and keep them for further reference.
CONTENT OF DELIVERY2.
Charger•
Power supply unit•
Operating instructions•
SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS3.
We do not assume liability for resulting damages to property or personal injury if the
product has been abused in any way or damaged by improper use or failure to observe
these operating instructions. The warranty/ guarantee will then expire!
The icon with exclamation mark indicates important information in the operating
instructions. Carefully read the whole operating instructions before operating the device,
otherwise there is risk of danger.
Persons / Product
This device is not a toy. It should be kept out of the reach of children. Be especially careful in the presence •
of children! Children could attempt to poke objects into the device. This would destroy the device and also
poses a risk of re.
The device may only be set up, operated or stored in a location that is not accessible to children. Children •
could short-circuit the battery, posing a risk of re and explosion!
Do not leave packaging material and accessories lying around carelessly. These could become a dangerous •
toy for children!
The accident-prevention regulations, established by the respective employer’s liability insurance association •
for electrical equipment and facilities, must be adhered to in commercial facilities.
Responsible supervision must be provided by trained personnel when the product is used in schools, •
training centres, hobby workshops or self-service workshops.
The device may only be operated in a closed, dry room. The space may not become damp or wet as this •
poses a risk of electrocution!
When handling the charger or battery, the wearing of metallic or conductive jewellery such as necklaces, •
bracelets, rings etc. is not permitted as this could short-circuit the battery, posing a hazard of explosion!
Never use the device immediately after it has been brought from a cold room into a warm room. This •
temperature change creates condensation. Although this does not impede the functioning of the device, it
does pose a risk of electrocution!
The wall power supply may only be operated with a supply voltage of 230V~/50Hz (Item No. 20 01 21) or •
100-240V~, 50/60Hz (Item No. 20 01 22). The wall power supply is a protection class II product.
Only use the provided wall power supply to operate the battery charger.•
Handle the product with care. It can be damaged through impact, blows or when dropped even from a low •
height.
If you notice any damage, do not use the battery charger anymore but take it to a specialised workshop or •
dispose of it in an environmentally friendly manner.
Do not expose the device to direct sunlight, high temperatures (>40°C) or extreme cold (<0°C). Keep it •
away from dust and dirt. The same applies to the inserted batteries.
Choose a solid, at and sufciently large surface for the battery charger. Never place the battery charger on •
a ammable surface (e.g. carpet). Always use a suitable, non-ammable, heatproof surface.
The product must not be used in the vicinity of ammable substances or gases.•
Do not operate the product unattended. Despite a considerable number of protective circuits, it is impossible •
to exclude the possibility of malfunctions or problems during the charging process.
Only use the device in a moderate climate, do not use it in a tropical climate.•
Ensure that there is sufcient ventilation during operation. Never cover the wall power supply, the battery •
charger or the rechargeable batteries.
Wait until the product has reached room temperature before connecting the wall power supply to the mains •
supply and operating the battery charger. This may take several hours!
Avoid the following unfavourable ambient conditions at the place of installation, during operation or •
transport:
moistness or high humidity -
extreme cold (< 0°C) or heat (> +40°C), direct sunlight -
dust or ammable gases, fumes or solvents -
strong vibrations, impacts or blows -
strong magnetic elds as present near machines or loudspeakers -
Place the battery charger on a at and solid surface. It must not be placed directly on or next to other •
electronic devices, motors, loudspeakers etc.
When setting up or operating the charger, make sure that the wall power supply cable is not bent or •
squeezed and that you do not trip over it.
Never cover the charger, the wall power supply or the batteries. Risk of re due to heat accumulation!•
Do not place the battery charger on sensitive or valuable furniture surfaces. The feet of the charger might •
leave pressure marks or lead to discolouration.
Keep sufcient distance to ammable surfaces or objects. Place the charger on a heat-proof and re-proof •
surface.
Occasionally check the temperature of the batteries during the charging process. Excessive heat suggests •
that batteries are defective. In such a case, remove the rechargeable batteries and do not use them
again.
When the product is not in use, disconnect the wall power supply from the mains socket and keep the •
product in a dry, clean place.
Batteries
The charger is restricted to charging NiMH rechargeable batteries only. Never adopt this charger to •
other types of batteries, such as alkaline, lithium, carbon zinc battery or other types of battery that is not
specied.
Always follow the charging instructions for the rechargeable battery. Observe the recommended charging •
current of the rechargeable batteries.
The rechargeable battery may become hot during charging. User should take extra care when taking out •
the battery after charging.
Correct polarity must be observed while inserting the batteries.•
Batteries should be removed from the device if it is not used for a long period of time to avoid damage •
through leaking. Leaking or damaged batteries might cause acid burns when in contact with skin, therefore
use suitable protective gloves to handle corrupted batteries.
Batteries must be kept out of reach of children. Do not leave the battery lying around, as there is risk, that •
children or pets swallow it.
Batteries must not be dismantled, short-circuited or thrown into re. Never recharge non-rechargeable •
batteries. There is a risk of explosion!
Miscellaneous
Repair works must only be carried out by a specialist/ specialist workshop.•
If you have queries about handling the device, that are not answered in this operating instruction, our •
technical support is available under the following address and telephone number: Voltcraft
®
, 92242
Hirschau, Lindenweg 15, Germany, phone 0180 / 586 582 7.
OPERATION4.
Connection
Connect the round low voltage plug of the power supply cable to the corresponding socket on the charger.•
Plug the mains adapter into a mains socket with 230V~/50Hz (Item No. 20 01 21) or 100-240V~, 50/60Hz •
(Item No. 20 01 22).
All display segments appear on the display for the self test. Next the version number will be displayed to the •
left in the display (for example, “17”). The charger is then ready for use. Dashes appear in all four displays
(see picture, right).
If batteries have already been inserted into the battery bays, the charger will automatically begin charging •
(see section “Charging the batteries”).
Display indicators
A B CDE
CHARGE
DEFECT
CHARGE
FULL
The display indicators F through L apply only to the measuring device BC-500, item no.
20 01 22.
F G HIJ
CHARGEDISCHARGE
TEST TEST TEST
CHARGE
A Ah
DISCHARGE
TEST
DISCHARGE
K L
FULL TEST FULL TEST
Ah
A No rechargeable batteries inserted or battery was not recognised
B Rechargeable battery defective
C Charging status display in percentage (during charging)
D Present charging voltage (during charging)
E Battery fully charged (“FULL“ appears in display), charger automatically switches to trickle charge,
voltage value shows the trickle charge’s charging voltage
F Present charging voltage (during discharging)
G Present charging voltage (during charging in test function)
H Charging current (during charging in test function)
I Present charging voltage (during discharging in test function)
J Capacity display (during discharging in test function)
K Charging voltage (after completed test)
L Capacity display (after completed test)
Charging the batteries
To charge the AA or AAA batteries, there are four battery bays.•
It does not matter which battery bays you use rst and how many of the four battery bays are •
used at the same time as each battery bay is independent of the others.
To begin charging, insert the appropriate battery with the correct polarity into the battery bay (make sure 1.
plus/+ and minus/- are correct). Both the battery bay and battery itself are labelled accordingly.
After testing the battery and the display, the battery voltage begins to be charged automatically.2.
If dashes appear on the display (“- -”, gure A), this means that no battery has been inserted •
in the battery bay or that the charger does not recognise the battery.
If “DEFECT” (gure B) appears in the display, the battery is defective. Remove the defective •
batteries from the charger and dispose of them in an environmentally responsible manner
(see chapter “Disposal”).
After charging begins, the display will alternate between showing the current charging voltage and a 3.
percentage for the charging status for each battery. In addition, “CHARGE” appears in the display (charging
active), see gure C and D.
During charging, the current battery voltage is not displayed but rather the charging voltage. •
Based on the ΔU charging method used, voltages of up to approximately 1.6 V can be
displayed. This is normal.
The percentage indicator for the charging status is calculated based on the internal resistance •
of the battery and the current charging voltage. For this reason 0% is displayed even when
inserting a new, fully charged battery.
Once charging is complete, the charger automatically switches to trickle charge. “FULL” will appear in the 4.
display for the respective battery bay (gure E).
A battery that is completely discharged requires 10-20% more energy to be charged than the •
capacity that is printed on the battery.
Examples (item no. 20 01 21):•
An AA-type battery with a capacity of 2600 mAh requires approximately 11 hours to -
charge.
An AAA-type battery with a capacity of 1000 mAh requires approximately 5.5 hours to -
charge.
Examples (item no. 20 01 22):•
An AA-type battery with a capacity of 2600 mAh requires approximately 6 hours to -
charge.
An AAA-type battery with a capacity of 1000 mAh requires approximately 2 hours to -
charge.
The ΔU charging method makes it possible to always charge the battery to 100%. A safety •
timer automatically switches off the charging process after approximately 18 hours (item no.
20 01 21) or 7 hours (item no. 20 01 22) (bad/outdated battery, no ΔU recognition possible).
It may be necessary to charge and discharge new batteries fully several times in order to •
realise their maximum capacity.
This procedure can also be useful to reactivate batteries that have been unused for extended •
periods.
Once the batteries are fully charged, remove them from the charger. Two dashes (“- -”) appear in the display. 5.
The battery bay is now ready for the next charging session.
Rechargeable batteries heat up during charging. You should therefore carefully check the •
temperature of the battery before removing it.
With charging currents up to 250 mA, the battery normally should not become especially hot. A •
battery that is too hot indicates that it is an old battery with elevated internal resistance.
If you are no longer using the charger, disconnect it from the power supply.6.
Discharge batteries (only for item no. 20 01 22)
Hold down the middle button below the LCD for approximately three seconds until you see “DISCHARGE” 1.
appear on the display.
Each battery in the charger will now be discharged. During discharging, the current voltage of each battery 2.
is shown on the display (see gure F).
After discharging is complete, each battery will be charged automatically.3.
Testing batteries (only for item no. 20 01 22)
During discharging, hold down the middle button below the LCD for approximately ve seconds until you 1.
see “TEST” appear on the display.
While the test is being performed, each battery will rst be charged, then discharged and nally recharged 2.
again.
During charging the voltage (V) and charging current (A) are displayed alternately (see gure G and H). 3.
When discharging, the voltage (V) and the capacity (Ah) are shown on the display alternately (see gure 4.
I and J).
Once the test is complete, you will see “FULL TEST” appear on the display. The voltage (V) and capacity 5.
(Ah) are displayed alternately (see gure K and L).
CARE AND MAINTENANCE5.
Before cleaning or maintenance, disconnect the charger from all power sources and remove the batteries.•
Use only a soft, dry cloth on the housing of the device.•
Do not use liquid or cleaning agents for cleaning.•
Maintenance or repairs should only be performed by a qualied technician who is familiar with the relevant •
regulations and requirements.
DISPOSAL6.
General
In order to preserve, protect and improve the quality of environment, protect human health and
utilise natural resources prudently and rationally, the user should return unserviceable product to
relevant facilities in accordance with statutory regulations.
The crossed-out wheeled bin indicates the product needs to be disposed separately and not as
municipal waste.
Batteries / rechargeable batteries
The user is legally obliged (battery regulation) to return used batteries and rechargeable batteries.
Disposing used batteries in the household waste is prohibited! Batteries/ rechargeable
batteries containing hazardous substances are marked with the crossed-out wheeled bin. The
symbol indicates that the product is forbidden to be disposed via the domestic refuse. The
chemical symbols for the respective hazardous substances are Cd = Cadmium, Hg = Mercury,
Pb = Lead.
You can return used batteries/ rechargeable batteries free of charge to any collecting point of your
local authority, our stores or where batteries/ rechargeable batteries are sold.
Consequently you comply with your legal obligations and contribute to environmental protection!
TECHNICAL DATA7.
Item no. 20 01 21 (BC-300):
Input voltage: 230 V/AC, 50 Hz
Output voltage: 12 V/DC
Charging current: approx. 300 mA
Trickle charge: approx. 25 mA
Item no. 20 01 22 (BC-500):
Input voltage: 100 V/AC to 240 V/AC, 50/60 Hz
Output voltage: 12 V/DC
Charging current: approx. 500 mA
Trickle charge: approx. 25 mA
Discharge current: approx. 280 mA
Valid for both devices:
Max. charging capacity: 3000 mAh
Dimensions (W x H x D): 68 x 22 x 125 mm
Weight: 70 g (Charger)
210 g (Power supply unit)
These operating instructions are published by Voltcraft
®
,
Lindenweg 15, D-92242 Hirschau/ Germany, Phone +49 180 586 582 7.
All rights including translation reserved. Reproduction by any method, e.g. photocopy, microlming, or the capture in
electronic data processing systems require the prior written approval by the editor. Reprinting, also in part, is prohibited.
The operating instructions reect the current technical specications at time of print.
We reserve the right to change the technical or physical specications.
© Copyright 2010 by Voltcraft
®
.
*02_03/10_03-SB