Instructions

7. General information
Rechargeablebatteriesconsistoftwoelectrodesplacedintoanelectrolyte;thus,arechargeable
batteryisachemicalelement.Chemicalprocessestakeplaceinsidethiselement.Asthese
processes are reversible, rechargeable batteries can be recharged.
A charge voltage is required to recharge batteries. This voltage must be higher than the cell
voltage.Inaddition,theenergy(mAh)suppliedforthechargingprocessmustbehigherthan
the energy that can be drawn afterwards. This ratio of the energy supplied to the energy drawn
iscalledefciency.
The capacity that can be taken mainly depends on the discharging current; it is decisive for the
condition of the battery. The supplied charge cannot be used as a measure, because a propor-
tionofitwillbelost(forexampleconvertedintoheat).
The capacity data given by the manufacturer is the maximum theoretic quantity of current which
can be delivered by the battery. That means that, for example, a battery of 2000 mAh can theo-
reticallydeliveracurrentof1000mA(=1A)fortwohours.Thisvaluedependsheavilyonmany
factors(conditionofthebattery,dischargingcurrent,temperature,etc.).
Selecting the charging current
The charger offersseveral practice-oriented chargingcurrents (300 mA, 500 mA, 700 mA,
1000 mA).
The charging current must be selected according to the information on the rechargeable battery.
Example1:Thelabel“Standardcharge:12-15hoursatxxxmA”
Example2:Thelabel“Fastcharge:4-5hoursatxxxmA”
Example3:Thelabel“Fastrechargeable”or“Quickchargingpossible”
The charger does not always offer precisely the right charging current. In such cases,
the next lower current range is the correct choice.
For rechargeable batteries without information on the charging current, a charging
currentofapproximately1/10 of the battery capacityshouldbeused(e.g. battery
capacity 2500 mAh, charging current 300 mA).
Thedischargingcurrentinthe“CHARGETEST”operatingmodeissetautomaticallyaccording
to the charging current:
• Chargingcurrent300mAor500mA: Dischargingcurrent250mA
• Chargingcurrent700mAor1000mA: Dischargingcurrent500mA
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