User's Manual

CHAPTER2
MaintainingandservicingtheRTU
17
TheRTUbat tery
• The internal battery supplies 6.2 volts and consists of a NiMH
pack. The internal electronics manage the battery’s charging/
discharging process, ensuring it a long life time. This approach,
coupled with a remarkably low average power consumption,
allows an addWAVE RTU to operate at least two weeks on a fully
charged battery, as long as the analog and the counter values are
stored in the internal memory every 15 minutes.
Table 1 shows the addWAVE device’s expected operation time on a
fully charged battery under various conditions.
However, if for some reason (wear-out or accident) the battery loses
its capacity (noted in the software with repeated “Battery low”
messages), it must be replaced. Make sure though, that the problem
is really due to the battery and not to a defective or dirty solar panel.
Adcon highly recommends that you frequently check and clean your
solar panels. Rain and dust can cover the solar panel’s surface with a
thin layer of dirt, effectively reducing its power output. Surrounding
vegetation can also lower panel efficiency.
Replacingthebattery
If you have verified that the battery needs to be replaced, follow these
steps to do so:
1. Open the lid as described in Step 1 on page 9.
Table 1. addWAVE Device Operation Time
Mode
Polling
Rate
Sampling
Rate
Average
Consumption
(mA)
Estimated
Operation
(days)
GPRS Power Save Mode 1-4/day 900/15 0.65 199
GPRS with good link quality 4/hour 900/15 81 6
GPRS with bad link quality 4/hour 900/15 20 6